When the London Festival of Architecture announced it will be moving its physical activities to later in the year due to the coronavirus pandemic, it came as no surprise; a slew of design and architecture events around the world have been postponed or cancelled due to the ongoing global health emergency. But when the beloved London summer event added that the capital's public would still get its architectural celebration next month – albeit in an innovative, digital form – we got even more excited.
Retaining its June spot and theme – ‘Power' – LFA Digital 2020 will be launching a variety of virtual events next week. There's something for everyone; from online building tours, video-based talks and events (there's even a pub quiz!), to popular staples such as the Architecture Bake Off, which will take place online for the first time ever, and new entries, such as the project 30 Objects in 30 Days, which sets out to create a series of videos where architects, design enthusiasts and specialists nominate their favourite object that relates to power and architecture, referencing the festival's overall theme.
‘We are thrilled to be launching such an amazing programme for LFA Digital 2020,' says LFA director Tamsie Thompson. ‘Only two months ago the prospects for the LFA in 2020 looked doubtful – but thanks to our resilience and an amazing response from our many friends and supporters in London and around the world, we’ve got a festival to be proud of. LFA Digital is full of content that is experimental, daring and challenging – but also plenty of fun. This extraordinary programme for extraordinary times is designed to appeal to a global public audience, and I cannot wait for the LFA’s latest edition to begin.'
Dip into the festival's rich programme – swiftly and immaculately curated thanks to the enthusiasm of LFA's many supporters and contributors – to explore architecture as you hadn't before, and get challenged and inspired by experiencing urban design in a city during lockdown.
Here are the highlights
‘Giant Doll’s House – alone-together' by the Giant Dolls House Project
1 - 14 June
The concept is simple: built your own doll's house in a shoe box. The results? As varied, creative and unexpected as you can imagine. The collaborative project is delivered with the help of Oxfam and flags up the importance of home, especially in the light of the global refugee crisis. Everyone can submit work by sending a photo of their creation to the organizers.
A live stream tour of Adolf Loos’ Villa Winternitz by the Czech Centre
18 June / 5pm
Travelling may not be an option right now, but enjoying great architecture, thankfully, still is. Tune in at the Czech Centre in London for the first ever virtual tour of the recently restored 1932 Villa Winternitz by celebrated Modernist Adlof Loos in Prague.
‘Windows on the World’: A People Power (Re)Presentation by the Velorose Gallery
4 June – 3 July
The Velorose Gallery is inviting us all to create and send in our own take on ‘Outside Looking In’ or ‘Inside Looking Out’. The art pieces will be submited in the form of a postcard to be exhibited online. What better way to explore different takes on how we see our environment?
The [Online] Architecture Bake Off by London Festival of Architecture
1 - 11 June
Prepare to be inspired - architecturally and culinarily - with the return of an LFA favourite; the Architectural Bake Off. Architects and members of the public are invited to combine baking skills with architectural imagination. Send in your submission by 8 June. Contestants will be showcased online and put to a public vote to name the overall winner.
Bauhaus Remains by Embassy of Israel UK - Cultural Department
1 - 17 June
There are plenty of options to enjoy architecture virtually this year. Four films produced by the Steve Tisch School of Film & Television, Tel Aviv University and the Bauhaus University Weimar Faculty of Art and Design, explore Bauhaus and its lasting effects.
Manifestos: Architecture for a New Generation by London Festival of Architecture & the Design Museum
17 June
This annual collaboration is back, showcasing emerging voices in architecture. The project will take the shape of a virtual workshop of the 10 participating nominees, who will share their manifestos, followed by an online exhibition.
30 Objects in 30 Days by London Festival of Architecture
1 - 30 June
A new entry in the LFA calendar, this project collects nominations from 30 of the capital's leading architects and developers, artists and curators, politicians and journalists, educators and many more, in a video series that brings together 30 objects that explore the relationship between architecture and power.
Architecture Obscura by Anise Gallery
15 - 30 June
The Anise Gallery sets up a virtual exhibition touching on a theme that resonated with many of us in recent months - the relationship between outside and inside. The pieces on display will include work by artists, architects, writers and photographers.
INFORMATION
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'Design at its most ambitious': meet the 2025 Royal Designers for IndustryThe Royal Society for Arts announces the five new Royal Designers for Industry as well as two Honorary Royal Designers for Industry
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A new art museum brings colour, quirk and a celebration of creativity to DohaLawh Wa Qalam: M. F. Husain Museum is awash with colour and character, courtesy of Indian architect Martand Khosla and the Qatar Foundation
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Out of office: The Wallpaper* editors’ picks of the weekThis week, the Wallpaper* team had its finger on the pulse of architecture, interiors and fashion – while also scooping the latest on the Radiohead reunion and London’s buzziest pizza
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David Kohn’s first book, ‘Stages’, is unpredictable, experimental and informativeThe first book on David Kohn Architects focuses on the work of the award-winning London-based practice; ‘Stages’ is an innovative monograph in 12 parts
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Find solace in the forest at this expansive treehouse retreat in DorsetFor sale for the first time, a treehouse, Mallinson’s Woodland Retreat, is a tribute to the skill of designer and master craftsman Guy Mallinson
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Modernist Scotland explores the country’s impressive legacy of contemporary architectureA new book, Modernist Scotland, delves into the art and ambitions of the International Style in post-war Scotland, presenting 150 projects that typify an age of optimism and innovation.
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100 George Street is the new kid on the block in fashionable MaryleboneLondon's newest luxury apartment building brings together a sensitive exterior and thoughtful, 21st-century interiors
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Take a tour of Retrofit House, the live showcase inspiring sustainable homebuildingRetrofit House, a showcase for residential redesign using biomaterials and environmentally smart methods, opens in Birmingham, UK, spearheaded by Civic Square, Dark Matter Labs and Material Cultures; we paid it a visit
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How Maggie’s is redefining cancer care through gardens designed for healing, soothing and liberatingCancer support charity Maggie’s has worked with some of garden design’s most celebrated figures; as it turns 30 next year, advancing upon its goal of ‘30 centres by 30’, we look at the integral role Maggie’s gardens play in nurturing and supporting its users
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Futuristic-feeling Southwark Tube Station has been granted Grade II-listed statusCelebrated as an iconic piece of late 20th-century design, the station has been added to England’s National Heritage List
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Archiboo Awards 2025 revealed, including prizes for architecture activism and use of AIArchiboo Awards 2025 are announced, highlighting Narrative Practice as winners of the Activism in architecture category this year, among several other accolades
