Founder of Counterspace Studio
In terms of leadership, Sumayya Vally is the Founder and Principal of Counterspace, an award-winning architecture and research studio established in 2015. Based between Johannesburg and London, the studio operates at the intersection of traditional architectural practice and academic research, focusing on the development of design languages specific to the African continent and Islamic cultures. Beyond her firm, she has held major global roles, such as serving as the Artistic Director for the inaugural Islamic Arts Biennale in Jeddah in 2023. She is also a dedicated educator, having directed “Unit 12” at the Graduate School of Architecture at the University of Johannesburg and currently holding professorships at institutions like the Harvard Graduate School of Design and the Bartlett School of Architecture. Her career continues to redefine the architect’s role as a listener and a translator of marginalized histories into permanent, public landmarks.
