Open City

Crisis in concrete: the school estate shutdown and how we got here


Listen Later

The schools estate is crumbling and new revelations over the risks of Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) have forced closures across the country, stoking alarm among parents and forcing the government into crisis. Remediation could cost billions of pounds and meanwhile a whole raft of under-maintained post-war buildings could now face demolition. Is decades of under-investment about to come crashing down?


To help us unpack this complex story is Dr Ruth Lang. Ruth is a lecturer in professional practice at the RCA and London School of Architecture, and lead researcher for Low Carbon Housing at Design Museum. Her PhD in Architectural History focussed on the London County Council’s schools building programme after the Second World War…


Links to articles and events mentioned in the podcast:

Shannon Mattern article

Panel Discussion: Women in Social: Housing & Architecture St Pancras

Islands Talks: Owen Hatherley and Marianna Janowicz


----


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.

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

Open CityBy Open City

  • 5
  • 5
  • 5
  • 5
  • 5

5

1 ratings


More shows like Open City

View all
More or Less by BBC Radio 4

More or Less

893 Listeners

Page 94: The Private Eye Podcast by Page 94: The Private Eye Podcast

Page 94: The Private Eye Podcast

345 Listeners

Political Fix by Financial Times

Political Fix

150 Listeners

Daily Politics from the New Statesman by The New Statesman

Daily Politics from the New Statesman

141 Listeners

Novara Media by Novara Media

Novara Media

167 Listeners

About Buildings + Cities by Luke Jones & George Gingell Discuss Architecture, History and Culture

About Buildings + Cities

273 Listeners

Newscast by BBC News

Newscast

655 Listeners

Scaffold by The Architecture Foundation

Scaffold

38 Listeners

Homing by Matt Gibberd

Homing

86 Listeners

Waldy and Bendy’s Adventures in Art by ZCZ Films

Waldy and Bendy’s Adventures in Art

154 Listeners

Westminster Insider by POLITICO

Westminster Insider

37 Listeners

The Rest Is Politics by Goalhanger

The Rest Is Politics

3,087 Listeners

Macrodose by Planet B Productions

Macrodose

27 Listeners

The Rest Is Classified by Goalhanger

The Rest Is Classified

1,200 Listeners

Strong Message Here by BBC Radio 4

Strong Message Here

63 Listeners