Open City

This week Sahiba spoke to Pooja Agrawal. Pooja is an architect, chief executive of Public Practice, and a trustee of Open City.// Housebuilders throw support behind Labour as Conservatives ‘bow to Nimbyism’ // Fresh plans submitted for London tower set to be joint-tallest in Europe // Channel 4 to sell iconic Richard Rogers-designed HQ amid job cuts // And the clifftop project dubbed Grand Designs’ ‘saddest ever’ home, goes back on the market //The Brief is supported by Bloomberg Connects, the free arts and culture app.Click here to get early, ad-free access to The Brief, and support accessible independent journalism from Open City.The Brief is recorded and produced at the Open City offices located in Bureau. Bureau is a co-working space for creatives offering a new approach to membership workspace. Bureau prioritises not just room to think and do, but also shared resources and space to collaborate. To book a free day pass follow this link.The Brief is produced in association with the Architects’ Journal, and the C20 Society.The C20 Society are offering The Brief supporters 20% off membership, just follow this link and use the code C20THEBRIEF at the checkout.If you enjoyed the show, we recommend you subscribe to the AJ for all the latest news, building studies, expert opinion, cultural analysis, and business intelligence from the UK architecture industry. Listeners can save 15% on a subscription using this link. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week Merlin spoke to the architect and co-founder of the Stirling Prize-winning practice Haworth Tompkins, Graham Haworth.// Calls for a Royal Commission into housing and health as 5,000 deaths caused by cold and damp homes // A new wave of multistorey industrial developments transforming urban skylines // South Korean architect Minsuk Cho picked for 2024 Serpentine pavilion //The Brief is supported by Bloomberg Connects, the free arts and culture app.Click here to get early, ad-free access to The Brief, and support accessible independent journalism from Open City.The Brief is recorded and produced at the Open City offices located in Bureau. Bureau is a co-working space for creatives offering a new approach to membership workspace. Bureau prioritises not just room to think and do, but also shared resources and space to collaborate. To book a free day pass follow this link.The Brief is produced in association with the Architects’ Journal, and the C20 Society.The C20 Society are offering The Brief supporters 20% off membership, just follow this link and use the code C20THEBRIEF at the checkout.If you enjoyed the show, we recommend you subscribe to the AJ for all the latest news, building studies, expert opinion, cultural analysis, and business intelligence from the UK architecture industry. Listeners can save 15% on a subscription using this link. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Fill out our 2 minute listener survey to be in with a chance to win a 6 month subscription to Open City's Pocket London printed guides.This week Merlin spoke to Siraaj Mitha, Head of Open City's Accelerate programme.// Lesley Lokko wins RIBA Gold Medal // The state of Britain’s pavements forces many to stay at home // 2023 named hottest year ever recorded globally by a blistering margin // And the Elizabeth Line station which was nearly never built now faces acute overcrowding //The Brief is supported by Bloomberg Connects, the free arts and culture app.Click here to get early, ad-free access to The Brief, and support accessible independent journalism from Open City.The Brief is recorded and produced at the Open City offices located in Bureau. Bureau is a co-working space for creatives offering a new approach to membership workspace. Bureau prioritises not just room to think and do, but also shared resources and space to collaborate. To book a free day pass follow this link.The Brief is produced in association with the Architects’ Journal, and the C20 Society.The C20 Society are offering The Brief supporters 20% off membership, just follow this link and use the code C20THEBRIEF at the checkout.If you enjoyed the show, we recommend you subscribe to the AJ for all the latest news, building studies, expert opinion, cultural analysis, and business intelligence from the UK architecture industry. Listeners can save 15% on a subscription using this link. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Fill out our 2 minute listener survey to be in with a chance to win a 6 month subscription to Open City's Pocket London printed guides.On the show this week Merlin spoke to Des Fitzgerald. Des is a professor of medical humanities and social sciences, and author of the new book ‘The City of Today is a Dying Thing’// Fresh divisions emerge in the debate over greenbelt development // Big oil bankrolls a major British Museum overhaul // Public buildings at risk amid a wave of local authority bankruptcies // And the record-breaking theft of Banksy’s newest Peckham artwork //The Brief is supported by Bloomberg Connects, the free arts and culture app.Click here to get early, ad-free access to The Brief, and support accessible independent journalism from Open City.The Brief is recorded and produced at the Open City offices located in Bureau. Bureau is a co-working space for creatives offering a new approach to membership workspace. Bureau prioritises not just room to think and do, but also shared resources and space to collaborate. To book a free day pass follow this link.The Brief is produced in association with the Architects’ Journal, and the C20 Society.The C20 Society are offering The Brief supporters 20% off membership, just follow this link and use the code C20THEBRIEF at the checkout.If you enjoyed the show, we recommend you subscribe to the AJ for all the latest news, building studies, expert opinion, cultural analysis, and business intelligence from the UK architecture industry. Listeners can save 15% on a subscription using this link. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode we investigated the importance of Sustainable Urban Drainage systems in building a greener future, with Sue Illman who guest edited this edition of Landscape which is dedicated to the evolving landscape of water.Sue is a landscape architect and past president of the Landscape Institute. Her career has changed the landscape of water management this year was a recipient of an ‘Outstanding Contribution to SuDS’ award by CIRIA - the Construction Industry Research and Information Association.You can find an online version of Landscape for free here Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Special episode of award-winning podcast series examining forest restoration.Open City is delighted to present this special episode of Words on Wood, a fantastic podcast created by the American Hardwood Export Council in conjunction with Disegno journal exploring how the world’s forests can be restored.We’ve been fans of Words on Wood for for some time. It’s a very well produced show combining interviews with some of the best brains in the timber industry with leading creative practitioners from carpenters to architects. In this episode, titled A Trillion Trees, the Words on Wood team are joined by multi award-winning science and environmental writer, Fred Pearce whose groundbreaking work covering the natural world spans at least 15 books. The wider Words on Wood series explores a vast set of themes connected to timber and trees featuring interviews with inspiring speakers including educators, architects and craftspeople. Building on the success of previous seasons, the latest series of Words on Wood will introduce a new mini series titled ‘Making Shorts’. These bite-sized episodes zoom into production techniques for timber, providing concise case studies through interviews with designers on the making processes behind specific projects.Other highlights include Anna Maria Øfstedal Eng speaking about creating furniture with a chainsaw, and Tanya Singer and Errol Evans, First Nations woodworkers and artists, explaining how they employed high-tech milling machines to create a series of sculptural furniture that tell stories about the climate crisis. You can find the show here or search Words on Wood wherever you get your podcasts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week Merlin spoke to Rowan Moore - the architecture critic of The Observer and author of several books including ‘Property: The myth that built the world’// UK rents up by more than a quarter since 2020 // MPs still deliberating over Parliament’s restoration // Stratford Sphere given one last chance by Michael Gove // And how the richest 1% account for more carbon emissions than poorest 66% //The Brief is supported by Bloomberg Connects, the free arts and culture app.Click here to get early, ad-free access to The Brief, and support accessible independent journalism from Open City.The Brief is recorded and produced at the Open City offices located in Bureau. Bureau is a co-working space for creatives offering a new approach to membership workspace. Bureau prioritises not just room to think and do, but also shared resources and space to collaborate. To book a free day pass follow this link.The Brief is produced in association with the Architects’ Journal, and the C20 Society.The C20 Society are offering The Brief supporters 20% off membership, just follow this link and use the code C20LONDOWN at the checkout.If you enjoyed the show, we recommend you subscribe to the AJ for all the latest news, building studies, expert opinion, cultural analysis, and business intelligence from the UK architecture industry. Listeners can save 15% on a subscription using this link. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Paul spoke to Karen Fitzsimon, Colleen D’Souza and Rajan Dewan. Karen is a chartered landscape architect, historian, and horticulturist. Colleen is Director and Head of Cracknell’s Integrated Horticulture Team. She has been instrumental in expanding the plant typologies used in the Middle East and North Africa regions of the last three decades, challenging local standards and adding ecological and resilience value. And Rajan – Group Design Director at Cracknell– is a specialist in water management and modern irrigation techniques, and has over 40 years’ experience in planning, design, construction detailing, management, construction resourcing and engineering design of hard & soft landscape.Together they talked about the history of publicly accessible parks, and the challenges they face in the future as the climate crisis threatens water security.To read their articles and all the others in this edition, you can find an online version of Landscape for free here Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Given the climate and biodiversity crises we currently face, there is an urgent need to make urban environments more sustainable. This walking tour has been produced to raise awareness of key issues, and to highlight ways that cities can be redesigned to prioritise sustainability principles. In line with UN Sustainable Development Goal 11, there is a particular focus on inclusivity, resilience, and sustainability.Following this route through central London will encourage you to reflect on the significance of the places you are passing through. Learning through walking is a long established practice, and one that fits the University of Westminster’s commitment to active, experimental education. The tour links two of the University’s campuses in central London, and we hope it will encourage staff and students to walk between sites.ROUTE NOTES:Listening Point 1 - Marylebone road monitoring stationListening Point 2 - Paddington Street Gardens public toiletsListening Point 3 - Paddington Street GardensListening Point 4 - Marylebone High StreetListening Point 5 - Manchester SquareListening Point 6 - Hinde StreetListening Point 7 - Marylebone LaneListening Point 8 - Wigmore PlaceListening Point 9 - Cavendish SquareListening point 10 - 309 Regent StreetYou can find out more information about the route along with a handy map on the Open City website Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week Merlin spoke to Director of the C20 Society, Catherine Croft.// Extreme weather labelled ‘greatest threat’ to UK built heritage // Concrete concerns back in the spotlight as Bristol tower block evacuated // Climate questions over Labour’s 1.5 million homes pledge // And the London Mayor refuses Sphere venue plans for Stratford //The Brief is supported by Bloomberg Connects, the free arts and culture app.Click here to get early, ad-free access to The Brief, and support accessible independent journalism from Open City.The Brief is recorded and produced at the Open City offices located in Bureau. Bureau is a co-working space for creatives offering a new approach to membership workspace. Bureau prioritises not just room to think and do, but also shared resources and space to collaborate. To book a free day pass follow this link.The Brief is produced in association with the Architects’ Journal, and the C20 Society.The C20 Society are offering The Brief supporters 20% off membership, just follow this link and use the code C20LONDOWN at the checkout.If you enjoyed the show, we recommend you subscribe to the AJ for all the latest news, building studies, expert opinion, cultural analysis, and business intelligence from the UK architecture industry. Listeners can save 15% on a subscription using this link. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.