Tarek Merlin, a queer Palestinian architect running a queer-led architecture studio, argues that the built‑environment professions lack diversity not merely because they exclude people, but because they fail to make diverse talent visible. He suggests that many qualified professionals remain overlooked simply because the industry does not offer equal access to recognition and opportunity across disciplines such as architecture, interiors, and construction.
Creating a platform to connect diverse talent with clients
He launched the Diversity Directory as a cross‑disciplinary tool intended to help clients and institutions discover talent they might otherwise never encounter. The platform celebrates existing excellence within the field rather than treating inclusion as a box‑checking exercise.
Developers are currently discussing the project with representatives from bodies including the Royal Institute of British Architects and the Greater London Authority. Their goal is to simplify how employers and consultants locate capable partners in the built environment.
Visibility changes city skylines.
The architect believes that showcasing varied professionals helps the next generation see a place for themselves in these fields. Broadening who gets to shape our cities expands the ideas that shape them.
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Rethinking housing through a queer lens
His work challenges standard housing models. He has written about “queering housing standards,” noting that the typical UK model assumes a narrow definition of domestic life centered on a heteronormative nuclear family. The common two‑bed, four‑person flat has become so normalized that people rarely question the assumptions embedded within it.
Contemporary life is far more complex, involving multi‑generational households, blended families, chosen families, and non‑traditional living arrangements. Yet current models often struggle to accommodate these realities. Research has expanded into concepts of multi‑generational queer co‑housing, exploring how chosen‑family living could help address both LGBTQ+ youth homelessness and isolation among older queer people.
Looking at housing from different lived experiences exposes blind spots within the system and opens new possibilities. A more varied industry generates different points of view and spatial outcomes, which directly affects innovation, creativity, and the quality of the places we build.
The property industry is entering a moment of enormous change. Questions around housing delivery, affordability, retrofit, climate resilience and social value increasingly demand new ways of thinking. Innovation is needed to help answer these questions, which can be difficult if the same voices continue to shape the conversation in the same ways.
The Diversity Directory is intended as one small intervention
