RECENT PUBLIC EVENTS
UNKNOWN: Strategies And Solutions In Shaping The Built Environment |
7 JUNE 2019
Aga Khan Centre / King's Cross |
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- "Unknown was one of those rare things – a conference that leaves plenty of space for the unexpected. We didn’t just hear from architects, designers and engineers; we heard from a diplomat, an artist, and people with very different perspectives. We didn’t just discuss the built environment; we discussed world conflict, planting trees, and books written for future generations. It got us thinking about curiosity and trust, about the nature of time, and about why and how we draw. And if ‘cathedral thinking’ emerged as my theme of the day, I was having my mind stretched right here, right now."
- Juliette Mitchell, Architypal |
The Glass Notebooks © Kate Davies
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For its third edition and as part of the London Festival of Architecture, "Unknown: Strategies and Solutions in Shaping the Built Environment" is the annual conference led by women in architecture co-curated by Melodie Leung, Senior Associate at Zaha Hadid Architects and the Museum of Architecture, and sponsored by Finsa.
This year’s theme unpacks the notion of crossing into the unknown in design, architecture, art and science, discussing the boundaries and cultural borders created and traversed through drawing and communication, memory and imagination and collaboration. In forging a new and previously unknown horizon of possibilities, how can we create relevant means of communication and ways of envisioning boundaries which are productive rather than limiting? How does memory affect the ability to respond to an unknown future? How can new strategies be fostered within the built environment when designing across scales, cultures and differences? The three sessions will focus on the following themes: Collaboration, Memory and Imagination and Drawing and Communication. Panel of speakers include: Kate Davies, Anne Katerine Dolven, Efrén Garcia Grinda, Anne Beate Hovind, Hayfa Matar, Rona Meyuchas-Koblenz, Cristina Díaz Moreno, Vicky Richardson, Yara Sharif, Ellie Stathaki, Marina Otero Verzier, Jane Wernicke and Yuge Zhou. |
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Co-curated by Melodie Leung, Senior Associate
at Zaha Hadid Architects 
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Sponsored by Finsa
In partnership with The London Festival of Architecture 2019
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Watch highlights of the conference, including thoughts from the curators, Melodie Leung of Zaha Hadid Architects and Melissa Woolford of MoA, the speakers of the panels, and the architects of the Wooden Parliament, AMID.cero9. |
MoA Workshops @ #theWoodenParliament by Finsa
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MoA hosted free workshops for all ages and all abilities at the temporary pavilion, Wooden Parliament, located at Coal Drops Yard during LFA 2019.
This public programme included: Architectural drawing workshop with Philip Buckingham Shadow Pavilion workshop with the MoA Team Live portraiture drawn by artist Sophie Glover Live music performance by saxophonist from the Royal College of Music Live portraiture drawn by the London Drawing Group Drawing 'People on The Move' workshop with Giles & Cecilie Studio |
3 - 30 June 2019
in partnership with LFA 2019
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THEMATIC PROGRAMMING
Previous Talks in this Series
oN THE LINE: ARCHITECTURE AT RISK
Risk is everywhere: politicians talk about it on the news, we assess it during business meetings, our homes have long been deemed a source of risk, we consider it when planning our holidays, and even our personalities are defined based on our proclivity to risk. Constantly faced with the inherent instability of our social, economic and natural orders, the anxiety about potential risks we all face is permeating our everyday life. In the words of sociologist Ulrich Beck, we are living in a risk society, one marked by the need to ‘prevent, minimise, dramatise or channel risks and hazards systematically produced as part of modernisation’. What does this constant risk talk really mean? How do we measure risk? Why is it important to take risks and bad to be risk averse, or the other way around? In particular, what does this mean for architectural profession? How do architects generate, control or minimise risk? What types of risk do they face? Is architecture itself at risk?
In this 3-part series of talks, the Museum of Architecture explores the intersection of architecture and risk through economic, social, cultural and environmental viewpoints. On the one hand, this talk series aims to explore the multiple ways in which architecture participates in the way risk is generated in contemporary society; what sort of speculations and calculations about economic, social or environmental risk are architects shaping or responding to. In other words, it seeks to explore to what extent are architects designing risk as part of their everyday practice. On the other, examines the way architecture responds to global risks and crises - whether those related to climate change and environmental disasters, economic instability, social intolerance, isolation, or violence. These two discussions are underpinned by questions about the architectural profession, analysing what risks architects face in their work, when do architects take risks and whether the ongoing marginalisation of a architects within the built environment industry is placing the profession at risk. These events are kindly hosted by Future Cities Catapult at the Urban Innovation Centre. |
Risk Assessment
Date: To Be Announced
Time: 6.30-8.30pm Venue: Future Cities Catapult, 1 Sekforde Street, London EC1R 0BE Quantifying, calculating and managing risk is an essential part of an architect’s work, both in terms of design as well as day-to-day running of their practices. How does this constant need to evaluate risk impact architecture practice? Does it hinder creativity and potential for innovation, limiting the work of architects? What are the benefits of taking risks and what does risk-taking in the design profession actually mean? The last talk in the series, this session will explore the impact of risk society on the way architects approach their work. The question that this talk seeks to answer is whether the anxiety and desire to minimise risk is limiting the role of the architect, ultimately putting the architectural profession at risk. |
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Risky Business
Date: 17 September 2018
Time: 6.30-8.30pm Venue: Future Cities Catapult, 1 Sekforde Street, London EC1R 0BE Speakers: James Soane, Director, Project Orange Chloë Phelps, Head of Design, Brick by Brick Dr Emma Street, Associate Professor, University of Reading Dr Janice Morphet, Visiting Professor, the Bartlett How do architects generate risk? Is environmental, social or economic risk an essential byproduct of architectural processes and production? The talk will explore to what extent does architecture participate in, explicitly or implicitly, process and practices that generate risk. Some of these may include: financial speculation, environmental crises, global insecurity and cyber threats, or erosion of the public sphere. Starting from the wider framework of contemporary risk society, the first talk in this series will explore how risk is generated through the process of design and how architects can respond to the inequalities and challenges that their work inevitably produces. |
Crisis Control
Date: 15 October 2018
Time: 6.30-8.30pm Venue: Future Cities Catapult, 1 Sekforde Street, London EC1R 0BE Free to book Speakers: Nigel Ostime (chair), Delivery Director, Hawkins/Brown Dr Rebecca Elliott, Assistant Professor, London School of Economics Edward Barsley, The Environmental Design Studio Teresa Stoppani, Diploma Course Tutor, Architectural Association As our societies are facing ever greater threats, how are architects tackling risk? From extensive migration, environmental challenges and political and economic instability, there is a pressing need for architects and designers to respond to risk. This talk will discuss how architects are tackling the crises our societies are facing, asking whether crisis control can also generate new perspectives, stimulate innovation and critical thinking in architecture and design. Implicitly, this talk aims to question how we evaluate risk, what types of risk might be deemed welcome and how moments of great crises can sometimes result in positive outcomes for society. |
SPECULATIVE ARCHITECTURE
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Speculate: Architecture and Plausible Futures
Like other disciplines, contemporary architecture is influenced by fast-paced evolution in technology, ways of working and understanding the industry. Speculative architecture exploits technological development to investigate possible scenarios for the future of the built environment. As the discipline opens up to new ways of working, insights and approaches from other industries, there is more room for architects to speculate and innovate in their practice. Working at the intersection of technology, science and design, architects are able to pose new questions about the built environment, as much as provide novel answers to well-known issues. In this series of events, MoA will explore how the use of technologies allows architects to develop speculative approaches to their work. These new ways of working will be explored through four panel discussions, each dedicated to a specific issue, from cutting-edge use of VR to utopian cities.
Speculative Science: Future and change in architecture
Date: 2 July 2018
Time: 6.30-8.30pm Venue: Future Cities Catapult, 1 Sekforde Street, EC1R 0BE London Speakers: Melodie Leung (Chair), Senior Associate, Zaha Hadid Architects Tom Lewith, Director, TDO Architecture Roddy Langmuir, Practice Leader, Cullinan Studio Richard Watson, Foresight Practice, Imperial College Hikaru Nissanke and Jon Lopez, OMMX Architecture is often accused of being reluctant to embrace change. As other industries around it continue to evolve, what new approaches can prove to be disruptive for architecture? What does the future of the built environment look like? This talk will look outside the discipline and examine trends in science and technology that can help us think differently about the current state of architecture. From futures studies to microbiology, it will outline how speculative approaches across different disciplines can reshape the way we live today. |
Speculative Technology: Augmented Reality and Everyday Experience
Date: 19 February 2018
Time: 6.30 - 8.30pm Venue: Future Cities Catapult, 1 Sekforde Street, EC1R 0BE London Speakers: Lara Lesmes and Fredrik Hellberg , Space Popular Maria Rakusanova, Microsoft Oliviu Lugojan-Ghenciu, Architect and digital storyteller For the past few years, virtual and augmented reality have been hailed as revolutionary technologies in architecture, promising to expand its boundaries and re-shift its potential for innovation. VR and AR have the power to radically change the design process, making it more inclusive, responsive and interactive. How might this potential be translated into reality? How can augmented reality change the everyday experience of spaces and places for the users? By examining the boundaries between real and unreal, this talk will explore how speculation afforded by new technologies can make an impact on the way our world is physically built and experienced. Speculative Practice: Architecture as a Process
Date: 14 May 2018
Time: 6.30-8.30pm Venue: Future Cities Catapult, 1 Sekforde Street, EC1R 0BE London Speakers: Jennifer Ross, Director, Tibbalds Petra Marko, Director, Marko and Placemakers Will Hunter, Director, The London School of Architecture Grace Quah, researcher, Forensic Architecture Tom Fox, Associate, Public Practice As dominant forces shaping the built environment are increasingly changing under the influence of technologies, new networks, strategies and systems, architects also need to revisit their model of practice. Can speculative approaches, that consider architecture as a process, narrative or experiment, point the way? How can these approaches make traction in the ‘real world’? This talk will examine the power of innovative, fictional approaches to design in generating new ideas about architecture. In particular, it will aim to show how such attitudes towards design can addressing the contradictions and challenges that architects are facing in their everyday work. |
THE ECONOMICS OF ARCHITECTURE
Date: 11 December 2017
Time: 6.30-8.30pm Venue: Future Cities Catapult Speakers: Patricia Brown (Chair), Director, Central Roger Zogolovitch, Chairman and Creative Director, Solidspace Russ Edwards, Design and Technical Director, Lendlease Simon Chouffot, Co-Founder, Naked House Sometimes the most innovative and interesting projects emerge from times of crisis. It could be argued that the current political, economic and social climate is precisely shaping to be such time, leading architects to reconsider the way they work. How can the current political and economic uncertainty be translated into an opportunity for positive change? Can architects propose new ways of working that positively disrupt current economic frameworks and offer insights into possibilities for future development? This talk will propose new ways of changing the industry by looking at the global framework of innovation, beyond the profession itself. Radical Projects: Transforming Economies with Architecture
Date: 30 October 2017
Time: 6.30-8.30pm Venue: Future Cities Catapult Speakers: Kelly Doran, Senior Director, Mass Design Group Architecture can be a catalyst of economic, social and cultural change, with the micro-economy of a single architecture project often transforming areas of greatest need. Mass Design Group, founded in 2008, have embraced architecture’s powerful agency as their design ethos. This talk will showcase the work of Mass Design Group in the field of healthcare and education to showcase how architecture can contribute to economic development from the ground up. The talk will juxtapose Mass Design Group’s projects in Africa to perspectives on the relationship between design and conditions of scarcity. It will also question the broader purpose of architecture in the current globalised world, outlining its role in shaping communities that are sustainable in the long term. |
Sustainable Models: From Sharing to Circular Economy
Date: 9 October 2017
Time: 6.30-8.30pm Venue: Future Cities Catapult Speakers: Hilary Satchwell (chair), Director, Tibbalds Brhmie Balaram, Senior Researcher, RSA Jonny Anstead, Founding Director, Town Dan Epstein, Consultant Director of Sustainability, Useful Projects Richard Boyd, Senior Engineer, Arup Architecture and design, as much as any other discipline within the creative industries and beyond, is affected by new economic models – from the sharing or gig economy to the circular economy. Different economic models can often bring about a new approach to delivering projects, as well as opportunities for innovation and growth. This talk will examine how architecture can explore new economic models as well as shape alternative economic frameworks that will help deliver better, more efficient and innovative design projects. Moral Economy: The Social Value of Architecture
Date: 13 November 2017
Time: 6.30-8.30pm Venue: Future Cities Catapult Speakers: Erik Bichard, Founder, RealWorth Naji Makarem, Lecturer, The Bartlett Sarah Featherstone, Director, Featherstone Young Colm Lacey, Managing Director and CEO, Brick by Brick Increasingly, the built environment is recognised to be at the core of social inequalities, with the housing crisis forming one of the most significant contemporary concerns. How can architects address social inequalities by developing new ways of working and new economic frameworks? How can they collaborate with developers, investors and local councils to show that good design can be accessible to all? This talk will bring together examples of current projects to understand how architects can demonstrate the social value of architecture as well as develop new models for socially responsible practice. Essential Economics: Architecture Within Global Economic Trends
Date: 18 September 2017
Time: 6.30-8.30pm Venue: Future Cities Catapult Speakers: Mark Wingham, Economist, GLA Marc Vlessing, CEO, Pocket Living Russell Curtis, Director, RCKa Tamsie Thomson, Director, LFA Architecture does not operate outside of national, regional or global economies – it is firmly embedded within economic processes, actively contributing to their growth and reacting in times of crisis. What is the economic impact of architecture and the built environment today? What is the value that good architecture can deliver, and how can it be measured? Equally, how do broader economic trends impact how architecture is delivered? This talk will break down the economic impact of architecture to help architects understand the value of their work within the broader context of globalised exchanges of labour, time, knowledge or capital. |
aRCHITECTURE AND CITIZENSHIP
Date: 10 July 2017
Time: 6.30-8.30pm Venue: Future Cities Catapult Panellists: Harriet Harriss, Senior Tutor, Royal College of Art Alastair Parvin, Director, WikiHouse Foundation Kyle Buchanan, Director, Archio Gemma Ginty, Urban Futures Lead, Future Cities Catapult MoA’s thematic programming on Architecture and Citizenship explores the relationship between politics and the built environment with the aim of helping architects become active agents of social change. In the context of today’s political, cultural and social challenges, should architecture have a code of ethics? As a conclusion of our year-long programming on Architecture and Citizenship, MoA is inviting architects, designers and built environment professionals to join a participatory session on designing a code of ethics for architecture. While RIBA’s Code of Professional Conduct defines the roles and responsibilities of architects in professional practice, this session will seek to broaden the discussion to examine architects' role in the wider world. What responsibility do architects have in relation to broader social challenges? Should architects be more closely involved in politics? What is architects' social responsibility? How can we define morality in relation to architecture? What constitutes ethical practice? Join us to set out the values that you think should underpin and guide the industry today. In the light of recent events that make this discussion even more pressing, MoA will donate proceeds from the talk to the London Fire Relief Fund. 
Date: 3 July 2017
Time: 6.30-8.30pm Venue: Build Studios, Waterloo Speakers: Hilary Satchwell (chair), Director, Tibbalds Eime Tobari, Associate Director, Space Syntax Mark Middleton, Managing Partner, Grimshaw Clare Donnelly, Director, Fereday Pollard Martin Knight, Director, Knight Architects MoA’s thematic programming on Architecture and Citizenship explores the relationship between politics and the built environment with the aim of helping architects become active agents of social change. In recent months, architecture and the built environment have been put at the centre of political debates on both sides of the Atlantic in discussions that extended from better investment in infrastructure to the physicality of national borders. In the UK, infrastructure development relies heavily on the private sector for investment and delivery. According to the Institute for Government, decisions about infrastructure involve long-term commitments and require the government’s involvement to develop policy and regulatory frameworks. In this context, what is the role of architects and designers? With vast infrastructure systems set to affect the way we live for years to come, it is crucial for architects and designers to mediate the relationship between aspirations of the country’s citizens and long term policies of the state. This event is kindly hosted by Build Studios. 
Date: 12 June 2017
Time: 6.30-8.30pm Venue: Future Cities Catapult Speakers: Susanna Lumsden (Chair), Accommodation Manager, House of Commons Prof. Matthew Flinders, University of Sheffield Dr. Henrik Schoenefeldt, Senior Lecturer, University of Kent David Mulder van der Vegt, Partner, XML MoA’s thematic programming on Architecture and Citizenship explores the relationship between politics and the built environment with the aim of helping architects become active agents of social change. The Palace of Westminster is currently undergoing a significant Restoration and Renewal programme that aims to preserve the building for the future, while also making the Parliament more accessible for all. Can architects and designers contribute to make the Parliament more open? What are the spaces of democracy? How do we design for participation, political and civic engagement? Starting from the current debates around Palace of Westminster Restoration and Renewal programme, this talk will aim to understand what is the role of preserving traditional spaces of democratic representation, while also structuring a more open and direct engagement with political processes in society. This event is kindly hosted by Future Cities Catapult. How do architects design for diversity?
Date: 24 April 2017
Time: 6.30-8.30pm Location: Future Cities Catapult Tickets: £15, concessions £12 Speakers: Irene Craik, Director, Levitt Bernstein Manisha Patel, Partner, PRP Pooja Agrawal, Senior Project Officer, GLA Regeneration MoA’s thematic programming on Architecture and Citizenship explores the relationship between politics and the built environment with the aim of helping architects become active agents of social change. How do we create local culture from scratch for new developments and how do we preserve local culture in regeneration projects? How do architects respond to the needs of different social groups? How well does contemporary architecture respond to local contexts and cultural diversity? As different building typologies emerge out of the needs of specific social groups, this talk will consider how communities are shaped through architecture and how architects are in turn shaping their work around the requirements of different communities. From co-housing and community-led development, to multi-generational homes and housing for the third age, this talk will examine the interplay between social cohesion, collaboration, community engagement and architecture. This event is kindly hosted by Future Cities Catapult. Who are we designing for?
Date: 13 February 2017
Time: 6.30-8.30pm Venue: Urban Innovation Centre, 1 Sekforde Street, London, EC1R 0BE Speakers: Alastair Parvin, co-founder, WikiHouse Foundation Finn Williams, public planner, GLA Euan Mills, Urban Design and Planning Lead, Future Cities Catapult Nathan Ardaiz, Research Associate, Azuko Lucia Caistor, Associate, Architecture Sans Frontières, UK Martin Barry, Director, reSITE Other speakers to be confirmed. MoA’s thematic programming on Architecture and Citizenship explores the relationship between politics and the built environment with the aim of helping architects become active agents of social change. In their daily practice, architects and designers work with different types of publics, ranging from private individuals, groups and communities, to corporations or public institutions. Defined and guided by these relationships, the architects’ work both reflects those very publics and actively constructs them by giving shape to their their needs, desires, social status, and aspirations. What does it mean to design for each of these different types of publics? How do different scales and types of citizenship in turn shape the architect’s work? What is the politics behind designing for individuals and families, rather than entire countries or regions? This talk will bring together seven speakers whose work is closely related to different types of publics, be it as clients or final users. The categories - individual, family, community, city, region, country and international - will point to the wide-ranging impact that designing for each group has within the broader context of a civic society. HEALTH AND WELLBEING IN ARCHITECTURE
Conference: Mind this Space
Date: 29 June 2016
Venue: Exhibition & Conference Centre, Liverpool What makes a great space? How can we design better cities?Increasingly we recognise that there is no simple answer to these questions. The quality of spatial design and cities – for example – are influenced by a broad range of factors. They include culture, behaviour, infrastructure, accessibility and the overall environment, all of which can vary in terms of time, relevance and impact. Despite the complexity, there are also new and innovative ways to understand cities, and to create better architecture and design. The growing interaction between science, architecture and engineering appears particularly promising. Advances in bio-technology, neuroscience and computer science can offer a unique view on how to design better cities and help us understand the fundamental factors impacting good design. This event builds on a previous ‘Conscious Cities’ conference held in London on the 1st of March 2016 created by Museum of Architecture and THE CUBE. Participants will be invited to learn about advances in science and how they may reshape our understanding and approach to architecture, engineering and design. A collaborative workshop will focus on developing new approaches to design, including how to achieve more ‘conscious cities’ that fully incorporate the needs, desires and expectations of people. Building Healthy Communities: Mental Healthcare
Date: 12 September 2016
Time: 6.30-8.30pm Location: The Building Centre, 26 Store St, London WC1E 7BT Speakers: Joe Forster (chair), President, Design in Mental Health Network Dr Evangelia Chrysikou, Marie Curie Fellow, Space Syntax Lab, the Bartlett, UCL Ruairi Reeves, Associate Director, Medical Architecture Wendy de Silva, Mental Health Lead, IBI Group Price: £15 + VAT, concessions £12 + VAT This event is organised in partnership with The Building Centre. Over the past few decades, an increasing amount of research has highlighted the links between the built environment and mental health. On one hand, the built environment is often seen as a significant source of mental distress, while on the other, thoughtfully designed spaces and places destined for mental health care are central for positive patient outcomes. With the annual cost to society In England of £100 billion, it is important that architects approach the design of spaces for mental health care with necessary theoretical and empirical research on hand. Beyond privacy, natural light, noise reduction, space and better communication, what other key characteristics should architects incorporate in their designs? Taking the needs of both staff and patients as a starting point, this panel discussion will look at how architects can design therapeutic environments that minimise restraint, uphold patient dignity and aid recovery. Building Healthy Communities: Hospitals and Healthcare
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Date: 27 February 2017
Time: 6.30 - 8.30pm Location: Future Cities Catapult Speakers: Robert Sakula, partner, Ash Sakula Kyle Buchanan, director, Archio Dieter Kleiner, director, RCKa Carolina Caicedo, The Decorators Other speakers to be confirmed. Does participatory design lead to better buildings? How and why do architects benefit from a close collaboration with users during the design process? The third event in our Architecture and Citizenship season takes the format of a debate to understand whether getting the users involved results in better designs. On one hand, co-design allows a wide range of people affected by a particular design challenge to make a creative contribution in shaping the solution of a problem. On the other hand, a large number of participants involved might make the design process much more complicated and difficult to manage, often with limited benefits. This talk aims to understand what tools are available to architects to facilitate co-design processes, and what might be the potential obstacles as well as rewards. We will hear from four speakers who will each present their case for a more critical engagement with the users in the design process to understand how participation impacts the current practice in the built environment industry. Design, Dialogue and Democracy
Date: 30 January 2017
Time: 6.30 - 8.30pm Venue: The Building Centre, 26 Store Street, WC1E 7BT Tickets: £15 + VAT Speakers: Adam Kaasa, Director, Theatrum Mundi, LSE Cities Maria S. Giudici, Lecturer, Royal College of Art and thr Architectural Assocation Other speakers to be confirmed. This talk is organised in partnership with The Built Environment Trust. Does citizenship have physicality and to what extent do physical spaces enable active citizenship? How does urban design relate to democracy? How do designed spaces inform negotiations between the public and centres of political power? What role does the design profession play in fostering civic participation? The first talk in MoA’s The Architecture of Citizenship events season aims to understand what role the built environment plays in mediating the relationship between citizens and the state, setting the stage for further discussions on the physicality of citizenship, that will take place over the coming year. “Design, Dialogue and Democracy” starts from the premise that urban design is necessarily political, as are the planning decisions that shape the built environment on different scales, from the home to the city. As such, different types of spaces are particularly apt at empowering citizens to make their sentiments public and actively participate in society. From movements like Occupy Wall Street, protests in Tahrir Square or the migrant crisis in Calais, the design of space still remains - implicitly or explicitly - a central protagonist in political processes and creation of a new social order. Moving from theory to practice, the aim of this talk is to offer the necessary theoretical framework and terminology for discussing the relationship between citizenship and the built environment. Starting from the evolving connections between public space and public sphere, this talk will tackle the politics of architecture, the symbolic and strategic value of public space, as well as the idea of citizenship as process rather than status, to question whether specific design decisions can help shape a more active citizenship and a more inclusive society. 
Date: 15 May 2017
Time: 6.30-8.30pm Venue: Future Cities Catapult Price: £15 + VAT, concessions £12 + VAT Speakers: Gemma Ginty (Chair), Future Cities Catapult Ben Adams, Ben Adams Architects Andrew Campbell, Massive Small Krister Lindstedt, White Arkitekter Hannah Griffiths, Future Cities Catapult MoA’s thematic programming on Architecture and Citizenship explores the relationship between politics and the built environment with the aim of helping architects become active agents of social change. Cities and urban centres have always been crucial for political action and active citizenship. As the world’s urban population is predicted to grow to 70% by 2050, this talk seeks to examine different perspectives and strategies in urban development that put citizens at their centre. From Latin America to Asia, from Africa to Europe, this talk will look at a global cities from around the world to understand what challenges they are currently facing and what might be future opportunities for development. From bottom-up, citizen-led regeneration schemes to government-led projects, this talk will bring examples of different forms of social, political, and economic engagement of citizens through the urban fabric. 
Date: 27 March 2017
Time: 6.30 - 8.30pm Location: The Building Centre Speakers: Ling Tan, Designer, Umbrellium Bruce Durling, CTO and co-founder, MastodonC Joe Shaw, Researcher, Oxford Internet Institute Aleksandra Laska, Head of Corporate Solutions, Improbable Matt Jukes, Product Manager, Better Cities MoA’s thematic programming on Architecture and Citizenship explores the relationship between politics and the built environment with the aim of helping architects become active agents of social change. How is the use of technology both changing and challenging how we relate to our environment? How can smart cities empower citizens without undermining their rights to privacy and private ownership? Who is the smart city for? This talk in our Architecture and Citizenship programming will discuss the role of big data in the built environment industry with the aim of understanding how architects and designers can participate in the way data is aggregated, interpreted and used to inform decision-making in urban centres today. This talk is organised in partnership with The Built Environment Trust. Building Healthy Communities: Schools and Education
Building Healthy Communities:
Schools and Education Date: 20 June 2016 Time: 6:30PM Location: The Building Centre, 26 Store St, London WC1E 7BT Speakers: Nick Mirchandani (chair), Director, Architecture PLB Edmund Fowles, Partner, Feilden Fowles David Hills, Founding Director, DSDHA Dr Sharon Wright, Senior Associate, The Learning Crowd Jonathan Lazar, Aut--Aut architecture This event is organised in partnership with The Building Centre. Building Healthy Communities is a series of talks that focus on how creative thinking innovative design in particular building typologies are contributing to collective health and wellbeing in communities. With pupil numbers set to exceed eight million by 2023, we will need the equivalent of almost 2,000 new schools. This provides us with an opportunity to uphold the view that schools can and should be more than just practical, functional buildings – they need to elevate the aspirations of children, teachers and the wider community. To this end we can redefine what we expect from educational institutions and look at strategies to bring nature into the classroom, or rather take the classroom into nature. Further dissolving the gap between education and the environment, promoting an awareness of health and wellbeing at an early age. Attitudes towards the environment start developing at an early age and — once formed — do not change easily. Children are potential effective agents for promoting environmentally responsible behaviour in others and carrying forward a positive view of sustainability. Designing for the Refugee Crisis
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Building Healthy Communities: Hospitals and Healthcare
Date: 6 June 2016 Time: 6:30PM Location: The Building Centre, 26 Store St, London WC1E 7BT Speakers: Christopher Shaw, Senior Director, Medical Architecture Oliver Marlow, Co-Founder and Creative Director, Studio Tilt John Cooper, Founding Director, JCA Ann-Luoise Ward, Chief Operating Officer, Maggie’s Lily Jencks, Founding Director, Lily Jencks Studio This event is organised in partnership with The Building Centre. Increasingly, we are realising that poorly designed healthcare services and tools can directly affect patients’ health. In fact, recent research has revealed that better design of spaces for health can lead not only to improved patient and staff experience, but also to better clinical outcomes. As we face major global health challenges, we need to start considering design as an integral element and driver of change in healthcare. This panel discussion will explore the ways in which architects and designers are addressing the need for the built environment to provide safe, effective and high-quality places that can adapt to changing care patterns. Designing for Public Health
Date: 4 April 2016
Time: 6:30pm Location: The Building Centre, 26 Store St, London WC1E 7BT Speakers: Paul Lincoln (Chair), Deputy Chief Executive, Landscape Institute Lucy Saunders FFPH, Public Health Specialist – Transport & Public Realm, Transport for London and Greater London Authority Tom Armour, Global Landscape Architecture Leader, Arup Rachel Toms, Programme Lead, Design Council Cabe Henk Bouwman, Director, Academy of Urbanism This event is organised in partnership with The Building Centre. Air quality is deteriorating in many of the world’s cities. Nearly two-thirds of people with diabetes live in urban areas. Wealthier lifestyles, prioritising convenience and fast food, has led to obesity issues and urban dwellers have far-higher stress levels than their rural counterparts. With over half of the world’s population living in urban areas, cities have a duty to do a better job of protecting public health. Architects and designers play a critical role in shaping the quality of our environment; they work in collaboration with end users and their needs and ambitions, and they have the power to restore and promote mental and physical health. This panel discussion will reveal ways in which the built environment industry is tackling these issues and where we can improve. Conference: Conscious Cities
Date: 1 March 2016
Time: 6:30pm Location: Arup, 8 Fitzroy Street, London W1T 4BQ Speakers: Sarah Robinson, architect; Emma Greer, Carlo Ratti Associati; Philip Tidd, Principal, Gensler; Dr. Jon Goodbun, University of Westminster; Panos Mavros, UCL; Fiona Elizabeth Zisch, Spatial Cognition Group, UCL; Itai Palti, architect and author; Dr. Hugo Spiers, UCL Institute of Behavioural Neuroscience; Ruairi Glynn, Director, Interactive Architecture Lab, Bartlett, UCL; Neil Davidson, Director, J & L Gibbons Landscape Architecture & Urban Design; Léan Doody, Associate Director, Arup Digital; Juliette Morgan, Partner, Cushman & Wakefield; Josef Hargrave, Associate, Arup Foresight Group; Mike Saunders, CEO, Commonplace Conscious Cities was a one-day conference exploring the relationship between neuroscience and architecture. Aimed at bringing together architects, designers, developers and engineers with scientists and researchers, the conference will explore how the latest findings in neuroscience can inform the creation of places and spaces that are more responsive, stimulate creativity and positively influence our behaviour. The conference includes four thematic discussions that address the following questions: How does the built environment affect behaviour and cognition? How can the latest findings in neuroscience inform the design of spaces and cities? What is the role of technology in creating conscious spaces? What is the role of conscious cities in fostering innovation? The aim of the conference is to show how built environment professionals can benefit from discoveries neuroscience is offering to develop places and cities which are conscious of human biological needs and desires. Rethinking the way we live: Custom-build Housing
Date: 22 February 2016
Time: 6:30pm Location: The Building Centre, 26 Store St, London WC1E 7BT Speakers: Chair: Michael Holmes, Chair of the National Custom & Self Build Association. Alex Ely, Director, Mae Chris Brown, Chief Executive, Igloo Alice Grahame, The Guardian and resident of Walter Segal house Gus Zogolovitch, CEO and founder, Inhabit Homes Geoff Shearcroft, Director, AOC Architecture This event is organised in partnership with The Building Centre. Custom-build has been a mainstay of housing markets for decades in countries such as Japan, Australia, Belgium and Germany, where around 60 per cent of new homes constructed annually are now built by the people who will live in them. The UK appetite for custom-build is huge with a ready market of over six million people looking to get involved in a custom-build project, and over two-thirds of people reluctant to buy an off-the-peg volume-built house. However, just 10,000 self and custom built homes were expected to go up in 2015, this panel discussion will debate the reasons why and what the built environment industry can do to encourage growth in custom-build. |
Designing for the Refugee Crisis
Date: 9 May 2016 Time: 6:30PM Location: The Building Centre, 26 Store St, WC1E 7BT London Tickets: £15, concessions £12 Speakers: Karen McVeigh (chair), senior news reporter, the Guardian Uli Schmid, Senior Expert, Humanitarian Action Program, Innovation & Planning Agency Association Dr. Harriet Harriss, Senior Tutor in Interior Design & Architecture, Royal College of Art Tom Scott-Smith, Associate Professor at the Refugee Studies Centre, University of Oxford Johan Karlsson, Interim Managing Director, Better Shelter This event is organised in partnership with The Building Centre. Over the past year the refugee situation across Europe has escalated into a full-blown crisis. Very recently the "Jungle" refugee and migrant camp in Calais - a symbol of Europe's immigration crisis - has started being demolished leaving many displaced. Architects are equipped with the knowledge that can provide a solution to one of the most basic human rights refugees need: shelter. The question is not should the architectural community respond, but how? This panel discussion will shed light on some of the work architects and designers are doing in response to the crisis. Rethinking the way we live: Sustainable volume housing
Date: 21 March 2016
Time: 6:30pm Location: The Building Centre, 26 Store St, London WC1E 7BT Speakers: David Orr (chair), Chief Executive, National Housing Federation Sue Riddlestone OBE, CEO & co-founder, Bioregional Pete Halsall, Chief Executive, Good Homes Alliance Richard Lavington, Founding Director, Maccreanor Lavington James Taylor-Foster, European Editor-at-Large, ArchDaily and Hikaru Nissanke, Founding Director, OMMX This event is organised in partnership with The Building Centre. The country is in the grip of a housing shortage - we currently build half the number of homes we need each year. This panel will discuss the necessity to build in volume but also to build sustainably for future generations. How can we speed up housebuilding whilst ensuring good design, minimise resource use and reduce the environmental impact of development? The panel will discuss sustainable housing from an economic, social and ecological perspective. Designing for Flood Risk
Designing for Flood Risk
Date: 8 February 2016 Time: 6:30pm Location: The Building Centre, 26 Store St, London WC1E 7BT Speakers: Paul Lincoln (Chair), Deputy Chief Executive, Landscape Institute Mary Dhonau OBE, Community Flood Consultant, Know Your Flood Risk Campaign Robert Barker, Director, Baca Architects Peter Wilder, Director of Wilder Associates and a BRE Associate Oli Cunningham, Associate, dRMM The recent devastating flooding in the UK was a stark reminder of the need for architects to urgently design for flood risk, especially as wetter winters are predicted in our changing climate and the certainty of more extreme weather events. This panel discussion will explore design responses to flood risk and innovative designs architects are proposing to also consider living with water rather than just defend against it. Rethinking the way we live: Housing an ageing population
Date: 25 January 2016
Time: 6:30pm Location: The Building Centre, 26 Store St, London WC1E 7BT Speakers: Ben Page (Chair), Chief Executive of Ipsos Mori Deane Simpson, Royal Danish Academy of Arts, School of Architecture, Copenhagen and author of Young-Old: Urban Utopias of an Ageing Society Susanne Clase, White Arkitekter Tim Riley, RCKa Fran Balaam, The CASS and Regeneration Team, GLA For decades, there have not been enough homes to meet the needs of our growing and ageing population. The number of households in England is projected to increase 10 per cent from 2011 to 2021, but the highest increase is projected to be for households headed by someone between 55 and 64 years old. As life expectancy increases, an urgent national effort is needed to build homes that will meet our changing needs and aspirations as we all grow older. This panel will showcase examples of innovative designs for communities of older people and how housing design can alleviate some of the issues affecting older people. MoA Health and Wellbeing Programme
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Rethinking the way we live: Co-housing
Date: 14 December 2015
Time: 6.30PM - 8.30PM Location: The Building Centre, 26 Store St, London WC1E 7BT Speakers: Prof. Irena Bauman (chair), Professor of Sustainable Urbanism, University of Sheffield Meredith Bowles, Mole Architects Maria Brenton, Older Women's CoHousing Stephen Hill, C20 Future Planners David Saxby, Architecture 00 As London grapples with the housing crisis and rental and property prices continue to soar, there is an increasing demand for different housing options and greater control over the way we live. This event presents some pioneering co-housing examples both built and in development. Hear architect, resident and campaigner's perspectives which provide alternatives to the status quo. This event is organised in partnership with The Building Centre Health and Wellbeing Programme
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Date: 3 December 2015
Time: 6.30PM - 8.30PM Location: Sto Werkstatt Speakers: Jeremy Myerson (chair), Helen Hamlyn Professor of Design, Royal College of Art Victoria Lockhart, wellbeing and sustainability specialist, Arup Associates Despina Katsikakis, independent workplace consultant Trevor Keeling, senior engineer, BuroHappold Engineering Elina Grigoriou, expert on sustainability, wellbeing and design, Grigoriou Interiors Sitting is the new smoking! A sedentary lifestyle can lead to such ill-effects as diabetes and heart disease, therefore architects and designers need to rethink how we design the workplace for a healthier workforce. Workplace design today is striving to encourage flexibility, incubation, cross-pollination and co-working to engage employees, promote collaboration, flatten hierarchies, improve productivity and encourage innovation.The panel will discuss the need to ensure wellness in our office environments and offer innovative solutions to better workplace design. Talk series
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