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London Festival of Architecture: The Latest Architecture and News

Foster + Partners Explores Circularity at The London Festival of Architecture

Foster + Partners has just unveiled the opening of “Radial,” a new summer pavilion for the London Festival of Architecture. Situated at Principal Place, an office space also designed by Foster + Partners in London, the pavilion brings new life to the plaza. “Radial” is constructed from readily available and reusable materials, showcasing a commitment to sustainability. The structure also provides a welcoming space for rest and contemplation.

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Temporary, but with Long-Lasting Effects: 6 Ways in Which Architecture Festivals Can Revitalize a City

Biennales, exhibitions, and architecture focused festivals provide a platform for opening debates, conducting research, and driving innovation, but they can also contribute to the incremental changes that shape the image and the character of a city. Through temporary installations and experiments, this type of events have the opportunity to open lines on inquiry into the quality of urban spaces, inviting visitors and residents to slow down, break away from their daily routine and interrogate their local environments. The effects might not be immediate, but by cumulating these impressions and moments of contemplation, architecture and design festivals can have a long-lasting impact on the cities that welcome them.

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London Festival of Architecture Announces 2022 Program and Call for Entries

The London Festival of Architecture (LFA), the world’s largest annual architecture festival is returning for its 13th edition this summer, transforming the city's neighborhoods into a public display of installations, exhibitions, talks, and special events. Following two years of digitalized editions, this year's LFA falls under the theme of ‘act’, and will see a return of physical events alongside digital realms across the capital.

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Local Collective Imagines Seating Made from Clay for London's Railway Station

Local Collective has designed a seating made of clay for the London Festival of Architecture and Network Rail. Unveiled at London Bridge Station, the urban furniture is a result of a “competition organized by the LFA and Network Rail to create public installations that celebrate London’s shared spaces and connect people with playful encounters”.

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SKNYPL Explores the Role of Urbanism in Creating and Overcoming Fear

The London Festival of Architecture, the world’s largest annual festival of its kind, took place across the city this June. The month-long festival welcomed thousands of people to explore architecture installations and creations, and take part in the activities and discussions, which included an event put together by SKNYPL.

The theme for the year 2019 was ‘Boundaries’ in all its forms: zones, walls, city limits… And for their first international show, SKNYPL presented “PHOBOS”, a film-installation about Moscow and the fearful impact of having physical and metaphysical boundaries. The studio created a special online version of the film especially for ArchDaily readers.

Hawkins\Brown's London Pride Float Celebrates the "Dual Identities" of LGBT+ Architects

‘A Space For All’ by Hawkins\Brown has been announced as the winner of London Festival of Architecture (LFA) and Architects LGBT+’s Pride Float Competition, the design representing architecture in Pride London 2018. Forming a crucial part of the LFA’s 2018 program, the competition was open to students, graduates, emerging practices and established offices alike, with 'exploring identity' being the brief's core theme. The winning float advocates for increased LGBT+ acceptance and presence within the construction industry, combining “the dual identities of LGBT+ and being an architect.”

"The Colour Palace" Chosen to be the 2019 Dulwich Pavilion in London

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Pavilion in Context. Image Courtesy of Pricegore and Yinka Ilori

“The Colour Palace” by Pricegore and Yinka Ilori has been chosen as the 2019 Dulwich Pavilion in London. A temporary structure to open at Dulwich Picture Gallery during the London Festival of Architecture in June 2019, “The Colour Palace” is a celebration of color, pattern, and light, drawing from European and African cultural traditions.

The scheme was chosen from a competitive shortlist of six emerging architecture firms, compiled from 150 entries. PUP Architects were the winners of the on-site public vote, which represented one vote at the panel judging.

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Shortlist Revealed for 2019 Dulwich Pavilion in London

Following deliberation from a judging panel of industry experts, six emerging architecture firms have been shortlisted for the design of the Dulwich Pavilion 2019 in London, chosen from over 150. In collaboration with the London Festival of Architecture, the six schemes will be displayed at the Dulwich Picture Gallery throughout June and July of 2018.

The initiative follows on from the success of the gallery’s first pavilion in 2017, designed by IF_DO and exhibited at the London Festival of Architecture in 2017. Following the exhibition of the six shortlisted schemes for 2019, a public vote will be combined with a panel vote to select the winning pavilion.

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The "Minima Moralia" Provides Affordable, Customizable Studio Space

With its overblown rental market and the rising costs of tertiary education, London is turning from a city that welcomed creative individuals to one that locks them out. Boano Prišmontas believe that "creativity should not be linked to social status," and the way to counter this is through the creation of affordable spaces. As a response, they have created the "Minima Moralia"; a compact, modular steel frame assembly with infinite possibilities for customization.

The Architectural Monograph is Here to Stay

The monograph is a popular platform for dissemination and debate in the art and design world, yet architectural monographs are often treated with suspicion – viewed more as a self-serving PR exercise. But do monographs actually have a more substantive role within the practice of architecture? This was the backdrop for a discussion entitled ‘Why a Monograph?’ held at Waterstones Piccadilly as part of this year’s London Festival of Architecture. The participants included Jay Merrick, architecture correspondent of The Independent; Simon Henley of Henley Halebrown Rorrison (HHbR); David Grandorge, architectural photographer and Senior Lecturer at London’s CASS; and Ros Diamond of Diamond Architects. The session was chaired by ArchDaily Editor James Taylor-Foster.

Call For Entries: World Architecture Festival 2015

Now in its eighth year, the forthcoming 2015 World Architecture Festival Awards (WAF) will take place in Suntec in central Singapore following three days of intensive live presentations and judging. Following a $180 million modernisation programme, the redesigned space will host WAF’s soundproofed crit rooms, auditorium and Festival Hall Stage. Entries are now invited from architects and designers for the 2015 edition of what is described as "the biggest architectural awards programme in the world." The awards are expected to attract more than 750 entries, around half of which will be shortlisted into thirty categories. The closing date for entries is the end of May, and shortlisting will take place in early June.

This year’s 'superjurors' include Royal Gold Medallist Sir Peter Cook (UK), Sou Fujimoto (Japan), Benedetta Tagliabue (Spain), Charles Jencks (UK/US), Kerry Hill (Singapore) and Manuelle Gautrand (France).

2015 London Festival Of Architecture To Explore 'Work In Progress'

It has been revealed that the theme for the 2015 London Festival of Architecture (LFA) will centre around 'Work In Progress'. The festival, which is comprised of a series of events in and around the UK capital, seeks to "highlight the key role architecture plays in social, urban and cultural development." The annual celebration, which will run between the 1st and 30th June, will be jointly delivered by the Architecture Foundation, the British Council, New London Architecture, and the RIBA's London branch. Last year's 10th anniversary festival saw over 200 events ranging from walking tours and cycle rides, to exhibitions, talks, debates and films all addressing the theme of 'Capital'.

Stirling Prize Winning Architects Build LEGO Cities for the London Festival of Architecture

As part of the 2014 London Festival of Architecture, teams of architects from the four of the most recent Stirling Prize winning British practices were challenged with creating the most imaginative piece of a city - out of LEGO. Each team began with a carefully laid out square on the floor of the largest gallery of the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition, at which point they were given just one hour and 45 minutes to create an urban masterpiece out of blocks. Each group of architects worked alongside students from the Royal Academy’s attRAct programme, which offers A-level art students the chance to engage with art and architecture. An esteemed panel of judges ultimately selected the team from Zaha Hadid Architects as victorious, who "considered London on a huge scale and used curving buildings of different typologies which echoed the shape of the Thames."

Read more about the brief and the other participating entries after the break.

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Pop Up Studio Explores Participation Design at London Festival of Architecture

As part of the London Festival of Architecture, Cloud Architecture is conducting a participation-based research and design project from a pop up studio in Old Spitalfields Market in central London. Running until June 20th, the project aims to engage visitors to the market with the ideas and process of architectural design studios, which members of the public rarely get to experience first-hand.

At the same time, visitors to the studio will be encouraged to take part in a project to redesign the Old Spitalfields Market, based on data collected on site and the participatory input and opinions of those who use it.

Read on after the break for more on the studio and some of the results from the first week of research

Does London's Planning System Lack Civic Representation?

A debate organized by New London Architecture (NLA) has revealed a strong need for civic societies in London which protect the interests of the public in planning decisions, offering New York as a potential model. The debate, which was one of the headline events at the London Festival of Architecture, was organized in response to a study which showed over 200 tall buildings were currently in the pipeline for the UK's capital, which sparked fears that the current planning system was not fit for the purpose of controlling development in the city.

More on the debate after the break

2014 London Festival of Architecture Explores the Theme of "Capital"

The 2014 London Festival of Architecture opened this week, with over 200 events running throughout the city in the month of June. This year's theme is "Capital", an intentionally ambiguous theme which allows an exploration of the culture, people, economy and built environment of London. Some of the key topics to be interrogated will be the housing crisis afflicting London and the recent boom in the construction of tall buildings.

Read on after the break for more on the festival and some of its headline events

The (Home-Grown) Threat to London's Architectural Future

With the London Festival of Architecture opening yesterday, this article in the London Evening Standard highlights just one of the many threads which make up this year's theme: the importance of foreign talent in making up London's cosmopolitan architectural culture. From Adam Caruso to Zaha Hadid, many of the city's biggest names have come from abroad to study and work in the UK, helping to make it one of the greatest centres for design in the world - but all this could be at risk from untenable housing prices and draconian new visa restrictions. You can read the full article here.

Call for Projects: London Festival of Architecture

The London Festival of Architecture will be taking place from June 1 to June 30. Now in its 10th year, the Festival is initiated by The Architecture Foundation, British Council, New London Architecture and RIBA London to celebrate London as a global hub of architectural practice, discussion and debate.