Introducing a brand new show from Open City: The Home That Made Me.

In this episode Fiona Chilton is joined by Clare who after years of renting managed to buy her dream flat in London. But, within a matter of months, everything changed and her sanctuary became a place of despair. This experience has profoundly changed how she sees the balance of power in the built environment, and has forever changed what she would look for in any future home.

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The Open City Podcast is supported by Bloomberg Connects, the free arts and culture platform and produced in association with the Architects’ Journal, London Society, C20 Society and Save Britain's Heritage.

To help support excellent and accessible, independent journalism about the buildings and the urban environment, please become an Open City Friend.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on The Brief Fran Williams is joined by Tom Dollard. Tom is an architect and partner for sustainability at Pollard Thomas Edwards. He was recently appointed Mayor’s Design Advocate and is Chair of the Good Homes Alliance. Together they discuss:

Government launches ‘biggest home upgrade plan in UK history’// Westminster Council puts Retrofit at the heart of the city // New plans to protect architects from unqualified rivals  // And Mexico’s LANZA picked for this year’s Serpentine Pavilion

Subscribe to the Open City Podcast on Spotify, Soundcloud or iTunes

The Open City Podcast is supported by Bloomberg Connects, the free arts and culture platform and produced in association with the Architects’ Journal, London Society, C20 Society and Save Britain's Heritage.

The Open City Podcast 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 help support excellent and accessible, independent journalism about the buildings and the urban environment, please become an Open City Friend.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode Matthew Lloyd Roberts is joined by Christian Dimbleby to discuss Tate Modern, the former power station converted into a gallery for modern art by Herzog & de Meuron at the turn of the millennium. Originally built as Bankside Power Station from 1947 to designs by Giles Gilbert Scott, the discussion ranged from the challenges in transforming infrastructure into cultural spaces and the lasting lessons which can be learned from the conversion.

Christian Dimbleby is the UK Head of Sustainability at White Arkitekter, where he leads the integration of sustainable design principles across the practice’s UK portfolio. He is also an active speaker on sustainable and regenerative design, regularly engaging with universities and sustainability organisations such as Architects Declare.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Description: This week on The Brief, Merlin Fulcher is joined by Giles Smith, a founding member of the Turner Prize winning art, architecture and design collective Assemble, to discuss:

Milton Keynes’ original planners call for more social homes in the latest new towns // New plans are set out for a world-leading cultural hub in the remote Scottish Highlands // A discovery in Shropshire offers a breathtaking incite into English architectural heritage // And finally, the great and good of architecture have been celebrated in the New Year Honours list

Subscribe to the Open City Podcast on Spotify, Soundcloud or iTunes

The Open City Podcast is supported by Bloomberg Connects, the free arts and culture platform and produced in association with the Architects’ Journal, London Society, C20 Society and Save Britain's Heritage.

The Open City Podcast 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 help support excellent and accessible, independent journalism about the buildings and the urban environment, please become an Open City Friend.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In The Room at Accelerate Debates is a podcast which broadcasts the live debates from Accelerate, Open City’s free educational programme. In this episode, you’ll hear our third debate of the year, “Rethinking Recruitment”, where we ask: just how transparent is the recruitment process in the field of architecture and design? Moderators Siraaj Mitha and Jasmin Yeo are joined by six guest speakers: Andrea Villate, Associate Architect who, at the time, was driving talent development and HR policies at architecture practice RCKa; Mat Barnes, architect and director of CAN, an architecture and design studio based in London; Accelerate-alumna and founder of the publication For African People Hani Ali; Nikki Linsell, who was working at the time as Chief Operating Officer at Public Practice; Neil Onions, Creative Strategist, Cultural Leader, and the Founding Director of Beyond the Box CIC and Sana Tabassum, Creative Director of to scale and multi-disciplinary designer. 

Hosts: Siraaj Mitha and Jasmin Yeo

Music: Massive Music

This episode includes conversations about problematic practice in recruitment processes that some listeners may find challenging. If you’ve been affected by the issues discussed, please find support through the organisations below:

* Samaritans – 116 123 (free, 24 hours a day) – samaritans.org 

* Mind (mental health support) – mind.org.uk

Further reading:

 - Open City Accelerate Alumni

 - RIBA Future Architects

 - Section of Architectural Workers (SAW)

 - Future of London Emerging Talent Programme

 - Future Architects Front (FAF)

 - Beyond the Box 

- To Scale

- The London Practice Forum

- CAN instagram

- Public Practice

The podcast is supported by Bloomberg Connects, the free arts and culture platform and produced in association with the Architects’ Journal, London Society, C20 Society and Save Britain's Heritage. It's recorded and produced at the Open City offices located in Bureau. Subscribe on Spotify, Soundcloud or iTunes and to further support, become an Open City Friend.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on The Brief Merlin Fulcher is joined by curator of Digital Design at the V&A Natalie Kane to discuss:

The president of the Royal Institute of British Architects tears up his accreditation in a bid for greater protection // Nnena Kalu wins the 2025 Turner Prize in a breakthrough for neurodiverse artists // London architecture grandee Peter Murray announces a mayoral bid // And finally, amid a surge in new data centres could now be the time for a design rebrand?

Subscribe to the Open City Podcast on Spotify, Soundcloud or iTunes

The Open City Podcast is supported by Bloomberg Connects, the free arts and culture platform and produced in association with the Architects’ Journal, London Society, C20 Society and Save Britain's Heritage.

The Open City Podcast 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 help support excellent and accessible, independent journalism about the buildings and the urban environment, please become an Open City Friend.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Deconstructed. Matilda House - Co-operative Council Housing. In this episode, Matthew Lloyd Roberts is joined by Dr Holly Smith to discuss Matilda House, the home of a radical experiment in co-operative housing which was welcomed by politicians of all stripes as a solution to the crises of the late 1970s. Matilda House is one of several projects discussed in Smith's new book, 'Up in the Air: A History of High-Rise Britain', which we also discuss.

Archive photos: © Stephen and Matilda Tenants’ Cooperative © Paul Barbara © Barbara Philips

Subscribe to the Open City Podcast on Spotify, Soundcloud or iTunes

The Open City Podcast is supported by Bloomberg Connects, the free arts and culture platform and produced in association with the Architects’ Journal, London Society, C20 Society and Save Britain's Heritage.

The Open City Podcast 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.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on The Brief Fran Williams is joined by the writer and activist, Adam Peggs to discuss:

Rough sleeping surges to post pandemic-high // Government housebuilding forecast downgraded // New measures to ease planning for homes near transport hubs // And an alternative vision to save Liverpool Street Station’s vaulted glass concourse roof from being lost to redevelopment

Subscribe to the Open City Podcast on Spotify, Soundcloud or iTunes

The Open City Podcast is supported by Bloomberg Connects, the free arts and culture platform and produced in association with the Architects’ Journal, London Society, C20 Society and Save Britain's Heritage.

The Open City Podcast 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 help support excellent and accessible, independent journalism about the buildings and the urban environment, please become an Open City Friend.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In The Room at Accelerate Debates is a new podcast from Open City, broadcasting the live debates from Accelerate, Open City’s free educational programme. In this episode, you’ll hear our second debate of the year, “Constructive Criticism”, where we ask: where do we draw the line between constructive and destructive criticism in the field of architecture? Moderator Siraaj Mitha is joined by five guest speakers: Shumi Bose, Senior Lecturer in Architecture at Central Saint Martins; Alberto Villanueva who is Associate Professor and Programme Director at Ravensbourne University; Accelerate-alumna and graduate sustainable design consultant at Savills Aretha Ahunanya; Jenny Russell, Director of Education and Learning at the RIBA and Neil Pinder, honorary professor at the Bartlett School of Architecture and head of product design and architecture at Graveney School in South London.

Host: Siraaj Mitha

Music: Massive Music

Image credit: Luke O'Donovan

This episode includes conversations about problematic practice in architectural education as well as discussions of mental health challenges. If you’ve been affected by the issues discussed, please find support through the organisations below:

* Samaritans – 116 123 (free, 24 hours a day) – samaritans.org 

* Mind (mental health support) – mind.org.uk

Further reading:

• Festival of the Future 2025
• Festival of the Future in the AJ
• Student Minds
• Youth Endowment Fund
• Architecture Social

The podcast is supported by Bloomberg Connects, the free arts and culture platform and produced in association with the Architects’ Journal, London Society, C20 Society and Save Britain's Heritage. It's recorded and produced at the Open City offices located in Bureau. Subscribe on Spotify, Soundcloud or iTunes and to further support, become an Open City Friend

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on The Brief Sahiba Chadha is joined by the architect and co-founder of We Made That, Holly Lewis, to discuss:

AI nimbyism threatens to upend UK planning // Highstreet developer goes into liquidation // VAT imbalances found to be incentivising demolition // And a furore over plans to install uPVC windows on Peter Barber’s award-winning housing in Bow

Subscribe to the Open City Podcast on Spotify, Soundcloud or iTunes

The Open City Podcast is supported by Bloomberg Connects, the free arts and culture platform and produced in association with the Architects’ Journal, London Society, C20 Society and Save Britain's Heritage.

The Open City Podcast 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 help support excellent and accessible, independent journalism about the buildings and the urban environment, please become an Open City Friend.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.