The Real Estate Architecture Laboratory (REAL) have today announced a Kickstarter campaign in preparation for the launch of their flagship publication, the Real Review. Produced by an independent team of editors and designers, this bi-monthly magazine intends to "revive the review as a writing form" to a general readership within the architectural sphere and its orbital subjects.
The Real Review will be "a printed object of exceptional quality, featuring engaging texts by leading international commentators," alongside providing "a highly visible platform for emerging writers." Confirmed authors at this time include, among others, Assemble, Pier Vittorio Aureli (Dogma, AA), Reinier de Graaf (OMA), Sam Jacob (Sam Jacob Studio), and a rostra of journalists including the Financial Times' architecture critic Edwin Heathcote.
For the editors, Shumi Bose and Jack Self, "architecture is not limited to the material built environment, but includes how we think about the production of space: politically, economically, socially and technologically. From housing crises to the rise in surveillance, from growing wealth inequality to the decline of the civic realm, architecture is integral to how we live and work today, as well as shaping our future." They believe that these are issues of general—not just architectural—concern, and so the Real Review is "targeted at a popular readership." ArchDaily will be making a selection of these articles available on our platform.
Very excited to have formed a goodwill, non-commercial partnership with @ArchDaily to bring you our new independent architectural magazine!
— REAL (@RealFdn) September 29, 2015 
Their crowdfunding campaign seeks to raise $24,994 (£15,990) in order to guarantee the production of the first six issues. Their pledge rewards range from subscriptions ($59/£38 annually) and bespoke publications, to dedications in print and online. They stress that "as the product of a charitable foundation, our readership will pay the smallest possible subscription required for production." In order to achieve this the editorial team are donating their salaries, while "all contributors will be paid competitively."
Their Kickstarter campaign will run until the 27th November 2015. You can find out more and leave your pledge here. Should the campaign be successful, the first issue of the Real Review is slated for release in December 2015.
REAL is a charitable foundation and research platform based in London. Its dedication to spatial equality encompasses the financing and construction of architecture, its terms of ownership and its contribution to standards of living.
