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Vibrant pavilions by Foster + Partners and NEON utilize recycled everyday materials

2024-06-12T06:02:00-04:00

Real estate developer and operator Brookfield Properties has today announced the launch of two pavilions, one designed by Foster + Partners and the other by NEON, as part of the London Festival of Architecture (LFA).

“Radial” by Foster & Partners and “Squiggle” by NEON are located outside of two of Brookfield Properties’ key London office buildings. They were designed as landmarks, inspired by themes of circularity, community, and sustainability. The structures respond to the LFA’s theme of “Reimagine,” in which they utilize everyday materials in innovative ways to encourage reflection on material recycling, reuse, and climate change.

"Radial" by Foster + Partners. Photo: Aaron Hargreaves

“Radial” aims to function as a space for pause and reflection. It features a radial pattern of flags made from 100% reused and recycled construction materials, including plastic bottles and scaffolding.

Photo: Aaron Hargreaves

The flags hang above curved wooden benches and are colored in tones of ...

The city of London is hit with color thanks to designer Yinka Ilori

2019-07-30T19:00:00-04:00

This past June, London celebrated its annual London Festival of Architecture. The festival showcases exhibitions, installations, workshops, and other events highlighting architecture and design in the city.

This year, London-based designer Yinka Ilori created two projects that filled the city streets with life through color. First is the multicolored pavilion, "The Colour Palace," built in collaboration with London-based architecture firm Pricegore. Located outside the Dulwich Picture Gallery, the design was inspired by the markets of Balogun in Lagos, Nigeria. Illori used the colorful African textiles found hanging throughout the markets as inspiration for the pavilion.

The Colour Palace. Image © Edward Bishop

The relationship between the pavilion and the Dulwich Picture Gallery may seem distant. However, according to the design team, the pavilion drew reference from the gallery through its geometry. Alex Gore, co-founder of Pricegore, expl...

IF_DO's mirrored pavilion reflects on the Dulwich Picture Gallery

2017-05-31T14:10:00-04:00

IF_DO, a ‘young and restless’ practice based in Peckham, have completed their rectilinear, temporary pavilion at Dulwich Picture Gallery. For the practice, which was formed only a few years ago in 2014, this is a breakthrough project; exposing their work to a whole new audience.

Al Scott, Co-founding Director, IF_DO, said:

“The Dulwich Pavilion has provided a wonderful opportunity for us to create a unique public structure in an exceptional setting. We have benefitted hugely from the freedom given by our clients and support of the London Festival of Architecture. Working in close collaboration with creative engineers StructureMode and fabricators Weber Industries to realise the project has been a great experience, and vital to its success.”

This is the first pavilion to grace the gallery’s grounds and pays tribute the John Soane’s iconic building design on its 200th anniversary since doors were first opened. Not only does this structure compliment and literally mirror its context, it w...

IF_DO chosen to design Dulwich Picture Gallery's summer pavilion

2017-01-30T04:43:00-05:00

It will be a carefully proportioned rectilinear timber structure whose movable walls are translucent mirrored screens. The translucency allows for “Pepper’s ghost” illusions where ghostly objects appear, transform and fade away. A cantilevered mesh roof will hang down around the gallery creating dappled sunshine on good days or a gentle waterfall along the sides in summer showers. The mirrored movable screens are a reference to Soane’s own playful house: the Sir John Soane’s Museum in Holborn...

Affordable spaces for London's creative industry by Urban Acupuncture

2016-07-08T11:18:00-04:00

The duo asked themselves the question if London will still be the capital of creativity, arts and crafts in 10 years time. Rising rents for residential and work spaces, combined with an increasingly unaffordable education system, are making the city less and less accessible. According to Boano and Prišmontas, London has always been a center for creativity, but the recent financial pressures have turned ‘creativity’ into an industry that can only be joined by people who are able to afford it.

At this unstable time, the capital's creative industry must be entrepreneurial and work together to remain the best, are we up to the challenge? Read more stories of ingenuity in the UK here:

Calais refugee architecture to be recognized at London Festival of Architecture

2016-06-09T13:37:00-04:00

The festival has been curated by Robert Mull, former dean of the Cass School of Art... His journey then took him to the Calais camp, where he, too, was struck by how “vibrant” the makeshift town was. “Obviously that has to be caveated: it’s a hell of a place and utterly distressing in so many ways, but it was fascinating to see how different groups were establishing a kind of urbanism which felt very authentic, very deeply rooted in their cultures.”

At his pithy yet nuanced best, the Guardian's Olivier Wainwright documents the formation of a makeshift town by refugees in Calais, and the subsequent decision to display some of their works in the London Festival of Architecture.

For more on the architecture of transience and nomadism:

London Festival of Architecture 2016 - events not to miss

2016-06-05T07:07:00-04:00

With the new mayor focusing our attention on smart development and social equality, 2016 will be a banner year for the London Festival of Architecture. Election watchers will be familiar with many of this year’s hot topics: community spaces, social housing, docklands renewal. But considering the theme this year is ‘community’, there will be something for every tribe of Londoner. Out of 300 events, we’ve picked the 10 must-sees.

See related news here:

This week's picks for London architecture and design events

London's Natural History Museum to create outdoor exhibition spaces

Zaha Hadid's repertoire is a stunning display in Venice's Palazzo Franchetti

Considering the future of work at the 2015 London Festival of Architecture

2015-06-23T15:37:00-04:00

As the central theme of the London Festival of Architecture (LFA) in its 2015 edition, “Work in Progress” welcomes a discussion on the changing nature of the workplace and its impact on the city. The Festival, which opened on June 1st, hosts a series of events in both cultural and academic venues. Projects authored by a wide range of designers, from research institutes to corporate practices, invite the public — both local and international — to engage in a conversation about architecture and the city.

The LFA organizers, led by Patricia Brown (Chair), have chosen the theme “Work in Progress” as the guiding thread for the event that brings together participants through both an open call and via direct selection. As London’s commercial industry has evolved, so has the nature of work and the workspace. Inevitably this has shaped London’s development throughout the years: from the intimacy of workplace interiors to the interactive nature of public spaces in the city.

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