London Festival of ARchitecture History - 2018 - Identity

For the third year running, WATG’s Great Architectural Bake-Off returned to the capital, inviting some of the world’s best architecture practices to transfer their design and engineering skills from buildings to baked goods. Taking place at the beautiful Guildhall Yard, surrounded by a fantastic audience atmosphere, the judges selected Benoy as the winners of GABO 2018. This year, the panel were joined by Tom Heatherington, a contestant on the Great British Bake-Off 2017 and architect at Richard Murphy Architects.

Questioning the changing ownership of public space in London, the Building Site invited the public to reflect on the impact of urbanisation on communities and ecosystems by creating a secret urban garden. Hidden behind construction site hoarding, the installation drew inspiration from London’s identity and the poetic narrative of Lithuanian culture, which closely links humans and nature. Throughout June, it transformed into an event space, celebrating the centenary of restored Lithuania with Lithuanian expat artists.

In a fascinating exploration of the still-evolving identity of Shad Thames, a walking tour and discussion focused on the two bridges that have shaped the area: Tower Bridge and St Saviours Dock footbridge. Delving into building and social history, visitors were introduced to the 19th-century history of Shad Thames, its reinvention through regeneration in the 1980s, and the new and exciting developments emerging on the riverside.

A grand building with a boutique state of mind, The Dixon is an artful mix of historic heritage and contemporary character, with a landmark position in London’s most cosmopolitan and culturally rich area. As part of 2018's festival, visitors were invited to embark upon a tour of the former Magistrates’ Court during its transformation into a pace-setting contemporary hotel. Offered the chance to speak to the team behind the development, visitors learned about the new design and how much of the identity of the Tower Bridge Magistrates’ Court still weaves into the building’s fabric.

In 2018, the LFA partnered with Architects LGBT+ with the launch of a Pride Float competition that would represent the architecture industry in London’s Pride 2018 celebrations. The brief – exploring identity – was open to entries from young architects, recent graduates and more established practices.  Hawkins\Brown’s design – A Space for All – was selected by a panel of experts and was taken to the streets on the 7th June 2018 as part of London Pride.

Find out more about the project here.

In 2018, the LFA launched the first City Benches competition in collaboration with City of London Corporation, Cheapside Business Alliance and Team London Bridge. 9 emerging designers were selected through an open call, and their designs were installed in various locations around the City – from the Royal Exchange to London Bridge Station – in June 2018, to coincide with LFA2018.

Find out about each of the designs here. 

In 2017 – in partnership with Cheapside Business Alliance – the London Festival of Architecture launched a design competition to imagine a gateway to St Paul’s Cathedral utilising the pedestrian area outside St Paul’s tube station. The competition called for a site-specific intervention that would reference the area’s history, but also offer a glimpse into the future of the City.

The winning design by ScottWhitbyStudio and Arup was installed in June 2018 after having been selected by an expert judging panel earlier in the year. Find out more about the design here. 

A design charrette, organised by the LFA and the Royal Docks Team (RDT) in partnership with Newham Regeneration in 2018 produced a series of proposals designed to inform the development of new connections in the Royal Docks, during the area’s transformation into a world-class commercial and cultural destination through a £314 million regeneration programme led by the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, and Mayor of Newham, Rokhsana Fiaz.

The design charrette – launched via an open call in September 2018 that attracted 31 expressions of interest – aimed to examine how the arrival of the Elizabeth Line at Customs House can drive regeneration and improve connections across the Royal Docks – London’s only Enterprise Zone – while integrating existing communities and reflecting the area’s rich social and cultural heritage.

Find out more here about the project.

In partnership with the Royal Academy of Arts, this year’s inaugural symposium offered a rich exploration of how identity has shaped our capital. Bringing together prominent architects, academics and commentators, Does Identity Matter? challenged how people connect and identify with their homes, workplaces and neighbourhoods, and the city as a whole.

Two expert panels examined how a city’s identity can be pulled apart through architectural and spatial interventions, while also delving into the role of architecture in the production of a city’s identity. As keynote speaker, Mary Duggan shared her experience on the role of identity in forging a successful presence for her practice, as she was joined in conversation by writer, broadcaster and architecture expert Tom Dyckhoff.

Organised by Hackney-based architects fourth_space and sponsored by Campari, the Negroni Talks was a provocative series of debates, launched as part of Negroni Week and hosted at Ombra – the practice’s very own canalside restaurant and bar. Transplanting the identity of Venice to East London, food, drink and lively discussions went hand in hand, looking at architecture and the role it plays in shifting the identity of places, spaces and groups. Covering a wide range of topics, the Negroni Talks tackled some of the key issues facing the profession today, from gentrification to food, rebellion to Brexit.

How do girls experience the urban environment? Not the same way boys do. Originally set in the streets of Stockholm, ’Places for Girls’ was brought to London for the first time by White Arkitekter and theatre company UngaTur. This piece of research explores the city from a girl’s perspective through street theatre. A multidisciplinary team, which included girls from a Stockholm youth council, collaborated to answer questions around identity and equality. Following two teenage girls as they navigated the streets of Hoxton, festival goers were shown how the urban environment both constricts and sets them free.

Produced by Urban-Think Tank, the world premiere of ‘The Disappearance of Robin Hood’, hosted at the Silver Building, explored the origins of and ideas behind the Robin Hood Gardens council housing block. Following a number of failed attempts to have the cherished building listed, demolition of the 1960’s structure is underway. Shown by ArchFilmFest London in partnership with the LFA and the Swiss Embassy in London, the film presented the history of the building and its community as intertwined with contemporary urban narratives of the city. The evening was concluded with a round table panel discussion and Q&A examining the housing crisis that London faces today

Questioning the changing ownership of public space in London, the Building Site invited the public to reflect on the impact of urbanisation on communities and ecosystems by creating a secret urban garden. Hidden behind construction site hoarding, the installation drew inspiration from London’s identity and the poetic narrative of Lithuanian culture, which closely links humans and nature. Throughout June, it transformed into an event space, celebrating the centenary of restored Lithuania with Lithuanian expat artists.

In a fascinating exploration of the still-evolving identity of Shad Thames, a walking tour and discussion focused on the two bridges that have shaped the area: Tower Bridge and St Saviours Dock footbridge. Delving into building and social history, visitors were introduced to the 19th-century history of Shad Thames, its reinvention through regeneration in the 1980s, and the new and exciting developments emerging on the riverside.

A grand building with a boutique state of mind, The Dixon is an artful mix of historic heritage and contemporary character, with a landmark position in London’s most cosmopolitan and culturally rich area. As part of 2018's festival, visitors were invited to embark upon a tour of the former Magistrates’ Court during its transformation into a pace-setting contemporary hotel. Offered the chance to speak to the team behind the development, visitors learned about the new design and how much of the identity of the Tower Bridge Magistrates’ Court still weaves into the building’s fabric.

Throughout the festival, Yinka Ilori’s Estate Playground took pride of place in its new Royal Albert Wharf home. Originally commissioned by CitizenM Hotel, the playful installation draws upon Ilori’s memories of the Islington council estate playground where he spent much of his youth. Recreating a place where people historically come together to discuss issues, share problems and ultimately connect with each other, the installation features a colourful slide, seesaw and roundabout.