FCBStudios has collaborated with Beyond the Box to run an interactive project with young people from across London, to look at how we communicate with a youth audience about net zero carbon and climate change.

Join five young inspiring content producers live as they discuss the journey they have been on to create a series of podcasts, a Zine and social media content, aimed at communicating the issues we all face to their peers.

They have tackled some big questions. From 'who do young people feel is to blame?' to 'what does it have to do with me?'. What has surprised them, what challenges have they faced, and what have they learnt along the way?  And most importantly, how do they think that wider society can do a better job of engaging with young people on climate issues?

This is a free online event and runs in conjunction with our 'What is Net Zero Carbon?' installation at our London studio. 

With achieving net-zero a key driver across the built environment, how is the industry working together to deliver sustainable outcomes that better care for our buildings, cities and communities?

Recent years have seen a growth in industry-wide collaborations through the creation of tools, targets and resources to help deliver these outcomes. Join Heyne Tillett Steel alongside other leading industry experts for a panel discussion exploring approaches to collaboration and the value of knowledge sharing in the race towards net zero.

Hear from:
Steve Gilchrist - project director, development, Grosvenor Estate
Tim den Dekker, Associate, FCBStudios and member of Embodied Carbon Group
Laura Batty - senior technical research engineer and HTS+ lead, Heyne Tillett Steel
Alastair Kenyon – partner, Alinea Cost Consultants
Hugh Queenan - associate, Morris + Company

Chaired by Sarah Cary PhD MRTPI, executive director, Place at Enfield Council

The Symposium places the nexus between architecture and energy centre stage in our understanding of the historic built environment, considering how both large-scale energy consumption and socio-political regimes of energy production force us to give greater consideration to architecture’s environmental impact through time. 

By investigating the relationship between buildings and energy, in conjunction with other factors such as the building industry's contribution to deforestation, eco-system destruction, and wide-spread pollution connected to primary material procurement, architectural history can reclaim its long-standing place as a central contributor to architectural debate and practice. Much more importantly, considering the history of architecture in this context can make a significant contribution to understanding and addressing the fossil fuel dependency and biodiversity crisis that threatens the continuation of life on Earth.

FCBStudios Associate Tim Greensmith will join a panel on day 3 of the symposium entitled: Imaginaries of Energy and Power

Tim Greensmith, Associate, FCBStudios: ‘The Grandfather of Skyscrapers’: Gas, Steam, and Iron at Shrewsbury Flaxmill
Joseph Bedford, Virginia Tech: The Energies, Geo-Politics, and Capitalist Spatial Imaginaries of Iron in Architectural History
Elliott Sturtevant, Columbia University: ‘Nature's Storehouse is Man's Benefactor’: Designing Infinite Growth along the Niagara Frontier
Elena Longhin, Università IUAV di Venezia: The Machine in the Mountain: the Piave River Hydro-Power Apparatus and Fascist Ideas of Nature

This year's Annual Symposium is held in partnership with Architects Declare, ACAN, Heritage Declares, and the RIAS. Spread across two weeks, the Symposium is convened by Prof Alex Bremner, Dr Barnabas Calder, Savia Palate, and Dr Neal Shasore.

SPACES, the Society for Public Architecture, Construction, Engineering and Surveying is a multi-disciplinary collaborative organisation for those in the building professions working in and for the public sector. 

Their annual conference brings together experts from client side, design, construction, academia & the public sector will be discussing Zero Carbon, the Climate Emergency, and why we must act now!

Within a wide-ranging programme, FCBStudios Associate, Dr Joe Jack Williams will be delivering two sessions:

11 June: An overview of London Energy Transformation Initiative (LETI)'s Climate Emergency Design Guide

17 June: An introduction to FCBS CARBON, our tool for whole life carbon measurement from the outset of a project.

For the full programme, click here.

An installation By FCBStudios and Thomas.Matthews using offcuts and remnants from the FCBStudios model making workshop. Accompanied by further links to resources and ideas for deeper understanding and engagement. Click here to open whatisnetzero.fcbstudios.com 

From politicians to pop stars, multi-nationals to start-ups, everyone seems to have a roadmap, a plan or a route to Net Zero Carbon. Some are aiming for carbon neutrality. Others say they will be carbon negative. Everyone is talking targets, committing to dates, amounts, plotting their progress on graphs or with pie charts. But when we ask the question, ‘What is Net Zero Carbon?’, an overwhelming number of UK citizens would be unable to answer, despite the fact that this is a phrase that is widely used nowadays. We know it is urgent and the clock is ticking but what does it actually mean?

This colourful installation aims to debunk the mystery, taking the audience through the journey of understanding, from why the planet is heating up, what we are aiming towards, and how, collectively, we can reduce our impact on the environment. 

A 3D light installation draws the passer-by in, made up of hundreds of suspended laser-cut icons which represent the delicate balancing act of reducing what we emit and removing what greenhouse gasses are already in the atmosphere.

Icons were cut from panels of acrylic and timber – all offcuts and remnants from the FCBStudios model-making workshop – and the remaining material has been etched with text. The acrylic boards are layered up, creating shadows and reflections across the window, but also hinting at the complexity of the issue, which many just find too overwhelming to begin to tackle. 

'What is Net Zero Carbon?’ is never going to be answered in one go. This piece has been created to draw people in, and inspire them to make positive changes that not only bring down emissions but improve health, wellbeing and have financial savings. 

HS2, trans-Pennine links, Port of Liverpool, Manchester Airport, Metrolink, smart motorways: the line-up of major infrastructure assets and projects under constant pressure from commuters, passengers and freight carriers to upgrade and fulfill their potential means there is always something significant to examine in the transport arena.

Ernst ter Horst, Associate at FCBStudios joins the panel of industry experts for debate and networking at this online event hosted by Place North West.

Embracing Change. Following a year of working from home for many of us, how will this change offices going forward? Looking to workplace lessons learnt that various businesses want to incorporate, how will we utilise the positives of WFH in post-covid times?

Speakers:
- Sue Emms - Architect Director BPD
- Ian Ford - Managing Director Watts Group
- Jayne Rolls - Human Resources Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios

The April edition of Aude's A time to talk Capital Projects series is hosted by Ken Kinsella, Director of Capital Development LSE and AUDE Capital Group Chair and will report on key findings of the AUDE Capital Costs Database annual report and considerations for future submissions and the AUDE capital and sustainability joint initiative, Ken Kinsella, LSE. 

Dr Joe Jack Williams, Associate and researcher at FCBStudios, will update members on our recently launched Embodied Carbon Tool. As well as a demonstration of how the tool can be used he will explain the importance of understanding embodied carbon through a building life cycle alongside operational carbon.

Mark Thaler, Senior Associate and  Jeremy Viray, Public Relations & Communications Director at Gensler will talk to design forecasts and the impact on capital developments

Developing a Strategy for Change: This event will focus on turning ideas into action to transform the way we shape the built environment.

The Steering Group for Architects Declare has developed a Strategy for Change which describes how we want to transform the built environment by 2030 so that it is planned, constructed and operated within planetary boundaries, delivering positive social impacts for all.

This event, held over two consecutive afternoons, will be structured around the ‘Three Horizons’ model developed by Bill Sharpe, and currently being used to train many of the COP26 negotiating teams in how to manage uncertainty with a high degree of agency.

The first afternoon will involve bold ideas, with a series of inspiring talks interspersed with break-out sessions and concluding with a presentation on the AD Strategy for Change in its current form.

The second afternoon will open with 3 short talks from 'transforming companies' who will share some of the successes and challenges in how they have risen to the challenge of the planetary emergency. These will be followed by a series of PechaKucha style presentations about emerging ideas and we will end the day with a plenary session to discuss the inputs that participants have fed into the Strategy for Change.

This event is open to all signatories and individuals interested in transforming the way we shape the built environment. A full agenda will follow shortly. 

This lunchtime event from RIBA explores some of the best embodied carbon calculators currently available, with presentations from their users and creators. 

• Tool: FCBS Carbon - Dr. Joe Jack Williams, FCBStudios
• Tool: ElliottWood - Penny Gowler, ElliottWood Partnership
• Tool: ECCOlab - James Todd, Architype
• Tool: PHribbon - Tim Martel, PHribbon
• Tool: Hbert - Jake Attwood Harris, Hawkins\Brown

You can watch a recording here

Ian Taylor, Managing Partner at Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios, is a speaker at this year’s AUDE Conference 2021. He will be presenting on the topic ‘How might large learning spaces evolve in the future?’, arguing for flexibility in these settings and greater consideration of the opportunities and benefits arising from the use of external spaces.

Ian leads our higher education sector, and since 2008 he has been a prominent member of the Higher Education Design Quality Forum (HEDQF). He also leads FCBStudios' Research and Innovation group and has been involved in the development of the sustainable design guidance and FCBStudios Carbon Calculater tool FCBS Carbon. 

Other speakers in this session:

Russell Day, Education Sector Head, Sir Robert McAlpine

Emma-Louise Hannigan, Associate/ Education Lead Ireland, HLM Architects

Dr Jos Boys, Senior Lecturer in Environments for Learning, UCL

Rupert Goddard, Partner, Sheppard Robson

Stafford Critchlow, Director, WilkinsonEyre

Lucy Plumridge, Associate Director (Education), HLM Architects

The session takes part on Day 4 of the conference

The Association of University Directors of Estates (AUDE) promotes excellence in the strategic planning, management, operation and development of Higher Education estates and facilities. The theme of this year’s conference is Coronacoaster, focussing on some of the biggest questions and challenges that universities have right now, and will be facing as the new ‘normal’ emerges.

Peter Clegg, Senior Partner of Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios will join the Glasgow Institute of Architects to deliver their annual guest lecture.

Regarded as a pioneer in environmental design, Peter has over 40 years' experience in low energy architecture and is active in research, design and education. He will talk about the future of architecture in the time of the climate emergency. There will be plenty of opportunity for question and answer.

The AGM will take place 6-7 pm with the lecture following on from 7 pm.

Following on from the launch of our Climate Responsive Design website we are hosting the first in a series of events aimed at sharing knowledge, expertise and skills in this field. Join our panel of experts with experience working across the globe as they share their knowledge and insights of designing buildings that respond to their specific local climate and embrace seasonal changes to create low-impact design which not only touches the planet lightly, but helps achieve a better, more sustainable future for all.

Hosted by Peter Clegg, with:

Fatou Dieye: Regional Coordinator, PROECCO Program, Skat
Peter Oborn: Chartered Architect and Strategic Client Adviser
Isabel Sandeman: Architect and co-author of A Manifesto for Climate Responsive Design
Mark Olweny: Programme Leader, Bachelor of Architecture, University of Lincoln and Research Associate Professor, Faculty of the Built Environment, Uganda Martyrs University

You can watch the full event here.

Dr Joe Jack Williams joins Mesh Energy Founder Doug Johnson as they explore net zero carbon design. Joe will share his experience with net zero carbon case studies to show us how they can be done successfully.

Joe is an Associate and researcher at FCBStudios, he is a Certified Passivhaus Consultant and he led the development of FCBSCarbon, a tool that estimates the whole life carbon of a building to inform design decisions prior to detailed design. Joe has taught at various universities and he is part of core research groups within Architects Declare, CIBSE and LETI.

There will be a Q&A session at the end and presentation slides and certificates provided afterwards.

Liverpool School of Architecture and LSA Climate Crisis Student Group present the LSA Guest Lecture: Dr Joe Jack Williams from FCBStudios will provide an overview of embodied carbon in construction, including:

What is it and how do we calculate it
Principles to reduce embodied carbon  
Reduce, reuse, source local and the Circular Economy, longevity
Carbon sequestration
The broader impacts of materials
Resource depletion, pollution, water use.

Ken Kinsella, Director of Capital Developments LSE, introduces a panel of speakers at a special 'a time to talk' about Higher education and capital projects, with the focus on student residences. 

Hear from:
Ian Taylor, Managing Partner, FCBStudios will provide a forward look at student residential and his thoughts on what the future might look like. 

Russell Dyson, Capital Project Manager at the University of Manchester, on their £70m 1,000 bed development.

Russell Day, Sector Head - Education and Nicola Markall, Head of Technical Compliance at Sir Robert McAlpine will talk through fire safety in student residence,  their insights and experience of recent developments

Anja Beriro and Martin Cannon, Partners at the leading law firm Browne Jacobson on the impact of Brexit and Covid-19 on supply chain and procurement in HE capital programmes and the potential long-term implication of this in the sector 

The session will finish with a demonstration of features from the AUDE Capital Cost Database that can help provide insight and benchmark data on student residences.

The third North East and North West regional meeting of the Construction Declares  will look at how to successfully influence change, from championing local authority placemaking initiatives to raising client project ambitions. Held In collaboration with UrbanistasNW, a female-led network playing an active role in shaping our built environment to be a more equitable, diverse place to live, work and play.

About the Speakers:
Sara Darwin, Phi Architects, Passivhaus designer and architect specialising in low energy, Passivhaus housing and design for special needs and autism
Jessica McHugh, AMEY, Assistant Environmental Consultant with environmental coordination role in major highways projects and sustainability. Graduate in Environmental Protection and Management
Karen Ridgewell, Architecture & Design Scotland, Architect, former BREEAM assessor, and currently Adaptation Planner at ADS working on the Designing for a Changing Climate pilot project

Construction Declares is multi-disciplinary group open to all. 

FCBStudios Associate Matt Williams will join Anna Liu, Director, Tonkin Liu and Darren Barker, Principal Conservation Officer, Great Yarmouth Borough Council for this RIBA southwest event. 

In a panel discussion they will look at creating, strengthening and maintaining a sense of place within the specific context of Cornwall, using FCBStudios work in Hayle and Tonkin Liu's  work in Great Yarmouth as case studies. 

Peter Clegg, Senior Partner and Dr Joe Jack Williams, Associate and Researcher, join a panel including Andrew Leiper, Net Zero Carbon Leader, and Kiru Balson, Senior Sustainability Consultant, Max Fordham to explore the crucial role of retrofitting in achieving net zero carbon buildings. Retrofitting existing buildings to make them more energy efficient is critical if the UK is to hit 2050 net-zero carbon targets, but should you always retrofit?

Is it possible to be more sustainable by starting from scratch? This panel discussion will explore this vital question with, presenting a combination of thoughts and case studies including the East Wing of Alexandra Palace.

This event was recorded and is available to watch here.

Construction Declares in conjunction with Architects Declare invites you to a series of multi-disciplinary meetings around the UK, open to all.

Engineers, Landscape Architects, Architects, Contractors and Project Managers have all declared, and we need others to join us. All built environment professionals must be part of these discussions for real change to take place, so please pass on details of this event to others.

This second regional meeting in the West/South West will be looking at Raising Client Awareness of the Climate Emergency. FCBStudios Associate Andy Macintosh will chair the evening and there will be two presentations; one from North Somerset Council on their emergency response, and the other from Stride Treglown, followed by Q&A and discussion.

The RSA celebrates the life and legacy of creativity pioneer Sir Ken Robinson.

Sir Ken Robinson devoted his life to the importance of creativity and imagination. Millions of people have watched Ken’s famous TED Talk, ‘Are Schools Killing Creativity?’.

In 2008 Ken was awarded the RSA Benjamin Franklin Medal. His acceptance speech Changing Education Paradigms became one of the RSA’s most powerful RSA Animate films, inspiring more than 16 million viewers worldwide and influencing a generation of educators.

This RSA Fellowship gathering will bring together figures from education, cultural learning and the creative industries to reflect on Sir Ken’s life’s work and legacy, and share ideas for how we can continue to support and defend his commitment to creativity for all.

Speakers

• Kate Robinson, Director, Nevergrey, office of Sir Ken Robinson
• Matthew Taylor, CEO, RSA
• Dr Penny Hay, Reader, Bath Spa University, Director of Research, House of Imagination
• Professor Sue Rigby Vice Chancellor, Bath Spa University 
• Peter Clegg, Senior Partner, Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios
• Marcus Davey CEO The Roundhouse 
• Chisara Agor, Multi-disciplinary Artist 
• Gboyega Odubanjo, Poet 
• Sally Bacon, Executive Director, Clore Duffield Foundation
• Kenneth Olumuyiwa Tharp CBE, Arts and Cultural Consultant
• Gareth Binns, CEO Institute of Imagination 
• Margaret Heffernan, Author and Entrepreneur, Professor of Practice, University of Bath

Peter Clegg is keynote speaker for Race to Zero at the Istanbul Festival of Architecture. He will present Beyond the Declarations: Towards a new understanding of Low Carbon Architecture

The 2018 IPCC report highlighted that we had only 12 years left to achieve a dramatic cut in global CO2 emissions, 40% of which are generated by buildings and the construction industry.  In 2019 FCBStudios was one of 17 Stirling prize-winning architects in the UK who got together to sign a Declaration which recognised the seriousness of the Climate and Biodiversity crises. Within a year more than 1000 practices had signed up and now more than 6000 practice in 26 countries worldwide have produced their own versions of that declaration. But signing is relatively easy. This talk will explore what needs to be done and reference some recent examples of Low Carbon Design that FCBStudios has been developing to meet the new challenge.

The Istanbul Festival of Architecture with “Paradigm Shift”, as its theme for 2020, aims to examine and reflect on how the immediate future may look and discover who will be the prime motivators and pursuers of this future.

PROCUREMENT has become a streamlined management process. To win the work, it’s often a case of survival of the fittest or the boldest contractor. This event explores how best to navigate the procurement process in order to inspire and ensure good craftsmanship.

Bethan Griffiths, Ironwork Designer & Consultant, will be joined by FCBStudios Conservation Architect, James Sibson, and Ironwork Conservator, David James to address questions of procurement in heritage and conservation architecture, including:

• Why is there a perception that good craftsmen are hard to find?
• Is it the specification or the craftsman that should be relied on most?
• Is procurement let down by weak commissioning skills?
• How to establish positive working relationships between client and craftsman.

Although this talk will focus on ironwork conservation, the same issues relate to other crafts, so everyone is welcome. Conversations Build Understanding, is a series  of events for heritage professionals and practitioners hosted jointly by the NHIG and Icon Metals Group

December is Climate Change Emergency Month for the Cambridge Forum for the Construction Industry. The first in a series of informative 'Question Time' style panel discussions will give an overview of what the professions and the industry have set out to do.

How this can lead to a culture change? What needs to be done to embed changed behaviour into all projects? Is it about equipping the profession? Do we even know how to measure Zero Carbon as a profession? 

Questions for the panel are welcomed in advance. 

Chair: Meredith Bowles, CFCI Trustee, Mole Architects

Joel Gustafsson, JG Consulting

Hero Bennet, Max Fordham

Peter Clegg, Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios, Architects Declare

Sam Hunter Jones, Lawyer, Client Earth

The Cambridge Forum for the Construction Industry promotes understanding of the construction industry by arranging meetings, seminars and visits.

In this series of online talks to celebrate a rich 55-year history in the field of Environmental Design and Engineering (EDE) at The Bartlett, the theme of The climate emergency and potential responses from the construction industry during and post the COVID-19 pandemic is explored through presentations and discussions with IEDE staff and guest speakers from the industry.

The series is made up of three lunchtime seminars, followed by a panel discussion on Friday 4 December with all the guest speakers from the week.

Monday 30 November: Sustainability, health and wellbeing

• Dr Clare Heaviside (NERC Independent Research Fellow, UCL IEDE): Climate Change health impacts – latest evidence and implications
• Prof Mike Davies (UCL IEDE): Sustainable and Healthy Cities

Tuesday 1 December: Environmental design and building performance

• Florence Lam (Arup, visiting professor at UCL IEDE): Lighting for Humanity
• Dr Esfand Burman (UCL IEDE): An integrated framework for building performance – CIBSE TM61

Wednesday 2 December: The climate challenge

• Ian Taylor (FCBStudios, visiting professor at UCL IEDE): How architecture needs to respond to the climate emergency
• Ian Durbin (Hoare Lea, visiting professor at UCL IEDE): How MEP engineers need to respond to the climate emergency

Friday 4 December: Panel discussion

How can engineering and construction transform to respond to the climate emergency? The guest speakers who have presented throughout the week will gather to discuss the climate emergency and potential responses from the construction industry during and post the COVID-19 pandemic. Chaired by Prof Sarah Bell (UCL IEDE)

Join us for an hour workshop on how to get the most out our new free tool to help architects achieve carbon-neutral building.

FCBS CARBON is a new lifecycle carbon calculator, created by FCBStudios to make the impact of design decisions on the carbon footprint of a building visible at the crucial early stages of work.

Dr Joe Jack Williams, Associate and Researcher at FCBStudios, led the development of FCBS CARBON and will lead this workshop, with Joe Taylor, Research Engineer.

The session will cover why the tool came about, how to enter data into the tool, and how to get the most of it.

Dr Joe Jack Williams said: “Understanding the impact arising from our design choices is an essential step for architects and designers if we are to meet the RIBA 2030 Climate Challenge commitments and reach net zero carbon emissions.

We have developed FCBS CARBON using standardised and benchmarked data to empower the industry to navigate complex design variables without the burden of creating a full bill of materials each time.”

The beta version of FCBS CARBON, including full guidance notes, is available to download free here: fcbstudios.com/fcbscarbon

You can watch the recording and download the presentation from the first webinar here:

Download Presentation
Watch the Recording

Since 2017 the Architects’ Mental Wellbeing Forum has been working to improve mental health in the profession.

We’d love you to join us for our first virtual event at 6pm on 26th November, where we are bringing together a diverse range of people from the industry to discuss their experiences with mental health in architecture, and how they are working to improve the status quo.

Speakers include: Kirsten Lees, London Managing Partner at Grimshaw, Adam Smith, Director and co-founder of Hickman & Smith Architects, Nicola Rich, Co-founder of Nine to Thrive and Melissa Kirkpatrick, AMWF member and author of ‘Mental Wellbeing and the Architecture Student’

The event will be chaired by Ben Channon, Head of Wellbeing at Assael Architecture and co-founder of the AMWF.

The event is free to anyone who works in or studies architecture, and who would like to make a difference to mental health in the profession or to their own lives. All we ask is that upon registering you recommend the event to somebody else you think might be interested, as we believe to truly improve mental health across the industry it’s important that we reach as much of the profession as possible.

FCBStudios are founding members of AMWF. 

Construction Declares in conjunction with Architects Declare invites you to a series of multi-disciplinary meetings around the UK, open to all.

Engineers, Landscape Architects, Contractors and Project Managers have all declared, and we need others to join us. All built environment professionals must be part of these discussions for real change to take place, so please pass on details of this event to others in the area.

This first regional meeting in Northern Ireland will be looking at embodied carbon and Passivhaus design. The meeting will feature a presentation on Construction Declare's aims by a member of the steering group, a presentation by Irish Architects Declare and short presentations on the theme by FCBStudios Partner and Belfast office lead, Sam Tyler, HLM Architects and Design ID, followed by open discussion.

Tickets are free but, if you are able, please consider making a donation towards our running costs by selecting free with donation.

Moisture is a key factor in almost all forms of decay, and damp fabric increases heat loss. However, identifying its source can be complicated as moisture is so mobile. It can condense from humid air onto cold surfaces and it can spread through a structure by capillary action and gravity. Understanding these mechanisms and their consequences is vital, particularly now that we are increasing insulation levels in historic buildings and restricting ventilation. Getting it wrong can be disastrous.

Speakers include leading conservation specialists Marianne Suhr and Tim Floyd; Robyn Pender, Alison Henry and others from Historic England; Roger Curtis from Historic Environment Scotland and Bath Abbey project architect Alex Morris.

Construction Declares in conjunction with Architects Declare invites you to a series of multi-disciplinary meetings around the UK, open to all.

Engineers, Landscape Architects, Contractors and Project Managers have all declared, and we need others to join us. All built environment professionals must be part of these discussions for real change to take place, so please pass on details of this event to other built environment professionals in the area.

This first regional meeting in Yorkshire will be looking at where we all start, and how to simplify the message. The meeting will feature a presentation on Construction Declare's aims by Peter Clegg, FCBStudios founding partner and member of the Architects Declare steering group, and a presentation on the theme followed by open discussion.

Tickets are free but, if you are able, please consider making a donation towards our running costs by selecting free with donation.

Nothing lasts forever and certainly not at the pace we’re going. Join our panel of sustainable practice advocates to hear why and how we should all be making changes. 

FCBStudios Partner Simon Doody joins Dr Patsy Perry, Reader in Fashion Marketing in Manchester Fashion Insitute at Manchester Metropolitan University and BAFTA Award-winning television director Steve Smith on the panel for this discussion on why sustainable practice should be at the heart of our work. 

The Creative Coalition Festival is a 3-day event, which brings together the UK’s finest creators, makers, leaders and innovators, at a time when we need it most, to reimagine, redefine and reignite our creative industries. Showcasing home-grown, world-class talent, Creative Coalition 2020 will be a blend of inspiring talks and panels, live performances, practical workshops and networking events - all streamed from venues across the country, directly to our audience at home

Peter Clegg, Senior Partner, Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios will deliver the RIBA South West Annual Lecture of 2020 in partnership with University of Plymouth.  The lecture is called 'Beyond the Declaration: ‘A response to the climate and biodiversity crisis’  and will be the launchpad to a series of RIBA events about Climate Change. 

Peter Clegg established FCBStudios with Richard Feilden in 1978 and is regarded as a pioneer in environmental design. He has over 40 years' experience in low energy architecture and is active in research, design and education. 

Bringing the best minds together, BEYOND 2020 is our opportunity to create the missing link between the UN Sustainable Development Goals for 2030 and the built environment.

Now is the time to plan the cities and communities we want and need, both now and in the future. It is up to everyone in the construction value chain and beyond to play their part in planning and securing a sustainable built environment for the future: architects & engineers, constructors, materials suppliers, building owners & municipalities, regulators, financial institutions and IT players. No group is too big or too small to be neither irrelevant nor unaffected.

Peter Clegg, senior partner at FCBStudios, joins a panel of speakers at BEYOND 2020, to discuss: "Decarbonisation of the building sector – the value chain perspective"

This event will discuss how, while conceptions of ‘a good life’ for those living in our cities has evolved, the role of the architect - the professional responsible for interpreting the people's needs - remains steered by idealism; informed by institutionalised and hierarchical notions of race, class, economics, and style; and blind to the reality of people’s quality and experiences of life. The role of the architect in building relevant and adaptive places, which elevate societal wellbeing, seems to be in jeopardy.

A panel of speakers to discuss how a much more close and careful knowledge of communities’ needs should be put into practice to break down dysfunctional and dangerous tradition. Arguing that architecture is understood to be hierarchical and individual, but architects are not the sole drivers in the creation of the built environment, the speakers will ask if architecture can be more horizontal.  

Streamed live on The Bartlett School of Architecture's YouTube channel, this event will be a discussion between co-hosts Tyler Ebanja, Lolly Griffiths and Naomi Rubbra and speakers Pooja Agrawal and FCBStudios Architect Antonia Blege. 

This event forms part of The Bartlett International Lecture Series Autumn 2020. 

Construction Declares in conjunction with Architects Declare invites you to a series of multi-disciplinary meetings around the UK, open to all.

This first regional meeting in the North East/North West will be looking at approaches to engaging different types of client with sustainable design. The meeting will feature a presentation on Construction Declare's aims by a member of the steering group, and a presentation on the theme by Simon Branson, FCBStudios Partner based in Manchester, followed by open discussion.

Engineers, Landscape Architects, Contractors and Project Managers have all declared, and we need others to join us. All built environment professionals must be part of these discussions for real change to take place, so please pass on details of this event to others in the area.

Tickets are free but, if you are able, please consider making a donation towards our running costs by selecting free with donation.

TEDxBath brings the launch of TED Countdown to Bath, coming together on the subject of climate change.

On 10.10.2020 from 3-4pm there will be a free online session where we will hear talks from famous movers and shakers, including our own Peter Clegg, Senior Partner at FCBStudios and low energy architecture pioneer, interspersed with some incredible speakers set for Spring 2021 Inter-Connected event, before handover to the global TED Countdown event at 4pm.

The global event featuring many famous personalities including Prince William, Al Gore and Ursula von der Leyen will highlight the impact of Climate Change, promote action to address the causes and inspire ideas for a better future.

Countdown means asking ourselves the big questions: what’s the state of the climate today? What does climate science know? How are we going to achieve a net-zero future? How do we centre climate justice in our work?

Whilst some debate what COVID 19 might mean for the future of tall buildings the many benefits of truly mixed-use high-density buildings within our city centres cannot be ignored. Or does the future for our urban developments tend towards more horizontal, distributed but still a relatively dense model like Kirkstall Forge? 

Simon Branson Partner & Manchester Studio Lead, FCBStudios joins a panel of, John Bushell Principal, KPF, Cecilia Lindstrom Associate Director of Research and Urban Design, Studio Egret West, Marie-Louise Schembri, Design Director, Hilson Moran and Albert Williamson-Taylor Co-founder & Director, AKT II, who will be moderated by Ciaran Malik, Lecturer & Researcher, Royal College of Art.

This event is part of the London Festival of Architecture, organised by AKTII.

Post event note: You can now rewatch the talk here.

Heritage has a wide interpretation and is not limited to any particular timeframe: it does differ from one place to another. However, restoration and protection of heritage buildings are important to society as these buildings are the visual representation of the journey a place has taken over time. Saving our history is very much part of saving our world!

10 expert panellists from Singapore, UK, Gulf, China and other ASEAN countries, including Geoff Rich, Partner, FCBStudios and Annalie Riches, Founding Director, Mikhail Riches will present their insights into heritage and conservation work from different parts of the world.

This event is in collaboration with the UK’s Department for International Trade and RIBA Singapore Chapter and is an Initiative of Singapore Archifest 2020

Post event note: You can now watch this event online. 

FCBStudios Associate and researcher Dr Joe Jack Williams will be speaking on day 2 of this conference. The virtual two-day event will introduce participants to key concepts and tools for assessing the impact of design and material choices, showcase best practice and pioneering approaches, and support practices seeking to position themselves at the forefront of the green recovery.

Day 1 Sessions include:

• The RIBA 2030 Climate Challenge
• Designing for minimal energy consumption
• Retrofitting Suburbia
• Cradle to Cradle design principles
• Circular Economy thinking at the Brussels World Trade Centre

Day 2 Sessions include:

• How to talk to your client
• Marketing your sustainability credentials 
• Optimising structures in the design process
• Interrogating the whole life carbon impact of your project
• Transforming your practice

COVID-19 has exposed the fragility of our social and economic fabric whilst at the same time emphasised what we value most – our social infrastructure (from the NHS to our schools), the climate emergency and social equality. Organisations and businesses have been swift in getting the wheels turning to address the latter two; in a race to secure their future and sustainable growth. But are our schools equipped to do the same? 

Dr Joe Jack Williams, Associate, FCBStudios joins Michal Cohen, Director, Walters & Cohen, Harry Daniels, Professor of Education in the Department of Education, University of Oxford, Hau Ming Tse, Research Fellow in the Department of Education, University of Oxford and Marta Galiñanes-Garcia Design Director, AKT II, and the discussion will be moderated by Sarah Williams,  S Williams Architects and RIBA Climate Advisor.

This event is part of the London Festival of Architecture, organised by AKTII.

Post event note:  You can now rewatch the event here.

The COVID-19 pandemic has fundamentally changed how we imagine, design and plan our cities, every sector across the industry must respond and adapt. From public realm to transport, from schools to office space, places and spaces must evolve at pace to accommodate new behaviours and support a healthy population.

As we start to comprehend the long-term implications, FCBStudios Associate Dr Joe Jack Williams joins leading industry experts across different sectors to reflect on how the industry is changing and what creative strides are being taken towards a post-pandemic London. How do we ensure we are rebuilding a London that can withstand any future crises and that we have a profession equipped to embrace a whole new approach? Joe will look at the future of education as we move through recovery from COVID-19.

A write up of the event is available here.

FCBStudios HR Associate Jayne Rolls joins the Panel for this interactive online event to provide a forum to discuss issues and problems that practices are facing as they navigate their way through the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. At this week's practice clinic, we discuss how practices can manage their staff resources during challenging times.

Aimed at practice owners, sole practitioners and architects working in small practices, this session welcomes any questions you may have.

Panellists:

Ruspesh Vara - RIBA Job Board
Yvonne Mathurin - Head of HR, Aukett Swanke
Sean Peacock - Head of HR, Stride Treglown
Jayne Rolls - HR Associate, Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios

Peter Clegg will chair a lecture by Danish practice 3XN where they will present some of the practice’s most innovative and human-focus architecture. The event is part of the RIBA + VitrA Talks Series and the London Design Festival 2020.

Founded in Denmark in 1986, 3XN are known for projects grounded in the application of ongoing research into how human behaviour both reflects and influences buildings and the wider environment. In 2007 3XN founded a sister company GXN dedicated to innovative research into circular design, behaviour design and digital design. In this lecture, we will be joined by behavioural specialist and Head of Operations Susan Carruth and Architect and Senior Partner Audun Opdal, who will show us how GXN’s research is directly fed into the work of 3XN to create some of the most innovative buildings in the world.

GXN combines research-based knowledge from the social sciences with design and architecture skills to offer a full scope of specialist services in the field of behaviour design. By focusing on human experience and social sustainability, they create insights, formulate strategies and design solutions to increase human well-being. 

Image courtesy of IOC / 3XN / Itten Brechbühl / MØRK, Adam

Rollout and delivery, serving local needs, and the future for design, construction and adapting schools in the wake of COVID-19.

FCBStudios Partner and Schools sector leader, Helen Roberts, will be speaking at this conference, which will examine the priorities for England’s school buildings.

It comes with the announcement of ten-year school rebuilding programme worth £1bn by the Prime Minister which will target schools in greatest need of repair and include investment in schools in the North of England and the Midlands, with rebuilds being greener and using modern construction methods.

The agenda will bring out latest thinking on developments and key issues including:

• the rollout and delivery of buildings, including land acquisition, free schools, and ensuring that schools are built in the areas of greatest need
• how the new £1bn in funding for school buildings should be spent, with further information about the scheme and the projects expected in the autumn Spending Review
• improving the design and construction process for new schools - including the design of learning spaces - and ensuring that refurbished schools are sustainable and meet long term needs

The beauty of the architectural model is the highlight of Messums Architecture 2020, with a focus on examples that illustrate the narrative within the accompanying symposium. One of the highlights will be the installation of “Presences” a 6m high and 4m wide interactive architectural model from Niall McLaughlin Architects last seen at the Architectural Biennale 2018, shown alongside an extensive exhibition of models designed for artists’ studios, galleries, arts schools and libraries. FCBStudios have contributed models of Alexandra Palace and the Southbank Centre, London. Other contributors include Invisible Studio/ Piers Taylor, Jenny Jones, Matheson Whiteley, Feilden Fowles,  vPPR, Stiff + Trevillion and Niall McLaughlin.

The exhibition is set against the backdrop of the recreated Studio of Dame Elisabeth Frink set within Messums 13^th Century barn and memorial to her creative process.

This year’s symposium at Messums Wiltshire considers the radical changes going on in the spaces we inhabit. From the context of both our own private and individual environments to how we will engage with each other publicly in the future, we have all become increasingly aware of the space we are ‘living within’. Set against the backdrop of Elisabeth Frink’s studio, which was her creative space at Woolland, we join leading minds from the fields of Architecture, Interior and Garden design to consider how good design has and is adapting to the changed environment and our contemporary concerns.

Continuing our collaboration with the Commonwealth Architects Association on the Planning for Climate Change and Rapid Urbanisation CPD series, Peter Clegg with co-chair a panel discussion on Upscaling Delivery of Climate Responsive Design

This event will be jointly hosted by the Commonwealth Association of Architects and INTBAU (the International Network for Traditional Building, Architecture and Urbanism), and will focus on local and traditional methods of designing and building from across the Commonwealth. Adapted to climate and context, these methods are naturally sustainable and low carbon, and can be easily adapted to meet 21st century needs.

With nearly 50% of the projected increase in the world’s urban population to 2050 forecast to be in the Commonwealth, there has never been a more important time for members of the Commonwealth to come together to tackle the challenges of climate change and rapid urbanisation; challenges which have now been compounded by the effects of the Coronavirus pandemic. 

The session will be co-chaired by Harriet Wennberg, INTBAU and Peter Clegg, FCBStudios. The panel will include:
Yasmeen Lari, Architect and founder of the Heritage Foundation of Pakistan
Peter Rich, Architect, Light Earth Designs
Lauren Shevills, Architects Climate Action Network and Architects Declare
Inhee Chung, Global Green Growth Institute
Fatou Dieye, SKAT Consultancy

Previous lectures in the series can be watched here.This lecture is available to watch after the event here.

Heritage Led Regeneration is the second of two lectures delivered by FCBStudios for the Commonwealth Architects Association pilot programme of CPD lectures, which aim to facilitate knowledge exchange between member organisations and member firms, to help promote mutual understanding and greater awareness of issues related to climate change and rapid urbanisation together with the UN 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

FCBStudios Partner Geoff Rich describes the value of heritage led regeneration in terms of the reuse of existing buildings, and the potential to generate social and economic value. 

For further details of the programme, click here.

For the latest edition of Archimake's teatime interviews with leading architects, engineers, design professionals and professionals in the built environment, host, Anton talks to FCBStudios Associate Ron Nkomba to understand more about these roles and how they shape the city and our lives. 

Archimake award winning design education workshops build creativity and design confidence in children and enable advanced drawing, making, and design communication skills. By the end of each term children present their urban design project in 3D models and 2D orthographic drawings. having developed these skills with architects and engineering guidance. Children master creativity, logic, reasoning, physics, proportion, problem-solving, design communication, teamwork and leadership. Research shows that children who are creatively confident believe that they can make a positive difference in society and also creative workshops like Archimake, lead to an increase in health and well being.

Climate Responsive Design is one of two lectures delivered by FCBStudios for the Commonwealth Architects Association pilot programme of CPD lectures, which aim to facilitate knowledge exchange between member organisations and member firms, to help promote mutual understanding and greater awareness of issues related to climate change and rapid urbanisation together with the UN 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

This lecture is to be delivered in two parts.  Part one will be delivered by FCBStudios Partner Peter Clegg, and Architectural Designer Isabel Sandeman and is focused on ‘A Manifesto for delivering Climate Responsive Design’, providing an overview of climate responsive design including a reminder of the importance of passive design principles and low carbon construction.

Part Two, entitled ‘Collaborating for Sustainable Development’, provides a case study from FCBStudios Partner Rachel Sayers and Shatotto Principal Rafiq Azzam of how the principles of Climate responsive design have been used on a project in Bangladesh to create an inspiring and comfortable educational environment for the Aga Khan Academies Unit.

Following on from our fully booked live event on 29th June, 'Material Matters', which included 5 presentations exploring the impact of embodied carbon of common building materials, we are continuing the conversation at this 'round table' debate, chaired by Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios' founding partner, Peter Clegg.
 
The discussion will aim to tackle some of the most pressing arguments around sustainable material choice. How good or bad is recycling compared to reuse? How renewable are renewable materials? Can we trust the embodied carbon figures that are provided by manufacturers? And should we even be producing more materials when we look at what is available in the system right now?
 
Join our panel of experts and materials enthusiasts from Arup, Expedition, Webb Yates and FCBS

There is a growing awareness of a performance gap, between the way learning spaces are designed to work and how they actually function.

With a changing climate, the gap is in danger of increasing and so the need to close this gap is now urgent. And we need to do this whilst avoiding mechanical, carbon hungry solutions.

To understand what works, we will be sharing some real examples of key characteristics that have been identified in the best performing school environments. These suggest a number of solutions, that could be incorporated into both new build and retro-fitted to existing schools to help ensure all spaces are comfortable, to support learning and reduce their carbon footprint.

Dr Joe Jack Williams, Associate, FCBStudios will join Ann Griffin, RIBA Client Adviser, Director of Architects Collaborative and Sui-Te Wu, A strategic client adviser as part of the online Festival of Learning Spaces to discuss the issues.

Where are we now? Where are we going? How are we going to get there? In a discussion chaired by architect Piers Taylor, policy advisor Gwen Buck and Architects Declare steering group members engineer Clara Bagenal George and architect Peter Clegg join the Architecture Foundation on Day 65 of their 100 Day Project to discuss what the Architect’s Declare pledge has achieved one year on, what needs to change in terms of policy, why it is so hard to make genuinely low carbon buildings - and what zero carbon means in any case. 

Join some of the UK’s leading environmental thinkers and join in the discussion to help Architects Declare understand what else needs to be tackled, as we career ever deeper into a pre-apocalyptic climate emergency.

Ian Taylor Managing Partner of FCBStudios and James Woodall, Sustainability Manager of Allies and Morrison will lead a conversation about Communicating and delivering sustainability. The online event is part of the Curatorial Conversations programme of the Hong Kong Biennale of Urbanism Architecture.

Supported by RIBA

With an intensity in a warming and wetter climate, what can be done to maintain fit for function well-being and comfort levels in schools without resorting to excessive carbon-intense cooling?

In this webinar, part of the Festival for Learning Spaces, Sarah Williams, RIBA Client Adviser, in conversation with Dr Anastasia Mylona and Dr Joe Jack Williams will explore the existing school design standards and how developing adaptation strategies will shape future thinking.

Understanding Embodied Carbon in Building Materials

This event brings together a panel of speakers to talk through the processes involved in the creation of common building materials. Each process contributes to the final product; how they are extracted, how they are formed, and how we use them. Understanding these steps will enable us to make more informed decisions and lessen our impact on the environment.

Chaired by Hattie Harman, Architects Journal Sustainability Editor

Speakers:
Nick Hodges, FCBStudios - Timber
Eva MacNamara, Expedition Engineering - Concrete
Steve Webb, Webb Yates - Stone
David Bates,  FCBStudios - Ceramics
Lex Harrison, Arup - Brick

In order to meet our climate change targets the UK’s building industry needs radical change. Over the last year, various organisations have produced guidance on this topic, this event brings together the work from UKGBC, RIBA and LETI that has been published in the last 12 months. This includes the UKGBC’s Zero carbon framework, the RIBA 2030 climate challenge and the LETI Climate Emergency Design guide. There will be quick-fire presentations on the guidance and how they relate to each other.

Architects Declare Steering Group members Clara Bagenal-George (Elementa/LETI) and Peter Clegg (FCBStudios) will be speaking at this virtual event at 3pm on 18 June

A discussion will then follow the talks focusing on Net Zero in the South West, what the barriers and challenges are, and how to overcome them. In order to facilitate this discussion, we will send round a quick 10 min survey to those that sign up, to get feedback that can kick start these discussions.

This event is brought to you by LETI, RIBA, UKGBC, CIBSE and the Energy Hub.

Agenda
Presentations 15.00-15.30

• UKGBC- Advancing Net Zero programme- Karl Desi-UKGBC
• RIBA 2030 challenge- Gary Clark-RIBA/HOK
• LETI- Climate Emergency Design Guide- Debby Ray – LETI/Woods Bagot

Q+A 15.30-16.00 (Representatives from Energy Hub and CIBSE will take part in the Q+A)

Please note there is a UK wide event happening on a similar topic on the 11th of June so if you do not work or live in the South West please click the link below to join the UK wide event.

The use and design of the educational estate needs to adapt to meet zero carbon targets by focusing on operational changes, the adaptation of existing facilities and investment in new exemplar carbon neutral facilities.

Ian Taylor Partner at FCBStudios and  Andrew Dobbs, Director- Willmott Dixon Construction will discuss how we can do this. 

The Festival of Learning is a month long series of webinars and online events connecting the education community.