Open City

This week Merlin Fulcher is joined by Ewan Harrison, a lecturer in Architectural Studies at the University of Manchester.

Campaigners lose bid to save Birmingham’s brutalist Ringway Centre // Sadiq Khan wins new powers to pedestrianise Oxford Street // Listing bid for Portsmouth Civic Offices blocked // And an abandoned leisure centre in West Yorkshire reimagined as a state-of-the-art skate park

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.

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

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

This week Merlin Fulcher is joined by Tomi Balogun, a young architect studying the Bartlett and winner of the Beyond The Box People's Pavilion prize 2023.

The Grenfell inquiry’s damning verdict sees architect Studio E given ‘very significant’ responsibility for the fire // A new design handbook making cities safer for women // Anthony Gormley slams plans to transform Coal Drops Yard in King’s Cross // And a hidden message is discovered during the National Gallery’s contentious redevelopment

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.

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

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

This week Fran Williams is joined by Gino Spocchia, senior reporter at the Architects Journal.

‘Retrofit-first’ council approves five demolitions in one scheme // Foster + Partners rumoured to be designing Manchester United’s new stadium // China revives plans for a new London embassy after Labour’s election victory // And an ‘intimate’ biography of acclaimed architect Zaha Hadid is on the horizon

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.

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

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

This week Merlin Fulcher is joined by Tamsie Thomson, the chief executive of the Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland.

Far-right rioting leaves struggling high streets and communities further scarred // Angela Rayner announces ambitious planning reforms and a New Towns taskforce // A fire breaks out at Glasgow’s beloved Carlton Place // And the London Festival of Architecture announces a new competition to give a much-needed glow up to a gloomy Battersea underpass

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 London Society, Twentieth Century Society and SAVE Britain’s Heritage, and in partnership with the Architects’ Journal.

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

This week Sahiba is joined by journalist India Block, Deputy Editor of Homes and Property at the Evening Standard.

The RIBA Stirling Prize 2024: this year’s finalists revealed // Rachel Reeves scraps landmark infrastructure projects // Acclaimed architect Peter Barber’s visionary idea to make Britain self-sufficient // And a London pavement parking ban is proposed as the row over e-bikes escalates

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.

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

This week Fran is joined by architect and writer Nana Biamah-Ofosu, the director of YAA Projects: an architecture, design and research practice focused on making, speaking and writing architecture.

Six million people at risk from extreme heat in England, campaign group warns // 80% of potential first-time buyers can’t afford a deposit on a home in their area // Milton Keynes landmark The Point saved from ‘soulless’ redevelopment // KPF unwraps proposals to overhaul Foster’s HSBC tower in Canary Wharf

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.

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

For our 150th episode, Merlin is joined this week by Jas Bhalla, an Architect, Town Planner, Urban Designer and founder of Bermondsey-based Jas Bhalla Works.

Local authorities warn of urgent financial threat to council housing // UK’s largest housebuilder cuts output in blow to government targets // Lloyds bank to transform back offices into social housing // And the NIC and IPA are merged into a new infrastructural body: Nista

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.

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

This week Merlin Fulcher is joined by Akil Scafe-Smith, urban designer and co-founder of RESOLVE.

Labour bring back housing targets and lifts onshore wind ban // “Levelling up” is stripped from the housing department name and Matthew Pennycook is appointed as Housing Minister // Chris Williamson wins RIBA presidential election // And a contest is launched for the Grenfell tower memorial.

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.

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

This week Fran Williams is joined by Jan Kattein, architect, lecturer, author and founding director of Jan Kattein Architects. 

Labour vows major housing announcements ‘within a fortnight’ of winning the election // South London squatters take the emergency housing crisis into their own hands // The mega-bucks tutoring advert spotlighting inequalities within architectural education // And a Post-Modern Egyptian Revival-style home becomes the youngest building in the UK to be given listed status 

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.

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

This week Merlin is joined by Hilary Satchwell, architect, urban designer and director of Tibbalds, a South London-based planning and urban design firm.

Bold new plans to reimagine UK department stores as sustainable housing // Architects set out their vision to boost affordable housing after the election // Black cab restrictions look set to be controversially lifted at Bank Junction // And social-housing legend Kate Macintosh receives the AJ100 Contribution to the Profession award 

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.

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