The London Festival of Architecture (LFA) has today revealed its programme of events taking place across Greater London in June to mark its 20th anniversary.
Over the past two decades the Festival has had a major impact on the shape of the city, influencing major public projects, key policies and reimagining the way citizens engage with London. The Festival’s mission is to open up discussion round architecture, test new ideas, and uncover and promote new talent.
From providing platforms from which careers are launched – including Yinka Ilori’s Colour Palace for the Dulwich Picture Gallery in the summer of 2019 – to opening up meaningful conversations and proposals from those that live and work as part of the communities that inhabit our built spaces, the London Festival of Architecture has embraced and celebrated change for 20 years.
Encouraging everyone to be active citizens in shaping the future of our city, 2024 will also see the return of Studio Lates, offering the opportunity to see behind the scenes in London’s leading architecture and design practices in Cambridge Heath and Hackney, Clerkenwell, Shoreditch, Fitzrovia and Bloomsbury, Southbank and London Bridge.
In addition to expanding who engages with conversations around city-making – with over 1 million people engaged in 2023 alone – LFA provides a test bed for new ideas and creative solutions for problems across the city, with temporary reimagining of public space during the festival leading to long term positive change for communities and spaces across London. This year, examples include a series of installations across the City of London that will host assemblies and performances throughout June, a revamp of a sports pavilion in Barnet that will see the local community invited to share their thoughts about the long-term future of the shared building and a creative redesign outside of Warren Street station which will be celebrated with a road closure for the local community to explore the installation.
A crowd of people walking on a streetDescription automatically generated
Exhibition Road from LFA2008
LFA2024 events will be taking place across Greater London with particular attention to selected areas, which form the LFA Destinations. Featuring some of London’s most architecturally significant and diverse areas, the 2024 Destinations are: Barnet; Bromley; Fitzrovia; West End; City of London; Ealing Road & Alperton; Sutton Town Centre and Wood Green and Alexandra Palace. Each LFA Destination offers the public the opportunity to appreciate the architectural quality and culture of the area, as well as attend a wealth of events and activities.
Under the theme of ‘Reimagine’, this year’s programme will build on the mission to create space for knowledge-sharing and exploration, delivering a rich cultural programme across London’s neighbourhoods. The programme will come alive talks, workshops, performances, tours, plus installations and interventions and special events that reflect and reimagine what we want our future city, its communities and the industry to look like.
Highlights include:
Dalston Pavilion | The London School of Architecture | Exhibition
Bland Designs – help us imagine a new look for artsdepot | artsdepot | Workshop
East Finchley Stagesette | East Finchley Town Team | Installation
Manifestos: Architecture for a new generation | the Design Museum | Talk
Sound Waves and Stories: DJMC Library Showcase | The London DJ & MC Academy CIC | North Finchley Library | Workshop
Evolution in Motion: Sutton Community Dance Performances | London Borough of Sutton | Sutton High Street | Performance
Reimgaine career pathways into the Built Environment | Ryder Architecture | Middlesex House | Talk
Benjamin O’Connor, Director, NLA said: “The London Festival of Architecture has always been about exploring and driving positive change for London and all the communities that live, work and explore here. In its 20th year, the London Festival of Architecture will ‘reimagine’ how we can shape a more equitable, accessible and sustainable city — a London by, and for, all Londoners. Working with our partners, London’s boroughs, Business Improvement Districts, practices and local communities the London Festival of Architecture showcases ideas for change and how positive architectural thinking can deliver a better city.”
