In a world confronted with the profound challenges of climate change, economic disparity and social injustice, it becomes imperative to reflect, rethink, repair, rebuild and reimagine our approach to societal structures and urban development. The theme Reimagine for the 2024 edition of the London Festival of Architecture advocates for radical imagination and collaborative efforts to reshape the city as a collection of vibrant, accessible spaces that reflect the diverse needs and aspirations of all its inhabitants. New London Architecture (NLA), London's built environment community, will celebrate the 20^th anniversary of the month-long annual celebration of architecture and city-making with a mission to “open up discussion around architecture, test new ideas and uncover and promote new talent,” according to the official release.

London Festival of Architecture 2024, taking place across June this year, will activate various LFA destinations across Greater London in the UK including Barnet, Bromley, Fitzrovia, West End, City of London, Ealing Road and Alperton, Sutton Town Centre, Wood Green and Alexandra Palace. Featuring over 450 events including talks, workshops, performances and tours, alongside installations and interventions in public spaces, the festival urges London's boroughs, Business Improvement Districts (BID), architects and communities to prioritise people-centric urban development.

Having spent two decades bringing the architecture profession and public together with its usual lineup, LFA 2024 promises to bring an exciting lineup that boasts of diversity along the lines of location, themes, access and even charges, with a host of free-to-attend events. Among returning favourites is Studio Lates, which offers a unique glimpse into the inner workings of some of London's most diverse architectural and design practices. The collateral event will kick off on Thursday, June 6, in Fitzrovia and Bloomsbury. Studio Lates will subsequently be hosted every Thursday in the neighbourhoods of Cambridge Heath and Hackney, followed by Southbank and London Bridge and finally Clerkenwell and Shoreditch—rounding up London’s boroughs and districts that have made their place on the city’s map by being nexuses of design, innovation and engineering.

Some of the key highlights from LFA’s calendar include the Dalston Pavilion by the London School of Architecture, designed in collaboration with Arup and the New School of Furniture Making. Its adaptable A-Frame design aims to allow for diverse events, such as talks, panel discussions, workshops and film screenings. Following the feedback from LFA Happening in 2023, the UK-based designer Fruzsi Karig will introduce an innovative bench-stage installation in East Finchley, titled Seatre, which aims to reimagine the wide pavement on the High Road into a vibrant green Town Square. In another contemplative installation for the festival, students from Diploma Unit 20 at the Architectural Association will craft two prototypes of a ‘Collective Studiolo’, challenging social and architectural norms to foster communal identities.

In conjunction with the installations, workshops and events, the London Festival of Architecture envisions fostering meaningful conversations around city-making. The sixth edition of Manifestos: Architecture for a New Generation, organised by the Design Museum and chaired by STIR’s Samta Nadeem, will allow emerging voices to redefine London's future through definitive manifestos. In addition, Ryder Architecture will host a panel discussion on ‘Reimagine career pathways into the built environment’ with speakers from Ryder, the London School of Architecture and RIBA. The UK-based design firm will also celebrate the PlanBEE programme along with featuring outcomes from a student design competition held before LFA 2024.

As a platform for collaboration and dialogue, LFA 2024 aims to showcase the transformative power of architectural discourse and design. “The London Festival of Architecture has always been about exploring and driving positive change for London and all the communities that live, work and explore here,” says Benjamin O’Connor, Director of NLA. “In its 20^th year, LFA will ‘reimagine’ how we can shape a more equitable, accessible and sustainable city—a London by, and for, all Londoners.”

London Festival of Architecture, with STIR as an official Media Partner, will be held from June 1-30, 2024.

(Text by Simran Gandhi, intern at STIR)