Architecture of Bosnia and Herzegovina: An introduction
CONTEXT, FORM AND TEXTURE: An Introduction to the Architecture of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Thursday 23 April 2026 at 6.00pm
Embassy of Bosnia & Herzegovina, 5-7 Lexham Gardens, London W8 5JJ, UK
An introductory talk by Dr Selma Harrington on the architecture of Bosnia and Herzegovina as a taster for a future C20 trip to the country with a guided exploration of key sites. Selma's talk will initiate a contextual reading of an architectural space whose public sphere has been shaped by centuries of intense and often conflicting interplay of socio-economic and political forces. Unwrapping cultural tropes including orientalism and balkanism during her doctoral studies, Selma applies a critical heritage discourse lens to navigate through historic periods and architecture styles that are uniquely manifest during ‘a walk-through’ her home town of Sarajevo.
The city unfolds as a journey through time and can be experienced as a SynchroniCity, a place with a blend of tradition and modernity; it attracts and intrigues both local residents and visitors from abroad. ‘A walk-through’ features the key local architectural trends, which are synthesised in the vein of Jurgen Habermas’s critique of modernity as 'incomplete project' and Henri Lefebvre’s theoretical and empirical work on new towns. It is offering new insights into Bosnia’s Other Modernism, as a living and pulsating laboratory of socio-spatial identity and resilience.
Dr Selma Harrington is an architect, author, researcher and policy advisor with a PhD in Architecture from the University of Strathclyde, an MPhil in European Studies from Trinity College Dublin and an MSc in Architecture from the University of Sarajevo. She is a Co-director of the Union of International Architects Education Commission and Director of the New European Bauhaus for Bosnia and Herzegovina Foundation. She is based in Dublin, as an Honorary Consul of Bosnia and Herzegovina in Ireland,
C20 Society Member £11;
Non-Member £16;
Young C20 member £5*;
Student £5 **
Includes a glass of wine
*For Young C20 members, please email lukas@c20society.org.uk to secure a place.
**For student pricing please select from the dropdown option next to ‘membership number’ on the booking form below.
Includes a glass of wine
Click here for our cancellation policy.
Note: This event is hybrid and is being run both in-person at Cowcross Street Gallery and online via Zoom. The event will be recorded and offered as a catch-up lecture for those who have booked and will be available for two weeks.
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The Twentieth Century Society is an IHBC (Institute of Historic Building conservation) recognised CPD provider.
The Twentieth Century Society is a registered charity, no 1110244
Above: Šerefudin White Mosque by Zlatko Ugljen (1969–1979) in Visoko, Bosnia-Herzegovina.
THIS BOOKING IS FOR AN IN-PERSON TICKET ONLY (COWCROSS STREET GALLERY)