What to see at the London Festival of Architecture 2019
What to see at the London Festival of Architecture 2019
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1/14 National Archives tour
June 1 and 2: explore the architecture of the National Archives in Kew — a "brutalist bunker” built in 1977.
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2/14 Secret Southwark stroll
June 3-29: a self-guided walking tour by Newground Architects explores a rich variety of buildings in Southwark, with a special children’s trail, too.
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3/14 A slow comfortable screw against a wall
June 4, 11, 18, 25 and 28: APE Architecture and Design unpacks its travelling bar to tell the liquid history of the capital at Tower Hill Garden. Tickets are priced £25.
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4/14 Mark Titchner: Me. Here. Now
June 7: artist Mark Titchner talks about his new public art commission at London Bridge station.
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5/14 Open studios
June 7 (Clerkenwell), June 14 (Fitzrovia), June 21 (Shoreditch), June 28 (Southwark): Architecture practices across London throw their studio doors open to welcome the public.
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6/14 Classical London
June 12: a walking tour through Westminster. Classical architect George Saumarez Smith leads an architectural walking tour focusing on the development of the classical architecture tradition.
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7/14 Fluid boundaries
June 12: Shobana Jeyasingh Dance uses choreography to explore the architecture of Aldgate Square in the City of London.
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8/14 BAFTA
June 20: telling the story of Bafta’s upcoming expansion and refurbishment of its historic headquarters in Piccadilly in the West End, and how architecture helps its role.
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9/14 RA lego architecture challenge
June 23: leading architecture practices battle it out in LEGO to create the most innovative and imaginative project. At the Royal Academy, Piccadilly.
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10/14 Architecture weekender
June 23: a multimedia family event exploring architecture at Pitzhanger Manor and Gallery in Ealing, Sir John Soane’s country retreat.
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11/14 Alexandra Palace: beyond the fourth wall
June 26: FCBStudios hosts a visit behind the scenes at Alexandra Palace’s Victorian Theatre and East Court — an evocative new venue for London.
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12/14 Colour palace
Throughout June: designed by architectural office Pricegore with designer Yinka Ilori, the new Dulwich Pavilion fuses European and African cultural traditions at Dulwich Picture Gallery, south London.
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13/14 All along the dock edge
Throughout June: an illustrated walk by artist Anna Gibb through the fascinating history and future of the Royal Docks.
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14/14 Lunch break
Throughout June: 35 gilded angels sit high above the entrance to St Paul’s Tube station, in this new installation commissioned especially for the festival.
The trouble with television interior design shows is that while many viewers are inspired by them, others are left with a deep sense of dissatisfaction at the way they live their lives.
But it does not have to be like this. We can change our homes, our workspace and our city.
And the role of the architect is to help us to live in spaces that work for us, whether that be our own flat or a new block of flats at the end of our road. They should enhance our lives.
I have spent a lifetime thinking, talking and celebrating architecture. It can affect our health, mental wellbeing, our educational attainment and even the economic profitability of our businesses.
A modern, well thought-out railway station can make our commute to work more enjoyable, a thoughtful streetscape makes a walk pleasurable, and a planted green space in a busy city raises our spirits. Architecture really matters.
But we matter, too. We need to take part as consumers and citizens. How we build this city and how we use and live in it is the responsibility of all of us. We are the watchdogs of our area.
We can find out about future developments — whether through our local council’s website or notices fixed to lamp posts — because unless we show we care, bad things can happen.
This year’s London Festival of Architecture runs throughout June and is an opportunity to meet architects, explore buildings and places and learn more about London, the world’s hub for architecture.
London employs more than 22,000 people in architectural businesses, and students come from all over the world to study architecture here.
There are more than 400 events at this year’s festival. We invite you to join in the fun, the debate, the lectures and the exhibitions and celebrate our buildings — come join us.
Scroll through the gallery above to find out more about some of the unmissable events taking place during this year's London Festival of Architecture.
Find full details of all festival events at londonfestivalofarchitecture.org/
