Carbon Counts is an exhibition about material matters which is running in our London gallery space until March 2020 and will form a backdrop to a series of curated events.

FCBStudios’ response to the Architects Declare manifesto advocates an accelerated shift to low embodied carbon. In order to achieve this, we have committed to interrogate the material choices in all our work.

By understanding the embodied and emitted carbon in the construction and life cycle of our designs, we will be able to make better informed choices to improve the impact of our work on the environment.

Carbon Counts draws together key metrics for some of the most common materials used in architecture today. Read more about these here.

The embodied carbon of a building is made up of the impacts from the extraction, processing, manufacture and packaging of the materials we use; the carbon emissions resulting from their transport and construction on site, maintenance over their life span and what happens after the building is demolished.

Each totem in this exhibition has the same volume as 1kg of CO₂ - the equivalent volume of CO₂ emitted by the manufacture of the piece of material held in each totem.

Carbon Counts seeks to start a conversation. It is a springboard to encourage wider debate and discussion so that as an industry we can work together to continue to research, test, analyse and develop.

We must arm ourselves with this knowledge because we have to act.

We will have to make difficult decisions: balancing longevity vs. embodied carbon/style vs. substance/perceptions vs. experience/tried and tested vs. new technologies.

In doing so, we can continue to create spaces which are engaging, are sensitive to their external environments and which touch the planet lightly.

The winning and commended entries of the third Architecture Drawing Prize, held in partnership with Make Architects and the World Architecture Festival, are exhibited at Sir John Soane’s Museum.

FCBStudios’ architectural assistant Michael Paul Lewis has received a commendation for his artwork entitled ‘Drawing Architecture’ in The Drawing Prize at the World Architecture Festival.

Shortlisted in the ‘hand-drawn category, Drawing Architecture is a celebration of the design process; documenting over one thousand individually hand-drawn ink diagrams, sketches and annotations. The piece spans ten years of architectural thinking and includes work from his time at Bath University, competitions and live projects at Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios.

Click here to view Drawing Architecture.

Launched in 2017, the prize is conceived to celebrate and showcase the significance of drawing as a tool in capturing and communicating architectural ideas. It embraces the creative use of digital tools and digitally-produced renderings, while recognising the enduring importance of hand drawing.

Carbon Counts is an exhibition about material matters which is running in our London gallery space until March 2020 and will form a backdrop to a series of curated events.

FCBStudios’ response to the Architects Declare manifesto advocates an accelerated shift to low embodied carbon. In order to achieve this, we have committed to interrogate the material choices in all our work.

By understanding the embodied and emitted carbon in the construction and life cycle of our designs, we will be able to make better informed choices to improve the impact of our work on the environment.

Carbon Counts draws together key metrics for some of the most common materials used in architecture today. Read more about these here.

The embodied carbon of a building is made up of the impacts from the extraction, processing, manufacture and packaging of the materials we use; the carbon emissions resulting from their transport and construction on site, maintenance over their life span and what happens after the building is demolished.

Each totem in this exhibition has the same volume as 1kg of CO₂ - the equivalent volume of CO₂ emitted by the manufacture of the piece of material held in each totem.

Carbon Counts seeks to start a conversation. It is a springboard to encourage wider debate and discussion so that as an industry we can work together to continue to research, test, analyse and develop.

We must arm ourselves with this knowledge because we have to act.

We will have to make difficult decisions: balancing longevity vs. embodied carbon/style vs. substance/perceptions vs. experience/tried and tested vs. new technologies.

In doing so, we can continue to create spaces which are engaging, are sensitive to their external environments and which touch the planet lightly.

Please join us for an evening to mark the launch of the second edition of The Architecture of Natural Cooling, by Brian Ford, Rosa Schiano-Phan and Juan Antonio Vallejo.  

Mario Cucinella, Architect, Hon FAIA, Int Fellow RIBA (Founder MCA Bologna and New York) will provide a short introductory talk. 

Overheating in buildings is commonplace, even in temperate regions like northern Europe. However, increasing our dependency on air-conditioning in response to increasingly hot summers, dumps more heat into our cities at the hottest time, further raising urban air temperatures and demand for more cooling. There are better ways to keep cool while reducing carbon emissions and running costs.

This book describes how this can be achieved. It provides a ‘how-to’ guide for architects and engineers on the application of natural cooling in new and existing buildings.   It assists policymakers seeking to expedite and incentivise a switch away from conventional air-conditioning, and it provides guidance on theoretical principles and practical applications, and on performance evaluation, before describing a series of case studies of buildings in Europe, China, India and the USA. Working with our environment rather than against it, fostering greater understanding of the climate where we live, and re-learning some of the simple lessons from the past may help us to live more sustainably in our rapidly warming world.

The winning and commended entries of the third Architecture Drawing Prize, held in partnership with Make Architects and the World Architecture Festival, are exhibited at Sir John Soane’s Museum.

FCBStudios’ architectural assistant Michael Paul Lewis has received a commendation for his artwork entitled ‘Drawing Architecture’ in The Drawing Prize at the World Architecture Festival.

Shortlisted in the ‘hand-drawn category, Drawing Architecture is a celebration of the design process; documenting over one thousand individually hand-drawn ink diagrams, sketches and annotations. The piece spans ten years of architectural thinking and includes work from his time at Bath University, competitions and live projects at Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios.

Click here to view Drawing Architecture.

Launched in 2017, the prize is conceived to celebrate and showcase the significance of drawing as a tool in capturing and communicating architectural ideas. It embraces the creative use of digital tools and digitally-produced renderings, while recognising the enduring importance of hand drawing.

The second edition of The Environmental Imagination by Dean Hawkes is a major revision of the book first published in 2008.  In a sequence of essays, it explores the relationship between technics and poetics in environmental design in architecture. 

The essays are based on detailed studies of buildings by major architects from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, from Sir John Soane to Peter Zumthor, as they seek to create rich and diverse environments. New buildings have been added to the study and a number of major buildings have been revisited.

On the fiftieth anniversary of the publication of Rayner Banham’s, The Architecture of the Well-tempered Environment, the book concludes with a critical tribute to that seminal text.

Books will be available for purchase at the launch.

This event is part of the Carbon Counts events programme. Carbon Counts is an exhibition about material matters and runs until March in the FCBStudios London Gallery.

Carbon Counts is an exhibition about material matters which is running in our London gallery space until March 2020 and will form a backdrop to a series of curated events.

FCBStudios’ response to the Architects Declare manifesto advocates an accelerated shift to low embodied carbon. In order to achieve this, we have committed to interrogate the material choices in all our work.

By understanding the embodied and emitted carbon in the construction and life cycle of our designs, we will be able to make better informed choices to improve the impact of our work on the environment.

Carbon Counts draws together key metrics for some of the most common materials used in architecture today. Read more about these here.

The embodied carbon of a building is made up of the impacts from the extraction, processing, manufacture and packaging of the materials we use; the carbon emissions resulting from their transport and construction on site, maintenance over their life span and what happens after the building is demolished.

Each totem in this exhibition has the same volume as 1kg of CO₂ - the equivalent volume of CO₂ emitted by the manufacture of the piece of material held in each totem.

Carbon Counts seeks to start a conversation. It is a springboard to encourage wider debate and discussion so that as an industry we can work together to continue to research, test, analyse and develop.

We must arm ourselves with this knowledge because we have to act.

We will have to make difficult decisions: balancing longevity vs. embodied carbon/style vs. substance/perceptions vs. experience/tried and tested vs. new technologies.

In doing so, we can continue to create spaces which are engaging, are sensitive to their external environments and which touch the planet lightly.

An exhibition of paintings by Pauline Little which is both a documentation of and meditation on the dormant winter garden. This is explored through a series of abstract cross-sections of the soil revealing the unexpectedly active life found during this fallow time of year.  The result is a series of paintings which waver between portraiture and pure abstraction. The vulnerability and resilience of our ecology parallels our own human weaknesses and perseverance. 

Pauline Little studied at The Cooper Union in NYC and Middlesex University in London and now lives and paints in Bangor, Northern Ireland.  An active artist for 25 years, she taught at Surrey Institute of Art and Design and her paintings are held in public collections at Sheffield University, The Cooper Union and other art collecting organisations.

Carbon Counts is an exhibition about material matters which is running in our London gallery space until March 2020 and will form a backdrop to a series of curated events.

FCBStudios’ response to the Architects Declare manifesto advocates an accelerated shift to low embodied carbon. In order to achieve this, we have committed to interrogate the material choices in all our work.

By understanding the embodied and emitted carbon in the construction and life cycle of our designs, we will be able to make better informed choices to improve the impact of our work on the environment.

Carbon Counts draws together key metrics for some of the most common materials used in architecture today. Read more about these here.

The embodied carbon of a building is made up of the impacts from the extraction, processing, manufacture and packaging of the materials we use; the carbon emissions resulting from their transport and construction on site, maintenance over their life span and what happens after the building is demolished.

Each totem in this exhibition has the same volume as 1kg of CO₂ - the equivalent volume of CO₂ emitted by the manufacture of the piece of material held in each totem.

Carbon Counts seeks to start a conversation. It is a springboard to encourage wider debate and discussion so that as an industry we can work together to continue to research, test, analyse and develop.

We must arm ourselves with this knowledge because we have to act.

We will have to make difficult decisions: balancing longevity vs. embodied carbon/style vs. substance/perceptions vs. experience/tried and tested vs. new technologies.

In doing so, we can continue to create spaces which are engaging, are sensitive to their external environments and which touch the planet lightly.

What is the role of a university in the 21st century?

Universities are some of the largest landowners in the country, and the University of Bristol owns many of the city’s most iconic heritage buildings, from the Wills Memorial Building to the Royal Fort and the Victoria Rooms.

As our Universities seek to engage a larger constituency of people and embrace talent from across society, what does that mean for their future estates? How does the design of our future university buildings change this important relationship between the institution and the city?

The University of Bristol is embarking on a ‘bold reimagining’, an ambitious investment in the city centre. As one of Europe’s largest regeneration programmes, a new campus will be built in the heart of the city centre, a stone’s throw from the busy platforms of Temple Meads. The Bristol Temple Quarter Enterprise Campus will signal the gateway to the city and aims to transform a neglected area into a vibrant new quarter of the city.

 The design decisions taking place now will affect the future of the city and the academic life incubated at the Temple Quarter Enterprise Campus.

Whether you are a citizen, an urban designer, a heritage enthusiast, university staff or student – join us for a preview of this new landmark for learning.

Join Barra Mac Ruairí, University of Bristol, Mike Keys, FCBStudios, Lise Benningen, Grant Associates and Claire Smith, Buro Happold, to explore the challenges of the new University of Bristol Temple Quarter Campus.

To celebrate the final event of a sold-out year of talks at The Architecture Centre, please join us in the Arnolfini Bar after the talk for a Christmas drink. This is an excellent opportunity to network and meet the speakers and our team after the event.

An exhibition of paintings by Pauline Little which is both a documentation of and meditation on the dormant winter garden. This is explored through a series of abstract cross-sections of the soil revealing the unexpectedly active life found during this fallow time of year.  The result is a series of paintings which waver between portraiture and pure abstraction. The vulnerability and resilience of our ecology parallels our own human weaknesses and perseverance. 

Pauline Little studied at The Cooper Union in NYC and Middlesex University in London and now lives and paints in Bangor, Northern Ireland.  An active artist for 25 years, she taught at Surrey Institute of Art and Design and her paintings are held in public collections at Sheffield University, The Cooper Union and other art collecting organisations.

Two models by FCBStudios have been selected for inclusion in the Royal West of England Open Exhibition 2019.

‘The 7,000 bodies beneath Bath Abbey’ illustrates the layers of development on the site, overlaying the fan vaulting and the Abbey floor over the burials and archaeology of the Norman Cathedral beneath.

‘Timber façade study’ is one of a series of working models made during the design development of a scheme for a University building.

The RWA's renowned Annual Open Exhibition, in its 167th year is an open exhibition which invites painting, drawing, printmaking, photography, sculpture, installation and mixed media submissions as well as architectural submissions and is a showcase of some of the most exciting artists from across the country and beyond.

On the occasion of the opening of the exhibition, Peter Clegg, founding partner at FCBStudios was invested as an RWA Academician.

During CIBSE Build2Perform Live 2019,Joe Jack Williams, Researcher, FCBStudios and Tim Taylor, Senior Consultant, Faithful+Gould will present a seminar on Resilience of Schools to Climate Change.

This seminar will explore how to: understand the impacts of climate change in various types of schools; find out the most efficient and cost-effective mitigation options; and find out how this above will impact the design of schools in the future.

The resilence of schools to climate change project looked at how climate change will impact schools through the use of modelling and monitoring and was supported by the CIBSE Schools Design Special Interest Group and the Department for Education. 

According to a report published by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in 2018, there are only 12 years for global warming to be kept to a maximum of 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. Beyond this increase, the risks of drought, floods, extreme heat and mass poverty will be significantly worsened. The potential adverse effects on the planet cannot be overstated. In order to limit the rise in temperatures to 1.5°C, carbon pollution will need to be cut by 45% by 2030 and further reduce to 0% by 2050.

The built environment sector accounts for around 40% of all UK CO2 emissions. Design, construction, occupation, maintenance and demolition of the world’s built environment consumes 50% of the raw materials used annually. Of the 200 million tonnes of waste generated in Britain every year, approximately 60% is construction debris.

It’s clear that the climate emergency is the biggest challenge facing our planet and our profession. Wholesale and systemic changes are required to ensure the industry does everything within its power to reduce its carbon emissions drastically over the next two decades. This will require the assistance of policymakers, industry leaders, clients and the support of the general public. As the statistics above illustrate, if the built environment can achieve net-zero carbon by 2050, the industry would go a long way to help avert global climate catastrophe.

This year’s RSAW Annual Conference will seek to contextualise the serious risks posed by climate change, hear from industry experts to understand what has been done already to effect change and determine what is required in the immediate future.

We will consider the opportunities that climate change will present to architects to lead the industry through positive influence, knowledge and technological innovation. Best practice exemplars will illustrate what can be achieved with the understanding and consent of willing clients. We will also explore the enormous worth in retrofitting existing buildings. Peter Clegg, FCBStudios will round off the day in the long-established ‘Inspiration Hour’ to ensure delegates leave feeling stimulated and uplifted following an intensive day!

Challenging preconceptions about Passivhaus.

Join Max Fordham's Sophia Barker and guest speaker Nick Hodges from Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios for a lively discussion on the opportunities and challenges of Passivhaus in practice. 

Destination CQ (www.destinationcq.com) Cathedral Quarter Business Improvement District has teamed up with Belfast Design Week 2018 to run an urban design challenge for local students and recent graduates with a prize fund of £500 and the chance to see your winning design realised.

Destination CQ has a particular interest in the public realm and the spaces between the buildings within Cathedral Quarter; to make it an inviting, welcoming and attractive space through design such as way-finding, pavements, streetscapes, lighting, data mining and the internet of things.

The solutions for the design challenge could be short, medium or long term interventions; working with buildings, businesses or public spaces. It was a chance to come up with an innovative design that helps the area become an inviting, welcoming and attractive space. The Destination CQ area includes Smithfield and Union, Cathedral Quarter and Laganside and shares a boundary with its Belfast One BID neighbours along Gresham Street, North Street, Bridge Street and High Street. 

The results of the Urban Design Challenge are showcased at FCBStudios Belfast Studio, with a launch event on Wednesday 6 November 18.00-19.30.

The Institute of Architects Bangladesh (IAB) will host ARCASIA FORUM 20, celebrating 50 years of Arcasia, with the theme Architecture in a Changing Landscape.

Never before in the history of humanity has one witnessed such unprecedented speed and nature of change in every facet of human life as happening today. From the technological to the political, from climate to migration, and from cities to regions, unprecedented change and transformation, and at a remarkable rate, mark our epoch. Architects are negotiating everyday with increasingly volatile contexts of shifting economic, physical, technological and geo-political landscapes. In order to address many facets of these undeniable phenomena, the theme, Architecture in a Changing Landscape, is expected to evoke thoughts, innovations and ideas appropriate for the present and future state of architecture.

Peter Clegg will be delivering a keynote speech, alongside eminent international figures including Shigeru Ban, Woha Architectus, Sidhartha Talwar and Hanif Kara.

ARCASIA FORUM is the biannual conference of The Architects’ Regional Council Asia (ARCASIA), a Council of the presidents of the National Institutes of Architects of twenty-one Asian countries that are members of ARCASIA. The conference is a platform for the on-going discussion of current architectural ideas pertinent to the region. This is a gathering of prominent architects and thinkers intended to serve as an Asian 'catapult of minds' on matters concerning architectural and environment in the Asian context.

Thomas Duggan is an inventor who has a love of nature, design, materials, architecture, science, advanced generative design, technology, craft and robotic fabrication.

In this exclusive exhibition, Thomas Duggan presents new work alongside existing examples of his lifelong enquiry into process and invention.

Working with porcelain and advanced robotics, Thomas will be creating works of art in real time. ‘Alchemy in Art’ chronicles Thomas’ explorations into sculpture and installation, material science, advanced fabrication techniques and traditional craftsmanship. 

FCBStudios' shortlisted scheme for the 2017 Dulwich Picture Gallery Pavilion, a collaboration with Thomas Duggan will be on show as part of the exhibition. 

Thomas will be taking part in an Artists' Talk on Sunday 3 November, 15.00 in the Clore Studio - free with admission.

Part of the Tate St Ives Artists' programme

Two models by FCBStudios have been selected for inclusion in the Royal West of England Open Exhibition 2019.

‘The 7,000 bodies beneath Bath Abbey’ illustrates the layers of development on the site, overlaying the fan vaulting and the Abbey floor over the burials and archaeology of the Norman Cathedral beneath.

‘Timber façade study’ is one of a series of working models made during the design development of a scheme for a University building.

The RWA's renowned Annual Open Exhibition, in its 167th year is an open exhibition which invites painting, drawing, printmaking, photography, sculpture, installation and mixed media submissions as well as architectural submissions and is a showcase of some of the most exciting artists from across the country and beyond.

On the occasion of the opening of the exhibition, Peter Clegg, founding partner at FCBStudios was invested as an RWA Academician.

The importance of public space within our cities is well understood. Increasing the density of our cities requires a focus on the provision of space for all. The method currently set in place to tackle this issue requires that public spaces are provided alongside new developments. This has resulted in spaces where design quality, site access and ownership are questionable. The solution also relies on ‘market value’, which determines the viability of a space and its regulations.

The restoration of the Undercroft on London’s Southbank, one of the world’s most important and accidental skateparks since 1967, exemplifies how organisations and communities might work together to create urban alternatives that act outside accepted notions of a growth society. The campaign to save the space has played an important role in conversations about space ownership and is a great example of civic tools being used to shift power structures in city planning.

This project brings skateboarding and the history of the Undercroft to Oslo by telling the story inside the exhibition space and bringing Oslo’s skating community to the public spaces around the museum site.

Within the OAT Library installation, FCBStudios and LLSB will be building a 1:1 replica of the iconic undercroft ‘mushroom columns’ from the graffitied hoarding taken out of the Undercroft to allow the current works to take place. A number of artefacts and skateboards which tell the story of the skatepark will also be loaned through the library to visitors.

Photo credit: Nicholas Constant

Thomas Duggan is an inventor who has a love of nature, design, materials, architecture, science, advanced generative design, technology, craft and robotic fabrication.

In this exclusive exhibition, Thomas Duggan presents new work alongside existing examples of his lifelong enquiry into process and invention.

Working with porcelain and advanced robotics, Thomas will be creating works of art in real time. ‘Alchemy in Art’ chronicles Thomas’ explorations into sculpture and installation, material science, advanced fabrication techniques and traditional craftsmanship. 

FCBStudios' shortlisted scheme for the 2017 Dulwich Picture Gallery Pavilion, a collaboration with Thomas Duggan will be on show as part of the exhibition. 

Thomas will be taking part in an Artists' Talk on Sunday 3 November, 15.00 in the Clore Studio - free with admission.

Part of the Tate St Ives Artists' programme

The Bristol Transformation looks in more detail at some of the many areas under development in and around Bristol. Two significant areas of redevelopment for the city and the region are the Bristol Temple Quarter Enterprise Zone, which will include a new campus from the University of Bristol, and YTL’s plans to develop the former Filton airfield.

The University’s Temple Quarter Enterprise Campus, to the east of Temple Meads train station, is designed by FCBStudios and will help create a new vibrant and inclusive city district in Temple Quarter, contribute to economic growth and job creation and enable better connections between the East of Bristol and the city centre.  The YTL development will create a thriving new neighbourhood and an arena for Bristol and the wider city region. FCBStudios’ first phase of housing at Brabazon will go on-site in 2020.

Speakers include: Andrew Billingham (YTL Arena Managing Director), Mike Keys (FCBStudios), Susan Halford (University of Bristol), Sebastian Loyn (Director of Planning and Development, YTL), Richard Marsh (Programme Director, Bristol Temple Quarter), Fabienne Nicholas (Contemporary Art Society), Guy Orpen (Deputy Vice-Chancellor, New Campus Development, University of Bristol) and Simon Power (Mott MacDonald).

We’re in a geological epoch called the Anthropocene, which marks significant human impact on the Earth’s geology and ecosystems, including, but not limited to, climate change. This has led to calls for climate emergencies with cities leading the way. What does the Anthropocene mean and what does it mean for cities? Declaring climate emergencies is important, but what impact will this have?

Peter Clegg (Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios), Carla Denyer (Green Party councillor, who led the campaign to declare a climate emergency in Bristol), Paul Chatterton (Our Future Leeds) and Zakiya Mckenzie (Green and Black Ambassador and currently Writer in Residence, Forestry Commission England) discuss the issues.

John Brenton (University of Bristol) and Chris Dunford (We the Curious) will provide short statements on the action that follows their climate emergency declarations.

The event will be chaired by Anna Starkey (Chief Creative Officer, We the Curious).

Presented in association with the Bristol Inclusive Economy Initiative, University of Bristol.

To mark the occasion of Preston Bus Station’s 50th birthday, coming up in October 2019, the Liverpool School of Architecture, in partnership with the Twentieth Century Society, will be running a one-day cross-sector conference. This will be embracing not just the bus station, but more broadly Brutalist architecture, and aims to explore how much progress has been made in the public and professional understanding, appreciation, management and celebration of Brutalist buildings, and what the current and future challenges and opportunities may be.

Three buildings had been named as examples when “British Brutalism” was included in the 2012 World Monument Watch: London’s South Bank Centre, Birmingham Central Library, and Preston Bus Station. Their individual stories since then vary significantly and raise fascinating questions about designation, refurbishment and re-use, and contemporary architecture.

Peter Clegg, Founding Partner at FCBStudios will join the panel to discuss the Southbank Centre.

Regenerative spaces are those that are rehabilitating, enriching and strengthening – they reverse the damaging effects of life’s challenges.

In an evening of PechaKucha style presentations, organised by Amos Goldreich Architects and architecture charity AzuKo and supported by Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios, ‘Designing Regenerative Spaces’ will explore what these spaces can look and feel like across a range of sectors and services: from community health and international development to domestic violence and homeless shelters.

The event will bring together speakers from public health, international development and across the fields of architecture - including FCBStudios senior partner, Peter Clegg. Workshops and an audience discussion will follow the presentations, connecting those who believe that space, environment and setting play a fundamental role in people’s wellbeing and their ability to heal and grow.

Refreshments will be supplied by local social enterprise, Fat Macy’s, who train and support young Londoners living in temporary accommodation and homeless hostels, helping them to move into their own homes whilst gaining hospitality skills and work experience.

Speakers include:

Amos Goldreich, Director at Amos Goldreich Architecture
Jo Ashbridge, Founder and Director of AzuKo
Chris Watson, Property Director at Maggie’s Cancer Care Centres
Peter Clegg, Senior Partner at Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios
Dr Lafina Diamandis, NHS Clinical Entrepreneur, Co-Founder of Eurekadoc and Presenter of Health Meets Home Podcast

Two models by FCBStudios have been selected for inclusion in the Royal West of England Open Exhibition 2019.

‘The 7,000 bodies beneath Bath Abbey’ illustrates the layers of development on the site, overlaying the fan vaulting and the Abbey floor over the burials and archaeology of the Norman Cathedral beneath.

‘Timber façade study’ is one of a series of working models made during the design development of a scheme for a University building.

The RWA's renowned Annual Open Exhibition, in its 167th year is an open exhibition which invites painting, drawing, printmaking, photography, sculpture, installation and mixed media submissions as well as architectural submissions and is a showcase of some of the most exciting artists from across the country and beyond.

On the occasion of the opening of the exhibition, Peter Clegg, founding partner at FCBStudios was invested as an RWA Academician.

The importance of public space within our cities is well understood. Increasing the density of our cities requires a focus on the provision of space for all. The method currently set in place to tackle this issue requires that public spaces are provided alongside new developments. This has resulted in spaces where design quality, site access and ownership are questionable. The solution also relies on ‘market value’, which determines the viability of a space and its regulations.

The restoration of the Undercroft on London’s Southbank, one of the world’s most important and accidental skateparks since 1967, exemplifies how organisations and communities might work together to create urban alternatives that act outside accepted notions of a growth society. The campaign to save the space has played an important role in conversations about space ownership and is a great example of civic tools being used to shift power structures in city planning.

This project brings skateboarding and the history of the Undercroft to Oslo by telling the story inside the exhibition space and bringing Oslo’s skating community to the public spaces around the museum site.

Within the OAT Library installation, FCBStudios and LLSB will be building a 1:1 replica of the iconic undercroft ‘mushroom columns’ from the graffitied hoarding taken out of the Undercroft to allow the current works to take place. A number of artefacts and skateboards which tell the story of the skatepark will also be loaned through the library to visitors.

Photo credit: Nicholas Constant

Two models by FCBStudios have been selected for inclusion in the Royal West of England Open Exhibition 2019.

‘The 7,000 bodies beneath Bath Abbey’ illustrates the layers of development on the site, overlaying the fan vaulting and the Abbey floor over the burials and archaeology of the Norman Cathedral beneath.

‘Timber façade study’ is one of a series of working models made during the design development of a scheme for a University building.

The RWA's renowned Annual Open Exhibition, in its 167th year is an open exhibition which invites painting, drawing, printmaking, photography, sculpture, installation and mixed media submissions as well as architectural submissions and is a showcase of some of the most exciting artists from across the country and beyond.

On the occasion of the opening of the exhibition, Peter Clegg, founding partner at FCBStudios was invested as an RWA Academician.

The importance of public space within our cities is well understood. Increasing the density of our cities requires a focus on the provision of space for all. The method currently set in place to tackle this issue requires that public spaces are provided alongside new developments. This has resulted in spaces where design quality, site access and ownership are questionable. The solution also relies on ‘market value’, which determines the viability of a space and its regulations.

The restoration of the Undercroft on London’s Southbank, one of the world’s most important and accidental skateparks since 1967, exemplifies how organisations and communities might work together to create urban alternatives that act outside accepted notions of a growth society. The campaign to save the space has played an important role in conversations about space ownership and is a great example of civic tools being used to shift power structures in city planning.

This project brings skateboarding and the history of the Undercroft to Oslo by telling the story inside the exhibition space and bringing Oslo’s skating community to the public spaces around the museum site.

Within the OAT Library installation, FCBStudios and LLSB will be building a 1:1 replica of the iconic undercroft ‘mushroom columns’ from the graffitied hoarding taken out of the Undercroft to allow the current works to take place. A number of artefacts and skateboards which tell the story of the skatepark will also be loaned through the library to visitors.

Photo credit: Nicholas Constant

There is only one thermal spring in the UK.

Join us to hear how Bath Abbey and The Roman Baths are harnessing the water as a sustainable energy source for the first time in 2,000 years.

Introduced by Cllr Dine Romero
Chair: Geoff Rich, Partner, FCBStudios

Stephen Clews, Archaeologist and Manager, Roman Baths & Pump Room Manager 
Alix Gilmer, Footprint Project Director, Bath Abbey
Neil Francis, Associate Director, Buro Happold

The discussion will be followed by drinks and privileged access visits to the spring.

Drinks kindly sponsored by Buro Happold.

Please join us for an evening of debate to explore the potential for international collaborations in creating successful, sustainable, heritage-led regeneration projects within developing cities.

As the restoration of the unique ‘Tourist Burma’ building project in downtown Yangon reaches completion, under the expert guidance of international regeneration charity Turquoise Mountain, we will hear from those directly involved in the project and consider how this model of embracing heritage as part of modernisation may be relevant to other international cities in developing countries.

Our speakers will include:
Shoshana Stewart, CEO of Turquoise Mountain
Harry Wardill, Turquoise Mountain Myanmar
Peter Oborn, Senior Vice President, Commonwealth Association of Architects
Peter Murray, Curator in Chief, NLA London

During the following Q&A debate, chaired by Peter Murray, we will consider the responsibilities and opportunities within such projects, their measures of success, and the extent to which they may make a meaningful contribution to the broader challenges of sustainable development for developing cities.

The event is hosted by FCBStudios, who acted as UK-based architects and team leaders for the Tourist Burma project, and were mentors to the Yangon team directly involved in the realisation of the project. 

Skills and knowledge of conservation and retrofit are definitely on the up, with plenty of exemplar schemes celebrated in this category of the 2019 New London Awards. Even with diminishing funding from local authorities and government, these projects are revitalising iconic designs and painstakingly preserving the unique character of some of London’s most influential buildings.

This session at 100% Design, in association with New London Architecture, will hear from the architects behind these schemes, including FCBStudios talking about the regeneration of the East Wing of Alexandra Palace, examining the designs and techniques of restoration. 

FCBStudios would like to invite you to an exhibition celebrating the next generation of Artists and Makers from Ulster University: Belfast School of Art.

We are delighted to host an exhibition using our Belfast Front Room Gallery in the busy Cathedral Quarter as an extended platform to showcase young artists in the city.

In April, UKGBC launched the Net Zero Carbon Buildings Framework, which was developed with input from 100 built environment organisations and formally supported by 13 trade and professional bodies. This was a timely publication because, in early June, the Government committed to enshrine a net zero carbon target in law, which will shine a spotlight on key areas of the economy that need to deliver a step-change in emissions reductions, not least the built environment sector.

With public awareness and business support for climate action at an all-time high, we now need to shift from targets to implementation. UKGBC is, therefore, running a wave of events to bring together groups of businesses committed to taking a leadership position on delivering net zero carbon buildings from across the property value chain. The purpose is to share in-depth insights and experiences that will support the industry in delivering net zero carbon buildings – whether through new build, or major refurbishment.

Andy Macintosh, Associate at FCBStudios, joins this roundtable in Bristol for those who demonstrate leadership on the topic, whether as clients, or solutions-providers. We will focus on a small number of case study examples that illustrate particular design solutions, technologies or business models that can play a part in the adoption of the net zero carbon principles outlined in UKGBC’s framework report

FCBStudios would like to invite you to an exhibition celebrating the next generation of Artists and Makers from Ulster University: Belfast School of Art.

We are delighted to host an exhibition using our Belfast Front Room Gallery in the busy Cathedral Quarter as an extended platform to showcase young artists in the city.

This year’s Royal Academy Summer Exhibition Architecture Room, curated by Spencer de Grey RA, shows how good design and a strong sustainable agenda can work together.

Peter Clegg, Founding Partner of FCBStudios said “This year’s Royal Academy Summer Exhibition shows how low carbon design impacts across all sectors and scales of architecture. Following the recent surge in interest around the ‘Architects Declare’ initiative, it is good to see examples of the way the profession is rising to the challenges presented by the twin crises of climate change and biodiversity loss. The ideas presented now need to be delivered and their impacts properly measured so that we can be confident we can do our part in moving towards IPCC targets."

FCBStudios are exhibiting two models of current projects which have been created for the exhibition. The models take the sustainable strategies incorporated into the projects and translate them into a physical form to illustrate them clearly to a general audience.

E3 Learning Foundry is a new, multi-disciplinary undergraduate teaching building for Trinity College Dublin. E3 stands for ‘Engineering, Environment and Emerging technologies’ and its cross-departmental courses will focus on subjects such as smart cities, wellbeing, data analysis and sustainable resources. Located in the heart of the College’s historic city centre campus it aims to set new standards for sustainable design in Higher Education in Ireland.

Croft Gardens is a project for King's College, Cambridge, providing residential accommodation for students and fellows in a new community south-west of the city. The project is composed of three crescent terraces forming an open sided court. The brief demanded low carbon emissions and the ultra-high standards of insulation demanded by Passivhaus and stipulated that the scheme should be designed for a lifetime of 100 years.

Read more about the making of the models in our  Explore Journal: Models of Sustainability.

FCBStudios would like to invite you to an exhibition celebrating the next generation of Artists and Makers from Ulster University: Belfast School of Art.

We are delighted to host an exhibition using our Belfast Front Room Gallery in the busy Cathedral Quarter as an extended platform to showcase young artists in the city.

An evening of quick-fire presentations exploring past, present and future examples of high-quality public housing.

One hundred years on from the 1919 Housing Act and Homes fit for Heroes programme that it inaugurated, we take a look at some key examples of public housing, from key past examples that are still standing today to present examples of regeneration and infill and future projects that are yet to be built. 

The format, Pecha Kucha, was devised in Tokyo in 2003 by the English architect Mark Dytham and has turned into a massive global celebration of design, with events happening in hundreds of cities around the world. Drawing its name from the Japanese term for the sound of "chit chat", it rests on a presentation format that is based on a simple idea: 20 images x 20 seconds. The format makes presentations concise, keeps things moving at a rapid pace and holds its audience. 

FCBStudios Architectural Designer, Chris Pittway will outline recent FCBStudios proposals which integrate back to back housing as part of a large 100% affordable development, across three sites in outer London. 

This study tour forms part of NLA's insight study, Public Housing: a London renaissance, part of the NLA London Boroughs programme.

Leeds is having something of a renaissance in the development of not only the traditional city centre but also in the forming of more ‘desirable’ areas beyond. In many parts of the Leeds City Region something new is coming whilst many of our existing cultural icons also get a new face.

Many will know and some even may love, the now infamous ‘Leeds Look’ of the 1980/90’s. This ‘look’ didn’t come out of isolation of course – it was in some way a response to the former Modernist desire to make Leeds the ‘Motorway City of The Seventies’, which in turn was a diversion from another phase of Leeds’ more industrial architectural past. But what of Leeds Future?

Our question is how are we as communities, developers, architects, retailers (and all those in the creative industries that thrive in the ‘Northern powerhouse’) reacting to our architectural past in defining and designing the emerging face of the city? Should we be learning from the ‘Leeds Look’ or ripping it up and starting again? And how should these changes be steered- who gets to decide upon, to borrow a term, the ‘new Leeds vernacular’?

CEG invite all interested parties to join them for a series of short presentations by a varied and knowledgeable panel followed by two lively panel discussions, chaired by David Ellis of Leeds Civic Trust and IdeaSmiths podcast, debating the aesthetic future of Leeds and its impact on how the city is portrayed and more importantly how it is used by its citizens and those who visit it.

Chair; David Ellis (Leeds Civic Trust / IdeaSmiths)

Speakers;
Peter Cartwright (Cartwright Pickard)
Alex Whitbread (FCBStudios)
David Hodgson (CEG)
Clifford Stead (Leeds Modernists & Leeds Civic Trust)
Nicola Walls (Page/Park)
Rachael Unsworth (Leeds City Tours / Urban Geographer)
Martin Farrington (LCC)

This event is hosted by CEG with support from Leeds Modernist Society and Leeds Civic Trust. All proceeds from ticket sales will be donated to the Kirkstall Art Trail.

Liverpool’s booming hotel market, the largest sports and stadia developments, and the ever-changing restaurant and bar scene in the region’s towns and cities will all be discussed at this Place North West event.

The Place NorthWest Leisure Update will examine the challenges of stadium design and delivery, and how sports schemes can act as a catalyst for wider regeneration.

The rising demand for hotel rooms in Liverpool and Manchester’s development pipeline will also be discussed, along with the role of restaurants, bars, and leisure offerings in placemaking and city centres.

FCBStudios Ernst ter Horst will discuss projects including Old Trafford’s Civic Quarter. Also under discussion will be  Urmston’s Market41, global stadia including World Cup venues, Everton’s proposed stadium at Bramley Moore Dock, and hotel schemes across Liverpool and Manchester.

Speakers  include:

• Thom Hetherington, chief executive, Northern Restaurant & Bar Show
• Marcel Ridyard, senior associate, AFL Architects
• Allie Bainbridge, surveyor, Mason Owen
• Nick Mennell, leisure sector manager, Willmott Dixon
• Felicity Tulloch, partner, Kuits Solicitors
• Ernst ter Horst, associate, FCBStudios
• Steve Collis, head of sports, leisure and hospitality, Arcadis
• Adam Hall, managing director, Falconer Chester Hall
• Mark Phillips, director, Colliers International

The event will showcase recent publication below that have involved LETI members with a lively debate, focusing on actions for design professionals in light of the climate emergency. This event is about sharing knowledge and learning from one another so that we can implement much-needed change now. It is organised by LETI and open to everyone.

Speakers include:

• Adam Mctavish on the UK housing: Fit for the future? Report by the Committee on Climate Change
• Julie Godefroy on the report for the Green Construction Board on BEIS’s Buildings Energy Mission
• Richard Twinn on the UKGBC Net Zero Carbon framework
• Susie Diamond on the Overheating in homes research for the Good Homes Alliance
• Chris Twinn on his Heat Autonomy research as part of CIBSE symposium

We will also give an update on what LETI has been working on over the last few months, and our progression toward technical guidance on requirements for new buildings that meet our climate change targets.

https://www.leti.london/

Join Bioregional and FCBStudios in taking part in the first ever London Climate Action Week.

Our month-long photography exhibition will showcase trailblazing towns and communities around the world that are tackling the climate emergency and enabling sustainable living. These communities have all been designed using the One Planet Living framework, created by Bioregional to enable people to live happy, healthy lives within the limits of our one planet, leaving space for wildlife and wilderness.

This year’s Royal Academy Summer Exhibition Architecture Room, curated by Spencer de Grey RA, shows how good design and a strong sustainable agenda can work together.

Peter Clegg, Founding Partner of FCBStudios said “This year’s Royal Academy Summer Exhibition shows how low carbon design impacts across all sectors and scales of architecture. Following the recent surge in interest around the ‘Architects Declare’ initiative, it is good to see examples of the way the profession is rising to the challenges presented by the twin crises of climate change and biodiversity loss. The ideas presented now need to be delivered and their impacts properly measured so that we can be confident we can do our part in moving towards IPCC targets."

FCBStudios are exhibiting two models of current projects which have been created for the exhibition. The models take the sustainable strategies incorporated into the projects and translate them into a physical form to illustrate them clearly to a general audience.

E3 Learning Foundry is a new, multi-disciplinary undergraduate teaching building for Trinity College Dublin. E3 stands for ‘Engineering, Environment and Emerging technologies’ and its cross-departmental courses will focus on subjects such as smart cities, wellbeing, data analysis and sustainable resources. Located in the heart of the College’s historic city centre campus it aims to set new standards for sustainable design in Higher Education in Ireland.

Croft Gardens is a project for King's College, Cambridge, providing residential accommodation for students and fellows in a new community south-west of the city. The project is composed of three crescent terraces forming an open sided court. The brief demanded low carbon emissions and the ultra-high standards of insulation demanded by Passivhaus and stipulated that the scheme should be designed for a lifetime of 100 years.

Read more about the making of the models in our  Explore Journal: Models of Sustainability.

The draft London Plan more than doubles the housing targets of some London boroughs, while the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government says that London needs to deliver 100,000 homes.

For the first time in decades, new homes are being built by London boroughs – with improved capabilities, partnerships, funding avenues and delivery mechanisms – seeking to respond to the housing crisis. Yet, this next generation of projects must successfully rehabilitate perceptions of public housing, and work more closely with communities and residents.

This exhibition shows how London boroughs are working to deliver high-quality, pleasant and affordable homes on estates, smaller sites and large-scale areas of regeneration across London, to create places that can also support the sustainable growth of the capital.

Six of FCBStudios current London Housing projects are featured in the exhibition:  Sherwood Close, Gloucester House and Durham Court - South Kilburn Estate Regeneration, Battersea Exchange, Great Eastern Quays, Shuttleworth Road and The Britania Project.

Download the Research Paper. This report covers how London boroughs are delivering today, design, quality and maintenance, community engagement, and a project showcase.

Join us to welcome founder and chief executive of Bow Arts, Marcel Baettig, who will give an insight into the model that has allowed Bow Arts to support artists, designers and makers for the past 25 years whilst supporting the wider community.

The talk will take an in-depth look at a pioneering Bow Arts project with Notting Hill Genesis at Royal Albert Wharf, that sees affordable workspace and culture at the heart of the place making strategy. 

This is a special event for London Festival of Architecture and is free for all to attend. Please register here. 

The event is organised alongside FCBStudios current London Festival of Architecture exhibition ‘The Places Between’.

Organised by Leeds Society of Architects, the Leeds Festival of Architecture will run between Thursday this week and July 25, comprising a series of talks by some of the most high-profile designers and developers in Yorkshire.

Alex Whitbread will present ‘Away from Home: 15 years of FCBStudios projects in Leeds', to discuss the practice’s work in Leeds and his relationship with the city and its developing architecture.

Alex is a partner and group leader at FCBStudios. While he works across a range of projects, his main focus is on urban design and large-scale city centre buildings. Through working in this sector, he has gained a wealth of experience in the education, office, cultural and residential building types that help inform the design of robust and deliverable masterplanning strategies. Alex has worked on major regeneration projects in Leeds, Manchester and London.

In 2006 FCBStudios were commissioned to design Broadcasting Place, a new academic complex for Leeds Beckett University and Downing on the site of the former BBC Studios in Leeds. Alex Whitbread, who is himself from Leeds, led a team to design a landmark building, clad in corten steel that rises to 23 storeys.

Ten years after its completion, Alex and FCBStudios continue to have a close relationship with the City, working on schemes including Kirkstall Forge, CEG’s South Bank proposals and student housing in the North East of the city.

Join architects from FCBStudios on a visit behind the scenes at Alexandra Palace’s Victorian Theatre and East Court as part of the London Festival of Architecture.

Reopened in 2018, the East Wing of Alexandra Palace has been described as offering “a thrilling new interpretation of historical authenticity from which we can potentially recalibrate our entire view of conservation" (Ike Ijeh, Building).

On this tour you will have the opportunity to go backstage, see the original Victorian workings of the theatre, experience an actor’s eye view of the theatre and hear the story of the transformation from of London’s ‘hidden theatre’ and how FCBStudios 'arrested the decay' to give London a new and evocative venue.

Forest of Imagination 2019 will connect people to nature in a variety of wild and imaginative ways at The Holburne Museum and Sydney Gardens. The annual arts and design event reimagines a familiar space to inspire everyone’s creativity and heighten a sense of nature in an urban environment.

FCBStudios have used the theme of Life|Line to explore the lifecycle of materials and raise awareness of how different plastics are used and what happens to them after their first use.

‘White Room’ reimagines 1000kg of plastic waste to create a summer pavilion in the Gardens of the Holburne Museum. It is a place for creativity and exploration, for performance, exhibition, workshops or shelter. In the future it can be taken apart and reconfigured, or the materials reused.

‘Waste of Space’ is an interactive artwork that takes plastic’s worst feature – the fact that it lasts forever – and uses it as a positive asset. Working with local schools and community groups to make Ecobricks, we have created an installation made from local waste by local people.

Our hope is that the sculpture will help bring awareness to Ecobricks as a temporary solution to single-use plastics, but also that it will inspire change in our wasteful shopping habits.

The Architects Mental Wellbeing Forum will be holding a discussion event on 20th June to launch the ARCHITECTS’ MENTAL WELLBEING TOOLKIT.

The event has been planned to share knowledge and experience about mental health in the architecture industry across organisations and will be an opportunity to network and become involved in the forum.

In an attempt to address mental wellbeing in the profession, the Forum produced a Toolkit for Practices, providing guidance for architects and employers on how to promote healthy mental wellbeing within the workplace.

Over the evening we aim to:

• Raise awareness, provide advice and start a dialogue about mental health in the profession
• Discuss how architecture practices are addressing the issue
• What next – what practices and organisations can do for their staff and in the workplace to provide support and improve staff welfare

The evening will open with LionHeart, a TEDx speaker, Award Winning Poet and the first poet in residence at the Saatchi Gallery. ‘Using poetry, I aim to understand the mechanics behind architecture’s ability to respond to human needs and use this to challenge how we address poor health. Contributing to the awareness of mental health internationally.’

Chair and Moderator – Ben Channon, Associate, Assael Architecture Limited and author of Happy by Design
Katie Buckingham, Founder and Director, Altruist Enterprises
Priya Aiyer, Architect, MACE Group
Jane Duncan, OBE, President, Architects Benevolent Society
John Assael, Chairman and Co-founder, Assael Architecture Limited

The evening will end with drinks and networking.

The University of Westminster in partnership with the RIBA is hosting a groundbreaking two-day conference, which examines the boundaries between the sacred, spiritual and secular in modern British architecture.

The event will explore contemporary approaches to the design, use, stewardship and conservation of buildings across all faiths and will feature presentations from leading architects, academics, heritage professionals, commissioners and clients. The conference will include panel discussions and presentations, with contributions from key figures and practices in the field including Niall McLaughlin; John McAslan and Partners; Peter Clegg; Julia Barfield; Roz Barr and Waugh Thistleton. 

The conference will conclude with two days of architectural tours (see Twentieth Century Society website for separate booking and fee) organised in collaboration with the Twentieth Century Society which will look at contemporary approaches to faith buildings. The first day, led by the architectural writer Kenneth Powell, will explore recent examples of repurposing, restoration and renewal of churches in London. The second day will look at new faith architecture in and around the capital.

Maccreanor Lavington and FCBStudios invite you to join them on a walking tour of their Royal Albert Wharf development.

Maccreanor Lavington’s masterplan will deliver new homes into the area fostering a mixed community with a range of accessible housing typologies suitable for families and a wide range of residents. The residential heart of the masterplan is set back from the waterfront through a series of intimate spaces, conceived as London Garden Squares. The masterplan was designed around three distinct character areas: the dockside, the riverfront and the residential heart.

FCBStudios’ scheme forms the second phase of the Notting Hill Genesis development and positively addresses the stretch of waterfront to the east establishing a tangible sense of place through the physical and environmental context, its history and its potential future use.

This exemplar scheme will benefit from its prominent river location, creating a new high-density, high-quality residential quarter.

This year’s Royal Academy Summer Exhibition Architecture Room, curated by Spencer de Grey RA, shows how good design and a strong sustainable agenda can work together.

Peter Clegg, Founding Partner of FCBStudios said “This year’s Royal Academy Summer Exhibition shows how low carbon design impacts across all sectors and scales of architecture. Following the recent surge in interest around the ‘Architects Declare’ initiative, it is good to see examples of the way the profession is rising to the challenges presented by the twin crises of climate change and biodiversity loss. The ideas presented now need to be delivered and their impacts properly measured so that we can be confident we can do our part in moving towards IPCC targets."

FCBStudios are exhibiting two models of current projects which have been created for the exhibition. The models take the sustainable strategies incorporated into the projects and translate them into a physical form to illustrate them clearly to a general audience.

E3 Learning Foundry is a new, multi-disciplinary undergraduate teaching building for Trinity College Dublin. E3 stands for ‘Engineering, Environment and Emerging technologies’ and its cross-departmental courses will focus on subjects such as smart cities, wellbeing, data analysis and sustainable resources. Located in the heart of the College’s historic city centre campus it aims to set new standards for sustainable design in Higher Education in Ireland.

Croft Gardens is a project for King's College, Cambridge, providing residential accommodation for students and fellows in a new community south-west of the city. The project is composed of three crescent terraces forming an open sided court. The brief demanded low carbon emissions and the ultra-high standards of insulation demanded by Passivhaus and stipulated that the scheme should be designed for a lifetime of 100 years.

Read more about the making of the models in our  Explore Journal: Models of Sustainability.

Triangle is a new community to be formed within a complex web of boundaries in King’s Cross.

The Triangle is the only site in Argent’s King’s Cross development to span the boundary between Camden and Islington. It is also a complex brownfield site created by the intersection of railway tracks and roads.

For the London Festival of Architecture, four architects, David Morley Architects, FCBStudios, Haptic Architects and Jan Kattein are breaking down boundaries to create a vibrant and inclusive mixed-use development which will link Camden and Islington. All four architects, including Alex Whitbread and George Wilson from FCBStudios, together with Jamie Smith from Argent and design officers from Camden and Islington will join a debate about how London’s boundaries have informed the next chapter in the amazing story of regenerating King’s Cross.

Much of civil society is created from the ‘places between’ - where the boundaries of entry are removed and there is interaction between all communities.

As part of London Festival of Architecture, FCBStudios’ latest exhibition profiles the public spaces of six London projects and their role in creating successful places.

These public spaces – internal and external – are where people, young and old and from all walks of life:

shape communities,
make connections,
define character,
enjoy comfort,
share commodities 
and take part in celebration.

Recognising the ‘places between’ as an essential part of social infrastructure can address challenges of isolation, education, crime, social inequality and polarisation. By investing in these spaces, such as libraries, parks and public space, we can all reap the benefits.

Download the exhibition handout.

The draft London Plan more than doubles the housing targets of some London boroughs, while the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government says that London needs to deliver 100,000 homes.

For the first time in decades, new homes are being built by London boroughs – with improved capabilities, partnerships, funding avenues and delivery mechanisms – seeking to respond to the housing crisis. Yet, this next generation of projects must successfully rehabilitate perceptions of public housing, and work more closely with communities and residents.

This exhibition shows how London boroughs are working to deliver high-quality, pleasant and affordable homes on estates, smaller sites and large-scale areas of regeneration across London, to create places that can also support the sustainable growth of the capital.

Six of FCBStudios current London Housing projects are featured in the exhibition:  Sherwood Close, Gloucester House and Durham Court - South Kilburn Estate Regeneration, Battersea Exchange, Great Eastern Quays, Shuttleworth Road and The Britania Project.

Download the Research Paper. This report covers how London boroughs are delivering today, design, quality and maintenance, community engagement, and a project showcase.

Creativity flows when curiosity is stirred. Our latest exhibition at FCBStudios Belfast showcases art created by our staff. 

The Exhibition will also be open for Late Night Art Belfast on Thursday 6 June. Come along!

In her first work, the E.1027 house, which she built from 1926–1929 in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin on the Mediterranean Sea, Eileen Gray (1878–1976) designed almost every element herself. The walk-in installation of the bedroom in the passage of the Akademie building at Pariser Platz provides a direct visualisation of the architectural design by an unjustly neglected pioneer of modernism.

The bedroom was reconstructed at the University of Texas at Austin School of Architecture, O’Neil Ford Chair in Architecture; curator: Wilfried Wang, co-curator: Peter Adam, Paris.

FCBStudios has sponsored the installation of reconstruction of the en suite bathroom from E.1027 by Eileen Gray at Akademie der Kunste Berlin.

Photo by Andreas (FranzXaver) Süß.

Much of civil society is created from the ‘places between’ - where the boundaries of entry are removed and there is interaction between all communities.

As part of London Festival of Architecture, FCBStudios’ latest exhibition profiles the public spaces of six London projects and their role in creating successful places.

These public spaces – internal and external – are where people, young and old and from all walks of life:

shape communities,
make connections,
define character,
enjoy comfort,
share commodities 
and take part in celebration.

Recognising the ‘places between’ as an essential part of social infrastructure can address challenges of isolation, education, crime, social inequality and polarisation. By investing in these spaces, such as libraries, parks and public space, we can all reap the benefits.

Download the exhibition handout.

The draft London Plan more than doubles the housing targets of some London boroughs, while the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government says that London needs to deliver 100,000 homes.

For the first time in decades, new homes are being built by London boroughs – with improved capabilities, partnerships, funding avenues and delivery mechanisms – seeking to respond to the housing crisis. Yet, this next generation of projects must successfully rehabilitate perceptions of public housing, and work more closely with communities and residents.

This exhibition shows how London boroughs are working to deliver high-quality, pleasant and affordable homes on estates, smaller sites and large-scale areas of regeneration across London, to create places that can also support the sustainable growth of the capital.

Six of FCBStudios current London Housing projects are featured in the exhibition:  Sherwood Close, Gloucester House and Durham Court - South Kilburn Estate Regeneration, Battersea Exchange, Great Eastern Quays, Shuttleworth Road and The Britania Project.

Download the Research Paper. This report covers how London boroughs are delivering today, design, quality and maintenance, community engagement, and a project showcase.

Creativity flows when curiosity is stirred. Our latest exhibition at FCBStudios Belfast showcases art created by our staff. 

The Exhibition will also be open for Late Night Art Belfast on Thursday 6 June. Come along!

In academia, design research outputs are increasingly presented to the UK government’s research excellence framework (REF) alongside journal papers and books. Recently, design research has matured and is permeating architectural practice in the form of Research and Design (R&D). The digital revolution is advancing and complementing established architectural practices and methods creating exciting new innovative solutions as well as modes of experience. This symposium explores design research within the domain of sentience.

The event will ask: How do we sense the space we inhabit? How do new media and technologies challenge conventional practices of perception and representation? How can computational agents achieve intelligence and inform architectural thinking and making? And, how can machine learning aid spatial design?

Guest speakers will be:
Zeynep Aksoz Research Associate, University of Applied Arts, Vienna and partner in the Open Field Research Studio
Miled Showkatbakshs, PhD candidate AA, Co-founder at Wallacei - an evolutionary simulation solver for Grasshopper 3D
Sebastian Aedo Jury, PhD Architecture by Design candidate, Edinburgh College of Art
Miguel Paredes Maldonado, Lecturer in Architectural Design, Programme Director BA/MA Hons Architecture, Edinburgh College of Art
Nick Hodges, Associate, FCBStudios

The event forms part of the annual symposia and exhibition series dedicated to contemporary investigations in design research, convened within the Centre for Architecture and Built Environment Research at UWE, Bristol. An exhibition of postgraduate Design Research module work from the Master of Architecture and PhD programmes is launched at the symposium.

FCBStudios Partner Simon Doody will be participating in a panel discussion on the topic of Digital Innovations in Façade Construction for Modern Architecture at the Zak World of Façades Conference in Manchester. The session will look at: the influence of technological advancements on façade construction and how the horizon is changing; state-of-the-art trends in contemporary façade designs & aesthetics for North England projects; culminating complexity of design with safety and sustainability features of the façade; and realising complex façade designs through BIM, the benefits and challenges.

The panel will be moderated by Neil Kendrick, Senior Façade Engineer - Europe, LendLease and also feature Rachel Witcherley, Associate Director - Project & Design Management, BuroHappold; Colman Billings, Managing Director, Billings Design Associates; Darren Kent, Associate Director - Façades, Arup; Marcel Ridyard, Senior Associate, AFL Architects; and Roland Reinardy, Director, HawkinsBrown.

Zak World of Façades is an International conference series on façade design & engineering. This is the 61st global edition and the 3rd edition in the UK. It will witness the latest innovations and challenges in the construction industry pertaining to building envelopes and will also showcase the latest technological solutions. The complete agenda for the day can be viewed at http://facades.uk.com/.

In her first work, the E.1027 house, which she built from 1926–1929 in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin on the Mediterranean Sea, Eileen Gray (1878–1976) designed almost every element herself. The walk-in installation of the bedroom in the passage of the Akademie building at Pariser Platz provides a direct visualisation of the architectural design by an unjustly neglected pioneer of modernism.

The bedroom was reconstructed at the University of Texas at Austin School of Architecture, O’Neil Ford Chair in Architecture; curator: Wilfried Wang, co-curator: Peter Adam, Paris.

FCBStudios has sponsored the installation of reconstruction of the en suite bathroom from E.1027 by Eileen Gray at Akademie der Kunste Berlin.

Photo by Andreas (FranzXaver) Süß.

Architecture and engineering in Bath will be put under the spotlight to celebrate UNESCO World Heritage Day.

Visitors of all ages will be able to take part in activities exploring the city’s exceptional architectural and engineering achievements: past, present and future. There will be themed talks, guided walks, hands-on activities, displays and a chance to meet costumed characters from Bath's past.

As well as celebrating Bath’s past, World Heritage Day will look to the future, with a chance to hear the latest updates from major heritage projects in the city, including the Archway Project which is due to open a World Heritage Visitor Centre and Roman Baths Clore Learning Centre in 2020 and The Bath Abbey Footprint project.

To see a full list of the activities on offer download the Bath World Heritage Day 2019 event leaflet.

In her first work, the E.1027 house, which she built from 1926–1929 in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin on the Mediterranean Sea, Eileen Gray (1878–1976) designed almost every element herself. The walk-in installation of the bedroom in the passage of the Akademie building at Pariser Platz provides a direct visualisation of the architectural design by an unjustly neglected pioneer of modernism.

The bedroom was reconstructed at the University of Texas at Austin School of Architecture, O’Neil Ford Chair in Architecture; curator: Wilfried Wang, co-curator: Peter Adam, Paris.

FCBStudios has sponsored the installation of reconstruction of the en suite bathroom from E.1027 by Eileen Gray at Akademie der Kunste Berlin.

Photo by Andreas (FranzXaver) Süß.

Alex Whitbread will be speaking at the closing Plenary of the 2019 CTBUH Annual Conference in Shenzhen, China on 11 April.

Broadcasting Place was the surprise winner of Best Tall Building Overall at the 2010 CTBUH Tall Buildings award, celebrating diversification of tall buildings for a new social context. This year it will be recognized with an award of excellence in the ‘10 Year Award’ category, recognising the proven value and performance of the building over a decade in operation.

Alex will give a 20-minute presentation about the project and its lasting contribution to the architectural legacy of Leeds, and the overall winner of the 10 Year Award category will be announced.

Ian Taylor, Managing Partner at FCBStudios, will participate in Future Cities Forum, on the subject of cultural regeneration, art and cities.

He will be part of a panel discussion on the future of knowledge and cultural hubs, alongside Dr Paul Thompson, Vice Chancellor of The Royal College of Art, Elaine Bedell, Chief Executive of South Bank Centre and David Height, Planning & Engineering Director at Mitsui Fudosan.

Ian has recently completed the repair and renewal of the Hayward Gallery and Queen Elizabeth Hall at the Southbank Centre in London and the reinstatement of the iconic skate and education space in the Southbank Undercroft. He has extensive experience in higher education projects and edited the HEDQF’s ‘Future Campus’ publication. He leads the FCBStudios Research and Innovation Team and is a visiting professor at UCL IEDE. 

Birmingham City University celebrates the 150th anniversary of its origins in the Birmingham Government School of Design and is achieving a physical transformation with its £260 million investment programme including the new Royal Birmingham Conservatoire building at the City Centre Campus by FCBStudios, winner of the RIBA West Midlands Building of the Year and a RIBA National Award in 2018. 

The visit will start with a welcome from John Plumridge, Director of Estates and Facilities with presentations from the client, architect and acoustic consultant for the Conservatoire, and from the Estates team on the University’s masterplan, current developments and HS2, along with a tour of the Conservatoire and of the University’s new Curzon Buildings. 

Tall buildings are increasingly becoming part of London, a city traditionally associated with a low-rise, low-density character. In the past few years, major clusters of tall buildings have been taking shape across London – from Nine Elms to Elephant and Castle to the Isle of Dogs and Croydon. With a pipeline of over 500 tall buildings either in planning, approved or under construction, as revealed by the 2018 NLA London Tall Buildings Survey, London is expected to see more of these clusters built over the next decade.

With pressure to accommodate a growing population, what role do tall buildings play in increasing density? How do we make sure tall buildings are really serving the communities around them? How do they integrate with the urban fabric? 

New London Architecture presents the sixth NLA London Tall Buildings Survey 2019. The research teams will present the findings of the new survey, providing the annual snapshot of new tall developments in London, including Atlas student residential in Vauxhall, by FCBStudios.

Many people assume that leadership is not for them; that it is a personality trait some people have and others do not. But becoming a leader is a process. It is a skill we all can learn.

In the first session of a three-part programme, leadership coach Gordon Mackenzie will be joined by Grimshaw’s managing director Kirsten Lees and FCBStudios Managing Partner Geoff Rich to deliver the first part of this year’s RIBA Future Leaders programme – Developing a Leadership Mindset.

For more information on the programme and speakers visit the RIBA website.

The UCL Institute for Environmental Design and Engineering is hosting an Open Day at its new facilities in Here East, the first part of UCL’s expansion in the Olympic Park. Join the discussion of the impact achieved by IEDE while working with external partners and collaborators, and explore opportunities for collaborative partnerships and knowledge exchange. 

The event includes a series of presentations including one by FCBStudios Partner Ian Taylor – recently appointed as a visiting professor to IEDE, a curated exhibition and guided tours to the facilities. It is a unique opportunity to visit the new modern facilities at Here East, learn and discuss IEDE's future at Here East, visit the modern laboratory spaces, learn about the new research, teaching and knowledge exchange activities. 

FCBStudios Associate Alex Morris will be taking part in Talks for British Science Week at Bath Abbey: an afternoon of talks to celebrate the exciting science, technology and engineering of Bath Abbey’s Footprint Project.

His presentation: The Bath Abbey Footprint Project: Design, Repairs, Conservation & Sustainability will look at how the architectural team has created opportunities in solving problems across the project.

Other speakers will include Wessex Archaeology, Buro Happold, Strachy Historic Conservation and Iso Energy. 

Our latest exhibition at FCBStudios Belfast showcases images from our new book Respecting Brutalism: The Hayward Gallery and Queen Elizabeth Hall at 50.

The photographs featured in the book were taken by associate and project architect Richard Battye during the refurbishment of The Hayward Gallery, Queen Elizabeth Hall and Purcell Room.

Through many site visits during the design stages, and later 18 months based on site, Richard was able to see and document all the changes and reveals of construction.

Please join us for this special event for Late Night Art Belfast as we talk about how we can preserve the mid-century architectural gems in Northern Ireland. 

Tall buildings are increasingly becoming part of London, a city traditionally associated with a low-rise, low-density character. In the past few years, major clusters of tall buildings have been taking shape across London – from Nine Elms to Elephant and Castle to the Isle of Dogs and Croydon. With a pipeline of over 500 tall buildings either in planning, approved or under construction, as revealed by the 2018 NLA London Tall Buildings Survey, London is expected to see more of these clusters built over the next decade.

With pressure to accommodate a growing population, what role do tall buildings play in increasing density? How do we make sure tall buildings are really serving the communities around them? How do they integrate with the urban fabric? 

New London Architecture presents the sixth NLA London Tall Buildings Survey 2019. The research teams will present the findings of the new survey, providing the annual snapshot of new tall developments in London, including Atlas student residential in Vauxhall, by FCBStudios.

With a step-change in what occupiers want from their office space and seismic changes in the retail market, how can developers make their commercial developments attractive to tenants, consumers, and the public?

Should commercial development be focussed on making the best returns, or should placemaking be first and foremost when planning a commercial-led scheme?

What lessons can we learn from both successful and unsuccessful commercial projects? And how will future tenant and consumer demand influence the shape of mixed-use commercial developments?

How important are leisure, culture, and footfall to these developments given the changing face of retail, and what opportunities are likely to arise?

And importantly, how can developers leverage these changes to maximise their returns?

FCBStudios Associate Ernst ter Horst joins Place Northwest Editor Jessica Middleton-Pugh, Felicity Tulloch, head of licensing at Kuits, and Adam Hyme, head of development at Kuits for the round table debate, which will be available to watch online after the event. 

The Hayward Gallery and Queen Elizabeth Hall at 50

Our latest exhibition at FCBStudios London showcases images from our new book Respecting Brutalism.

The photographs featured in the book were taken by associate and project architect Richard Battye during the refurbishment of The Hayward Gallery, Queen Elizabeth Hall and Purcell Room.

Through many site visits during the design stages, and later 18 months based on site, Richard was able to see and document all the changes and reveals of construction:

“As a pause in the everyday rush of being an architect, the act of stopping and concentrating on photographing exactly what we had just been worrying about turned out to be quite therapeutic.  I am not a sketcher but suspect that there is something similar at work. Pausing and considering. Stopping and drawing. Photographing and editing. The photographer sees the good things the architect has momentarily forgotten about - detail and perspective in a single frame - and the architect remembers to look more carefully, more widely, and consider more deeply.

One thing that is missing is the sound of the buildings. Many of the photographs were taken at the end of the working day with almost no one around and this aural experience is as much a delight as being able to stand there and take the photographs.”

Though the intention was to simultaneously capture something of the beauty and interest that can be found in the every day, these sculptural concrete wonders are far from ordinary. Each photograph is just a fraction of a second from the six-year process, with one 30 second exception, assembled to tell the story of the refurbishment.

In a guest lecture at Liverpool University School of Architecture, FCBStudios Partner Geoff Rich will discuss the practice’s design approach to the creative reuse of existing buildings, which integrates repair and conservation with architectural and environmental design. His case study projects will include award-winning projects for both ancient and Modern buildings.

Geoff joined FCBS in 1996, became a Partner in 2000, and takes a leading role in the practice’s Creative Re-use, regeneration and masterplanning work. Geoff is currently leading the design team for the University of Liverpool’s Masterplan.

For more information and other guest lectures at Liverpool University School of Architecture, click here.

In 2015, the international community acknowledged the powerful links between sustainable development and climate change action by agreeing on several landmark agreements: the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs, the Paris Agreement and the Addis Abeba Action Agenda. Today, it is not possible to tackle development issues without addressing the present and future impacts that climate change will have. Lessons and best practices have to be shared and confronted if we want to manage wisely our resources.

Organized by the Ministry of Education – Construction Management Unit and Enabel Infrastructure Unit in Uganda, the Raising Awareness for Climate Responsive Design in East-Africa Forum aims to promote the integration of climate into a holistic and sustainable design for infrastructure in East-Africa.

The event brings together architects, engineers and development organisations to share experiences and discuss sustainable design solutions in order to raise awareness for climate responsive design in East Africa.

FCBStudios Founding Partner, Peter Clegg will talk about ‘Construction Materials for Climate Responsive Infrastructure’, sharing his experiences of designing and building sustainably in East Africa.

Isabel Sandeman will also attend the conference and will be documenting the case studies and recommendations for climate responsive design covered. 

The Hayward Gallery and Queen Elizabeth Hall at 50

Our latest exhibition at FCBStudios London showcases images from our new book Respecting Brutalism.

The photographs featured in the book were taken by associate and project architect Richard Battye during the refurbishment of The Hayward Gallery, Queen Elizabeth Hall and Purcell Room.

Through many site visits during the design stages, and later 18 months based on site, Richard was able to see and document all the changes and reveals of construction:

“As a pause in the everyday rush of being an architect, the act of stopping and concentrating on photographing exactly what we had just been worrying about turned out to be quite therapeutic.  I am not a sketcher but suspect that there is something similar at work. Pausing and considering. Stopping and drawing. Photographing and editing. The photographer sees the good things the architect has momentarily forgotten about - detail and perspective in a single frame - and the architect remembers to look more carefully, more widely, and consider more deeply.

One thing that is missing is the sound of the buildings. Many of the photographs were taken at the end of the working day with almost no one around and this aural experience is as much a delight as being able to stand there and take the photographs.”

Though the intention was to simultaneously capture something of the beauty and interest that can be found in the every day, these sculptural concrete wonders are far from ordinary. Each photograph is just a fraction of a second from the six-year process, with one 30 second exception, assembled to tell the story of the refurbishment.

Architectural Photography with Jim Stephenson

Join RIBA West London Architects for an architectural photography seminar and evening of networking at FCBStudios.

Architectural photographer and filmmaker Jim Stephenson will discuss how to promote your work and practice through quality photographs and video. He will explore the importance of colour, composition, interaction and atmosphere within architectural photography, as well as discussing the possibilities your camera equipment offers.

This is a session designed specifically for architects looking to improve their own photography.

Jim Stephenson is a contemporary photographer concerned with the documentation of architecture, interiors and the built environment. With a lifelong love of architecture, Jim trained as an architectural technologist and after graduation, he worked in the industry for almost ten years on both sides of the Atlantic. During this time he began to take photographs for architectural practices, eventually setting down his pen to photograph buildings full time. 

Guests will also have the chance to view the latest exhibition at FCBStudios, a photographic collection; showcasing images from their new book Respecting Brutalism. 

FCBStudios Architect Chris Allen will lead an NLA city tour to the iconic Southbank Undercroft, internationally famous for skateboarding for over 40 years. 

Skateboarding has played a huge role in shaping the unique character of the Southbank area and survives today as a crucial space for the skateboarding community in the capital. 

Hear from Long Live Southbank on this pioneering grassroots campaign to protect the space, advice for other grassroots cultural projects across the city, and updates on the plans to improve and enhance the area for future skaters.

Speakers will be: 

Chris Allen, Architect, FCBStudios
Nic Durston, Chief Executive, South Bank BID 
Lara Kinneir, Acting Director, New London Architecture 
Stuart Maclure, Project Manager, Long Live Southbank 

FCBStudios Partner, Geoff Rich will lead one of the cross-disciplinary, multi-year masterclasses with Architect Pete Mitchell and Architectural Assistant Katie Shannon as part of the annual  Liverpool School of Architecture ‘Spring School’ series. 

Designed to explore new and existing skills and ‘warm you up’ for the semester ahead, the spring school masterclasses take place in and around the architecture school from Thursday 24th to Saturday 26th inclusively, plus celebrations, critique and exhibition Sunday 27th January. 

The session will explore possibilities and opportunities to push creative boundaries and participate in idea generation and bring definition to a critical part of the Campus. In the form of a temporary intervention, the participants will bring their unique perspectives on important spaces and places within the emerging FCBStudios and Planit-IE led masterplan for the University of Liverpool.

Work will be published in the 2019 LSA yearbook and form part of a follow on exhibition.

For more information on all the workshops and a brief visit LSA website.

FCBStudios Managing Partner Geoff Rich will be speaking at the first Bath Life Business Club of 2019.

Following the success of the Bath Abbey Footprint Project at the Bath Property Awards, he will be focussing on this transformational project which he has been leading for the practice.

The Bath Life Business Club is a unique gathering of Bath’s leading business people, featuring insights from a leading business speaker over a lunch at the Royal Crescent Hotel. 

A light installation at Shrewsbury Flaxmill Maltings celebrates the completion of the first phase of restoration to the world’s first iron-framed building.

'As Shadows Return' hints at 200 years of the factory’s history and is a celebration of its future. The 'dragon on the hill' awakens.

World-renowned light artist, Andy McKeown, has reanimated the Main Mill building with silhouettes and shadows of the mechanical and human activity that once took place within.

Light and sound are artfully entwined to reveal glimpses of the building’s incredible evolution, and the people who toiled there. The piece will constantly change and evolve during the installation.

Duncan Wilson, chief executive of Historic England, said: “This installation captures the building’s incredible history and the stories of the people who worked there. From its innovative design to the arduous working conditions, including those of the children who lived in the Apprentice House, the mill has a complicated past.

"As Shadows Return is a dynamic and evolving piece, to take local people and visitors on a journey through its history.”

This is an important stage in the restoration project, and much has been achieved. The structure of the Main Mill is now stable, windows have been unblocked and restored and the roof has been replaced. The scaffolding that enclosed the building for over a decade is finally down.

The next phase of work will start in February, with the Main Mill Kiln set to become a new learning and enterprise quarter. Restoration is due to complete in 2021. The work has been made possible through a £20.7 million Heritage Lottery grant and funding from Historic England, Shropshire Council and the Friends of the Flaxmill Maltings.

Image by Mike Ashton

The Hayward Gallery and Queen Elizabeth Hall at 50

Our latest exhibition at FCBStudios London showcases images from our new book Respecting Brutalism.

The photographs featured in the book were taken by associate and project architect Richard Battye during the refurbishment of The Hayward Gallery, Queen Elizabeth Hall and Purcell Room.

Through many site visits during the design stages, and later 18 months based on site, Richard was able to see and document all the changes and reveals of construction:

“As a pause in the everyday rush of being an architect, the act of stopping and concentrating on photographing exactly what we had just been worrying about turned out to be quite therapeutic.  I am not a sketcher but suspect that there is something similar at work. Pausing and considering. Stopping and drawing. Photographing and editing. The photographer sees the good things the architect has momentarily forgotten about - detail and perspective in a single frame - and the architect remembers to look more carefully, more widely, and consider more deeply.

One thing that is missing is the sound of the buildings. Many of the photographs were taken at the end of the working day with almost no one around and this aural experience is as much a delight as being able to stand there and take the photographs.”

Though the intention was to simultaneously capture something of the beauty and interest that can be found in the every day, these sculptural concrete wonders are far from ordinary. Each photograph is just a fraction of a second from the six-year process, with one 30 second exception, assembled to tell the story of the refurbishment.

A light installation at Shrewsbury Flaxmill Maltings celebrates the completion of the first phase of restoration to the world’s first iron-framed building.

'As Shadows Return' hints at 200 years of the factory’s history and is a celebration of its future. The 'dragon on the hill' awakens.

World-renowned light artist, Andy McKeown, has reanimated the Main Mill building with silhouettes and shadows of the mechanical and human activity that once took place within.

Light and sound are artfully entwined to reveal glimpses of the building’s incredible evolution, and the people who toiled there. The piece will constantly change and evolve during the installation.

Duncan Wilson, chief executive of Historic England, said: “This installation captures the building’s incredible history and the stories of the people who worked there. From its innovative design to the arduous working conditions, including those of the children who lived in the Apprentice House, the mill has a complicated past.

"As Shadows Return is a dynamic and evolving piece, to take local people and visitors on a journey through its history.”

This is an important stage in the restoration project, and much has been achieved. The structure of the Main Mill is now stable, windows have been unblocked and restored and the roof has been replaced. The scaffolding that enclosed the building for over a decade is finally down.

The next phase of work will start in February, with the Main Mill Kiln set to become a new learning and enterprise quarter. Restoration is due to complete in 2021. The work has been made possible through a £20.7 million Heritage Lottery grant and funding from Historic England, Shropshire Council and the Friends of the Flaxmill Maltings.

Image by Mike Ashton

FCBStudios Partner, Peter Clegg, will be participating in a debate exploring how technological developments have transformed architecture and the ways in which practice can foster its relationship with technology today, as part of the Royal Academy’s ‘Renzo Piano: The Art of Making Buildings’ exhibition programme.

In the 1960s and 70s, Renzo Piano was experimenting with prefabricated buildings, integrated structures and systems, flexible space, and innovative materials. These are all interests that flourished in the cultural and entrepreneurial context of London and internationally at that time.

It was also a time when a belief in continuous growth and a confidence in new materials and tools supported a general optimism around technology’s potential. Architecture’s relationship with engineering and other disciplines came under increasing scrutiny and a more engaged and collaborative relationship was championed by many. Today, architecture is again facing a comparable period of technological development.

In this panel discussion, architects and engineers will explore how the dialogue between technology and architecture has evolved over the last decades and its potential for the future.

Peter Clegg – architect; Senior Partner, Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios
Arthur Mamou-Mani – architect, Director of Mamou-Mani Ltd, specialising in pop-up, digital fabrication led architecture
Jane Wernick – structural engineer; Consultant at engineers HRW
Bob Sheil (chair) – Professor of Architecture and Design through Production; Head of Department at The Bartlett School of Architecture, UCL

FCBStudios are celebrating our 40th year in practice and our 20th year in London. HOST 40/20 marks this milestone with a year-long series of events celebrating our projects, staff, clients and collaborators, and the impact of architecture on the way we live, work and play.

We launch HOST40/20 this December with a focus on Arts and Education, taking over the Southbank Festival Village Undercroft Space, to showcase creative collaboration and the great work emerging from the next generation of students.

We’ve invited Manchester School of Art, Chelsea School of Art (UAL), Plymouth College of Art, Plymouth School of Creative Arts, Bedales School and Long Live Southbank to participate, either with a work that responds to the Southbank Undercroft Space, or an interpretation of the Building we made for them.

On Tuesday 4th December we’ll be hosting Space for Creativity, an evening of talks and discussion with invited speakers from the worlds of Creative Arts and Education. 

We are delighted to be launching HOST40/20 at Southbank Centre and to have been part of the story of the recent transformation of one of the great imaginative and democratic buildings of the last century. Our new publication: 'Respecting Brutalism: The Hayward Gallery and Queen Elizabeth Hall at 50' is our tribute to the Southbank Centre and celebrates its contextual history cultural life and secret idiosyncrasies. The book will be available in the Hayward Bookshop from 6th December - in time for Christmas!  

The Undercroft will be open to invited visitors to see and discuss the installation from 3rd – 6th December. Contact us to book your appointment.

The Hayward Gallery and Queen Elizabeth Hall at 50

Our latest exhibition at FCBStudios London showcases images from our new book Respecting Brutalism.

The photographs featured in the book were taken by associate and project architect Richard Battye during the refurbishment of The Hayward Gallery, Queen Elizabeth Hall and Purcell Room.

Through many site visits during the design stages, and later 18 months based on site, Richard was able to see and document all the changes and reveals of construction:

“As a pause in the everyday rush of being an architect, the act of stopping and concentrating on photographing exactly what we had just been worrying about turned out to be quite therapeutic.  I am not a sketcher but suspect that there is something similar at work. Pausing and considering. Stopping and drawing. Photographing and editing. The photographer sees the good things the architect has momentarily forgotten about - detail and perspective in a single frame - and the architect remembers to look more carefully, more widely, and consider more deeply.

One thing that is missing is the sound of the buildings. Many of the photographs were taken at the end of the working day with almost no one around and this aural experience is as much a delight as being able to stand there and take the photographs.”

Though the intention was to simultaneously capture something of the beauty and interest that can be found in the every day, these sculptural concrete wonders are far from ordinary. Each photograph is just a fraction of a second from the six-year process, with one 30 second exception, assembled to tell the story of the refurbishment.

Dr Joe Jack Williams, Researcher at FCBStudios, will be participating in a seminar and panel discussion at the CIBSE Build 2 Perform Exhibition examining what good building performance looks like in a school.

This session will examine what building performance is in schools, framing school building design against the changing regulations, reducing budgets, and changing educational visions.

Short presentations will also be given by Helen Taylor, Director of Practice, Scott Brownrigg, Dr Matthew Bray, Commercial Director, Breathing Buildings, Esfandiar Burman, Lecturer in Building Performance, UCL and Jeremy Climas, Schools Sector Champion, Max Fordham, followed by a panel discussion, to evaluate what they see as the performance of buildings.

FCBStudios Associate Richard Battye will give a public tour of the Hayward Gallery as part of the Space Shifters exhibition, discussing the building and recent renovation project in relation to some of the sculpture and installation on display.

Space Shifters is a major thematic exhibition featuring artworks by over 20 international artists that alter or disrupt our sense of space and re-orient our understanding of our surroundings in ways that are by turns subtle and dramatic.

Featuring pioneering sculptures from the 1960s – often minimal in nature and concerned with light, volume and scale – this exhibition also includes large-scale installations, ambitious architectural interventions and a number of site-specific commissions that respond to the gallery’s brutalist architecture and provide a dramatic and fitting conclusion to Hayward Gallery’s 50th anniversary year.

Image: Detail of Leonor Antunes: discrepancies with A., (2018) at Space Shifters, Hayward Gallery September 2018 - January 2019, © copyright the artist, courtesy Hayward Gallery 2018.  

Following the success of the Brick Works series in London, and the first regional event in Manchester, the Brick Development Association has partnered with RIBA West Midlands and Birmingham Architectural Association (BAA) to deliver the first regional Brick Works event in Birmingham on Thursday 22nd November 2018, to present cutting-edge examples of contemporary brick architecture.

Tom Jarman, Partner of FCBStudios will present the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire. The Conservatoire’s new state-of-the-art home is the first purpose-built music college to be constructed in the UK since 1987 and is the only one in the country which has been specifically designed to cater for the demands of the digital age. It houses five performance venues as well as 70 practice rooms of various sizes.

The evening will also feature case studies from Lloyd Spencer, Associate of Allford Hall Monaghan Morris, on Television Centre in London, Daniel Mulligan, Birmingham Studio Director of Glenn Howells, on London City Island and Mark Evans, Associate Director at Broadway Malyan on Coventry University. 

FCBStudios Associate, Hester Brough, will be talking at the upcoming ASBP Delivering Healthy Buildings seminar: Join them for an afternoon of talks and discussion on the impacts of plastics in the construction industry; the importance of measuring the performance of healthy buildings; and updates on the latest embodied carbon and circular economy research and policy.

Hester will be sharing FCBStudios learning from post-occupancy evaluation, using the Dyson Centre for Neonatal Care, Bath, as a case study. POE is essential for the delivery of buildings that are healthy and happy places to occupy. It offers the opportunity to review, fine-tune and feedback on our buildings to make sure that are meeting their key objectives. Ensuring healthy indoor air quality is one important metric for a healthy building and this can only be proven by measurement. She’ll look at the tools, the most prevalent chemicals found and the common issues.

FCBStudios are exhibition a model of  Ankarafa Field Station in the Royal West of England Annual Open Exhibition 2018. The model shows a project currently under development with Bristol Zoo for the study of Lemurs and other indigenous fauna in Northwest Madagascar.

FCBStudios designer Michael Lewis is also showing his 'Sketchbook of an architecture student' in the exhibition. 

This year The Architecture Centre has partnered with the RWA to re-enforce architecture as one of the four cornerstones of the RWA, with a full room of the exhibition dedicated to architecture and design.

Speaking of the refocus toward architecture and the new partnership, RWA Director Alison Bevan said “The RWA has always had architecture, as well as fine art, at its heart, and yet for many years the Annual Open Exhibition has not reflected this. We’d love to dedicate a space to architecture this year – following on from a building-themed room last year – and very much hope that we see some great examples of architects’ work in all media.”

The Open Exhibition will run from 7 October – 25 November 2018. The architectural strand and exhibitors of architectural submissions will be celebrated during a private view evening and tour of the exhibition on Monday 15 October. 

Following the success of the Brick Works series in London, the Brick Development Association has partnered with Manchester Student Society of Architecture (MSSA) to deliver their first regional Brick Works event in Manchester to present cutting-edge examples of contemporary brick architecture.

Featured in the MSSA’s Before You’re Thirty (BY30) series, the evening will provide in-depth case studies presented by some of the most respected figures in the architectural community.

Alex Whitbread, Partner of FCBStudios and Alex Sherratt, Partner of Matthew Lloyd Architects, will present the New Mildmay project in London. The scheme, shortlisted for an Urban Regeneration Brick Award, was fifteen years in development and has transformed a corner of Hackney with a complementary scheme of residential, social, commercial and community facilities, fully integrating the scheme into this vibrant, characterful area. The two practices have worked together at different phases of the scheme’s design and development to deliver a new residential quarter.

The evening will also feature case studies from Adam Gray, Senior Associate of OMI Architects, on Wilburn Basin project in Manchester and Mike Riley, Architect Associate of BDP, on Oldham Town Hall project. 

This highly informative evening offers an opportunity to network with peers, consider contemporary application and to add clay brick to your calendar of continuing professional development (CPD), all in a relaxed atmosphere.

FCBStudios Architect Cormac Maguire will be leading a tour around Block BB of Ulster University as part of Open House Belfast.

The ambitious £263m redevelopment of Ulster University’s Belfast campus will be a transformational space designed for thinking, creativity, problem-solving, research, collaboration and innovation. The completed campus will bring over 15,000 new students and staff to a vibrant learning environment in the heart of Belfast.

The first phase of the landmark development opened in 2015 and is home to the Belfast School of Art. This is an opportunity to see the new campus with the architect. Learn about our design approach and the ongoing work to deliver the largest construction project currently underway in Belfast.

Open House Belfast is now in its fourth year. Between 19 and 21 October, some of the city’s most interesting buildings and spaces will open for Belfast’s residents and visitors to experience, free of charge. 

Dr Joe Jack Williams, Researcher, FCBStudios and Jeremy Climas, Schools Champion, Max Fordham will be presenting a joint case study on the ventilation design and performance in use of Thomas Gainsborough School at the 2018 Education Estates Conference.

Thomas Gainsborough School was completed in early 2016 and in May of 2017 FCBStudios collaborated with UCL to go back and assess how the school was performing in terms of draughts, thermal comfort and air quality.

The case study will present the aims and constraints of the design for ventilation strategy and the solution arrived at in terms of window design and cross ventilation, before going on to present the evidence of how well it worked in practice and how the reality compared to the modelling.

The Architecture Award at the RWA Open Exhibition will be announced at a special event on Monday 15 October. Set to be the Architecture Centre’s focal event of the year, members, partners and friends are invited to join an evening where design and culture are celebrated.

The event will also be an opportunity to hear about the curation of the Open Exhibition from RWA President Stewart Geddes and the selection of the Award by UWE Head of Architecture Elena Marco and Chair of the Architecture Centre Nick Childs.

This year, a section of the RWA Annual Open Exhibition will be dedicated to the discipline of architecture and the Architecture Award will be the first in the RWA’s 166-year history. This is the result of a renewed commitment to architecture in the RWA’s exhibition content following a partnership with the Architecture Centre. The new award sits alongside prestigious prizes including the Watercolour Prize, the Sculpture Prize and the Creativity Award. The recipient will be announced at the private view on the evening of Monday 15 October, hosted by the Architecture Centre and sponsored by FCBStudios and Forbo Flooring.

Exhibiting in the South West’s largest Open Exhibition is a great honour as Chair of the Architecture Centre, Nick Childs, explains; “We are so pleased to be contributing to the RWA’s long-standing celebration of creative talent in the region. We have some of the best architects in the country working in the South West. The way architectural ideas are illustrated through sketches, drawings and models will make an exciting contribution to the Annual Open Exhibition. We are delighted to be reviving the tradition of exhibiting the finest in architectural illustration amongst the best work of South West artists. We’re pleased to dedicate a space to architecture this year and very much look forward to showcasing some great examples of architects’ work in all media.”

FCBStudios are exhibition a model of  Ankarafa Field Station in the Royal West of England Annual Open Exhibition 2018. The model shows a project currently under development with Bristol Zoo for the study of Lemurs and other indigenous fauna in Northwest Madagascar.

FCBStudios designer Michael Lewis is also showing his 'Sketchbook of an architecture student' in the exhibition. 

This year The Architecture Centre has partnered with the RWA to re-enforce architecture as one of the four cornerstones of the RWA, with a full room of the exhibition dedicated to architecture and design.

Speaking of the refocus toward architecture and the new partnership, RWA Director Alison Bevan said “The RWA has always had architecture, as well as fine art, at its heart, and yet for many years the Annual Open Exhibition has not reflected this. We’d love to dedicate a space to architecture this year – following on from a building-themed room last year – and very much hope that we see some great examples of architects’ work in all media.”

The Open Exhibition will run from 7 October – 25 November 2018. The architectural strand and exhibitors of architectural submissions will be celebrated during a private view evening and tour of the exhibition on Monday 15 October. 

Peter Murray and Velocity invite you for a ‘dinner talk’ at FCBStudios, celebrating 200 years of the bicycle.

Guests of honour Simon Mottram, Founder and CEO of Rapha and Will Butler-Adams, CEO of Brompton Bicycles will talk about 'For the love of bikes' to mark the 200th anniversary of the bicycle in Britain.

In 1818 Denis Johnson, of 69-75 Long Acre in Covent Garden (now the site of Brompton Junction), patented an improved version of the ‘Draisine’ the first hobby-horse bicycle invented by Baron Karl von Drais in Germany a year earlier.

The event is raising money for the Construction Industry Cycling Commission which campaigns to improve safety for vulnerable road users. 

Arts pop-up Forest of Imagination returns to Bath this September for the fifth time.

The three-day arts event, led by Grant Associates and 5x5x5 creativity in collaboration with creative local businesses and artists, will transform part of Bath into an imagined, fantastical landscape, connecting people to nature with a series of fantastical forests, art trails, and innovative sculptures.

Through carefully considered interventions, Kingsmead Square, Bath College courtyard, Bath Quays North and the River Avon will be transformed into a series of 'Future Forest' areas. 

FCBStudios designers have created a 'courtyard of creativity' in Kingsmead Square with a temporary furniture installation and a timber pavilion which will host story-telling and workshops and provide a place for reading and reflection.

The free event, in partnership with Bath Children’s Literature Festival and hosted by Bath Spa University Centre for Cultural and Creative Industries, will see workshops, installations and sound sculptures, created with artists and businesses, both local and international, providing a creative experience for everyone in Bath.

The Greater Manchester Development Update is an opportunity to hear about all the major regeneration projects, retail, offices, homes and transport hubs that are being developed to secure the future success of Greater Manchester.

Find out how and where the centre is expanding, and the ways in which the towns are looking away from the city to define their own destinies and deliver ambitious, mixed-use developments.

The half-day conference will take a detailed look at a variety of large-scale projects, and discuss the politics and the policies shaping regeneration across the city region including FCBStudios projects Circle Square and The Trafford Civic Quarter Masterplan.

This half-day conference at the Museum of Science & Industry will consist of a mix of presentations and panels. It will be chaired by Jessica Middleton-Pugh, editor, Place North West and Ernst ter Horst, associate at FCBStudios, is amongst the speakers discussing the 120-acre Trafford Civic Quarter masterplan.

For a full list of speakers, see the Place North West website. 

The University of Roehampton is to open its new library for Open House London for the first time this year. Open House weekend gives the public the opportunity to visit buildings all over the capital. Normally open only to university students and faculty members, visitors will be able to explore the new library facilities for themselves. 

Opened in September 2017, the library building is the centrepiece of an ambitious campus masterplan and characterised by a generous park and garden landscape. Our aspiration was for an enduring architecture: a library building with gravitas and longevity achieved through a clear architectural language.

Also open this year is Hampton Court Palace’s Barrack Block and Clore Learning Centre, completed by FCBStudios in 2006. Why not visit them both? 

Open House was founded 25 years ago to give free access to London’s best buildings and inspire the public about the benefits of great design. Each year over a quarter of a million people participate in Open House weekend, visiting over 800 buildings, walks, talks and tours across London. See the full programme here.

In 2016, FCBStudios completed a transformation of the 1960s steel and concrete Richmond Building for The University of Bristol. The Student Union Building is now a welcoming, accessible and environmentally efficient home to cultural and performance events and a teaching, study and social hub for the University.

For Bristol Open Doors, architects from FCBStudios will be leading tours of the modernist building in Clifton Conservation area on Friday 14 September.

For one weekend a year, Bristol Open Doors gives you the keys to the city. Discover heritage spaces, forgotten places and innovative design. Opening 101 fascinating buildings and uncovering their secrets through expert-led tours, the festival celebrates the city’s architecture, heritage and design. Bristol Open Doors is brought to you by the Architecture Centre.

Bristol Open Doors 2018 runs 14-16 September.

Bath Abbey is offering the public a chance to go on a behind the scenes tour during Heritage Open Day weekend.

The Abbey is currently delivering the Footprint project to secure this historic church and improve its hospitality, worship and service to the city. which includes a major restoration and conservation job to lift and conserve the memorial stones, repair the surface below, and relay the stones.

Visitors will see how a team of engineers, conservationists and builders work alongside staff and volunteers to save the historic floor from collapse through the lifting, conservation and replacement of the 891 memorial stones that make up the Abbey floor. The East End of the Abbey building is currently closed off to the public as essential work takes place to repair the historic church floor.

Read more about the Norman floor uncovered at Bath Abbey here. 

"This is high density housing at its very best… The whole scheme is about relationships: between architect and developer / contractor / client; between three very different firms of architects; and between private and public external spaces"  Stirling Prize judges, 2008

Ten years after Accordia won the Stirling Prize, the highest accolade in British Architecture, RIBA East returns to the housing scheme to consider its success and the project's impact on housing both locally and nationally.

FCBStudios Partner Mike Keys will join Richard Lavington: Maccreanor Lavington, Michael Woodford: Alison Brooks Architects Tom Foggin, RIBA East Chair and Peter Studdert, Head of Planning, in a walking tour of Accordia.

FCBStudios has pledged to join Cycle to Work Day Wednesday 15 August 2018. Alongside our regular cycle commuters, fair-weather cyclists and new converts will join together in pedalling to work. 

2018 is the sixth anniversary of the event celebrating everyday cycling. Last year 25% of the FCBStudios staff got on their bikes to get to the studio, site or meeting and we are hoping to improve on that this year. 

Cyclists at FCBStudios can look forward to a healthy breakfast on arrival at work, from 'Vitaliser Veggie Bagels' to fruity porridge, taking full advantage of the health benefits of cycling to work. 

The original ‘making’ workshop returns for 2018. The 3-day workshop explores the testing of ideas through making at 1:1 and is open to all – architects, students and any other interested participants.

This year, it is being held in the Wyre Forest, a 150 acre woodland in Worcestershire.

The workshop is organised by Invisible Studio and leaders include Peter Clegg and Akos Juhasz (FCBStudios), Kate Darby and Meredith Bowles (MOLE Architects), Je Ahn (Studio Weave), Gianni Botsford (Architecture 00), Piers Taylor (Invisible Studio) and others. 

For more details visit invisiblestudio.org/sitw

Photo by Niall McLaughlin.

Work is well underway at Bath Spa University’s new art and design campus on Locksbrook Road to convert the Grade II listed former Herman Miller furniture factory designed by Sir Nicholas Grimshaw in the 1970s. As an iconic new art school space is created, Bath Spa University have brought together a distinguished panel of architects, contractors, educators and students to reflect on best practice in art and design school architecture and its impact.

Keynote speakers include Andy Theobald, FCBStudios, Steve Ziger, Ziger/Snead Architects (USA), Ben Heath Grimshaw and Richard James, Wilmott Dixon.

Part 2: Perspectives on Buildings Designed for Art & Design Education - Educators & Students

FCBStudios Partner, Keith Bradley will be participating in the Housing Design Awards 2018 seminar ‘…and Breathe’

NHS England has tasked homebuilders to support better health outcomes. What that means, whether encouraging outdoor activity or providing communal features so those making a home in new developments avoid isolation, will be clarified in guidance later this year.

FCBStudios Partner Keith Bradley and CEG Development Director Jon Kenny will present a case study of Kirkstall Forge, a new neighbourhood on the fringe of Leeds which proposes proposes more than 1,000 new homes and 30,000 sqm of commercial spaces around a new rail link and riverside destination composed of recreation facilities. With a clear design emphasis on health and wellbeing in the brief, How does Kirkstall Forge deliver on the health agenda?

Collaborative By Nature is celebrating 20 years of collaboration with landscape architects Grant Associates, communication design studio Thomas.Matthews and architects, Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios. The exhibition will showcase projects shared since 1997 when the three studios first met on The Earth Centre.

Collaborative by Nature will feature global work by all three studios, which share a common belief in collaboration, sustainability and a passion for the natural environment.

Projects featured include Singapore’s highly acclaimed Gardens by the Bay, the Stirling Prize-winning Accordia housing development in Cambridge and the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire.

The exhibition also highlights ongoing environmental campaigns. ‘Never Turn Your Back on the Ocean’ an initiative to create awareness about, and combat the negative impact of plastic marine waste. Grant Associates is meanwhile working with FCBStudios, Buro Happold and Bristol Zoological Society to help preserve the habitat of Madagascar’s threatened blue-eyed black lemur.

Collaborative by Nature runs on weekdays between 9am and 5.30pm from 4-27 July, coinciding with the London Festival of Architecture. 

Making places for education, innovation and health

New London Architecture’s latest Insight Study, Knowledge Capital, examines the transformation of London’s education and medical sector estate. As the population grows, the capital continues to pioneer new technology and ground-breaking design to deliver enhanced teaching, research and health service facilities for all Londoners.

This research investigates the current scale and nature of development in the education and health sector, focusing on universities, colleges, campuses, research centres, incubators, innovation centres, hospitals and clinics, identifying the key districts of growth in London, the East and the South East regions and the factors influencing and supporting their location.

As major landowners and placemakers in London, we look at the role these estates play in shaping the wider city and the potential they hold to help solve the housing crisis, create better places for Londoners and provide opportunities for the emergence and growth of smaller start-up industries and bodies.

How are universities, hospitals and research institutions adjusting and adapting to new technologies, changing trends in working and the increasing need for co-location of functions? What role is London’s leading built environment sector playing in the creation and regeneration of successful, sustainable and cutting-edge research, teaching and medical estates?

What lessons can London learn from international cities to maintain its position as a leading global centre of research and innovation? How can the London, Cambridge, Oxford triangle better work together to achieve the wider regional planning ambitions? What effect will Brexit have and what steps must be taken now to future-proof the sector and estate?

Included in the exhibition and publication are a number of FCBStudios projects including St Mary’s Hospital Outpatients Building, the University of Roehampton Library, Mildmay and Cambridge BioMasterplan

A display of brutalist architecture for both children and adults offers an insight into the history of brutalism and how the Southbank's  recently refurbished 1960s buildings came to be.

Queen Elizabeth Hall and Hayward Gallery are both notable examples of brutalist buildings. 50 years on, this style of architecture continues to excite and divide the public.

The display in the archive studio at the Royal Festival Hall showcases the creative responses made by the children from Ashmore Primary School in Lambeth alongside archive material of the buildings.

It is accompanied by an audio description by FCBStudios architect Richard Battye entitled 'What is brutalism?'

What We Do Here is a film, sponsored by FCBStudios, which explores how aspiring architects at Manchester School of Architecture approach various stages of modelmaking as they grapple with materials, methods and machines to ultimately reveal the ways in which the models inform their individual growth and understanding. In addition to this it examines the ways that staff integrate practical making into their requirements for student assignments and within their own research projects. A preview trailer can be viewed here.

The film will premiere as part of 16th International Venice Architecture Biennale Sessions at the Venice Arsenale on June 29th. The screening will be followed by presentations and a discussion on the importance of modelmaking making in design by FCBStudios Partner Simon Doody, and furniture maker Hugh Miller, and chaired by Professor Tom Jefferies Head of Manchester School of Architecture. 

The film will then take up a 5 month residence at Palazzo Bembo as part of the TIME SPACE EXISTENCE Collateral Biennale exhibition. What We Do Here will be screened on repeat during all opening hours at Palazzo Bembo near the famous Rialto Bridge.

Following on from the Discussion and Debate in February, the HEDQF conference will consider the design of universities in challenging and uncertain times with ever-changing societal, economic, political and technological changes affecting learning and research.

Based primarily in Senate House, University of London, the conference will also include events in two new projects nearby, the Paul Webley Wing at SOAS and the new Bartlett School at UCL.

There is an exciting line up of speakers, an interactive workshop, a debate with a difference, and an evening reception at the Bartlett. For the full programme click here.

The SPACES Study Day 2018 will be hosted by Mike Shaw, President of SPACES and Professor Tom Jefferies, Head of Manchester School of Architecture at the Manchester School of Architecture on Friday 15th June.

This year’s study day theme is ‘Collaboration in the Public Sector’. Throughout the day the relevance and importance of ‘Collaborative Working’ will be explored and how it enables all parties involved on a project to efficiently and effectively deliver client outcomes, including value for money. Supported by key speakers/organisations and case studies, including Joe Jack Williams, researcher at FCBStudios, the day will explore the theme from different perspectives.

Confirmed sponsors for the day are: Atkins, Bryden Wood, Faithful+Gould, IES, Mace, Pick Everard and Willmott Dixon. 

The day before there will be a tour of a local building, followed by networking and dinner at the Whitworth Gallery.

Information on the 2017 Study Day can be found here.

Our existence is enlivened every waking moment by a symphony of stimuli from people, objects, building spaces, task interest and Nature. This rich array of inputs to the mind and body generates the multi-sensory experience which can colour and enrich the environment for people to live and work in. Like in music the notes of melodies, harmonies and rhythms magically combine in a myriad ways to inspire the mind so too in multi-sensory design which weaves a tapestry and diversity of experience for people to flourish in.

This seminar reviews the research but then shows how multisensory design can be achieved in practice to achieve healthy and wellbeing spaces.

Chaired by
Prof. Derek Clements-Croome, CIBSE Intelligent Buildings Group

‘Sensory Flow – How do you feel?’
Valerie Mace, University of the Arts London

‘Sensory mapping’
Kay Pallaris, Mapping Futures Ltd.

‘Sensewalking in a heritage city: the Canterbury tales’
Carolina Vasilikou, University of Reading Architecture

‘Capturing the visual using an Interactive Space Analysis Tool'
Joe Jack Williams, FCBStudios

Image by Mena Shah, Mapping Futures

A half day conference exploring the next era of city growth, through innovative design, strong communities and 21st century connectivity.

U+I’s plans for the 24-acre Mayfield site will be used as a platform for wider debate, examining how place making and a strong sense of shared public-private purpose can deliver economic and social benefits for cities by creating a dynamic mix of occupiers for both homes and offices, with innovative workspaces, thriving leisure and retail, and well-loved public realm.

The event, set in Fairfield Social Club within the Mayfield arches, will be a provocative discussion where key players in the regeneration and design industries, including FCBStudios Partner, Sara Grohmann, will engage with entrepreneurs and policy-makers on the issues facing UK cities, with critical thinking on how to shape the next phase of city growth by using best practice from the UK and beyond.

The event will be a mix of panels, presentations, and ‘in conversation with’ interviews, from:

• Matthew Weiner, chief executive, U+I Plc
• Richard Upton, deputy chief executive, U+I Plc
• Joanne Roney, chief executive, Manchester City Council
• Stephen O’Malley, founding director, Civic Engineers
• David West, founding partner, Studio Egret West
• Catherine Dewar, planning director, Historic England
• Sara Grohmann, partner, Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios
• Tom Walker, partner, Gillespies
• Joanna Rowelle, director, city planning, Arup
• Tom Younger, head of cities, Uber
• Professor Cathy Parker, chair of the Institute of Place Management, Manchester Metropolitan University
• Steve Oliver, founder, Music Magpie
• Jonathan Downey, founder, London Union
• Dave Haslam, DJ
• Sarah James, membership development officer, Civic Voice

The event will be chaired by Jessica Middleton-Pugh, editor of Place North West.

Collaborative By Nature is celebrating 20 years of collaboration with landscape architects Grant Associates, communication design studio Thomas.Matthews and architects, Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios. The exhibition will showcase projects shared since 1997 when the three studios first met on The Earth Centre.

Collaborative by Nature will feature global work by all three studios, which share a common belief in collaboration, sustainability and a passion for the natural environment.

Projects featured include Singapore’s highly acclaimed Gardens by the Bay, the Stirling Prize-winning Accordia housing development in Cambridge and the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire.

The exhibition also highlights ongoing environmental campaigns. ‘Never Turn Your Back on the Ocean’ an initiative to create awareness about, and combat the negative impact of plastic marine waste. Grant Associates is meanwhile working with FCBStudios, Buro Happold and Bristol Zoological Society to help preserve the habitat of Madagascar’s threatened blue-eyed black lemur.

Collaborative by Nature runs on weekdays between 9am and 5.30pm from 4-27 July, coinciding with the London Festival of Architecture. 

Making places for education, innovation and health

New London Architecture’s latest Insight Study, Knowledge Capital, examines the transformation of London’s education and medical sector estate. As the population grows, the capital continues to pioneer new technology and ground-breaking design to deliver enhanced teaching, research and health service facilities for all Londoners.

This research investigates the current scale and nature of development in the education and health sector, focusing on universities, colleges, campuses, research centres, incubators, innovation centres, hospitals and clinics, identifying the key districts of growth in London, the East and the South East regions and the factors influencing and supporting their location.

As major landowners and placemakers in London, we look at the role these estates play in shaping the wider city and the potential they hold to help solve the housing crisis, create better places for Londoners and provide opportunities for the emergence and growth of smaller start-up industries and bodies.

How are universities, hospitals and research institutions adjusting and adapting to new technologies, changing trends in working and the increasing need for co-location of functions? What role is London’s leading built environment sector playing in the creation and regeneration of successful, sustainable and cutting-edge research, teaching and medical estates?

What lessons can London learn from international cities to maintain its position as a leading global centre of research and innovation? How can the London, Cambridge, Oxford triangle better work together to achieve the wider regional planning ambitions? What effect will Brexit have and what steps must be taken now to future-proof the sector and estate?

Included in the exhibition and publication are a number of FCBStudios projects including St Mary’s Hospital Outpatients Building, the University of Roehampton Library, Mildmay and Cambridge BioMasterplan

A display of brutalist architecture for both children and adults offers an insight into the history of brutalism and how the Southbank's  recently refurbished 1960s buildings came to be.

Queen Elizabeth Hall and Hayward Gallery are both notable examples of brutalist buildings. 50 years on, this style of architecture continues to excite and divide the public.

The display in the archive studio at the Royal Festival Hall showcases the creative responses made by the children from Ashmore Primary School in Lambeth alongside archive material of the buildings.

It is accompanied by an audio description by FCBStudios architect Richard Battye entitled 'What is brutalism?'

Sara Grohmann will be presenting FCBStudios' work for St Mary’s Hospital at the Knowledge Capital Conference. This half-day conference, explores the transformation of London’s education and health estate, major campus expansions, relocations and reconfigurations. 

What does the campus of the future look like? What effect is the need for greater collaboration and mix of functions having on the design and delivery of estates across London? Where are major new districts and hubs emerging? What is driving the location of these districts, and what role do they play in the wider development and delivery of these areas in terms of housing, workspace and culture? 

Other presenters will include:
Julian Robinson, Estates Director, LSE 
Ralph Luck, Real Estate Development Director, ‎King's College London 
Jenny Hancock, Creative Director, The Howard de Walden Estate
Sarah Haywood, Chief Executive Officer, MedCity 
Dr Patricia Martin del Guayo, Architect, Shepheard Epstein Hunter
Juliette Morgan, Head of Campus, British Land
Peter Murray, Chairman, New London Architecture (Chair)
David Lewis, Partner, NBBJ 
Rob Partridge, Director, AKT II 

This event forms part of the wider Knowledge Capital programme which will launch in May 2018 with a major research publication, exhibition and series of associated events. 

Making places for education, innovation and health

New London Architecture’s latest Insight Study, Knowledge Capital, examines the transformation of London’s education and medical sector estate. As the population grows, the capital continues to pioneer new technology and ground-breaking design to deliver enhanced teaching, research and health service facilities for all Londoners.

This research investigates the current scale and nature of development in the education and health sector, focusing on universities, colleges, campuses, research centres, incubators, innovation centres, hospitals and clinics, identifying the key districts of growth in London, the East and the South East regions and the factors influencing and supporting their location.

As major landowners and placemakers in London, we look at the role these estates play in shaping the wider city and the potential they hold to help solve the housing crisis, create better places for Londoners and provide opportunities for the emergence and growth of smaller start-up industries and bodies.

How are universities, hospitals and research institutions adjusting and adapting to new technologies, changing trends in working and the increasing need for co-location of functions? What role is London’s leading built environment sector playing in the creation and regeneration of successful, sustainable and cutting-edge research, teaching and medical estates?

What lessons can London learn from international cities to maintain its position as a leading global centre of research and innovation? How can the London, Cambridge, Oxford triangle better work together to achieve the wider regional planning ambitions? What effect will Brexit have and what steps must be taken now to future-proof the sector and estate?

Included in the exhibition and publication are a number of FCBStudios projects including St Mary’s Hospital Outpatients Building, the University of Roehampton Library, Mildmay and Cambridge BioMasterplan

4x4 is a series of ‘TED-talk’ style events exploring the cities and urban places where we are increasingly choosing to build our lives. Held on four consecutive Wednesdays in May each event will feature four diverse and interesting speakers, followed by a lively audience debate.

Sponsored by Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios, this year 4x4 explores the city in a state of flux. Cities have always been whirlwinds of metamorphosis, evolving minute by minute in a frenzy of innovation and destruction. Are we exhilarated by the acceleration, or would we like to put the brakes on and take a more leisurely and considered route into the future? Is the direction of change ultimately positive? Who are the winners and losers in this process and what role do we all play? Are we passive citizens, standing still as the city moves and grows around us, or can we shape the city to meet our ever-changing needs? In these centres of constant change, how do we come together and make lasting connections?

A display of brutalist architecture for both children and adults offers an insight into the history of brutalism and how the Southbank's  recently refurbished 1960s buildings came to be.

Queen Elizabeth Hall and Hayward Gallery are both notable examples of brutalist buildings. 50 years on, this style of architecture continues to excite and divide the public.

The display in the archive studio at the Royal Festival Hall showcases the creative responses made by the children from Ashmore Primary School in Lambeth alongside archive material of the buildings.

It is accompanied by an audio description by FCBStudios architect Richard Battye entitled 'What is brutalism?'

The AJ Small Projects Awards, launched in 1996, celebrate completed projects with a contract value of £250,000 and under. It recognises smaller schemes that have been completed by a UK-based architect either in the UK or abroad.

‘From home extensions to restaurants, offices to shops, architects all over the country are busy working on projects that may not make the headlines but nevertheless give a real indication of the design talent in Britain today.'

The exhibition opens to the public on 19 April and features design boards and models of the 20 shortlisted projects, showcasing schemes which show a commitment to quality and creative design. 

A display of brutalist architecture for both children and adults offers an insight into the history of brutalism and how the Southbank's  recently refurbished 1960s buildings came to be.

Queen Elizabeth Hall and Hayward Gallery are both notable examples of brutalist buildings. 50 years on, this style of architecture continues to excite and divide the public.

The display in the archive studio at the Royal Festival Hall showcases the creative responses made by the children from Ashmore Primary School in Lambeth alongside archive material of the buildings.

It is accompanied by an audio description by FCBStudios architect Richard Battye entitled 'What is brutalism?'

The AJ Small Projects Awards, launched in 1996, celebrate completed projects with a contract value of £250,000 and under. It recognises smaller schemes that have been completed by a UK-based architect either in the UK or abroad.

‘From home extensions to restaurants, offices to shops, architects all over the country are busy working on projects that may not make the headlines but nevertheless give a real indication of the design talent in Britain today.'

The exhibition opens to the public on 19 April and features design boards and models of the 20 shortlisted projects, showcasing schemes which show a commitment to quality and creative design. 

Kirkstall Forge have invited The Guardian architecture critic Oliver Wainwright and FCBStudios Partner Keith Bradley to join the latest Different by Design event at Kirkstall Forge to discuss their experience of good design and the evolution of architecture and housing design.

This exclusive event will take place on Wednesday 18th April at Number One, Kirkstall Forge from 5.45pm – 8pm with drinks and refreshments served in our very own bar/restaurant Butler’s.

We will also be sharing some images of the first phase of Kirkstall Forge housing on the evening.

All ticket proceeds will go to St George's Crypt, homeless charity in Leeds.

Step into a world of care, craftsmanship and bravery, illuminating the original hopes for Southbank Centre’s 1960s buildings and the legacy that thrives today.

Concrete Dreams Exhibition celebrates the reopening of Southbank Centre’s brutalist buildings with an exclusive glimpse into the world of the performer.

Join a free backstage tour to discover the rich history and behind-the-scenes secrets of the venues through installations, audio-visual content and previously unseen archives, including FCBStudios architectural models and Architect Richard Battye’s photographs documenting the renewal of the buildings.

Entering through Queen Elizabeth Hall Artists’ Entrance, audiences follow in the footsteps of legendary artists who performed on these stages at the start of their careers in the swinging 60s, with a soundscape roll call from Pink Floyd to Cleo Laine and Daniel Barenboim.

After collecting stage passes, visitors are given rare backstage access, travelling through the working Scene Dock, visiting the Artists’ Lounge, experiencing pre-concert jitters in the dressing rooms and ending on a surprise finale.

Concrete Dreams Exhibition is supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund, thanks to National Lottery players, and designed by innovative theatre company Klanghaus and design practice LYN Atelier.

Peter Clegg will be speaking at, and participating in, the 2018 Deerubbin Weekend. 

The weekend is organised by Architecture Foundation Australia and will follow the theme of DenCITY + CommUNITY. 'Good people and good architecture - all together'

+ a 'conference' about cities, how we live there, how we can create communities - looking at precedents and possibilities for better urban housing - 'density with love' ?

+ a residential weekend on the beautiful Milson Island on the Hawkesbury River north of Sydney. Speakers and participants stay at the Milson Island Sport and Recreation Centre. Accommodation and meals provided and included in the conference fee.

FCBStudios founder Peter Clegg is the guest lecturer for the 2018 Futuna Lecture Series

Peter will give three public lectures in New Zealand (Auckland, Christchurch and Wellington), speaking about his work using recent projects to demonstrate the philosophy and vision that underpins his architectural practice.

Wednesday 7 March: University of Auckland School of Engineering, Auckland
Thursday 8 March:     St. Andrew’s College Chapel, Christchurch  
Saturday 11 March:   Futuna Chapel in Karori, Wellington 

Futuna Chapel is generally regarded as one of the most significant New Zealand buildings of the 20th century.  It won the New Zealand Institute of Architect’s gold medal in 1968, and the 25 year award in 1986.  The Chapel’s architect, John Scott, was posthumously awarded a NZIA Gold Meal for Enduring Architecture in 1999. The Friends of Futuna Charitable Trust  conserve the Futuna Chapel and aim to make it available on a regulated basis to the public now and into the future.

The Futuna Lecture Series is the largest annual fundraising event for the Friends of Futuna Charitable Trust – and is sponsored by Dulux NZ, Metalcraft Roofing, The Warren Trust, the Auckland, Christchurch and Wellington branches of the NZIA and Plytech.

Sam Tyler, Partner at FCBStudios, will join a panel of leading architects and designers for the annual RSUA Architecture Society Design Conference. The half day conference will be a discussion and exploration into the factors that influence form at the various scales within architecture and design. They will posit the role and process of form-making in various aspects of design, including sculpture, product design and architecture at a room, building and city scale.

Also participating will be: Sebastian Conran, Sebastian Conran Associates; Jessica McGarry, McGarry-Moon Architects; Hugo Nowell, Urban Initiatives Studios; Artur Carulla, Allies and Morrison; and Gail Mahon, artist and independent cultural producer.

Since we spend 90% of our time indoors, and 65% of that in our homes, the impact of buildings on our health is huge.

As well as the obvious need for fresh air and daylight, the buildings in which we live, work and play also impact upon our social interactions, our access to open space, and our ability to get involved in our communities.

Through this exhibition we look at a number of projects by FCBStudios that illustrate how we help preserve healthy, social and working environments, showcasing how good design makes a difference to people’s lives.

Campus 2049 is a panel discussion organised by HEDQF exploring how technology, politics, teaching methods and new generations of students will shape the campus of the future.

Peter Clegg, Partner at FCBStudios, will join the panel for an evening of informative discussion by industry experts from a range of backgrounds looking into what will the campus of the future be? What are the students looking for when deciding on choosing their establishment? How as key industry stakeholders can we be at the forefront of change in the ever more internationally competitive market?

Following the opening of our exhibition; Architecture for Health and Wellbeing, we invite you to join us for six short provocative presentations followed by open discussion on how design influences our lives (without us noticing).

Chaired by Ian Taylor, Managing Partner, FCBStudios

Spatial cognition and navigation
Fiona Zisch, Architect, Researcher and Lecturer at the University of Innsbruck, the Bartlett School of Architecture and the University of Westminster.

Health impacts of the places in which we live, learn, and work
Dr. Marcella Ucci, Senior Lecturer in Environmental and Healthy Buildings at the UCL Institute for Environmental Design and Engineering, within The Bartlett Faculty of the Built Environment, UCL

Breathing landscape
Chris Churchman, Founder and Director, Churchman Landscape Architects

Pushing the boundaries of Healthcare Architecture
Hester Brough, Associate, FCBStudios

Is happiness a driver for change?
Pooran Desai, OBE, Co-founder, Bioregional

Soundscape creation: towards a comfortable, happy and healthy space
Professor Jian Kang, Professor of Acoustics at UCL

Click here for full speaker biographies

Join us on the 15^th of February at 6.00pm to find out how to get involved in the London Energy Transformation Initiative in 2018 and to have your say about the Mayor’s draft London Plan.

Last year the London Energy Transformation Initiative (LETI) formed to influence the draft London Plan and London Environment strategy, we had a hugely successful year bringing together over 170 diverse construction industry professionals to develop collaborative policy proposals for a zero-emissions London, click here for the latest report.

The LETI 2018 workstream launch will showcase what LETI has planned for 2018 and how to get involved, details will be provided on:

London plan consultation
-          Outputs from the LETI consultation workshop at City Hall
-          Consultation workshop summary report launch
-          How to have your say about the draft London plan

How to get involved with the other LETI 2018 workstreams
-          Leading by example: developing a standard LETI appendix for energy statements
-          Advancing Net Zero: Developing a Zero carbon framework with the UKGBC

LETI legacy - peer reviewing, design review role etc

Since we spend 90% of our time indoors, and 65% of that in our homes, the impact of buildings on our health is huge.

As well as the obvious need for fresh air and daylight, the buildings in which we live, work and play also impact upon our social interactions, our access to open space, and our ability to get involved in our communities.

Through this exhibition we look at a number of projects by FCBStudios that illustrate how we help preserve healthy, social and working environments, showcasing how good design makes a difference to people’s lives.

Built environment cultural organisations and initiatives offer Build Up members many opportunities for us to engage and collaborate with our wider sectors and the public.

Please join us at FCBStudios London for this knowledge sharing event where you will be able to hear from representatives from a number of these organisations – including London Festival of Architecture, London Design Festival and The Architecture Foundation - telling us about what is up-and-coming within their 2018 programmes. We will end with a short session with contributors considering best ways to gain communications ‘value’ through engagement with these kinds of initiatives.

The Higher Education Design Quality Forum (HEDQF) are hosting a visit to Roehampton University.

The visit will include presentations on the recent projects, the University’s Masterplan, a panel discussion on the changing role of student accommodation in university life and visits to recent projects including student residences designed by MJP Architects, Chadwick Hall designed by Henley HaleBrown, and the new Library designed by FCBStudios.

Since we spend 90% of our time indoors, and 65% of that in our homes, the impact of buildings on our health is huge.

As well as the obvious need for fresh air and daylight, the buildings in which we live, work and play also impact upon our social interactions, our access to open space, and our ability to get involved in our communities.

Through this exhibition we look at a number of projects by FCBStudios that illustrate how we help preserve healthy, social and working environments, showcasing how good design makes a difference to people’s lives.

Since we spend 90% of our time indoors, and 65% of that in our homes, the impact of buildings on our health is huge.

As well as the obvious need for fresh air and daylight, the buildings in which we live, work and play also impact upon our social interactions, our access to open space, and our ability to get involved in our communities.

Through this exhibition we look at a number of projects by FCBStudios that illustrate how we help preserve healthy, social and working environments, showcasing how good design makes a difference to people’s lives.

The Engineering Club present: The User Group.

The User Group provides a forum for those working in 3D parametric design to listen to guest speakers and share their experiences. An event for those who have undertaken the Open The Black Box course but also those with working experience of using parametric design tools who wish to extend their network of expertise.

Guest presenters will include:

Robert Aish - Visiting Professor of Design Computation at The Bartlett School, UCL
Richard Maddock - Specialist Modelling Group at Foster+Partners
Paul Jeffries - Computational Design Lead at Ramboll
Alessandro Felder - Royal Veterinary College
Cecilie Brandt-Olsen - BIG engineering

John Southall and Ian Taylor will present Spreehalle Berlin and the Aga Khan Academy Dhaka at the World Architecture Festival 2017.

Spreehalle is the regeneration of the former AEG Kabelwerk industrial buildings to create a community of live/work ateliers on the River Spree. The series of ateliers in the existing main halls retain the aesthetic of ‘raw space’ for artists, creative users and small businesses to fit out as required. The insertion of a new central courtyard between the linear halls provides a communal outdoor space, away from the more public exterior, for collaboration and enjoyment. The project has been shortlisted in the ‘New & Old – Completed Buildings’ category.

Aga Khan Academy Dhaka is a 1200 student school with residential facilities on a 20ha site in Bangladesh. The Aga Khan Academies are a new network of 18 schools across Africa, the Middle East and Central and South Asia, which focus on providing an international standard of education and strong leadership experience to talented students, regardless of socioeconomic background and supporting long-term national and regional development by nurturing future home-grown leaders. The Academy has been shortlisted in the ‘Education - Future Projects’ category.

Both projects will be presented to an international jury and world architecture community at the World Architecture Festival in Berlin, 15-17 November 2017.

Keith Bradley was a shortlisting judge and will be chairing the judging panel for the Housing category.

In 1985 the BBC Omnibus Programme devoted an hour of prime-time viewing to the planning inquiry into the demolition of the Victorian Mappin and Webb building at Bank intersection in the City of London, and its proposed replacement by a tower and plaza by Mies van der Rohe. Today, planning inquiries are less frequent and much less newsworthy: what does this tell us about changing attitudes to conservation?

A screening of the original film will be followed by a discussion between participants at the time and current conservation practitioners including Terry Farrell, Robert Thorne, Jenny Freeman and Sophie Andreae. 

The event is organised in collaboration with The Twentieth Century Society and SAVE Britain's Heritage to mark  the 30th anniversary of the Mansion House enquiry.

We are delighted to host the AJ Small Projects launch again this year and hear award-winning architects talk about how their small but powerful schemes have propelled them on to bigger things.

Speakers will be former winners Chris Dyson, who took home the award in 2014, Ruth Donnelly from Doma Architects, whose extension to a house in Harrogate shared the first prize in 2016, and David Connor, who along with Kate Darby scooped last year’s competition with their £160,000 conversion of a 17th-century cottage in rural Herefordshire.  

The Observatory, a rotating and mobile artist studio and workshop by a team from FCBStudios, won the Architects’ Journal Small Projects Readers’ Choice Award 2016.

Click here to find out more about the event and to book your place.

Ian Taylor, Partner at FCBStudios, is to take part in the World Science Forum 2017, presenting a special session entitled: 'Spaces for Scientists...thinking, research and collaboration...An architecture for Science for Peace'

The presentation and discussion will look at the functional and experiential characteristics of the working environment and its impact on the success of scientific experimentation and collaboration.  

Scientific endeavour is influenced by the quality of different types of space – to enable technical research, contemplation, collaboration, and engagement to further the positive impacts of science on society. The comfort and well-being of scientists and researchers, as well as the technical performance of facilities, are critical factors which impact on the delivery of successful science. 

In the pursuit of scientific advances which help support Peace, the consideration of individual, local and international social contexts take on an even greater relevance for scientific collaboration and the dissemination of ideas.

The World Science Forum 2017 runs from 7-10 November 2017 by the Dead Sea in Jordan and celebrates World Science Day for Peace and Development. Session themes include: energy and water, food, climate change, the alleviation of poverty and inequality, cultural understanding between peoples and the creation of wealth and opportunity within all societies. 

FCBStudios Managing Partner Geoff Rich joins Article 25 Cycle to Myanmar this November. 

Taking place over 14 days in November 2017, the expedition aims to raise £50,000 to fund the future work of Article 25 in the area. The journey includes 500 miles of cycling around the country from Yangon to Mandalay and back, passing via Yangon General Hospital, which is the site of the charity’s biggest project. 

Geoff is volunteering his time for this important trip to assist with its collaborative research, to help find sustainable design solutions, and to secure much-needed funds for Article 25's future work.

Geoff Rich said: "Riding bikes is a great way to help to understand people and places and I know how cycling with others can help to build important collaborations and working relationships. I’m hoping our experience of working in Yangon, dealing with different kinds of existing buildings, as well as our experience of working in developing countries through the work of the Richard Feilden Foundation will be helpful to the Article 25 Myanmar Cycle Expedition.”

FCBStudios is currently working on a scheme to deliver the heritage led regeneration of one of Yangon Downtown’s important historic buildings for Turquoise Mountain. Our approach includes design collaborations with local architects and builders, and provision of on-site training for students and practitioners.

Follow Geoff's journey via @Geoff Rich on Twitter, and via his blog

A special symposium investigating the legacy of British architectural pioneers Alison and Peter Smithson.

Featuring leading international architects, artists and thinkers this symposium investigates the legacy and impact of British architectural pioneers Alison and Peter Smithson across urbanism, habitation and education.

Alison and Peter Smithson saw architecture as a direct result of a way of life, responsive to the demands of contemporary living. This approach permeated their designs for the University of Bath including the University theatre (1990) in which this symposium will take place.

The event also launches a re-print of Peter Smithson’s celebrated pamphlet Bath: Walks Within the Walls from 1971.

Speakers include:
Simon Smithson
Peter Salter (2017 RIBA award winner and project architect for Alison and Peter)
Assemble
Keith Bradley (Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios)
Peter Clegg (Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios)
Professor M. Christine Boyer (Princeton University, author of Not Quite Architecture)
Professor David Turnbull (Cooper Union, ATOPIA Innovation)
David Casino (PhD Architect)
Juliet Bidgood (Urban Design Consultant, Curator of 70th anniversary meeting of CIAM at Bridgewater Arts Centre)
Dr Amy Frost (Bath Preservation Trust)
Jamie Eastman (Director of Arts, University of Bath)

Download the full programme here

This event is designed to appeal to audiences with a specialist or broad interest.

Image credit: 6East, University of Bath c. Smithson Family Collection

Reinterpreting Modernism for the 21st Century.

Modernism was a hugely influential movement which continues to impact our world today. But the ideas grew from a very different global context than the one we live in today. So how can the tenets of modernism be relevant now and, more specifically, what are we preserving when we refurbish and renew modernist buildings? What challenges do designers face in turning these buildings into 'modern' useful buildings? 

The exhibition introduces three important schemes:

The ambitious refurbishment of London’s Southbank Centre revitalises the existing buildings to support the Southbank Centre’s mission of hosting world-class art and culture for more people more of the time.

The refurbishment and extension of the Richmond Building for the University of Bristol exemplifies the adaptation of a significant Modern building to form a new and popular centre for University life.

The transformation of a purpose-built 10-storey modernist laboratory tower, at the University of Edinburgh's School of Biological Sciences, to once again provide state of the art research facilities.

Each scheme provides an invaluable lens through which to explore the environmental, technical and philosophical challenges in Making More of Modernism for the 21st century.

The Making More of Modernism Exhibition is part of the London Festival of Architecture 2017.

For this year’s Open House festival, FCBStudios will once again host an ‘Open Office’ event.

This informal ‘drop-in’ event will host an exhibition of working models, images and design drawings providing insight into the development ideas behind some of their recent projects. Refreshments will be provided along with a ‘Dream City’ building block activity for children.

Bookings open on 20 October.

Join us for a fun evening to sample the sights and sounds of Myanmar as our team of riders prepare to set off on Article 25’s first cycle expedition. 

Film I Traditional food I Bar I Burmese dance

Taking place over 14 days in November 2017, the expedition aims to raise £50,000 to fund the future work of Article 25 in the area. The journey includes 500 miles of cycling around the country from Yangon to Mandalay and back, passing via Yangon General Hospital, which is the site of the charity’s biggest project.

Sunand Prasad PPRIBA and Chairman of Article 25 will introduce the evening.

FCBStudio’s film 'The Red House' will be featured as part of the Architecture and Design Film Festival (ADFF) Short Film Walk. The film looks through the eyes of children and staff to capture both the philosophy and the everyday life of the Plymouth School of Creative Arts, a Royal Institute of British Architecture award-winning building. 

The school, located on an inner-city site and sponsored by the local Plymouth College of Art, is a place to develop the richness and individuality of human creativity, allowing 4-16 year olds to connect with a local artistic tradition going back to 1845. Through making, performing and discovering, the school pursues its core intention of ‘Creating Individuals and Making Futures’.

The Short Films Walk is a one night event in New York’s Soho Design District on October 11, 5-9 pm, which leads up to the Architecture & Design Film Festival, which this year runs Nov 1 - 5 at Cinepolis Cinema in Chelsea, New York.

The Modern House is partnering with the Twentieth Century Society to host a talk on the life and work of architect Douglas Snelling.

Born in Kent and educated in New Zealand, Snelling became one of Australia’s leading mid-century architects and an influential designer of furniture, interiors and landscapes. The talk will present some of his best-known houses and explain how Snelling interpreted the design and architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright and Southern California for the Australian landscape.

Davina Jackson is the author of the first comprehensive study of Snelling’s pan-Pacific life and works. A Sydney-based author, editor and curator, she writes extensively on modernist architecture and design in Oceania and the creative applications of technology in urban contexts. She was professor of multi-disciplinary design at the University of New South Wales and an editor of Architecture Australia.

70 buildings from 70 years of Concrete Quarterly

The exhibition explores the social and architectural history of concrete architecture and engineering over the past 70 years, through a selection of images and editorial of iconic and interesting projects from the CQ archive. 

For Persistence Works, the UK’s first purpose-built fine art and crafts studio complex, FCBStudios explored the use of cast in situ concrete contrasted with lightweight, frameless glass elements. The design and method of construction being carefully researched to achieve the highest quality affordable finish. The building was completed in 2001.

The exhibition will also provide digital access to the entire Concrete Quarterly and early original editions will be on display. Each month the contemporary section of the exhibition will be replaced with a new topic of focus. These include samples and guidance related to innovative and clever forms of concrete, guidance on achieving visual concrete and concrete engineering.

For more information about the exhibition and accompanying publication click here.

Modernism was a hugely influential movement which continues to impact our world today. But the ideas grew from a very different global context than the one we live in today. So how can the tenets of modernism be relevant now and, more specifically, what are we preserving when we refurbish and renew modernist buildings? What challenges do designers face in turning these buildings into 'modern' useful buildings? 

The exhibition introduces three important schemes:

The ambitious refurbishment of London’s Southbank Centre revitalises the existing buildings to support the Southbank Centre’s mission of hosting world-class art and culture for more people more of the time.

The refurbishment and extension of the Richmond Building for the University of Bristol exemplifies the adaptation of a significant Modern building to form a new and popular centre for University life.

The transformation of a purpose-built 10-storey modernist laboratory tower, at the University of Edinburgh's School of Biological Sciences, to once again provide state of the art research facilities.

Each scheme provides an invaluable lens through which to explore the environmental, technical and philosophical challenges in Making More of Modernism for the 21st century.

The Making More of Modernism Exhibition is part of the London Festival of Architecture 2017.

NLA (New London Architecture) visits Haringey for an in-depth look at upcoming development across the borough, hearing from the Leader of the Council and Director of Regeneration, Planning and Development.

A conference session hearing from key stakeholders will explore the planning, development and delivery opportunities across the borough and discuss what is needed to maximise development potential. Talks will include a presentation on Alexandra Palace by project architect Matt Somerville from FCBStudios, to discuss the practice’s work on the refurbishment and repair of this listed public building.

Afternoon tours will then look at specific development areas in further detail.

For more information and to book please click here

Open House is a city-wide celebration of the buildings, places and neighbourhoods where we live, work and play. There are over 800 buildings, walks, talks and tours taking place across London over the weekend of 16-17 September.

Chelsea Academy, designed by FCBStudios, will be open on Saturday 16 September as part of Open House London. Built on a very tight urban space, the school provides identity, flexibility and an inspirational educational environment for its 800 year 7-11 pupils and 250 sixth form students. The architectural language is classical, formal and restrained.

70 buildings from 70 years of Concrete Quarterly

The exhibition explores the social and architectural history of concrete architecture and engineering over the past 70 years, through a selection of images and editorial of iconic and interesting projects from the CQ archive. 

For Persistence Works, the UK’s first purpose-built fine art and crafts studio complex, FCBStudios explored the use of cast in situ concrete contrasted with lightweight, frameless glass elements. The design and method of construction being carefully researched to achieve the highest quality affordable finish. The building was completed in 2001.

The exhibition will also provide digital access to the entire Concrete Quarterly and early original editions will be on display. Each month the contemporary section of the exhibition will be replaced with a new topic of focus. These include samples and guidance related to innovative and clever forms of concrete, guidance on achieving visual concrete and concrete engineering.

For more information about the exhibition and accompanying publication click here.

Modernism was a hugely influential movement which continues to impact our world today. But the ideas grew from a very different global context than the one we live in today. So how can the tenets of modernism be relevant now and, more specifically, what are we preserving when we refurbish and renew modernist buildings? What challenges do designers face in turning these buildings into 'modern' useful buildings? 

The exhibition introduces three important schemes:

The ambitious refurbishment of London’s Southbank Centre revitalises the existing buildings to support the Southbank Centre’s mission of hosting world-class art and culture for more people more of the time.

The refurbishment and extension of the Richmond Building for the University of Bristol exemplifies the adaptation of a significant Modern building to form a new and popular centre for University life.

The transformation of a purpose-built 10-storey modernist laboratory tower, at the University of Edinburgh's School of Biological Sciences, to once again provide state of the art research facilities.

Each scheme provides an invaluable lens through which to explore the environmental, technical and philosophical challenges in Making More of Modernism for the 21st century.

The Making More of Modernism Exhibition is part of the London Festival of Architecture 2017.

70 buildings from 70 years of Concrete Quarterly

The exhibition explores the social and architectural history of concrete architecture and engineering over the past 70 years, through a selection of images and editorial of iconic and interesting projects from the CQ archive. 

For Persistence Works, the UK’s first purpose-built fine art and crafts studio complex, FCBStudios explored the use of cast in situ concrete contrasted with lightweight, frameless glass elements. The design and method of construction being carefully researched to achieve the highest quality affordable finish. The building was completed in 2001.

The exhibition will also provide digital access to the entire Concrete Quarterly and early original editions will be on display. Each month the contemporary section of the exhibition will be replaced with a new topic of focus. These include samples and guidance related to innovative and clever forms of concrete, guidance on achieving visual concrete and concrete engineering.

For more information about the exhibition and accompanying publication click here.

Modernism was a hugely influential movement which continues to impact our world today. But the ideas grew from a very different global context than the one we live in today. So how can the tenets of modernism be relevant now and, more specifically, what are we preserving when we refurbish and renew modernist buildings? What challenges do designers face in turning these buildings into 'modern' useful buildings? 

The exhibition introduces three important schemes:

The ambitious refurbishment of London’s Southbank Centre revitalises the existing buildings to support the Southbank Centre’s mission of hosting world-class art and culture for more people more of the time.

The refurbishment and extension of the Richmond Building for the University of Bristol exemplifies the adaptation of a significant Modern building to form a new and popular centre for University life.

The transformation of a purpose-built 10-storey modernist laboratory tower, at the University of Edinburgh's School of Biological Sciences, to once again provide state of the art research facilities.

Each scheme provides an invaluable lens through which to explore the environmental, technical and philosophical challenges in Making More of Modernism for the 21st century.

The Making More of Modernism Exhibition is part of the London Festival of Architecture 2017.

FCBStudios are proud to sponsor Bath Carnival, a free party celebrating carnival arts in the centre of Bath. 

The vibrant procession transforms the streets with a colourful blend of Carnival culture. Expect South American drumming, Caribbean steel pan, Mardi Gras style brass, a range of traditional and contemporary dance choreography and crazy colourful costumes.

The return of the party in the park will see a line-up of live music spanning genres from around the world, loads of fun kids’ activities, free workshops and a tasty selection of food and drink offerings.

The party will go on into the early hours with DJs spinning beats and breaks at the official afterparty in one of Bath's favourite music venues.

Find out more

FCBStudios will be holding a breakfast seminar in Manchester on 13th July: Creative Education: Ambitions for the next generation of Manchester’s schools

CREATIVITY in DESIGN, VALUE-ENGINEERING and PEDAGOGY

In a continued climate of austerity combined with rising numbers of pupils how do we get the best value out of our limited budgets for secondary school buildings?  

We have five speakers who have very strong ideas to contribute to this debate:

Crawford Wright, Head of Design at the Educational Funding Agency: will talk about opportunities within the Free Schools budgets and programme.

Andrew Brewerton, Head of Plymouth College of Art: will describe the amazing success of the new Plymouth School of Creative Arts.

Helen Roberts, Partner, Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios: will talk about learning from our recent award winning school buildings.

Professor Peter Barrett, Emeritus Professor University of Salford, Honorary Research Fellow University of Oxford: will talk about the measured link between classroom design and attainment.

Alistair Burns, Design Manager, Capital Programmes and Procurement, Manchester City Council: will talk about future opportunities for new schools in Manchester.

Come and join us for breakfast and a short debate chaired by Peter Clegg, Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios.

Only 20 places left and booking is essential. If you would like to attend please email events@fcbstudios.com to secure your place.

The original ‘making’ workshop returns for 2017. The 3-day workshop explores the testing of ideas through making at 1:1 and is open to all – architects, students and any other interested participants.

The workshop will begin at 4.00pm on 6th July, and finish at 3.00pm on 9th July 2017. It is being held in a 100 acre woodland 4 miles north of Bath.

The workshop is organised by Invisible Studio and leaders include Peter Clegg from FCBStudios, Meredith Bowles (MOLE Architects), Je Ahn (Studio Weave), Robert Mull (Univeristy of Brighton) and others. 

For more details visit invisiblestudio.org/sitw

The first of its kind, the Festival consists of a 4 day conference, bringing together some of the leading thinkers to share their thoughts , concerns and ideas about modern childhood, surrounded by a city-wide range of playful events and activities. As part of their commitment to becoming a UNICEF Child Friendly City, the City of Bath is hosting  the event and everyone is invited to join in the fun.

FCBStudios partner, Peter Clegg and Andrew Grant, Founder of Grant Associates, will be introducing the session on Play, Movement and Creativity.

The festival is organised by Save Childhood and 5x5x5 creativity. 

Featuring a playful programme of sensory installations, artworks, outdoor theatre and participatory creative activities for visitors of all ages, Forest of Imagination is returning to Bath for its fourth year this summer.

A temporary fantastical forest and outdoor gallery will be created in Bath by a collective of local and international artists and creative professionals during a free, four-day contemporary arts event, aligned with the International Festival of Childhood.

Architects from FCBStudios have collaborated with students from the University of Bath Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering department to create four pavilion structures for artists and workshops, to be built at Bushey Norwood National Trust for Forest of Imagination 2017.

Forest of Imagination is the brainchild of a collaborative team of Bath-based businesses, including landscape architects Grant Associates, arts-based charity 5x5x5=creativity, creative consultancy Imaginnovation and FCBStudios. It aims to highlight the inherent creativity of Bath and connect people with nature by reinventing spaces in the city to inspire intuitive play, unleash imagination and encourage exploration.

Modernism was a hugely influential movement which continues to impact our world today. But the ideas grew from a very different global context than the one we live in today. So how can the tenets of modernism be relevant now and, more specifically, what are we preserving when we refurbish and renew modernist buildings? What challenges do designers face in turning these buildings into 'modern' useful buildings? 

The exhibition introduces three important schemes:

The ambitious refurbishment of London’s Southbank Centre revitalises the existing buildings to support the Southbank Centre’s mission of hosting world-class art and culture for more people more of the time.

The refurbishment and extension of the Richmond Building for the University of Bristol exemplifies the adaptation of a significant Modern building to form a new and popular centre for University life.

The transformation of a purpose-built 10-storey modernist laboratory tower, at the University of Edinburgh's School of Biological Sciences, to once again provide state of the art research facilities.

Each scheme provides an invaluable lens through which to explore the environmental, technical and philosophical challenges in Making More of Modernism for the 21st century.

The Making More of Modernism Exhibition is part of the London Festival of Architecture 2017.

This major new NLA Insight Study showcases work currently being carried out by London-based consultancies in global markets, including eight projects by FCBStudios, on four continents. 

London: Design Capital will uncover the global reach of London’s built environment industries. From masterplans to individual projects, the Study will celebrate the capital’s exceptional design, engineering, urban planning and consultancy skills; highlight the new skills and technologies being developed for global markets; and examine the value and future for London’s built environment industries in a post-Brexit world. The Study highlights the new skills and technologies being developed in the capital; and considers the impact that any restriction on free movement may have on the industry’s ability to continue to deliver high-quality work in volume. 

FCBStudios projects include: Turquoise Mountain, Myanmar; NUI Galway Student Housing, Ireland; University of Washington Student Housing, USA; CEIE, University of Toronto, Canada; Aga Khan Academy, Dhaka, Bangladesh; National Laboratories, Amman, Jordan;  Rubengera Carpentry School, Rwanda; and HIV training clinic, Muzuzu University, Malawi. 

The exhibition is accompanied by a publication by New London Architecture.

London: Design Capital is part of London Festival of Architecture 2017.

The first of its kind, the Festival consists of a 4 day conference, bringing together some of the leading thinkers to share their thoughts , concerns and ideas about modern childhood, surrounded by a city-wide range of playful events and activities. As part of their commitment to becoming a UNICEF Child Friendly City, the City of Bath is hosting  the event and everyone is invited to join in the fun.

FCBStudios partner, Peter Clegg and Andrew Grant, Founder of Grant Associates, will be introducing the session on Play, Movement and Creativity.

The festival is organised by Save Childhood and 5x5x5 creativity. 

Featuring a playful programme of sensory installations, artworks, outdoor theatre and participatory creative activities for visitors of all ages, Forest of Imagination is returning to Bath for its fourth year this summer.

A temporary fantastical forest and outdoor gallery will be created in Bath by a collective of local and international artists and creative professionals during a free, four-day contemporary arts event, aligned with the International Festival of Childhood.

Architects from FCBStudios have collaborated with students from the University of Bath Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering department to create four pavilion structures for artists and workshops, to be built at Bushey Norwood National Trust for Forest of Imagination 2017.

Forest of Imagination is the brainchild of a collaborative team of Bath-based businesses, including landscape architects Grant Associates, arts-based charity 5x5x5=creativity, creative consultancy Imaginnovation and FCBStudios. It aims to highlight the inherent creativity of Bath and connect people with nature by reinventing spaces in the city to inspire intuitive play, unleash imagination and encourage exploration.

Modernism was a hugely influential movement which continues to impact our world today. But the ideas grew from a very different global context than the one we live in today. So how can the tenets of modernism be relevant now and, more specifically, what are we preserving when we refurbish and renew modernist buildings? What challenges do designers face in turning these buildings into 'modern' useful buildings? 

The exhibition introduces three important schemes:

The ambitious refurbishment of London’s Southbank Centre revitalises the existing buildings to support the Southbank Centre’s mission of hosting world-class art and culture for more people more of the time.

The refurbishment and extension of the Richmond Building for the University of Bristol exemplifies the adaptation of a significant Modern building to form a new and popular centre for University life.

The transformation of a purpose-built 10-storey modernist laboratory tower, at the University of Edinburgh's School of Biological Sciences, to once again provide state of the art research facilities.

Each scheme provides an invaluable lens through which to explore the environmental, technical and philosophical challenges in Making More of Modernism for the 21st century.

The Making More of Modernism Exhibition is part of the London Festival of Architecture 2017.

Balancing design solutions with building physics.

The demand for the adaptive reuse of pre-war and post-war landmark buildings and structures is rising, and will continue to rise: particularly with a changing climate, where energy conservation has become a significant influence on refurbishment. There is a widely-held belief that upgrading, or re-imagined occupancy, must be in practical or commercial conflict with preservation; but in fact projects informed by a good understanding of the behaviour of the building envelope and the significance (or otherwise) of its components can achieve remarkable results.

Via talks, case studies, and a plenary discussion, this symposium explores building science as a means of reconciling energy conservation with the conservation of our modern architectural heritage. It looked at how deep energy retrofits can be combined with conservation treatments and techniques to develop solutions that enhance rather than destroy the fabric of our built environment, save whole-life energy costs, and produce refurbished buildings that are commercially viable, attractive, and popular with occupants.

In collaboration with:
WJE Associates, Historic England, Historic Environment Scotland.

This major new NLA Insight Study showcases work currently being carried out by London-based consultancies in global markets, including eight projects by FCBStudios, on four continents. 

London: Design Capital will uncover the global reach of London’s built environment industries. From masterplans to individual projects, the Study will celebrate the capital’s exceptional design, engineering, urban planning and consultancy skills; highlight the new skills and technologies being developed for global markets; and examine the value and future for London’s built environment industries in a post-Brexit world. The Study highlights the new skills and technologies being developed in the capital; and considers the impact that any restriction on free movement may have on the industry’s ability to continue to deliver high-quality work in volume. 

FCBStudios projects include: Turquoise Mountain, Myanmar; NUI Galway Student Housing, Ireland; University of Washington Student Housing, USA; CEIE, University of Toronto, Canada; Aga Khan Academy, Dhaka, Bangladesh; National Laboratories, Amman, Jordan;  Rubengera Carpentry School, Rwanda; and HIV training clinic, Muzuzu University, Malawi. 

The exhibition is accompanied by a publication by New London Architecture.

London: Design Capital is part of London Festival of Architecture 2017.

Join UK Green Building Council and Women in Property to find out how the built environment and building design can have a positive impact on the health, wellbeing and productivity of a building's occupants.

FCBStudios' Hester Brough and Andy Macintosh will talk about their approach to designing for wellbeing in school and workplace projects. Jo Wheeler will provide an insight into UK-GBC's work on health and wellbeing across the residential and office sectors and David Johnston, Real Estate Partner from RPC, will discuss how important building design and aesthetics are to investors.

The seminar will also feature speakers from WSP on developments they have worked on and how health and wellbeing concerns have impacted on the design.

Bath is synonymous with beautiful architecture and great heritage. With a housing crisis and the ensuing need for creative living solutions, what are the options for a heritage city?

Local landscape architect Andrew Grant and architects Piers Taylor and Peter Clegg explore what the future in Bath might look like.

In partnership with the Architecture Is… Project

This major new NLA Insight Study showcases work currently being carried out by London-based consultancies in global markets, including eight projects by FCBStudios, on four continents. 

London: Design Capital will uncover the global reach of London’s built environment industries. From masterplans to individual projects, the Study will celebrate the capital’s exceptional design, engineering, urban planning and consultancy skills; highlight the new skills and technologies being developed for global markets; and examine the value and future for London’s built environment industries in a post-Brexit world. The Study highlights the new skills and technologies being developed in the capital; and considers the impact that any restriction on free movement may have on the industry’s ability to continue to deliver high-quality work in volume. 

FCBStudios projects include: Turquoise Mountain, Myanmar; NUI Galway Student Housing, Ireland; University of Washington Student Housing, USA; CEIE, University of Toronto, Canada; Aga Khan Academy, Dhaka, Bangladesh; National Laboratories, Amman, Jordan;  Rubengera Carpentry School, Rwanda; and HIV training clinic, Muzuzu University, Malawi. 

The exhibition is accompanied by a publication by New London Architecture.

London: Design Capital is part of London Festival of Architecture 2017.

What do we want - and what have we come to expect - when we visit a museum? 

Discovery? History? Connection? Insight? A decent cup of coffee?

We are hosting an event at The Whitworth to explore these questions in the company of some of the north west's finest museum, theatre, poetry and design practictioners at a special evening event.  

Clare Hughes, Partner and narrative designer, FCBStudios
Jo Beggs, Development director, Manchester Museums Partnership
Elizabeth Newman, Artistic director, Bolton Octagon Theatre
Andrew Lovett, Director and chief executive, Black Country Living Museum
Peter Clegg, Architect and founding partner, FCBStudios
Clare Lilley, Director of Programme, Yorkshire Sculpture Park 
Poetic reflections curated by Poet in the City

Booking essential via events@fcbstudios.com

Belfast has development potential unlike any other UK regional city. This allows the city to reinvent itself but the reasons for its development potential also present a distinct set of problems; the models applied to foster the development of other cities may be applicable in part, but significant issues associated with transport, land values, tenure and government structure present the need to create bespoke solutions.

‘Iconic’, ‘landmark’ and ‘gateway’ projects dot the city but the background fabric of the city itself is anemic. Missing is organic residential development around historic cores and the inclusion of higher density homes in new development plans.

In January 2017 with support from Arts & Business, PLACE and FCBStudios ran an open call for artwork addressing the above themes. The successful artists were Eamon Quinn and Caroline McCusker who put forward a joint proposal to work in collaboration. Eamon Quinn’s interest in the built environment, the physicality of a development versus the history of an area or social need, combined with Caroline McCusker’s interest in breaking down the distinction between people and their domestic objects has led to the artists developing a new collaborative sculptural work.

Focusing on construction and simultaneous destruction as a conceptual theme, and using salvaged architecture and new building materials, they have produced a finished structure that is surreal and precarious.

Ian Taylor, Managing Partner at FCBStudios and leader of the design team for the repair and maintenance of the Hayward Gallery, QEH and Purcell Room at the Southbank Centre, will be talking at the NLA breakfast talk: Transforming London’s Cultural Buildings.

An in-depth showcase of London’s most important and influential cultural building projects undergoing upgrade and transformation, the event will update on activity in ‘Albertopolis’ (V&A, Exhibition Road etc.) and Southbank Centre and the National Theatre as case studies, how can redevelopment of key cultural institutions affect and enhance London’s places?”

Neave Brown and Annalie Riches each present two housing schemes; their own homes and a public sector housing development for a comparison between their two generations. Keith Bradley, Senior Partner, FCBStudios, will chair the event.

All proceeds from the ticket sales go to the five charities: Coram, Article 25, Emthonjeni Trust, Multiple System Atrophy Trust and The Tom ap Rhys Pryce Memorial Trust.

Belfast has development potential unlike any other UK regional city. This allows the city to reinvent itself but the reasons for its development potential also present a distinct set of problems; the models applied to foster the development of other cities may be applicable in part, but significant issues associated with transport, land values, tenure and government structure present the need to create bespoke solutions.

‘Iconic’, ‘landmark’ and ‘gateway’ projects dot the city but the background fabric of the city itself is anemic. Missing is organic residential development around historic cores and the inclusion of higher density homes in new development plans.

In January 2017 with support from Arts & Business, PLACE and FCBStudios ran an open call for artwork addressing the above themes. The successful artists were Eamon Quinn and Caroline McCusker who put forward a joint proposal to work in collaboration. Eamon Quinn’s interest in the built environment, the physicality of a development versus the history of an area or social need, combined with Caroline McCusker’s interest in breaking down the distinction between people and their domestic objects has led to the artists developing a new collaborative sculptural work.

Focusing on construction and simultaneous destruction as a conceptual theme, and using salvaged architecture and new building materials, they have produced a finished structure that is surreal and precarious.

Kellogg College Hub is nearing completion. The 334m² scheme, located within the North Oxford Victorian Suburb Conservation Area provides a new café and common room that will act as a centralised hub for staff, students and visitors.

Don't miss the opportunity to visit this non-domestic scheme, aiming for the Passivhaus standard!

The AJ Small Projects Awards, launched in 1996, celebrate completed projects with a contract value of £250,000 and under. It recognises smaller schemes that have been completed by a UK-based architect either in the UK or abroad.

‘From home extensions to restaurants, offices to shops, architects all over the country are busy working on projects that may not make the headlines but nevertheless give a real indication of the design talent in Britain today.'

The exhibition opened to the public on 30 March and features design boards and models of the 20 shortlisted projects, showcasing schemes which show a commitment to quality and creative design. 

The AJ Small Projects Awards, launched in 1996, celebrate completed projects with a contract value of £250,000 and under. It recognises smaller schemes that have been completed by a UK-based architect either in the UK or abroad.

‘From home extensions to restaurants, offices to shops, architects all over the country are busy working on projects that may not make the headlines but nevertheless give a real indication of the design talent in Britain today.'

The exhibition opened to the public on 30 March and features design boards and models of the 20 shortlisted projects, showcasing schemes which show a commitment to quality and creative design. 

As part of the MK50 celebrations the MK Community Energy Conference will consider how the development of the Milton Keynes led to innovation in sustainable building design and energy efficiency and how we could rediscover this ambition through community-led energy initiatives.

Peter Clegg, founding Partner at FCBStudios will talk alongside Bill Dunster, Tim Skelton and other specialists in sustainable energy and community energy schemes. The afternoon session will focus on current Milton Keynes projects and how the city might address some of the challenges around sustainable building design and support community energy initiatives.  

FCBStudios hosts BuildUp, the second in a series of PechaKucha style events that challenge, propose and debate views on the latest trends in marketing and communications in the built environment. 

Round Two - Value?
The number of places to spend (waste) your marketing time and budget is increasing exponentially, we’re also in an increasingly noisy world with extreme competition for attention. Social media has levelled the playing field for organisations large and small but how do we make sure in this digital age that we gain the right profile – profile which enhances reputation and converts to the right work? How do we achieve, and measure, the value of our activity?

Chaired by Managing Director of ING Media, Leanne Tritton with guest speakers:
Harriett Hindmarsh Corporate Vice President Global Marketing and Communications at Aecom
Chris Bryant Partner at Alma-nac
Andrew Payne Head of Corporate Affairs at The Crown Estate

Leanne will chair an open Q&A session followed by drinks and the opportunity to share a few of your own stories.

Keith Bradley, Senior Partner at FCBStudios, and a graduate of the University of Bath will be giving a 50th Anniversary Lecture and receiving an Honorary Doctorate on Tuesday the 10th January at The Edge building in Bath.

Click here to find out more

Come and visit our newly opened Cornerhouse Gallery at our Tottenham Street studio. The inaugural exhibition features provocations and experiences from our new book: Made you look. Made you stare: inspiration from a museum road trip. How to order the book.

Explore the sensual installations which subvert the idea of the museum’s red velvet rope. We turn a symbol of necessary separation into an invitation to connect with the senses, with new ideas and to break the taboo Do Not Touch...

Copies of the book are available via our website or at the exhibition. The full cover price will be donated to the Foundling Museum. This beautiful building tells the story of the Foundling Hospital, founded by Thomas Coram in 1739, which was both the UK’s first children’s charity and its first public art gallery. 

We are delighted to host the AJ Small Projects launch and hear award-winning architects talk about how their small but powerful schemes have propelled them on to bigger things.

Well Built explores how architects, designers, academics and entrepreneurs are being influenced by contemporary research on health and wellbeing and features the award winning Dyson Centre for Neonatal Care by FCBStudios.

The exhibition showcases new ways of thinking about architecture and health that are informing both the design of therapeutic environments, as well as everyday spaces such as offices, schools,
homes, public spaces and parks. The exhibition is the result of a collaborative research project initiated by the Museum of Architecture in Autumn 2015.

The Museum of Architecture is a charity dedicated to stimulating innovation in the architecture industry.

The ambitious £250m redevelopment of Ulster University’s Belfast campus has been described as a ‘transformational project’ for Belfast City centre.

Thousands of students and staff will occupy the new buildings when fully completed in 2019. The campus has been designed to provide a modern, innovative and inspiring environment for teaching, learning and research. The first phase of the development, which was designed to attain BREEAM Excellent rating, opened in 2015.

This is an opportunity to see the new campus with architects Sam Tyler, Paul Warwick, Theo Dales and Cormac Maguire of FCBStudios. Learn about the design approach and the on-going work to deliver the largest construction project currently underway in Belfast.

Organised as part of Open House Belfast Architecture & Engineering Festival which takes place from the 21 – 23 October 2016.

Click here to book or find out more about the other tours.

FCBStudios Belfast office is delighted to host an ‘Open Office’ lunchtime talk showcasing the working practices behind the buildings we create.

The practice started small over 38 years ago and, in spite of our growth to over 200 staff, we continue to be committed to social and humanistic values in our work. We are proud to have won the RIBA Stirling Prize for Accordia, a scheme which is widely regarded as setting a new benchmark for housing in the UK. We are the top RIBA National Award winning practice of the last decade.

The Belfast office recently organised a series of events entitled ‘What’s the big idea?’ which focused on examples of how cities, neighbourhoods and business have been transformed by design focused projects.

Organised as part of Open House Belfast Architecture & Engineering Festival which takes place from the 21 – 23 October 2016.

Click here to book or find out more about the other tours.

Join Keith Bradley at the University of Bath to watch oscar nominated 'My Architect'.

A riveting tale of love, art, betrayal and forgiveness – in which the illegitimate son of a legendary architect undertakes a worldwide exploration to discover and understand his father and the personal choices he made.

This screening is part of The Edge's successful architecture series that brings together architecture students, staff, professionals and interested audiences.

Keith will lead the post-film discussion.

This is an exhibition organised by New London Architecture (NLA)  showcasing over 100 current London workplace projects and initiatives, inlcuding a new model called 'The Ark' by a team from FCBStudios that provides office space in underused churches.

The Ark could offer a unique alternative to the London office rental market, whilst supporting the finances of city churches. Church conversions are all too familiar, but their sale on the open market breaks the historic pattern of continuous, responsible ownership; and cuts ties between churches and their traditional use.

Click here to find out more

Houses form the highest proportion of all heritage assets, whether purpose designed or later adapted to incorporate residential accommodation. Balancing the changing needs of homeowners whilst protecting the architectural and historic value of historic buildings continues to present ongoing challenges to architects and conservation professionals alike.  

Join Simon Branson and James Sibson from FCBStudios who will guest speak at 'Home is where the heart is: Meeting housing need in historic buildings and areas'. A conference organised by the Institute of Historic Building Conservation (IHBC).

Click here to find out more

A lot has happened since the Architecture Centre first opened its doors onto Narrow Quay in 1996. 'Place, Time + Architecture' is the Centre’s retrospective exhibition presenting the past, present and future state of architecture and place-making in the city and will feature projects by FCBStudios, including the new Bristol Arena.

Book your seats now for September's 'AJ Specification Live' taking place at the award-winning Manchester School of Art by FCBStudios.

Partner Tom Jarman from FCBStudios and project architect for the Manchester School of Art joins the event as guest speaker. He will present recent arts education projects the practice have undertaken and the architectural language that underpins their construction. 

The Architects’ Journal monthly supplement 'AJ Specification Live' focuses on architectural technology, design and is an essential reference to help plan project spending and benchmark suppliers’ quotes.

AJ Specification Live is an event which aims to provide attendees the opportunity to come along to listen and learn more about the topic featured in the current edition of the magazine. 

FREE event, booking essential.

Open House London will be running walks, talks and tours around a selection of the capital's buildings to celebrate it's annual festival of architecture and design.

FCBStudios project Chelsea Academy is amongst the list of London's splendid buildings open to the general public who don't otherwise have access. 

The Academy is situated on a very constrained site in Lots Road, Chelsea. Sponsored by the London Diocesan Board for Schools (LDBS) and The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, it provides world-class education for approximately 800 pupils in years 7 to 11 and 250 students in the sixth form.

The design provides identity, flexibility and an inspirational educational environment. The building design responds to the constrained nature of this urban site and the requirement for highly adaptable spaces to provide for future flexibility. 

The Pea Soup House team joins The Fitzrovia Partnership for a morning dedicated to information, discussion and action on air quality improvement in Fitzrovia London.

Deputy Mayor of London, Val Shawcross will provide an overview of how the Mayor's Air Quality Strategy "Clearing the Air" impacts business, with TfL's Surface Transport Managing Director, Leon Daniels launching TfL's "Re-thinking Deliveries Toolkit".

The morning is an opportunity to see first-hand the projects and products the partnership is delivering as its members and partners 'green' Fitzrovia's urban streetscape.

FCBStudios presents ‘Pea Soup House’, an installation on display at the RIBA Headquarters as part of London Festival of Architecture.

‘Pea Soup House’ is one of three selected works from the RIBA ‘Constructing Communities’ open call which set out to find works by large to small practices and students, responding to ideas of how architecture can influence or create communities.

The installation uses low cost, carbon neutral materials to create a high impact, transportable installation. It raises awareness of air pollution and brings together communities through food.

Each team have been awarded £5,000 to realise their structures on a true scale, which will be built and exhibited throughout the RIBA building, with the research and development exhibited in the Practice Space.

The exhibition will launch late Tuesday 21 June with a series of talks, debates and forums.

This conference includes the launch of the new Higher Education Design Quality Forum (HEDQF)/RIBA Publishing book entitled “Future Campus” edited by Ian Taylor from FCBStudios.

What will the university of the future look like? Technology, society, the aspirations of students and the needs of researchers are changing and becoming ever more demanding in the competitive world while funding and cost of tuition continues to be a challenge. Students and staff expect well-designed, technology-rich, high quality facilities that reflect the identity of the university, while universities have a renewed focus on collaboration with a wide variety of organisations - locally, national and internationally. 

The HEDQF’s Annual Conference for 2016 will examine how universities and designers are responding to these challenges. 

Click here for further details including speaker information and booking.

The RIBA’s Great British Building series is paying a visit to the RIBA South West award-winning Plymouth School of Creative Arts.

Affectionately known locally as the ‘Red House’ it was one of six projects shortlisted for the Architect Journal’s Building of the Year, and PSCA received the AJ100 Client of the Year Award.

Project Architect Andy Theobald will discuss the design process behind the school in a special talk and tour. His work on the project also earned him the 2016 RIBA South West Project Architect of the Year prize. Andy will be joined by PSCA head teacher Dave Strudwick, who will discuss the build from the client’s perspective.

The Pea Soup House Team will join an evening of presentations, powered by PechaKucha, along with a series of other social innovators to present projects which are engaging, or could engage, London’s communities in creating better places and spaces.

What does community mean in a major metropolis? With guest speakers:

Catherine Staniland, Deputy Director, New London Architecture (Chair)
Pea Soup House Team, Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios 
Nevena Kovacevic, Lighting Designer, Light Follows Behaviour
Noha Nasser, Founder, MELA 
Spyros Katsaros, Associate Director, PRP 
Will Sandy, Creative Director, Edible Bus Stop 
Chris Moss, Founder, Earthenware Landscape Architects 
Holly Lewis, Co-founding Partner, We Made That 
Nick Hartwright, Director, Mill Co

Organised by the New London Architecture (NLA)
Image credit: Wild Kingdom Playspace, We Made That

Embark Bristol's historic ‘Tower Belle’ for social networking, drinks and nibbles with professional colleagues from across our sector, as we tour Bristol’s fascinating harbour by boat with a special commentary on the Bristol Arena from FCBStudios.

Ticket price includes a drink and light food. A partnership of RIBA Bristol & Bath and Forum for Tomorrow. Kindly sponsored by Marshalls and Stride Treglown.

On 3–6 June 2016 Forest of Imagination takes root in Bath for its third year.

Come and immerse yourself in a playful programme of sensory installations, artworks, outdoor theatre and participatory creative activities at this 4 day contemporary arts event.

Join us as we highlight the inherent creativity of Bath and connect people with nature by reinventing spaces in the city to inspire intuitive play, unleash imagination and encourage exploration...

FCBStudios competition entry ‘Pea Soup House’ will be exhibited at the RIBA ‘Constructing Communities’ exhibition along with 18 other long-listed project entries, as part of London Festival of Architecture 2016.

The brief set out to find works by large to small practices and students, responding to ideas of how architecture can influence or create communities.

‘Pea Soup House’ uses low cost, carbon neutral materials to create a high impact, transportable installation. It raises awareness of air pollution and brings together communities through food. The entry by a team from FCBStudios is one of three submissions awarded £5,000 to realise the structures, and the 1:1 installations will be on display at RIBA HQ from the 21^st June.

Sinan: The First Starchitect is an exhibition exploring the life and work of Mimar Sinan, architect to the sultans of the Ottoman Empire and the maestro behind the skyline of historic Istanbul.

In November 2015, Turkishceramics and the Architects' Journal took a group of British architects to Istanbul and Edirne on a research trip to study the work of Ottoman architect Mimar Sinan.

The trip has resulted in a book and exhibition featuring research projects conducted by the participating architecture practices; Ian Ritchie Architects, Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners, Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios, DSDHA, Reiach and Hall Architects, Sam Jacob Studio and Bureau de Change.

This fascinating exhibition focuses on Sinan’s mastery of the art of building, from his use of ceramics to his designs of mosque complexes and urban infrastructure.

This event is for future leaders of the top architectural practices, those at associate level who are more involved with design and specification who will become the next generation of architectural heads.

Karen Cook, founding partner of PLP Architecture, will be talking about how to succeed in big firms, how to motivate people and get the best from your team - as well as what to look for in employees when they’re moving up the ranks.

Other speakers include Ben Adams, founding director of Ben Adams Architects and Carl Turner, founder of Carl Turner Architects, who will be offering insight into how to get started, approach clients and win new business – as well as their top negotiation tips.

Matthew Turner, the AJ coach, will be sharing advice to help get you to the next step in your career. 

The seminar, chaired by Christine Murray, editor-in-chief of the AJ, is open to anyone who strives to run an AJ100 practice in the future.

The Royal Institute of British Architects Stirling Prize is the UK’s most prestigious architectural award. Since 1996 is has been presented each year to the architects of the building that has made the greatest contribution to British architecture.

This exhibition showcases photographs and models from the winning projects across the past two decades and includes our housing scheme Accordia.

Also featuring archive RIBA videos and a gallery based family activity inspired by the work of the artist Morag Myerscough.

Exhibition on tour from RIBA

This film shows Norman Foster’s journey from Manchester to a global practice. It talks about architecture, and why it matters, and how difficult it is to do it well.

Norman Foster’s vision and unswerving passion for excellence have created some of the most exceptional structures of our times, including 30 St Mary Axe and Wembley Stadium. Architecture comes alive.

Winner of the San Sebastián International Film Festival 2010 Best European Film. Directed by Carlos Carcas and Noberto López Amado.

"By accident or design, this movie makes his buildings look airily light: Expressions of pure thought and design" The Guardian

Peter Clegg will join the 'Post Show Talk'.

With Turner Prize winners Assemble (3/3)

This talk looks at how Assemble's work in Liverpool empowered communities to save streets of historic houses from demolition. FCBS’s Geoff Rich will discuss how historic buildings can be given a new lease on life enabling them to last for future generations.

Architecture collaborative Assemble broke the mould this year by becoming the first architectural practice to win the Turner prize. Their work re-defines how art, architecture and people can make real changes to the built environment from the ground up by developing collaborative relationships with the public.

More information

With Architecture 00 (2/3)

The world we live in has changed dramatically over the last 10 years, technology has transformed the way we communicate and share information. What are the real life applications for design in this new age?

How can the investment in one venture leave a lasting legacy that generates growth, skills and jobs?

More information

This exhibition details the best completed projects with a contract value of £250,000 and under. This year the exhibition will feature The Observatory, a rotating and mobile artist studio and workshop and winner of the Architects’ Journal Small Projects Readers’ Choice Award 2016.

The AJ Small Projects Awards, were launched in 1996 to give much-deserved recognition to the many high quality schemes with low pricetags.

With Ben Hamilton Bailie and a group of architectural students from Bath University (1/3)

Ben Hamilton Bailie, a transport and urban designer, has advocated the humanisation of our public realm over the last 20 years. 

Ben will present his work on shared spaces which will then will be followed by provocative proposals by architectural students on what it would take to make Belfast the UK’s most liveable city.

Chaired by Peter Clegg

More information

On the evening of 20^th January FCBStudios hosted the book launch of ‘Learning From Schools’ by Peter Clegg at our Front Room event space in London.

Over 100 guests joined us to discuss and debate themes around the book with guest speakers Dave Strudwick, Head teacher from Plymouth School of Creative Arts, Harry Daniels and Hau Ming Tse from the Department of Education University of Oxford and Mairi Johnson, Global Lead for Education Sector at AECOM.

To find out more about the book and to purchase a copy please click here.

Join RIBA North West for a drinks reception and tour of the RIBA Award-winning Manchester Metropolitan University Student Union.

Partner Simon Doody from FCBStudios will give a short talk and then lead the tour of the building.

Booking essential.

Join Peter Clegg at the University of Bath to watch Director Sydney Pollack’s first-feature length documentary about acclaimed architect, Frank O. Gehry. One of the towering figures of 20^th and 21^st Century architecture Pollack’s film is a mesmerizing portrait of the man and his work.

Beginning with Gehry’s own original sketches for each major project, the film explores Gehry’s process of turning these abstract drawings, first into tangible, three-dimensional models, and then into finished buildings of titanium and glass, concrete and steel, wood and stone.

The screening will be accompanied by discussion with Peter Clegg.

FCBStudios will be at MIPIM UK 2015 where we will be showcasing two projects on the AJ Architecture Tomorrow stand.

Visit us at stand B10 Olympia London between 21st-23rd October to see proposals for Ulster University Belfast Campus Development (phase 2) and Birmingham Conservatoire.

In attendance will be Partners Jason Cornish andSimon Carter. If you would like to arrange a meeting please contact us atevents@fcbstudios.com.

We hope to see you there.

FCBStudios’ submission entitled ‘Community Led Intensification’ will be exhibited at the NLA as part of the 'New ideas for Housing London' international competition.

The exhibition presents a selection of both practical and more radical ideas: from increasing self-building and co-housing, to building over infrastructure assets, infilling council estates, and densifying the suburbs and forms part of a major NLA Insight Study, backed up by independent research, examining what needs to happen in the capital to improve the speed, scale and quality of its housing supply. It is supported by a series of free talks, conferences and tours.

For further information go to the NLA website.

A huge thank you to all our friends old and new who joined us at our London office to celebrate the Richard Feilden Foundation 10 Year Anniversary.

Attended by over 100 guests, short presentations were given by Trustees, new partners and other members of the Foundation’s team that reflected on the tremendous work the RFF has carried out over the last decade. Here’s to another successful 10 years!

To find out more about the work of the RFF or to get involved go to
richardfeildenfoundation.org.uk.