Salima Naji is a practicing architect who anchors her work in the materiality of territories, encompassing both large and small-scale projects. Her practice is closely connected with an academic engagement in numerous international action-research programmes. Her research explores sustainability and the entangled relationship between societies and their environment. Her PhD in Anthropology ( EHESS, Paris) examines the enduring legacy of collective architecture in Morocco, of which she has documented and preserved numerous exemplars over the past twenty years.She also holds an MPhil in Art (Beaux Arts; Esthétique et Technologies de l'Image, Paris 8).Salima Naji specialises in the restoration of vernacular construction heritage and the valorisation of traditional architecture, particularly in Morocco's southern regions. Her practice is informed by a focus on local resources, both material (rammed earth, stone, and wood) and human, through the mobilisation of (endangered) artisanal knowledge and craft traditions.She has received several prestigious awards, including the **Global Award for Sustainable Architecture in 2025,** the **Grande Médaille d’Or of the French Academy of Architecture** in 2024 and mentions (Dedalo Minosse, Mention Fondazione Pistoletto & Citta dell'arte, Vicenza teatro olimpico ; Philippe Rotthier European Architecture Prize : Mention for the Revival of Vernacular Techniques ; Honourable Mention from the RAI Prize of Canada ; shortlist Materia Award 2025...) Salima Naji is one of the 100 practising women architects identified by RIBA in 2023 and she is included in The Bloomsbury Global Encyclopedia of Women in Architecture (1960-2020) in 2025.
Salima Naji
Multidisciplinary Designer | Morocco
Tata museum. Image courtesy of the Designer
The Interview
What inspired you to pursue a career in design?
Hassan Fathy (1900-1989).
How does your cultural or regional context influence your design work?
It is my essential source in its materialities.
What is your design philosophy or approach to creative problem-solving?
vernacular construction heritage and the valorisation of traditional architecture, particularly in Morocco's southern regions. My practice is informed by a focus on local resources, both material (rammed earth, stone, and wood) and human, through the mobilisation of (endangered) artisanal knowledge and craft traditions.
Describe a project you're most proud of and why it's meaningful to you.
Agadir Oufella : Landscape projet, repair project of the earthquake disaster, memorie and future.
Who are your design influences or mentors, and how have they shaped your work?
books of architecture, theory for practice. Practice to thinking.
What role do you think design plays in shaping communities and culture in the MENASA region?
True design offers a living environment of dignity and beauty, which meets the needs of the human soul.
How do you stay inspired and continue to evolve your creative practice?
It's an essential need: the workshop-home-library on one side, and the commissions on the other.
What are the biggest challenges facing designers in the MENASA region today?
To maintain one's ethics and purity in the face of unacceptable destruction of the world (corruption).
Works
Agadir, Image courtesy of the designer.
Timenkar school, Image courtesy of the designer.
Website
www.salimanaji.com
Socials
@architecte.salimanaji