London Festival of Architecture 2023 gets under way

The programme of events and activations for the 2023 edition of the London Festival of Architecture, which will run across London until 30 June, gets under way today.

The programme features over 400 events to be delivered over across the capital, including 11 installations and 2 wayfinding trails. This diverse and engaging series of public events and installations is aimed at anyone with an interest in London’s architecture and the spaces that surround us.

LFA aims to bring a critical lens to city-making while looking forward with hope, so we can make our city greener, healthier, more inclusive and equitable – a London by and for all Londoners. The programme is people-led and curated by event organisers, featuring over 400 events across the capital

LFA2023 invites organisers and participants to explore the theme of ‘In Common’, reflecting on what we share, including the finite number of natural resources we have left and the physical ‘commons’ public spaces we use.

Photo: Design Concept for Seats at the Table by Re-Fabricate & The DisOrdinary Project.

Events at LFA2023 will be taking place across London’s neighbourhoods with particular attention to selected areas, which form the LFA Destinations. Featuring some of London’s most architecturally significant and diverse areas, the 2023 Destinations are Brixton, City of London, Clerkenwell & Holborn, Royal Docks and South Westminster. For the first time the Festival Destinations include outer London boroughs of Barnet, and Bromley (Penge & Palace).

Highlights in the 2023 Destinations include installations such as:

• Seats at the Table: a fully co-designed intervention in Postman’s Park aimed at challenging conventional public realm design and exploring how the use of different designs, materials and ways of working can create public spaces which are truly accessible. From ReFabricate and the DisOrdinary Architecture Project; the winner of the ‘Co-designing Equity in the Public Realm’ design competition.
• Fleet Street Flower Press: a greening installation by Wayward of herbal and medicinal plants inspired by 16th century herbalist John Gerard and the area’s history of printing.
• Urban Playground: designed to shift perspectives about use of public space in the City, this installation by McCloy and Muchemwa in Fen Court brings an element of unexpected play.
• Vertical Farm-to-Fork at the Factory: an installation, tour and talk at the Factory Project in the Royal Docks showcasing the Vertical Farm-to-Fork project from Spacelab and Projekt, at its design stage using XR technology from Spheroid Universe.

Public events include:

• Yasmeen Lari at the Ecocity World Summit 2023: Yasmeen Lari and Prof. Hanif Kara lead ‘Climate Migrants: Self-Reliant Communities After Natural Disasters’, a session at the Ecocity World Summit at the Barbican Centre.
• Finding a Common Language: Engaging Young People in Urban Design: an evening of fast-paced presentations from practitioners across different sectors who are leading the way in engaging young people in urban design and placemaking, from Thornton Education Trust.
• The Remaking of Strand Aldwych as Common Ground: a guided tour of newly transformed Strand south of Aldwych with the lead designer, Cannon Ivers of LDA Design.
• Crystal Palace Subway – A Conservation Journey: an exclusive tour through the active conservation and restoration project revitalising the Crystal Palace Victorian Subway, from DBR Ltd.
• Brixton Re:Created: an orchestral performance by Brixton Chamber Orchestra on and around the concourse of Brixton’s iconic Recreation Centre, a “bold architectural statement” in the middle of the town.
• More in Common – the Changing Face of Fleet Street: a walking tour discussing the new era of Fleet Street’s development and the preservation of its rich history. From Ben Adams Architects.
• Build Up Stonegrove: talk and exhibition from Stonegrove Community Trust on the youth-led co-design project to transform the Stonegrove Estates for the benefit of the local community.
• Common Ground: a symposium from the London Metropolitan University on how the commons can address our increasingly precarious urban working and living conditions, hosted at City Hall in the Royal Docks.
• Creative Words with Theresa Lola: poet Theresa Lola invites visitors to get creative with words during this relaxed event in Crystal Palace Park. Brought to you by Invisible Palace.

Rosa Rogina, Director of London Festival of Architecture, said: “It’s fascinating to see how this year’s programme is exploring and interrogating the theme of ‘In Common’.

“The experiences we do and don’t have in common are central to the evolution and development of our city; we are living in extraordinary times and have collectively become aware of a wide spectrum of systematic inequalities our cities hold, so I’m delighted the LFA2023 programme addresses many of these challenges with optimism, originality and curiosity while leaving a lasting legacy to London.

“I can’t wait for everyone to explore the sheer variety of events in June, from installations to workshops to tours and more, encouraging collaboration and supporting our key mission at NLA to bring people together to shape a better city.”