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Open-City Events : Open House London 2012

Open-City Architecture Event

1 Sep 2012

Open House London 2012

Open House London 2012 – over 750 buildings and events confirm participation in 20th anniversary edition of London’s greatest architectural showcase

22 + 23 Sep 2012

A highly anticipated fixture in the capital’s cultural calendar, Open House London is a truly city-wide celebration of the buildings, places and spaces where we live and work.

30 St Mary Axe, City of London:

picture © Grant Smith/VIEW Pictures

2012 means 20 years of Open House London and of the Open-City organisation as a whole. In recognition of this significant milestone, Open-City is presenting a festival which will be unprecedented in breadth, scale and reach over 22 & 23 September.

It will be a unique opportunity to see, explore and learn about London’s amazing architecture and design over 48 hours. More than 750 buildings of all kinds will open their doors, alongside a programme of neighbourhood walks, engineering and landscape tours, night-time openings, urban jogs and experts’ talks – all for free.

This year’s theme ‘The Changing Face of London’ explores issues that are relevant to local communities and how the built environment is evolving – including the design of homes, the impact of climate change, the role of architects and contemporary design in revitalising places and above all showing how good design can make London a more liveable, vibrant and enjoyable city.

Red House, Bexley:

picture © ntpl

Open House London 2012 Highlights

• Iconic landmarks and towers including 30 St Mary Axe (aka the Gherkin), Heron Tower and Tower 42
• London’s infrastructure revealed with the Institution of Civil Engineers – including rides on the new Emirates Airline cable car, boat tours to the Thames Barrier and the Hoo Peninsula, engineering walks and site visits to major construction and engineering sites
• East London Transformation – discover all about the transformation of East London and the Lea Valley with expert-led events showcasing the regeneration of areas surrounding the Olympic Park.
• Nearly 50 projects with Landscape at their heart with the Landscape Institute – including the newly landscaped Granary/King’s Cross and Leicester Square, and the vast green roofs and insect hotel at 20 Triton Street
• Several open Embassies with the British Council’s International Architecture and Design Showcase
• Showcase of 100 private homes, Architects’ homes and groundbreaking housing developments – from contemporary award-winners to vintage 50s and 60s designs
• Eco, zero carbon and retrofit buildings, with the chance to talk to experts, see measures in action and discover how you can implement changes in your own home
• Win a weekend stay at the 5* Hempel Hotel, London’s premier boutique hotel
• Speak with planners, architects and engineers on how they create successful buildings and cities
• Maggie’s and Open House London Night Hike on Friday 21st September – a moonlit walk through London with the opportunity to see Open House architecture and raise money for Maggie’s Cancer Caring Centres
• Special events and openings on Saturday night including evening film screenings at the Haggerston ‘I was here’ event and Midnight Apothecary: Liquid Engineering, cocktails with a difference at the Brunel Museum
• Activities for kids and families, from architectural model-making to quiz trails
• 20 years of Open House celebrated with special hardback book, published by Ebury Press and in major bookshops from 16 August, giving an insight into 100 Open House buildings; plus the Open House Memory Bank on facebook
• Chart-topping Open House app for iphone from the appstore
• Archibus tour with Arriva – win a place on an architectural whirlwind tour by historic Routemaster bus
• Photography competition in partnership with Architects’ Journal, The Photographers’ gallery and Lomography

Victoria Thornton, Director of Open-City comments: “Open House is a unique annual event, offering people across London the chance to explore and learn about the ‘changing face’ of the capital’s architecture. Last year 89% of participants said the Open House event was the best way to get under the skin, become more knowledgeable and engage in the dialogue about the capital’s architecture. This year we’re excited to be celebrating 20 years of Open House London with a special 48-hour programme of buildings, walks, tours and talks taking in some of the London’s most spectacular architecture.”
Full details of buildings and events will be published in the 2012 Guide (available from 16 August) and can be ordered online
Website: www.openhouselondon.org.uk

London Architecture

London Architecture Walking Tours

London Architecture

London Architecture Design – recent architectural selection below:

London Olympic Buildings
Design: various architects

photo from Olympic Delivery Authority

Victoria & Albert Museum
Design: various architects

photo © Nick Weall

Hoxton Square
Zaha Hadid Architects

image courtesy of Zaha Hadid Architects

Saatchi Gallery, Chelsea
Allford Hall Monaghan Morris

image © Timothy Soar

London Architect

28 May 2012

Open-City Event 2012

Accelerate into University
Architecture for all, not just a few

29 May

Venue: Make Architects, 55 Whitfield Street, London W1T 4AH

Accelerate into University is the first programme of its kind to support 15 to 17 year olds from non-traditional backgrounds who are keen to go into architecture.

The programme has come as a direct response to the concern within higher education that people from less-advantaged backgrounds are unable to pursue a career in architecture and the profession due to the rise in fees. This challenge is exacerbated by a huge deficiency in access to high-quality advice in schools about what architecture is like as a profession. Accelerate is a pioneering first step towards addressing this need.

To see the mentoring at first hand or attend the mentors’ feedback forum at Make’s studio on Tuesday 29 May 6.30-7.30pm, please contact Fiona Macdonald on 020 7383 5722 or email fmacdonald@open-city.org.uk

The fifteen month initiative has now reached the professional practice mentoring phase: During these three months, the architects are supporting the mentees in their practices to complete a design brief which accelerates their drawing, model making and critical thinking skills for university entrance, whilst also integrating them into a professional and creative working environment.

The first of the Accelerate practice mentors forums is being held on Tuesday 29th May to discuss mentoring’s valuable and forward-thinking place in the future of architecture education. Accelerate is being recognised as setting an international standard in its ‘bringing-together’ of pupils from non-traditional higher education backgrounds, current architecture students and professional practitioners, and the findings from this forum will directly feed into the production of the first-ever good practice guide to mentoring for architecture.

Ken Shuttleworth
“We are very aware of our responsibility, as a profession, towards the education of the next generation of architects. By participating in Accelerate! we are educating those young people who will become built environment professionals in years to come.

We have been supporting Open City since 2006 and very are proud to be involved in Accelerate!, which is leading the way as a model of best practice. With early intervention and mentoring, we are helping young people to develop a number of important skills and creating a diverse group of architectural designers – resulting, in the long-term, in a more representative demographic group shaping our future cities.”

Practices:
Make (mentoring fourteen students), bpr architects, Brady Mallalieu Architects, Burrell Architects Ltd, Cazenove Architects, Curl la Tourelle Architects, David Miller Architects, ECD Architects, Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios, Haverstock Associates, Jerry Tate Architects, Laurent Mot Limited, Meadowcroft Griffin Architects, Nick Willson Architects, Pollard Thomas Edwards Architects, S & P Architects, Squire and Partners, Stanton Williams Architects and s-w-architecture.

Schools from the following boroughs:
Barnet, Bexley, Brent, Bromley, Camden, Croydon, Ealing, Enfield, Fulham, Harrow, Havering, Hillingdon, Islington, Newham, Redbridge, Waltham Forest, Wandsworth, Westminster

Programme background

The 50 Accelerate school pupils are all forecast excellent exam results but either have no family history of university education or are on free school meals. It is believed they need additional support to make the transition from school to further education.

Accelerate, a programme designed and developed by Open-City in partnership with UCL and Make, got off to a flying start with skills-development workshops led by Open-City at the Bartlett and supported by 18 of its current students taking time out from their busy schedules. The pupils were challenged to communicate abstract and intangible ideas around the dynamics of their home through paper models, just by cutting and folding a single A4 sheet, thereby building their model making and critical thinking skills.

The mentees are now stepping up to the mark in their professional practice partnerships, working on their own design proposals during six sessions in their mentor’s practice from April to July. The work will be exhibited this summer.

Alongside their partnership of the Accelerate mentoring programme, UCL’s Bartlett School of Architecture has just announced £100 000 in scholarships to architecture students.

Open-City – Tel 020 3006 7008
http://www.open-city.org.uk

make architects

picture : Miller Hare

Location: Make Architects, 55 Whitfield Street, London W1T 4AH, UK

London Architecture Events – Selection

RIBA Event

AA School Events

Open House is a concept that was created in London 20 years ago by Open-City, London’s leading independent architecture education organisation. The Open House model invites everyone to experience, explore and understand the value of a well-designed built environment.

This successful concept has been extended to events in other cities around the world including New York, Dublin & Galway, Tel Aviv & Jerusalem, Barcelona, Rome, Helsinki, Slovenia and Chicago. Further information on the Open House Worldwide family events can be found at www.openhouseworldwide.org Open-City creates opportunities for everyone to experience architecture year-round through the Talks and Tours programme.