Category: Events

Disassembling the Woven Pavilion at the Marylebone Campus | Tuesday, June 8, 2021, 10:30-14:00 (BST) | Apply now!

Posted on by Mirna Pedalo

Are you interested in construction and making?

Please come on Tuesday, 8th of June between 10.30am and 2pm, and have some fun taking apart the Woven Pavilion at the rear podium at the Marylebone Campus and learn about the construction process. After revarnishing and making good off-site some of the QHT funded arches it will be reassembled at Harrow Campus.

Please email Maria Kramer M.Kramer@westminster.ac.uk for further information.

https://www.instagram.com/uow_live_studio3.2/

http://www.room102.com/woven-pavilion.html

Climate Demonstrator: Live build summer school at Westminster | Open to all University of Westminster students | June 14 – 25, 2021

Posted on by Mirna Pedalo

We are pleased to announce the launch of Climate Demonstrator: a live build summer for Westminster students in collaboration with St John the Divine School Kennington.

Be part of a two-week live build summer from 14th to 25th June. Work as part of team to design and fabricate an exciting, interactive playground installation that demonstrates the science of buildings and their interaction with climate and biodiversity. The summer school is open to all Westminster students.

Sign in to your University of Westminster google account and click here to go to the registration form. Click here for the summer school website.

What’s the challenge?

To design and fabricate an exciting interactive playground installation that demonstrates the science of buildings and their interaction with climate and biodiversity.

Who can take part?

The project is open to all students at University of Westminster.

How will I be involved and what will I be doing?

You will be assigned to a team to work with students of other courses and levels. The first stage will be an intensive one-day design charrette or workshop to develop a final design and make a concept model. The models will be taken to the school for discussion and debate. The next stage will be to produce fabrication drawings leading to construction of the final work. The installations will be taken to the school for a day of interaction and exhibition with schoolchildren and for display as part of the London Festival of Architecture.

When will it take place?

The summer school will be held for two weeks from 14th to 25th June, culminating in an exhibition on the last day in the ground of St. John’s School. Everything will be happening on campus and on site so you’ll need to be in London and available to contribute during two weeks.

What will I get out of it?

Constructive fun! After over a year of isolated working this is chance to celebrate a return to face-to-face life and interactive hands-on making. Work with students from other disciplines and levels. Develop organisational and project management skills. Make contact with architects, stakeholders and the schools community. The event is part of the London Festival of Architecture so your work will be on public exhibition.

I’m interested. What do I need to do next?

To register, click here to complete the form

Featured image: Domestic Appliances for Science Oxford, Oxford (UK) 2012

How will we live together? – Westminster at the Venice Biennale | Wednesday, June 9, 2021, 16:00-18:00 (BST)

Posted on by Mirna Pedalo

When: Wednesday, 9th of June 2021, 16:00-18:00 (BST)

Register: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/how-will-we-live-together-westminster-at-the-venice-biennale-tickets-155634983425

Join us for an online event that celebrates University of Westminster‘s work that is being exhibited at the prestigious 2021 Venice Architecture Biennale (22nd May-21st Nov).

Academics based within the College of Design, Creative and Digital Industries have co-produced three different installations to respond to the theme: How will we live together?

At the event, we will hear more about the ideas underpinning each piece of work, and – given the fundamental themes they address – discuss how architecture and practice based research can help us to better understand the world’s most pressing challenges.

Following an introduction to the three installations, Ifor Duncan, an academic based at Ca’ Foscari University of Venice, will respond to the work. These contributions will be followed by a panel discussion and questions from the audience.

More details about the installations and the academics involved are provided below.

Monsoon Assemblages (led by Lindsay Bremner) and Office of Experiments (led by Neal White) have created an immersive installation that challenges and redefines ideas of border, scale and agency. It draws on climate data and field work to convey how climate change and the Anthropocene are resulting in increasing monsoon volatility, shorter rainy seasons and more frequent extreme weather events. The installation investigates these events through the flight of the Globe Skimmer dragonfly that follows the monsoon from east Africa to southeast Asia and back again. Video footage of the dragonfly collected during field work is projected into the exhibition space highlighting the vulnerability of the dragonfly to shifting monsoonal dynamics.

In a collaboration with the V&A Museum, Shahed Saleem’s Pavilion looks at the self-built and often undocumented world of adapted mosques to explore contemporary multiculturalism in London. The work explores three different case studies that illuminate stories of immigration, identity, and community aspiration. The cases are the Brick Lane mosque, a former Protestant chapel then Synagogue; Old Kent Road mosque housed in a former pub; and Harrow Central mosque, a purpose-built space that sits next door to the converted terraced house it used to occupy. The Pavilion is partly carpeted, as in a mosque, and these stories are explored through 3D architectural reconstructions, filmed interviews and photographs.

The African Fabbers School video-installation project, curated by Paolo Cascone and Maddalena Laddaga, proposes an innovative research by practice agenda for the next generation of European and African architects. The African Fabbers School [AFS] is an itinerant laboratory of ecological design and self-construction for community-oriented projects between Europe and Africa. This ecosystem of site-specific projects has structured an abacus of paradigmatic design to build modus operandi based on a learning by doing methodology. Thanks to the interaction between people from different backgrounds (including African artisans, local communities, European students) the [AFS] investigates the relationships between traditional knowledges, advanced design processes and digital manufacturing.

Respondent

Ifor Duncan is a Post-doctoral fellow in Environmental Humanities at the Center for the Humanities and Social Change, Ca’ Foscari University of Venice. He is a writer and inter-disciplinary researcher, with a PhD from the Centre for Research Architecture, Goldsmiths. His research concerns the relationships between political violence and watery spaces and materialities. Previously Ifor taught at the CRA and in the School of Architecture at the Royal College of Art.

Book Launch + Webinar: “Open Gaza: Architectures of Hope” | Thursday, June 10 , 2021 at 18:00 (BST)

Posted on by Mirna Pedalo

Please join MArch DS22 tutors and the founders of Palestine Regeneration Team, Senior Lecturers at the UoW, Yara Sharif and Nasser Golzari, on the 10th of June 2021 at 6pm (BST) for a webinar and a book launch for Open Gaza: Architectures of hope, co-edited by the late Michael Sorkin and Deen Sharp.

In an attempt to cultivate hope, a group of scholars got together to explore imaginative spatial scenarios to heal the fractured city of Gaza. While we share some of the work, we will also be discussing the wider subjects of Architecture of Care and the Right to the City.

The event hosted by the Head of School of Architecture + Cities, Professor Harry Charrington, is a tribute to Michael Sorkin and a testament to his insistent cry for a right to the city and a spatial justice for all.

The event is part of London Festival of Architecture.

For further details and to register for the event please go to Eventbrite.

Royal Gold Medal Ceremony 2021 | Sir David Adjaye | Wednesday, May 26, 17:00-18:30 (BST)

Posted on by Mirna Pedalo

Join the online presentation of the 2021 Royal Gold Medal to Sir David Adjaye OBE, live from Accra, Ghana and London, UK.

Given in recognition of a lifetime’s work, the Royal Gold Medal is approved personally by Her Majesty the Queen and is given to a person or group of people who have had a significant influence ‘either directly or indirectly on the advancement of architecture’.

Sir David Adjaye has achieved international attention for an exceptional body of work over 25 years. Drawing on his cited influences including “contemporary art, music and science to African art forms and the civic life of cities”, his completed projects range from private houses, exhibitions and furniture design, through to major cultural buildings and city masterplans. From the start of his career he has combined practice with teaching in schools of architecture in the UK and the USA, including professorships at the universities of Harvard, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Princeton.

As a student, he won the 1990 RIBA Bronze Medal. He was knighted in the 2017 New Year Honours for services to architecture, following an OBE in 2007.

His practice, Adjaye Associates, was founded in 2000 and today has studios in Accra, London and New York, with projects across the world.

The event will begin with the presentation of the Royal Gold Medal to Sir David Adjaye, followed by an In-Conversation with Lucy Tilley, Associate Principal, Adjaye Associates. The event will end with an audience Q&A, allowing viewers to submit their questions to Sir David Adjaye.

50% discount for students.

For more details on the event and booking please go to Eventbrite.

London Festival of Architecture 2021 Film Screening: Aalto (Virpi Suutari 2020) + Prof Harry Charrington and Virpi Suutari in conversation | June 2, 2021 18:00-19:00

Posted on by Mirna Pedalo

AALTO is a documentary film journey into the life and work of one of the greatest modern architects Alvar Aalto. The film shares the love story of Alvar and his architect wives Aino and Elissa Aalto. It takes the viewer on a cinematic tour to their creative processes and iconic buildings all over the world. We visit their buildings in Finland, a library in Russia, a student dormitory at MIT, an art collector’s private house near Paris, a pavilion in Venice – and many other unique places.

The film is available to watch 1-7 June. Register on Eventbrite to receive your free streaming link.

See the film trailer using event link.

Director Virpi Suutari and Professor Harry Charrington will discuss the film on 2 June 18-19.

Professor Harry Charrington, Head of School of Architecture + Cities, is also one of the main narrators and consultants in this newly released documentary film.

Tickets/Booking:
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/aalto-virpi-suutari-2020-film-screening-tickets-150740666391

Westminster Climate Action Network and Manchester Climate Action Group: ARCHITECTURE WON’T BE RELEVANT ON A DEAD PLANET! | Online, May 18, 2021 at 17:00 BST

Posted on by Mirna Pedalo

When: Tuesday, 18th of May 2021, 17:00 – 18:30 BST

Eventbrite booking: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/architecture-wont-be-relevant-on-a-dead-planet-tickets-154547462621

Since the beginning of civilization, the human race has used architecture as a form of protection from the changing climate, sometimes referred to as the Third Skin. However, significant global climate change has brought to light the impact humanity has had on the planet due to the mass extraction of fossil fuels and other unsustainable practices. The challenge we face is not only important for humanity, but the Earth as a whole. How can architecture play a role in the survival of the planet?

Format…

The format is a panel discussion guided by a chair between two students, two tutors, and two professionals, each invited by the two universities. Each speaker will present for 3-4 minutes, after which a general discussion will follow facilitated by the chair. At this point, members of the audience are invited to ask questions in the live chat aimed at certain speakers or both panels as a whole. The questions will be selected by the chair, so that the conversation opens up into new areas, thus expanding everyone’s learning on this pertinent yet broad topic.

DEBATE THEMES…

TECHNOLOGICAL – Technology in Architecture has fundamentally shaped society, the economy and the environment. Throughout time, the rapid and continuous urbanization of the modern world has put pressure on cities to provide satisfactory living conditions for humans at the cost of the environment. Even though technology itself has caused many environmental and social problems, it could be key to addressing some of the pressing global challenges we face as a society, through helping to reduce the negative impact of the built environment on the Earth. However, the new employed technologies are facing differing opinions in regards to which solutions have greater benefits on the environment:

ECOLOGICAL – For generations humans have presented themselves as dominant over nature, exploiting and viewing it as subordinate without considering the severe repercussions on the environment. Directly relating to architecture, construction sites for instance have gradually destroyed the habitats of species which are crucial to our survival on the planet leaving them shelter-less.

SOCIAL – Through the work of social scientists and other like-minded people, the impact of the Anthropocene is being acknowledged as more than just climate science. Awareness of environmental injustice has led to the development of terms such as “the unequal exchange”, the material extraction and labour exploitation of communities for the benefit of others. In addition, these areas in the Global South will be impacted by the effects of climate change sooner. This injustice is not just between nations, but within societies, as the global top 10% are responsible for half of all global emissions (Oxfam, 2020).

WestCAN [Westminster Climate Action Network]: “Climate Studio Sessions”, Friday, April 9, 14:00-16:30 GMT

Posted on by Mirna Pedalo

When: Friday, 9th of April from 2pm to 4.30pm GMT

Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/climate-studio-sessions-tickets-147987575823

Calling all students and educators at the University of Westminster!

Join us for an afternoon of discussions with industry professionals to engage in proactive learning, and develop the skills to design within the context of the climate emergency. We are exploring a new lecture structure, where students and educators are given the opportunity to discuss the topic amongst their peers, and form questions to ask the speaker directly in an open conversation. The session is curated to explore themes surrounding the climate emergency, equipping you with a deeper knowledge of climate literacy which can be applied to your design work, within the studio and beyond.

With…

Scott McAulay

A recent RIBAJ Rising Star, Scott founded the Anthropocene Architecture School in 2019, a now internationally recognised Climate Emergency educational platform

Nana Biamah-Ofosu

Nana’s writing has been published and exhibited internationally, and she recently hosted NAW’s Architecture Foundation takeover

Ross O’Ceallaigh

Ross is a planner and urban designer based in London and is host of the ‘green urbanist’ a podcast for urbanists fighting climate change

BSc Year 3 Studio Architecture and Environmental Design online crits | Tuesday, April 6 (2pm-5pm) and Thursday, April 8 (10am-1pm and 2pm-5pm)

Posted on by Mirna Pedalo

When: Tuesday, 6th of April, 2pm-5pm and Thursday, 8th of April, from 10am-1pm and 2pm-5pm

BB link of the online sessions: https://eu.bbcollab.com/guest/0c1eb0958d304a78a4b51396245b91fd

Tutors: Paolo Cascone and Yota Adilenidou

Synthetic Vernacular Architecture / Learning from African Fabbers

Premise:

We do not lack communication, on the contrary we have too much of it. We lack creation. We lack resistance to the present.

Gilles Deleuze

The studio is conceived as a research by design laboratory investigating on performance- oriented architecture; trough the negotiation between multiple social and environmental parameters, the discourse of the studio explores an information-based design process towards an ecological approach to the built environment. This year the Studio will focus of an innovative way of learning from vernacular architecture to generate new architectural ecological typologies. These typologies will respond to the need of housing, health and educational affordable architectures for the African context.

Studio Blog: www.ds3astudio.com

Visiting Critics

Tuesday, April 6 [2pm-5pm]

Elif Erdine / EmTech AA

Nasser Golzari / UoW

Marco Poletto / Ecologic Studio

Thursday, April 8 [10am-1pm]

Conor Black / Arup

Harry Charington / UoW

Annarita Papeschi / The Bartlett

Thursday, April 8 [2pm-5pm]

Christina Duompioti / EPFL

Farzana Ghandi / NYIT

Juan Vallejo / UoW

Half-day Symposium: “Blueprint for Decolonisation” – Asian Architects Association in collaboration with Architecture Foundation | Tuesday, March 30, from 14:00 to 17:00 (GMT)

Posted on by Mirna Pedalo

The racialisation of space has its roots in colonial practices that sought to wield control over people perceived as ‘Other’. If the future of practice begins with education, how has the practice of ‘othering’ become absorbed into the structure of education?

Join us for a half-day symposium in collaboration with the recently established Asian Architects Association (AAA) exploring the steps towards a decolonised architectural education. Chaired by AAA co-founder Karl Mok, the discussion will seek to propose a blueprint for the future of architectural education, with panelists and students alike sharing their thoughts and experiences. Karl is joined by Dr Kamna Patel, Associate Professor at the Bartlett Development Planning Unit, Ming Cheng, tutor at the London School of Architecture, Sanaa Shaikh, tutor at Oxford Brookes and director of Native Studio, Khensani de Klerk, founder of Matri-Archi(tecture) and researcher at Cambridge, and Shumi Bose, Senior Lecturer at Central Saint Martins.

The symposium invites an open dialogue with those who have felt oppressed now or in the past by traditional architectural curriculm.

Asian Architects Association (AAA) is an emerging forum that promotes, examines and debates the work of asian architects. The AAA was founded by Sumita Singha, Tumpa Husna Yasmin Fellows, Ming Cheng, Vinesh Pomal and Karl Mok.

Architecture Foundation

For more information, please visit here.