The 2024 London Festival of Architecture (LFA) is unfolding, running from June 1st to 30th 2024 and marking the 20th anniversary of the capital's annual celebration of the built environment. Under the theme of ‘Reimagine’, this year's rich programme of events spans – as always – the month of June, seeking to inspire a rethink of all things architecture, challenging the norm while nodding to great designs and practitioners.
From installations to exhibitions, workshops, talks and special events, this year's 400-plus calendar listings are designed to be open to industry professionals and the wider public alike, inviting everyone to discuss and experience architecture in the vibrant city of London.
2024 London Festival of Architecture highlights
'Architectural Blasting Chamber' by Bompas & Parr
The festival's anniversary edition has the appropriate fireworks extravaganza for its celebration, in the shape of Bompas & Parr's 'Architectural Blasting Chamber'. The adrenaline will surely surge in this event, which places visitors at the heart of a fireworks display – while donning bespoke safety gear, of course, designed to comfortably take on temperatures of up to 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit. The event will take place at the Bompas & Parr Studio in Southwark and includes an exhibition on the history of fireworks. A limited number of tickets is available over two weeks in June, so book fast. A portion of the ticket sales will go towards cancer charity Maggie’s.
Thursday 20 June 2024: 6.30pm-8.30pm
Friday 21 June: 10am-12pm / 12.30pm-2.30pm
Thursday 27 June 2024: 6.30pm-8.30pm
Friday 28 June: 10am-12pm
'Brutalism in Colour' at Gareth Gardner Gallery
The Deptford gallery of photographer Gareth Gardner is putting on a show that blends two seemingly clashing elements – brutalism and colour. Presenting photographer Christopher Hope-Fitch's long-term project of the theme that blends the two, the exhibition captures vivid images of over 100 brutalist architecture locations – but instead of the typical greyscale tones of concrete, these images are awash with vibrant colour variations, achieved through different light sources and surfaces, and amplified in post-production. Fine art edition prints will also be available to purchase, while graphics, publication design and branding for the show have been designed by Tim George.
7 June – 16 June 2024 and by appointment
'Reimagining Women's Work' by Part W
'Women's Work: London', a printed map celebrating the contributions of women in our built environment, launched earlier in the year, 'highlighting significant and groundbreaking buildings in the capital where women have played a key role in their creation'. The project, led by action group Part W, a collective for design and architecture activism around gender equality in the field, was supported by a crowdfunding campaign – and will now be discussed further at a dedicated event during the festival at the Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios.
12 June, 6pm-8.30pm
'Craft, Community, Connection' by Studio Saar
If a festival of architecture feels wrong without the presence of project models and drawings, look no further than Anglo-Indian Studio Saar's 'Craft, Community, Connection' showcase. Including architectural models, photographs, drawings and film, this event at the Crafts Council Gallery, takes visitors through a journey of discovery across the practice's vision and mission. 'Saar means “essence” in Sanskrit and exploring the soul of a brief, a place and its people is fundamental to the practice’s approach,' the studio writes.
7 June until 15 June
‘Radial’ pavilion at Principal Place
A new summer pavilion at Principal Place has been created by Foster + Partners in collaboration with Brookfield Properties for the London Festival of Architecture 2024 as a focal point for the community to gather. Tom Bush, associate partner at Foster + Partners, said: ''Radial' embodies the concept of sustainability by envisioning a life beyond its own existence. It seeks to redefine the narrative surrounding temporary structures, shifting focus from the lifespan of the building to the lifecycle of the materials, leaving a positive legacy beyond its temporary existence. Taking inspiration from other retrofit projects that we are working on, we aimed to use as much existing building fabric as possible and confronted the unavoidable wastage of materials. When given the chance to design a temporary structure, we led with the principles of reuse and circular economy, ensuring that the pavilion was responsible and environmentally sensitive.'
The Dalston Pavilion by The LSA
The London School of Architecture's (LSA) Dalston Pavilion was inspired by the traditional ‘cabinet of curiosities.’ The new, public, timber structure aims to act as an outdoor exhibition space, dining room and classroom, off the busy Kingsland Road. It is also a structure made as a prototype of the LSA’s brand-new in-house project delivery office, CITIZEN. Neal Shasore, head of school and chief executive, said: 'The LSA has been based in Hackney for half its life, and intends to stay in the borough, collaborating with communities and investing in underserved and underrepresented young people who want to learn more about the built environment.'
Play Place by Delve Architects
For this year's festival, Delve Architects and a team of collaborators have crafted something for the kids - young and old. The colourful structure, set in Leicester Square Gardens is a nod to playing, highlighting the loss of spaces where play during childhood can thrive - especially in dense urban conditions. The piece was created by Delve and Plaey Workshop, in partnership with Heart of London Business Alliance, Westminster City Council and London Festival of Architecture, sponsored by Dragon Smoke Construction.
Armadillo by Unknown Works
In joint celebration of 2024 London Festival of Architecture and Houghton Arts & Music Festival, London studio Unknown Works has designed the 'Armadillo pavilion,' an experimental CLT structure set at Trinity Buoy Wharf. Conceived as a collaboration between Unknown Works, Xilonor, ConstruktCLT and Houghton Music & Arts Festival, with the support of Unknown Works, ConstruktCLT, Studio Allen, Rothoblaas, ARUP, Charcoalblue, Klimstar and Rubio Monocoat, the piece stepped timber arches ascending in size, constructed from 42 prefabricated CLT panels.
The 2024 London Festival of Architecture runs 1-30 June
