Zeina Magazachi

Originally from a multicultural background shared between France and Iraq, I was born and raised in Paris where I obtained my first MA in Architecture at the École Nationale Supérieure d’Architecture de Paris Belleville, in 2018.

I have previously worked as an architect and as a set designer in various practices in Paris, Istanbul and Amman.

Upon completion of my MA in Interior Design at the Royal College of Art, I would like to work on immersive and experiential spatial design projects with a particular interest in the "temporary". I'm also looking forward to nourishing my work with future collaborations abroad, especially between Europe and the Middle East.

Alongside my studio work I have taken an active role in College life having been a student representative of the MA Interior Design programme for two years as well as leading the ‘Inside/Out’ team organising and hosting talks and interviews with leading practitioners on Instagram and Zoom. These events are open to the public and have a worldwide audience.

School of Architecture Prizes 2021 Winner of the Student Prize (Interior Design) - Voted for by students of MA Interior Design

School of Architecture Prizes 2021 Joint Winner of Head of Programme’s Prize - Interior Design

This year, I have been working on a project dedicated to the space we have inside our heads. 'Head s p a c e' aims to help people press pause for a moment, to disconnect, meditate and then reconnect again with the world.

My work is a direct response to the numerous lockdowns we went through this year after the outbreak of the Coronavirus pandemic. As the world took a break and the streets emptied, we all stopped for a moment to reflect on the situation and on ourselves. This pause was beneficial to some, but it also revealed a lot of anxiety for others, and at a time when mental health services were the most needed, they became very hard to access because of self-isolation. As a result, people looked for easy solutions to feel better on their own, from home which caused a surge in downloads of mental wellness applications.

Inspired by the Headspace smartphone application, which was downloaded more than 1.5 million times in April 2020, my proposal is to take a step further and help visitors completely disconnect from their phones, computers, notifications and surroundings.

This year the Platform has been working with the St Pancras Waterpoint. The site offers many opportunities for this project due to its human scale and isolated location on a raised island surrounded by the Regent's Canal.

The space designed will take one visitor at a time, for half a day, on a journey to the interior of the self. This temporary, immersive experience will provide users with an isolated, stimulating, safe space to practice mindfulness as an antidote to the anxious times experienced by many in our contemporary world.