Our first week picks of the London Festival of Architecture

Architecture | 8 Jun 2016 | By Sara Sturges

Out and about: London Festival of Architecture’s first highlights

The Great Architectural Bake-off

Wooden spoons at the ready, The Great Architectural Bake-Off, hosted by WATG, will see London’s top architects and designers to turn their construction talents to cake. Tasked with recreating the world’s most recognisable and iconic buildings in edible form, the participants will be overseen by a judging panel comprising Sam Bompas of jelly connoisseurs Bompas and Parr, our very own editor-at-large Henrietta Thompson and LFA’s director Tamsie Thomson, who will crown the winner based on realistic representation, the most creative use of materials and – of course – taste.

WATG and Wimberly Interiors London Office. 11 June 12pm – 2pm

Papers

Tackling the topic of the moment – the refugee crisis – Papers, the one-day festival hosted by the Architecture Foundation and held in the Barbican Conservatory, sets out to explore the culture, art and architecture emerging from refugee camps across the continent. Papers has invited refugee artists, musicians, chefs and poets to contribute to the festival, with the day-long programme of discussions, performances and films taking place on multiple stages. The festival hopes to initiate a conversation with some of the world’s leading thinkers on refugee camps and migration.

The Barbican Conservatory, Silk Street, EC2Y 8DS. 10 June

The Art of Designing Civic Spaces (Battersea Power Station Development Company)

The Battersea Power Station development is one of London’s most exciting in-progress regeneration projects. To discuss their approach to creating Malasia Square – the new central concourse at the heart of the development – Kai-Uwe Bergmann, partner at Bjarke Ingels Group, will lead a discussion with the Battersea Power Station Development Company on the the creation of public spaces. The talk will also explore a selection of BIG’s most recently completed works.

188 Kirtling Street, SW8 5BN. 7 June 6pm – 8.30pm

66 Portland Place building tour: the home of British architecture

RIBA’s renowned art deco home at 66 Portland Place is providing the capital’s visitors with the opportunity to discover its secrets. Small groups will be escorted around the historic headquarters on hour-long tours, by a guide who will shed light on the building’s fascinating stories and architectural legacy; a journey perfect for everyone from seasoned architects to casual enthusiasts.

Royal Institute of British Architects, 66 Portland Place, W1B 1AD. 4–25 June

’At Home in Britain: Designing the House of Tomorrow’ at the RIBA

What is the future of Britain’s housing? RIBA’s newest exhibition ‘At Home in Britain: Designing the House of Tomorrow’, which will run until 29 August, will present an exploration of three typical British housing vernaculars by six architectural practices. Mecanoo, Maison Edouard François, Jamie Fobert Architects, Mae, vPPR and Studio Weave will each examine a theme from the topics of ’The Flat’,’The Cottage’ and ’The Terrace’ to produce creative and speculative visions of their own conceptions of the future British home.

Royal Institute of British Architects, 66 Portland Place, W1B 1AD

Serpentine pavilion

The much anticipated annual Serpentine pavilion, this year designed by the Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG), will be open to the public from 10 June. The modular, sculptural and transparent construction will provide shelter for visitors, as well as a range of learning, debate and educational programs during the evening. Alongside BIG’s pavilion is a series of four smaller summer houses designed by NLÉ (Amsterdam/Lagos); Yona Friedman (Paris); Barkow Leibinger (Berlin/New York); and Asif Khan (London). Image courtesy Bjarke Ingels Group

Serpentine Galleries, Kensington Gardens, W2 3XA

Triumph Pavilion 2016: Energy Pavilion – Pinwheel

Organised by ArchTriumph, this year’s Triumph Pavilion, named ’Energy Pavilion – Pinwheel’, is the product of the annual call for submissions to envision a free standing and temporary pavilion in celebration of architecture and design. Designed by the London-based firm Five Line Projects, this year’s structure was inspired by pinwheel toys and aims to encapsulate the notion that one single action can trigger greater change.

Museum Gardens (next to the V&A Museum of Childhood), E2 9PA. 9 June – 3 July

John Robertson Architects: ’Victorian Industrialist vs Millennial Entrepreneur’

John Robertson Architects, the London-based global architecture, design, planning and strategic consultancy firm, will host an evening of Pecha Kucha talks during the Festival. The topic of discussion, ‘Victorian Industrialist vs Millennial Entrepreneur’, will offer an opportunity for the six invited speakers to engage in a conversation on how Londoners’ attitudes to life and work have altered environments and impacted the surrounding communities. Image courtesy John Robertson Architects

1 Primrose Street, EC2A 2EX. 15 June, 6:30pm – 8:30pm

Karakusevic Carson Architects’ ’Listening and Doing – An Exploration of Contemporary Housing Design’

One of a number of studios opening their doors during the festival, Karakusevic Carson Architects invite the public into their practice with the exhibition ‘Listening and Doing – An Exploration of Contemporary Housing Design’. The show will investigate contemporary housing design and how homes are conceived in collaboration with local communities. Displays explore how the practice directly involves residents from the very start of its projects, raising housing standards and pushing boundaries to enable the creation of successful homes and thriving communities. Photography: Mike Althorpe

Unit E03, The Biscuit Factory, 100 Clements Road, SE16 4DG

Information: The London Festival of Architecture will run until 30 June. For further information, visit the LFA website

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Out and about: London Festival of Architecture’s first highlights

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