Maya Patel
Urbanism and Societal Change MA
Royal Danish Academy – Architecture, Design and Conservation
Specialisms: Architecture / Design for Social Good / Modelmaking
Location: London, United Kingdom
Maya Patel
First Name: Maya
Last Name: Patel
Specialisms: Architecture / Design for Social Good / Modelmaking
Sectors:
My Location: London, United Kingdom
University / College: Royal Danish Academy – Architecture, Design and Conservation
Course / Program Title: Urbanism and Societal Change MA
About
I am a recent graduate from the Royal Danish Academy in Copenhagen where I completed my MA in Architecture with a specialism in Urbanism & Societal Change. Originally from London, I completed my BA in Architecture from Kingston University. Throughout earlier years in my architectural education I developed skills in modelmaking and representation as well as finding a keen interest in socially and culturally motivated projects. I also worked for two years as a Part 1 Architectural Assistant at Morris & Company in East London where I gain valuable and practical insights into the build environment and developed critical thoughts on the future of architecture and urban-wide social issues.
This motivated me to apply for the Urbanism & Societal Change course at KADK to seek out projects that thoroughly engage in multiple urban crisis; adaptive reuse projects in response to material scarcity; research & reconstruction in war-torn countries including Afghanistan and Ukraine; the impact of rising sea levels and possible management strategies for at-risk coastal towns in Denmark; and my final thesis project which researched and proposed an alternative housing response to London’s inhumane asylum-hotels.
Amid an increasingly hostile environment shaped by government rhetoric and deterrent strategies, asylum seekers in the UK are placed in degrading hotel accommodation—isolated, monitored, and stripped of the stability needed to begin rebuilding their lives. Simultaneously, cities like London face a growing contradiction: increasingly vacant homes, empty offices, and underused public spaces persist within an escalating housing and humanitarian crisis. This project focuses on Southwark, which has the highest number of asylum seekers in London, along with the city’s largest stock of vacant homes and a significant amount of disused office space. The proposal introduces a phased, incremental transformation of Bankside 3. Housing and workspaces are brought into close proximity, challenging conventional separations between vulnerable communities and commercial users fostering a new kind of vertical community—one where dialogue, cultural exchange, and moments of shared life can take root through spatial openness and architectural care. At ground level, the project weaves a vibrant public realm where life unfolds as a shared fabric, becoming a stage for storytelling. Public programmes centre the experiences of asylum seekers, bringing visibility, dialogue, and learning into daily life. In a place once defined by separation, the ground becomes a platform for participation, connection and collective re-imagining.
Competitions
