Welcome to the first issue of In Tongues, a series of newsletters from Umarell exploring the relationship we have with language in the built environment.

Whether consciously or subconsciously the language we use is a reflection on power and position. Discourse around the built environment is no exception to this rule and our word choices can either encourage or undermine new voices.

This issue features a piece of writing from our own Rory Thomas and an interview with Hani Salih.

Hani Salih has an expansive career that he himself struggles to define; writer, curator, researcher and more. Our discussion follows the closing of the exhibition bookending his time as a Design Researcher in Residence at The Design Museum, in late 2025. His research entitled “Hot Mess” considered the excessive complexity of the UK’s planning system through the lens of permission required for heat pump installation. We spoke to him on these complexities and the obfuscation of systems and language.

Happy reading!