The London Festival of Architecture (LFA) has become a special time for the capital city. Running throughout June, the air feels fresh and new: streets are packed with locals and tourists alike, the sun is (hopefully) here to stay, and with a general election on the horizon, spirits are particularly high. It renders the perfect climate for London’s architectural and artistic circles to showcase their work at the city-wide architecture festival, establishing them as important stakeholders in the city and city-making. Although thematically focused and titled on architecture, the LFA has consistently placed people at the apogee of its mission. By involving and extending its programme to the public year after year—at no or nominal charges—it has strived to engage as many voices as possible, something that is in contradiction and supposed opposition to the status quo and those firmly situated in the industry. Indeed, as quotidian ‘users’ of this architecture, especially at the scale of the city and its many public spaces, it may not be farfetched to consider ourselves experts—or at least important voices to be heard—on the subject.

This season, 20 years since the festival’s inception and launch, such sentiments ring particularly true. This aligns with the festival’s theme for 2024: ‘reimagine’. All users, or “active citizens” as an official release by the LFA designates, are welcomed to “reflect, rethink, repair and rebuild” the architecture that makes and defines London on a global scale. The programme this year has further expanded beyond Central London to more geographically peripheral neighbourhoods including Barnet, Wood Green and Bromley. With more regions and neighbourhoods involved than ever hosting over 450 events and displays in its roster, the LFA’s schedule for 2024 can feel near-overwhelming, prompting STIR to collate and highlight a lineup of what we consider to be some of the more compelling events for the festival.  

In line with the LFA’s inherent cultural ethos and interest in London, their aims to highlight current issues within the industry and to bolster a myriad of narratives, the events on this list are equally celebrative and critical of contemporary architectural trends, not just in the capital city, but in the UK at large as well. Organised in no particular order, the list reveals a series of endeavours to ‘reimagine’ the way we perceive architecture, placemaking, housing, and what may (or may not) be happening in the industry today.

1. Opposite Places, Common Traces

Date and time: June 1-26, 2024, 9:30-17:30
Type of event: Exhibition
Cost: Free
Location: Barbican Library Foyer 
Organiser: Francisco Ibanez Hantke

Based between Santiago and London, architect Francisco Ibanez Hantke brings his perspectives of these two global cities to the Barbican Centre this LFA. Presented via 36 images from over a decade of photographic documentation, Opposite Places, Common Traces explores the symbolic and visual language of a series of urban elements in flux, such as construction sites, obsolete architecture, and half-demolished buildings in both London and Santiago. Across both cities, the images feature similar diffused lighting. This not only blurs the line between place and space, but indeed establishes a visual thread between the two regions, thus merging the metropolises and their urban fabrics into a unified visual narrative. Hantke’s work significantly brings a Latin American country to the fore in what is largely a British-coded space: the Barbican being a symbol of post-war growth and architectural development in England. Equally, the photographs on display implore audiences to observe the connection between the two unexpectedly paired cities, inviting us to consider the future of urban planning and development on a global scale.

2. RE:Constructing Palestinian Domesticity

Date and time: June 1-2, 2024, 12:00-18:00
Type of event: Exhibition
Cost: Free
Location: Host of Leyton, Leyton 
Organiser: Palestine Collective

Across two days, this event by the Palestine Collective aims to delve into the past, present and future of domestic Palestinian spaces, questioning what these spaces mean and how their histories can be preserved. Primarily conceived as an exhibition of curated household objects, furnishings, audio-visual recordings and lighting, the Palestine Collective have also organised a talk, poetry reading, coffee service, workshop and closing performance to accompany the main show across the two days. This immersive exhibition promises to be poignant but equally pivotal, highlighting the voices and ideas of Palestinian communities within London and beyond.

3. Christopher Hope-Fitch: Brutalism in Colour

Date and time: June 7-16, 2024, 14:00-18:00
Type of event: Exhibition
Cost: Free
Location: Gareth Gardner Gallery, Deptford
Organiser: Gareth Gardner Gallery

Bursts of colour adorn the walls of the Gareth Gardner Gallery this LFA with Christopher Hope-Fitch’s architectural photography exhibition, Brutalism in Colour. Contributing to a contemporary global interest in the aesthetics of brutalism, this show turns the typically grey, monochromatic architectural style on its head by presenting brutalism as a kaleidoscopic collection of colourful planes and surfaces. The show consists of a selection of images from approximately 100 locations that Hope-Fitch captured over the last seven years. The works at first glance may be mistaken for thermal images, yet instead they are revealed to be long-exposure digital photographs taken at night. Their bold and brash colours emerge from different light sources amplified in post-production processes. Viewers are thus encouraged to revisit brutalist buildings that may have been previously dismissed as lifeless, boring or bleak. A number of photographs from Hope-Fitch's display feature the Barbican Centre in all its brutalist glory, along with other brutalist housing complexes, of which London has a plethora.

4. Housing is More than Houses

Date and time: June 1, 2024, 14:00-16:30
Type of event: Walks and Tours Cost: £10
Location: The British Library, Euston
Organiser: Danny Bee

This architectural walk around the St. Pancras area highlights and questions the changes to London housing over the last century. It argues that London previously boasted an outstanding tradition of well-designed, low-cost and high-quality housing, but that this has inherently disappeared. Questioning why this is, the walk assesses a mix of public and private homes and social housing in the area as case studies, showcasing different architectural styles and discussing historic regional trends in rent strikes, housing protests and municipal socialism. “This is London re-imagined, where the idea of utopia can be a force that drives design and the satisfaction of our needs,” an official release states.

5. Manifestos: Architecture for a New Generation 2024

Date and time: June 15, 2024, 15:00-17:00
Type of event: Talks and Debates
Cost: Adult £12, Student/Concession £11, Member £10, Child £5
Location: The Design Museum, Kensington High Street
Organiser: The Design Museum

‘Manifestos: Architecture for a New Generation' returns to the LFA schedule for the sixth year in a row. In a similar manner to previous years’ panels, Manifestos exists in collaboration with and is hosted by, the Design Museum to explore ‘the future of the city’ through lively discussion. Emerging creative voices are given the stage to present their thought-provoking, architecturally-voiced manifestos on “who London is for and what its future holds”.

The decorated panel for 2024, to be moderated by STIR’s Samta Nadeem, features Space Black studio, a UK-based architectural designer and civil engineer duo who imagine spatial futures for marginalised communities; Chris Laing, an architectural designer and deaf activist who pioneers bridging the gap between the deaf community and architecture; Sebastian Mortimer, a climate activist and architectural enthusiast who addresses climate resilience in the industry; and Martha Summers, an artist and architect with a strong interest in creating spaces for queer communities, known for the design of the London LGBTQ+ Community Centre.

6. Raise the Roof: Building for Change

Date and time: June 1 to 30, 2024, 10:00-17:00
Type of event: Exhibitions
Cost: Free
Location: RIBA, 66 Portland Place
Organiser: RIBA

The important exhibition at the RIBA’s Architectural Gallery attempts to ‘raise the roof’ of the hitherto widely accepted (or perhaps ignored) history of colonialism in British architectural practice. Using the RIBA HQ building at 66 Portland Place as its primary source for critical inspiration, the artistic works on display unpack key themes of race, colonialism, imperialism and gender by reimagining two key iconographies in the RIBA building: the Dominion Screen and the Jarvis Mural.

7. The London School of Architecture’s Dalston Pavilion

Date and time: June 3-24, 2024, 12:00-18:00
Type of event: Exhibitions 
Cost: Free
Location: The London School of Architecture, Dalston 
Organiser: The London School of Architecture

The London School of Architecture (LSA) are running several exciting events and exhibitions this LFA, including the Dalston Pavilion on its main campus. Conceived in collaboration with Arup, the pavilion is simultaneously an 'indoor and outdoor' space that structurally gleans inspiration from both mid-16^th century 'cabinets of curiosities' and its neighbouring timber Holy Trinity Church. During the festival, the pavilion will host accessible, high-quality workshops about design, architecture and art for young people. Among them, ‘Public Art and the Economics of the Imagination’ workshop will be held on June 26, 18:00-19:30. Organised by the Art School Plus and held inside the pavilion, this collaborative workshop will question how public spaces are currently used for art, but also how they could or should be used.

The LSA are also to host ‘Jar-gone Conversations: Breaking Down Industry Jargon – Language, Community and Place’ at their Dalston campus on June 29, 2024, 11:00-13:00. Organised by the Architecture Foundation Young Trustees, this panel discussion emerges as part of the Foundation’s ‘Thesaurus for Change’ series, where the language used in the architectural industry is analysed and broken down. This series champions the accessibility of architectural language while sharing insight into the industry to ensure more inclusive communication practices. In June, their panel promises to unpack the LFA’s theme of ‘reimagining’ and its associated industry jargon, extracting from this the various meanings of the word and how it might affect various communities and individuals across London.

8. Armadillo, CLT Sound Pavilion

Date and time: June 1 to July 18, 2024, 07:00-19:00
Type of event: Installations 
Cost: Free
Location: Armadillo, Trinity Buoy Wharf, East London
Organiser: Unknown Works

Another architectural pavilion, this time a collaborative effort between Xilinor, Houghton Music & Arts Festival, Unknown Works, Construkt CLT, Studio Allen, Rothoblaas, Arup, Charcoalblue, Smart Space Group and Klimstar, has been welcomed to the Trinity Buoy Wharf this LFA. Called the ‘Armadillo’, this timber structure explores a contemporary architectural trend in innovative timber construction and acoustic design. It has been carefully and thoughtfully designed to acoustically amplify sound outwards, becoming the perfect site to host a number of musicians, performers, artists and designers during the Festival. After the LFA, it will be moved to the Houghton Music & Arts Festival to exist as a permanent piece for their yearly festival in Norfolk.

9. Gone but Not Forgotten

Date and time: June 3-21, 2024, 10:00-17:00
Type of event: Exhibition
Cost: Free
Location: Spitalfields Studios Gallery  
Organiser: David Kendall

Pollution in the built environment is the central concern of this topical photography exhibition by David Kendall, displayed at the Spitalfields Studios Gallery. The exhibition reimagines the current state of cities through a series of visually challenging images. Viewers must squint to comprehend the blurs on display, as the shapes and forms of generic urban environments are hardly discernible through exaggerated layers of pollution and dust that cloud the camera’s perspective.

Gone but Not Forgotten primarily comments on the impact of polluted air, yet the photographic storytelling employed by Kendall implicitly raises wider issues relating to the need for accessible infrastructure, sustainable transportation and green spaces within the contemporary urban realm. An official release states that the message of this exhibition is of particular interest to those “wanting to learn how visual storytelling increases awareness of the possible effects of climate change in and around cities”.

10. Craft, Community, Connection: Celebrating public and communal spaces with Studio Saar 

A highlight of the LFA’s programme has undoubtedly been this exhibition at the Crafts Council Gallery, a celebration of the Anglo-Indian architectural practice, Studio Saar, and their inherent aim of crafting uplifting spaces for all. Saar, meaning “essence” in Sanskrit, speaks to the practice’s interest in bolstering the soul of the places and people touched by every brief they undertake. Each concept in the exhibition’s three-part title formed a central pillar of the show. As stated in an official release, “Craft relates to the tangible aspects of architecture; community reflects spaces coming alive through an active exchange of ideas with the community who make and/or inhabit them; and connection represents physical routes and cultural practices that bind contemporary buildings to their context.” These three themes were showcased by a close exploration of Studio Saar’s most significant works across India and the UK, exhibited through a collection of models, drawings, film and photographs.

11. RA Summer Exhibition 2024 and Architecture Afternoon

Summer Exhibition details:

Date and time: June 18 – August 18, 2024, 10:00-19:00
Type of event: Exhibition
Cost: £22-24.50
Location: Royal Academy of Arts   
Organiser: Royal Academy of Arts   

Architecture Afternoon details:

Date and time: June 21, 2024, 14:00-18:00
Type of event: Talks and Debates
Cost: £10-£25
Location: Royal Academy of Arts   
Organiser: Royal Academy of Arts   

The historic Royal Academy of Arts Summer Exhibition opened once again at Burlington House. For those interested in architecture, the seasonal event showcases an eclectic mix of architecture-related artefacts, models and objects in the dedicated and beautifully fitted Architecture Room. The theme of the room was chosen by Assemble, a London-based multidisciplinary collective, and investigates the notion of “spaces for making”. Dozens of studios and individuals, both local and international, related to the field have been selected to feature their works this summer at the RA. The Room counters what is conventionally understood as the means of access into the architecture industry: corporate-coded, seemingly impenetrable and oftentimes bland architecture paraphernalia such as computer-generated drawings or floorplans. None of this can be found at the RA. Instead, rich textiles, playful ceramics and uniquely-formed prototypes offer a fascinating and stimulating visual experience for visitors.

To help elucidate the lively Architecture Room collection and celebrate its myriad exhibitors, the RA is also hosting the Architecture Afternoon once again. This half-day event boasts a series of talks from emerging and established architects on which the Room’s theme will be explored. Tickets to the event include a drinks reception and access to the entire Summer Exhibition from 6.30 pm on the same day.

12. Serpentine Pavilion 2024

Date and time: June 8-October 27, 2024, 10:00-18:00 
Type of event: Installations 
Cost: Free
Location: Serpentine Galleries   
Organiser: Serpentine Galleries   

The 23^rd Serpentine Pavilion showcases and celebrates the work of Minsuk Cho, the first Korean architect to be selected for the commission. This striking work not only observes but inverts previous pavilion designs, tracing how they have historically existed as singular structures covered by one roof. As an alternative approach, Cho has created a star-shaped, five-sectioned Pavilion with an open void at its heart. See STIRworld’s comprehensive feature on Cho’s Pavilion for greater insight into the 2024 Serpentine Commission.

London Festival of Architecture, with STIR as an official Media Partner, is taking place from June 1-30, 2024.

(Text by Sophie Hosking, intern at STIR)