History
of LFA
2004-The
London Festival of Architecture started out in 2004 as the London Architecture
Biennale-Clerkenwell area. 15000 people turned out for the opening event -St
John Street when a herd of long horn cows were driven down to Smithfield market
to recreate the movement of livestock that occurred there until the 17th
century
2006-Events
were held along a route linking Borough, south of the River Thames, with Kings
Cross in the north. The theme-highlighted the impact of the construction of the
new bridge on the economy and the planning of the area around Bankside and St
Paul’s cathedral. This included a range of exhibitions, open studios, walks,
tours and bicycle rides.
2008-Actvities
across five key areas or ‘Hubs’, with largescale public events taking place in
a different Hub each weekend. Each of the Hubs covered an area with a very
different character - historic, present and future – and full of different
institutions and activities. Typical past activities include exhibitions,
lectures, walks, talks, bike rides, installations, temporary structures and
tours of historic buildings. Events range from exhibitions of work by
architects from around the world, to local visits to buildings of architectural
interest.
2010-The Architecture Foundation was proud to deliver
the London Festival of Architecture 2010 in partnership with RIBA London and
New London Architecture. The Festival, running from 19 June to 4 July, was a
city-wide celebration of architecture in the capital. As London gears up for the
London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games the Festival looked at ways that
planners, architects, clients and local communities play their part in the
development of 'The Welcoming City'. LFA2010 had three weekends over which
visitors were encouraged to explore three key areas of London, namely; the Nash
Ramblas, Bankside Urban Forest and High Street 2012.
LFA
2012
Curated
by RIBA London, the Architecture Foundation, New London Architecture and the
British Council, LFA2012 will take place over three weekends across three
London hubs:
City
and Southwark (23rd /24th June)
Fitzrovia
and Bloomsbury (30th June /1st July)
Kings
Cross and Hoxton and Royal Docks (7th/8th July)
The
theme for LFA 2012 will be ‘The Playful City’, proposing ways in which both
Londoners and visitors can be active participants in the city. From
reinterpreting familiar places through new installations and animations,
redesigning public spaces to encourage physical fitness in the spirit of the
Olympic Games, to testing interactive forms of consultation and planning for
future urban development, festival participants will be encouraged to play in,
and play with, the city around them.
Oikos
is ancient Greek for house
and the root word of economy
and ecology.
Embracing these principles, An exciting theatre project was embarked upon,
combining a unique mix of public-made art, architecture and performance that
explored how a new sustainable society could flourish in a world altered by
climate change.
A Southwark playground was built in
the heart of London, where award-winning Berlin-based architects Köbberling and Kaltwasser
worked alongside volunteers to create The
Jellyfish Theatre, the UK’s first fully-functioning theatre
made entirely from recycled and reclaimed materials (see below).
Focussing on energy-efficiency,
co-operation and human-scale construction, The Jellyfish was open to the public
as an exhibition space.
With climate change already impacting
on our lives, The Red Room commissioned
leading playwrights,
Kay Adshead and Simon
Wu, to examine ways our society may adapt for survival in two
urgent and inspiring plays written specially to be performed in this unique
venue.
Materials for this
project were provided by Diamond Waste – and the option of using them is open
to us.
The following is a list
of materials actually used in 2010: Timber,
windows, doors, nails, screws, bolts, recycled chairs, benches, stand seats
from football stadia, roof material, tarpaulin, metal beams and skips.
