--- title: "Plug-In Spitalfields — Omar Zaky, Khalid Saleh, Sondos Ahmed, Aya Kamel, Lojain Mohamed — GENDO 48 | Gendo" description: "A flexible, adaptive civic ecosystem suspended inside the iron hall. Omar Zaky, Khalid Saleh, Sondos Ahmed, Aya Kamel, Lojain Mohamed — Finalists at GENDO 48." lang: en json-ld: --- [![Gendo](https://assets.gendo.ai/marketing/homepage/gendo-logo-white.png)](/) [Features](/product)[Solutions](/workflows)[Resources](/resources)[Pricing](/pricing) About [Log In](https://app.gendo.ai/sign-in)[Start creating ](https://app.gendo.ai/sign-up) [Gallery](/resources/gendo48-gallery) GENDO 48 — Finalists # Plug-In Spitalfields Omar Zaky, Khalid Saleh, Sondos Ahmed, Aya Kamel, Lojain Mohamed — Cairo, Egypt A flexible, adaptive civic ecosystem suspended inside the iron hall. Live design canvas — pan, zoom, and inspect the prompts and iterations. [Open canvas](https://app.gendo.ai/project/699c80f1-b52f-49a1-b077-2b4f94051315) ## Overview Omar Zaky, Khalid Saleh, Sondos Ahmed, Aya Kamel and Lojain Mohamed are five recently graduated architects from Cairo University's Faculty of Engineering — Architecture Department, now working between design, BIM management and emerging AI workflows at AIIGII architects. Their finalist entry, Plug-In Spitalfields, treats the historic market as a host structure for a continually changing programme rather than a fixed civic typology. ## The concept Plug-In Spitalfields proposes a flexible, adaptive civic ecosystem that redefines the historic market experience. Fixed and mobile plug-in units are suspended within the existing iron structure, allowing the space to continuously transform for markets, events, dining, exhibitions and community activities. The design combines heritage preservation with contemporary adaptive infrastructure: rather than competing with the Victorian envelope, the inserted units register against it and let the iron structure remain the dominant architectural reading. Inspired by the '8 Queens' strategy, the layout creates balanced zones that enhance circulation, openness and public interaction while maintaining the identity of Spitalfields Market. ## Workflow & process The team approached the 48 hours collaboratively, treating Gendo as a brainstorming and decision-making surface for a group rather than an individual tool. They began by thinking about the market-place, the materials, the historical background and the overall look, then generated sketches and different perspectives to share their thoughts before converging on a final concept and producing the final boards. The renders themselves became the device through which the team could think together — testing variations of the plug-in units, the suspension strategy and the activity scenarios. ## Interview Q: Was this your first time using Gendo, and how has your relationship with it evolved? This was our second time using Gendo — it is incredibly fast, neat and easy. We heard about Gendo through our Senior Manager at AIIGII architects, where we currently work. We attended Ismail Seleit and Will Jones's online workshop hosted by ATN, then practised, experimented and went through the 48-hour competition. We're looking forward to attending more workshops. Q: What did the result mean to you — and what would you do differently next time? Still cannot quite process the result — what a wonderful feeling. It's incredible to use Gendo in our design process, and we'll follow up the upcoming updates and add new features like animation and video to our upcoming projects. Q: In your own words, what was it like to compete in Gendo 48? A really wonderful process and a whole experience. Thank you to the Gendo team — keep up the good work. ## Key takeaways Plug-In Spitalfields is a strong example of group authorship working through a shared canvas. Five recent graduates, a clear adaptive-reuse argument, and a workflow rooted in collective decision-making — the result is a proposal that takes the heritage seriously and uses the iron structure to its full programmatic potential. [ Previous Bee Leighton, Adam Walsh ](/resources/gendo48-gallery/bee-leighton-adam-walsh)[ Next Christian Lasso ](/resources/gendo48-gallery/christian-lasso) [Gendo ](#) A living canvas for visual exploration, iteration, and decision-making. ### Product - [Product](/product) - [Pricing](/pricing) - [FAQs](/faqs) ### Company - [About Us](/about-us) - [Career](/career) - [Environmental Statement](/about/environmental-statement) - [Blog](/resources/insights) - [Contact Us](/book-call) ### Connect - [LinkedIn](https://linkedin.com/company/gendo-ai) - [Instagram](https://instagram.com/gendo.ai) - [YouTube](https://youtube.com/@Gendo-ai) © 2026 Gendo. All rights reserved. [Licenses](/licenses)[Terms of Service](/terms-of-service)[Privacy Policy](/privacy-policy)