The Kosovar scientist at the cutting edge of architecture
Dea Luma is leading the way in Japan’s emerging neuroarchitecture field.
![“For my parents it was always very important to plant a book culture and early childhood education, so when this happened for me I certainly was not aware but definitely it has been reflected since then,” she says. “The more you touch on different things, the more you understand what you like; and as a child you might not know how to make those choices but if parents are supportive or push you to do them, it’s always a great help.”<br />
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After completing school, Luma decided to study architecture at the University of Prishtina (UP). During her studies she dipped her feet in various streams of architecture and design, but didn’t yet know what she wanted to pursue further. “[At first] I liked archeology, then I started to have so much interest in cultural heritage that my bachelor’s thesis was a combination of both,” she says.](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fadmin.kosovotwopointzero.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2021%2F07%2FDea-Luma_Foto-e-femijerise.jpg&w=1920&q=80)
As she was growing up in the ’90s, Luma was encouraged by her family to take part in a wide range of activities as well as pursuing her education. Photo courtesy of Dea Luma’s personal archive.
“For my parents it was always very important to plant a book culture and early childhood education, so when this happened for me I certainly was not aware but definitely it has been reflected since then,” she says. “The more you touch on different things, the more you understand what you like; and as a child you might not know how to make those choices but if parents are supportive or push you to do them, it’s always a great help.”After completing school, Luma decided to study architecture at the University of Prishtina (UP). During her studies she dipped her feet in various streams of architecture and design, but didn’t yet know what she wanted to pursue further. “[At first] I liked archeology, then I started to have so much interest in cultural heritage that my bachelor’s thesis was a combination of both,” she says.
“You don’t have to fear that someone will fail you … it is more a process of growth, research and then you feel more confident to do the work.”
“In the long run it will present a shift in the design paradigm and design thinking — architecture will not be the same.”
Despite all the challenges, she still exudes hope about the possibilities for turning some things around in her home city.
Tringë Sokoli
Tringë Sokoli is a journalist and former editor at K2.0 (2019-21). For her bachelor’s degree she studied journalism at the University of Prishtina, and for her master’s she studied public policy and administration at the University of Potsdam in Germany.
This story was originally written in English.