Technical Studies Lecture Series: Paul Purgas [Emptyset] “The Architecture of Sound” | Thursday, October 9 at 18:00 (BST), M416 Robin Evans Room + Livestream

When: Thursday, 9th of October 2025 at 6pm (BST)

Where: M416 (Robin Evans Room), Marylebone Campus, University of Westminster, 35 Marylebone Road, NW1 5LS + Online

“I was always interested in the Marshall McLuhan idea of looking at the future through a rearview mirror. This premise that we build the future out of the past has definitely instilled in me a value and appreciation for cultural and technological histories, excavation and repurposing, and processes of re-animating and extrapolating from the past into the present.”

Paul Purgas

Originally trained as an architect at the University of Westminster, Paul has presented exhibitions and performances with Tramway, Camden Art Centre, Southbank Centre and Kunstverein Gartenhaus. His written output includes essays for the Unsound:Undead collection published by Urbanomic/MIT Press and the documentaries Electronic India and Krishnamurti in England for BBC Radio 3. He is one half of the electronic music project Emptyset working with electroacoustic and computer music, broadcasting and spatialised sound. Emptyset has presented work at the Architecture Foundation, the Roberts Institute and Tate Britain’s Performing Architecture programme, and performed at Unsound, Sonic Acts and Berghain for Transmediale 2020. In 2024 Paul edited and co-authored the book Subcontinental Synthesis: Electronic Music at the National Institute of Design India 1969-1972. The book followed the BBC 3 Radio programme, Electronic India.

Technical Studies Website

For details contact Will McLean

w.f.mclean@westminster.ac.uk

ArchiIMPACT Symposium: ONEPROJECT | Monday, December 2, 10:00-16:00, M416, Marylebone Campus

Architects, Students and Academics were invited to each present a single project from their practice, University design project or academic research that can be discussed in regard to (all/some of) the following principles of low energy architecture. 

This is deliberately a mixture of architectural practitioners at all stages of their careers  showing built and un-built projects, the successful and the unsuccessful (?!), side-by-side in an effort to collectively learn from one another, presenting a single project each with regard to the same set of criteria across all projects.

Each presentation will last around 30 minutes in sets of 3 presentations, with a conversation afterwards.

The chosen projects address the following issues:

  • Site Specific: Does the building employ existing features of the site as part of its environmental strategy? Utilising orientation, topography, existing structures, water and trees?
  • Climate Responsive: Does the project respond to local (micro) climatic conditions and environmental factors such as heat, light, sound, wind and air quality?
  • Efficient in Use: Is the building suited to its purpose, appropriate in its size and optimised in its use?
  • Climatic Envelope: Does the building have a highly energy-efficient building envelope suited to its location and use?
  • Energy Use: Has the design minimised operational energy, is the building a low carbon (CO2) emitter and a net producer of energy?
  • Material Construction: Has the use of (local) resources been optimised and embodied energy (CO2) reduced through appropriate material choices?
  • Waste and Water: Has the material waste, pollution and water use been minimised? Could the project collect and treat water?
  • Time Dependent: How does the building operate diurnally, annually and throughout its life? Is the building flexible, adaptable, easy to maintain and does it allow for reuse of all or some of its parts at the end of its life?

Technical Studies Lecture Series: Jason Flanagan “Sound, Acoustics + Architecture” Thursday October 4, 18:00, Room 416

Technical Studies Lecture Series is back!

During the first semester the School of Architecture and Cities hosts the Thursday evening ‘Technical Studies’ lecture series to highlight new developments in the fields of architecture, engineering and environmental design. The series attempts to capture a contemporary philosophy of architecture and technology and introduce students to current and future trends in the development and understanding of architecture. This years talks include, a glass skyscraper in Southwark, a new ‘rusty’ steel footbridge in Chiswick, self-build housing in South London and a brand new type of ‘deployable’ structure.

The series starts with Jason Flanagan (Flanagan Lawrence Architects) talking about the importance of sound and acoustics in the design of new performative architecture.

When: Thursday, 4th of October 2018, 18:00

Where: M416, Marylebone Campus, 35 Marylebone Rd., London NW1 5LS