Syn Architects

Anywhere Can Be a Place of Worship

Syn Architects is an architectural practice founded in 2019 by Sara Alissa (b. 1990, Paris, France) and Nojoud Alsudairi (b. 1994, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia). Based in Riyadh, Syn work collaboratively with communities and focus on ecologically sensitive design that derives its aesthetic from an awareness of the natural context and the essence of the materials used.

Nojoud and Sara both trained at the Bartlett School of Architecture, University College London. As an outcome of the Situated Practice MA at the Bartlett, they also co-founded Um Slaim Collective, which seeks to document the loss of traditional Najd architecture in Riyadh. With collaborators from other fields, they lead saudiarchitecture.org, an independent organization researching and archiving Saudi Arabia’s modernist and contemporary architecture. Nojoud is also an artist producing woven sculptures and multimedia installations, exhibiting most recently at Riyadh Art and Noor Al Riyadh (2021); 21,39 Jeddah Art (2020, 2017); Weaving Threads, National Gallery, Islamabad (2020); and Together, Madinah Art Center (2018).