The Robin Evans Lectures: “The 24/7 Bed: Privacy and Publicity in the Age of Social Media” Beatriz Colomina, Hogg Lecture Theatre, Marylebone Campus, October 29, 18:30-20:30

The Robin Evans Lecture in which Beatriz Colomina, acclaimed author and curator, will draw on references ranging from John Lennon and Yoko Ono in Bed for Peace to the all-in-one home called Suitaloon, her own interview with Hans Ulrich Obrist and co-curatorships in Venice Biennale and Istanbul. The book by Colomina Sexuality and Space is known to a generation.

About the Speaker

Beatriz Colomina is the Howard Crosby Butler Professor of the History of Architecture at Princeton University and a 2018–2019 fellow at the Wissenschaftskolleg zu Berlin. She writes and curates on questions of design, art, sexuality and media. Her books include Sexuality and Space (Princeton Architectural Press, 1992), Privacy and Publicity: Modern Architecture as Mass Media (MIT Press, 1994), Domesticity at War (MIT Press, 2007), The Century of the Bed (Verlag fur Moderne Kunst, 2015), Manifesto Architecture: The Ghost of Mies (Sternberg, 2014), Clip/Stamp/Fold: The Radical Architecture of Little Magazines 196X–197X (Actar, 2010), Are We Human? Notes on an Archaeology of Design (Lars Muller, 2016). She has curated a number of exhibitions including Clip/Stamp/Fold (2006), Playboy Architecture (2012) and Radical Pedagogies (2014). In 2016 she was co-curator of the third Istanbul Design Biennial. Her latest book is X-Ray Architecture (Lars Muller, 2019).

About the Lecture Series

This series supports outstanding scholarship in the history of architecture and allied fields, building on the work of Professor Robin Evans (1944-1993). It encourages scholars working on the relationship between the spatial and social domains in architectural drawing, construction and beyond. Evans’ work interrogated the spaces that existed between drawing and building, geometry and architecture, teasing out the points of translation often overlooked. From his early work on prison design and domestic spaces, through to his later work on architectural geometry, Evans sought to articulate the multiple points at which the human imagination could influence architectural form. His first book, The Fabrication of Virtue, analysed the way that spatial layouts provided opportunities for social reform via their interference with morality, privacy and class. In The Projective Cast: Architecture and its Three Geometries, Evans traced the origins of the humanist tradition to understand how human form influenced architectural drawing and construction, focusing on aesthetic dimensions in the production of architectural space. This series will provide opportunities for the creation and/or dissemination of work by scholars working on similar questions of space, temporality, and architecture. In particular, it supports work that breaks the boundaries of traditional disciplines to think though these complex networks involved in the space between human imagination and architectural production.

The Master’s Banquet _ Friday, September 20, 18:00 at Fabrication Lab, University of Westminster

When: Friday, 20th of September 2019, 18:00

Where: Banqueting Hall, Fabrication Lab, 35 Marylebone Road, NW1 5LS

Book Launch: “Designing London’s Public Spaces Post-War and Now” by Susannah Hagan _ Tuesday, December 3, 18:30-21:00, School of Architecture + Cities, Robin Evans Room

When: Tuesday, 3rd of December 2019, 18:30-21:00

Where: SA+C, Robin Evans Room, 35 Marylebone Road, London NW1 5LS

Please join us for a book launch at the University of Westminster!

Speakers: Susannah Hagan (University of Westminster), Bob Allies (Allies and Morrison)

Chair: Lindsay Bremner (University of Westminster)

“Secrets of a Digital Garden: 50 flowers, 50 villages” curated by DS22 tutors Yara Sharif and Nasser Golzari at the Chicago Architecture Biennial, 19 September 2019 – 5 January 2020

Dr. Yara Sharif and Dr. Nasser Golzari from the School of Architecture + Cities will be taking part in the 2019 Chicago Architecture Biennial.

In a collaborative project with Riwaq: centre for architectural conservation, Yara Sharif and Nasser Golzari will be curating the exhibition entitled Secrets of a Digital Garden: 50 flowers, 50 villages.

Secrets of a Digital Garden is a future imaginary scenario set up in rural Palestine in the form of a digital garden with 50 interactive flowers representing 50 Palestinian villages. The work draws on their collaborative work with Riwaq on revitalising 50 Palestinian historic fabrics and their on-going research by design as founders of NG Architects and Palestine Regeneration Team (PART).

Nothing is conventional in this garden. 50 slices of earth containing ‘digital’ flowers will be brought to Chicago to narrate the absurd dis-connectivity of Palestine and the attempt to reclaim it through the 50 Villages Project. Underneath the surface, a process of production is in place. Capsules containing physical and digital DNA is trapped in each flower to capture and share the story of the 50 Villages.

The exhibition explores new means to navigate the landscape of Palestine using digital fabrication and film.

https://chicagoarchitecturebiennial.org/news

The 2019 edition of Chicago Architecture Biennial is directed by Yesomi Umolu and is titled ‘ …and other such stories’.

The opening will take place on September 19, 2019, and will stay open till January 5, 2020.

The event promises to form an expansive and multi-faceted exploration of the field of architecture and the built environment globally. Developed through a research-led approach, the curatorial team Paulo Tavares, Sepake Angiama — led by Umolu — draws on the spatial, historical, and socio-economic conditions of Chicago to consider questions of land, memory, rights, and civic participation…’

Yara Sharif and Nasser Golzari are award-winning architects and academics with an interest in design as a mean to facilitate and empower ‘forgotten’ communities, while also interrogating the role of architecture politics and social commitment. Combining research with design, their work runs parallel between the architecture practice NG Architects, London and the design studio at the University of Westminster and their design-led research group Palestine Regeneration Team (PART). Their work has been exploring new means to rethink the Palestinian landscape through speculative scenarios and live projects.

Their work has won the RIBA President’s Award for Research amongst other awards.

The installation is done with the support of the University of Westminster and the Fabrication Lab, Golzari NG Architects, London and Palestine Regeneration Team (PART).

MILLENNIFEST London by Common Vision: Saturday, 7th of September, 10:30-17:00 at Vinegar Yard, London SE1 9RA

Celebrating the talent of today and tomorrow.

Millennials are taking over the world! This event is all about moving beyond the stereotypes, and celebrating the young leaders and influencers of today and tomorrow.

The theme of MILLENNIFEST 2019 is Talent: our programme of inspirational talks, skills masterclasses and policy workshops will explore what the future workforce will look like, and what this means for skills, education, and public leadership. We’ll hear from people with real experience of what it takes to be a talented activist, entrepreneur or social leader.

For a full programme and to book tickets, please go here

MORE2019 – Preview: Friday 13th of September, 18:00 – 21:00, Marylebone Studios, 35 Marylebone Road, NW1 5LS

Where: University of Westminster, 35 Marylebone Road, London NW1 5LS

When: Friday 13th of September, 18:00-21:00

THE SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE + CITIES INVITES YOU TO MORE 2019

An exhibition of thesis projects from Masters courses across the School of Architecture + Cities, including: MA Architecture, MSc Architecture & Environmental Design, MA Interior Design, MA International Planning & Sustainable Development, MA Tourism & Events, MA Urban Design.

Evening to be opened by Professor Harry Charrington, Head of School of Architecture + Cities, University of Westminster

Exhibition continues until SATURDAY 21 SEPTEMBER

Student reminder – RIBA Council elections closing Tuesday 23rd of July at 5pm

Voting in the 2019 Council elections is closing on Tuesday 23 July at 5pm, and RIBA is keen to encourage as many members as possible, particularly students, to make use of their votes.

Candidates statements and more information can be found on www.architecture.com/elections or through the direct voting link www.ersvotes.com/riba2019.

Voting emails containing nominal links and passcodes have been dispatched on behalf of RIBA by the Electoral Reform Services, from onlinevoting@electoralreform.co.uk.

SA+C MArch students’ work at Blueprint for the Future _ 9-11 July, Senator Showroom in Clerkenwell

Where: 25 Charterhouse Square, London EC1M 6AE

When: 9 – 11 July 2019

Blueprint for the Future is a free, three-day showcase of the work of the brightest, most interesting and challenging architecture students graduating Part II across London and the UK, as selected by Blueprint Magazine.

Blueprint Magazine has paired 13 leading architecture schools with 13 international design brands, resulting in a ‘trail’ of exhibitions held over three days (9, 10, 11 July), in showrooms across Clerkenwell, London’s beating heart of design.

Works of MArch students from the School of Architecture and Cities are showcased at Senator Showroom in Clerkenwell.

This event is free.

To find out more about the exhibition and the series of events taking place over the three days, please visit here.

LFA Walking Tour: “Impact of urban form on microclimate, air quality and human health” with Mehrdad Borna_ Saturday, June 22nd, 10:30-12:00, Canary Wharf

Led by doctoral researcher in architecture at the School of Architecture + Cities, Mehrdad Borna, this walk will focus on air quality in our cities. If you care about creating a better future for our cities, then this tour is for you!

Join us for a hands-on experience and an insightful walking tour of Canary Wharf. On this walking tour, you will be working with Environmental Monitoring Instruments to monitor and capture data related to Air Quality, Temperature, Air flow velocity, and Relative Humidity. We will then interpret these data to understand if there is an association between urban form and urban air quality. By the end of this tour, you will have a better understanding of the urban form and its significant influence on the formation of undesirable microclimate which increases the concentration of air pollution in outdoor spaces and respectively triggers adverse impact on human health.

This walking tour will highlight some of the above issues and is a very enjoyable way to learn about Sustainable Development, Climate Change, Urban Microclimate, Urban Heat Island, air pollution and its impact on human health. We will also explore potential mitigation strategies to reduce our impact on the environment and discuss our present state of effort and achievement in order to secure production of a satisfactory quality of life for our future generations.

Itinerary​

We will meet you at Canary Wharf which is the newly developed area of retailing and restaurants of London’s latest financial centre operating as Europe’s hub. From here we will have few stops before arriving at the Crossrail Place Roof Garden designed by Foster + Partners.

  • Meet at Canary Wharf Underground station
  • Guided visit to Canary Wharf district
  • Guided visit to Crossrail Place Roof Garden

The event is free!

To book tickets and for more information please visit here.

Part 1 or Part 2 Architectural Research Assistant position at Grimshaw + Fabrication Lab Co-Lab

We are delighted to announce a new collaboration between Grimshaw Architects and the Fabrication Lab. The project is launching in the next few weeks and will have a vacancy for a Part 1 or Part 2 Architectural Research Assistant. We will be looking for a creative, pro-active graduate, interested in working on a cutting-edge, practice-led research project. The position will be open to graduates from this or last year from our BA, BSc and MArch degrees.

The paid role will be based part-time in Grimshaw’s London Practice and part-time at Westminster in the Fabrication Lab. You’ll work on a project-based research agenda within Grimshaw‘s Computational Design Group, drawing on the resources and expertise in the Lab including CNC machining, robotics, 3D scanning and XR technologies. This role will be complemented by working in the Fabrication Lab assisting with the further development of our research-informed teaching.

You’ll need to be highly organised, have strong communication skills and have both an appreciation of the Grimshaw design ethos, as well as the teaching and research ambitions of the Fabrication Lab.

If you are interested in finding out more about this opportunity, please write an expression of interest to D.Scott@westminster.ac.uk, including a few sentences about what attracts you to the position. We expect to hold interviews within the next few weeks and for the position to begin soon after.