Goli Jalali is a structural engineer, architectural designer, and educator whose practice, x.y.gj, explores depth as a third dimension—both spatial and imaginative. The “gj” signals her personal imprint within a practice that bridges art, architecture, and engineering through storytelling and material expression.

Her work moves fluidly between drawings, buildings, textiles, installations, and digital media, often engaging with cultural artifacts as tools for historical reconstruction. Through this lens, Goli investigates how architecture can reframe layered narratives of place, memory, and identity.

Goli’s professional experience spans Tehran, London, Berlin, Boston, and Vancouver. As a structural engineering consultant at Buro Happold, she worked on several complex projects, including the KAFD Metro Station in Riyadh in collaboration with Zaha Hadid Architects. This culturally significant transit hub—with its intricate geometry and expressive façade—shaped her ongoing interest in how architecture can embody the identity of a place while navigating complex design challenges.

She holds a degree in Civil Engineering from UBC, an MSc in Emergent Technologies and Design from the Architectural Association in London, and a Master of Architecture from Harvard GSD. Goli has taught design studios at UBC SALA and the AA in London, where she explores storytelling, cultural artifacts, and historical reconstruction as design methodologies.