The London Festival of Architecture, in partnership with the City of London Corporation and Illuminated River Foundation, has launched a competition to encourage greater public interaction with the River Thames. Subject to planning consent, the winning design will be installed as part of the London Festival of Architecture and Illuminated River Project in June 2019. As the London Festival of Architecture explores ‘boundaries’ as its theme for 2019, the competition is an unmissable opportunity for architects, landscape architects, artists and designers to address how the public can engage with the River Thames – seen by many as London’s largest boundary.
The Illuminated River project is a free public art project on an unprecedented scale which will see eventually see 15 bridges across the Thames illuminated by artist Leo Villareal. The project runs alongside Fantastic Feats: The building of London – a year-long cultural programme by the City Corporation in 2019 that celebrates London’s built environment and a number of significant anniversaries and events including the 125th anniversary of Tower Bridge and the arrival of the Elizabeth Line (Crossrail). The River View commission forms a central element of this programme, exposing the winning team to a huge public audience during what promises to be one of London’s most exciting events.
Four sites on the north bank of the Thames are proposed for the project: outside Fishmongers Hall, Angel Lane, Southwark Bridge by Vintners Hall, and the City of London School. The project must deliver a site-specific intervention for one or several of the sites, and could be modular for several sites or specific to an individual location.
Entries will be judged by an expert judging panel comprising:
- David Bickle (partner, Hawkins\Brown)
- Nick Bodger (head of cultural and visitor development, City of London Corporation)
- Melanie Charalambous (group manager, public realm, City of London Corporation)
- Andy Downey (partner, Elliott Wood)
- Sarah Gaventa (director, Illuminated River Foundation)
- Edwin Heathcote (architecture and design critic, Financial Times)
- Stella Ioannou (director, Sculpture in the City)
- Tamsie Thomson (director, London Festival of Architecture)
The River Thames defines London, yet over the centuries it has gone from being the artery of the capital to one of its biggest boundaries. In 2019, as the London Festival of Architecture explores ‘boundaries’ and Illuminated River transforms how Londoners and visitors see the Thames, we’re thrilled to offer an unmissable opportunity for architects, artists and designers to create something that reconnects people with the river. This is a competition that demands an ambitious and imaginative response: we’re looking forward to seeing the entries but even more excited to see River View in place in 2019.
Graham Packham, Chairman of the City of London Corporation’s Culture, Heritage and Libraries Committee, said:
“This unique competition throws down the gauntlet to design something special on the Thames Riverside Walkway, essentially, an opportunity that many of the capital’s fines creatives should find too hard to resist. I am looking forward to seeing how architects, designers and artists rise to the challenge of building a structure that is accessible, engaging and pleasing to the eye, and as the brief suggests, connects people to the capital’s iconic river.”
Sarah Gaventa, director of the Illuminated River Foundation, said:
“We hope that this competition will result in some creative solutions to the lack of public seating and access on the Thames Riverside Walkway. The commission will provide more opportunities for the public to linger and enjoy spending time by the river, as well as refocussing attention on the river and the bridges across it.”
The deadline for expressions of interest is midday on 1 November 2018. Further information and submission requirements is available at www.londonfestivalofarchitecture.org.
Daisy Froud to facilitate Royal Docks Charrette
Alongside the Royal Docks Team and in partnership with Newham Regeneration, we’re thrilled to announce that Daisy Froud will be a facilitator at our Royal Docks Charrette. The charrette is a fantastic opportunity for architects and planners to work alongside local representatives and stakeholder organisations to really make a difference as the arrival of the Elizabeth Line brings with it opportunities to improve connections in the Royal Docks and support economic regeneration. A key objective will be to integrate local communities and reflect the area’s rich social and cultural heritage.
As a strategist with 18 years of experience of in-brief development, community engagement and participatory design, Daisy is ideally placed to lead this exciting initiative. She devises tools and processes that enable diverse voices to meaningfully contribute to design decision-making, and shape the future of places and spaces in intelligent, imaginative and equitable ways.
Having started her career in community-led regeneration and environmental campaigning, from 2003 to 2014 Daisy was a founding director of architecture practice AOC, which built a reputation for “a committed engagement with communities, clients and parts of the city” (FT, 2008).
Daisy is a Teaching Fellow at The Bartlett School of Architecture, and in 2011 she completed a visiting professorship at Yale focusing on participatory design. Daisy sits on the advisory Design Panel for High Speed 2 and is a Built Environment Expert for Design Council CABE, an Academician of the Academy of Urbanism, and a Mayor’s Design Advocate, advising on community engagement and co-design to the Mayor of London.
The deadline for expressions of interest is 3.00pm on Friday 19 October 2018. Further information on the design charrette and submission requirements are available here.
Call for Trade Partners for LFA 2019
Architecture is a collective endeavour, where architects depend on a range of other professionals, suppliers and innovative product manufacturers to help them realise their vision. At the London Festival of Architecture, we value the support of enlightened partners who share our commitment to quality design.
As we look forward to welcoming our Trade Partners back for LFA2019, we are incredibly grateful for their proud support of the festival and wider profession, and a huge thank you goes to Taylor Maxwell,Roca London Gallery, Poggenpohl, Poliform and Vision London.
We’ve also launched a call for new Trade Partners for our 2019 festival, and would love to hear from you if you’d like to get involved and become part of our festival family!
Working alongside the LFA can be a powerful sign of your commitment to supporting London’s architectural community, as becoming a Trade Partner offers an exciting opportunity to ensure that your brand reaches a huge audience of decision-makers across London’s architectural sector throughout the year, growing your reach as the Festival grows.
For more information or to join our Trade Partner programme TODAY please contact Owen Wainhouse on 020 7299 1280 or email owen(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)londonfestivalofarchitecture.org