The Um Slaim School: An Architecture of Connection

Official catalog of the National Pavilion of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia at the 19th Venice biennale of Architecture.

The Um Slaim School: An Architecture of Connection forms part of a propositional pedagogy for contemporary urbanism in Riyadh, expanding on the National Pavilion of Saudi Arabia at the Biennale Architettura 2025, and the work of Riyadh-based practice Syn Architects (Sara Alissa and Nojoud Alsudairi).

Contributing to a localized spatial discourse relevant to Saudi Arabia and the broader region, bilingual spatial terminologies are illustrated through multi-disciplinary projects and interventions from Syn Architects and the Um Slaim Collective. The contents provide context on histories of urban development in Riyadh, including typologies of Najdi architecture, methods of spatial embodiment and situated practice.

Artistic, sonic, and photographic contributions from the exhibition’s collaborators Laurian Ghinițoiu, Mohammed Alhamdan (7amdan), Maha Malluh, and Mansour Alsofi, as well as new essays by Syn Architects, exhibition curator Beatrice Leanza, and catalogue editor Ahmad Makia complete the volume.

A second publication connected to the research agendas of The Um Slaim School is to be released in Fall 2025.

Edited by: Ahmad Makia

Texts by: Beatrice Leanza, Syn Architects (Sara Alissa & Nojoud Alsudairi), Ahmad Makia