This week Merlin spoke to Simon Vickery, the Programme Manager of the Open House Festival.

// Spring budget criticised for failing to boost housing // A government report finds Lown Traffic Neighbourhoods are popular and effective // Grimshaw unveils major new redevelopment plans for Waterloo Station // And how simply partying more could help our struggling night time economy //

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 C20THEBRIEF 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.



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In this episode Paul spoke to the co-founder of architects Studio Octopi and Future Lidos Group; Chris Romer-Lee. Chris is a outdoor swimming enthusiast and tidal pool advocate, and his practice was behind the ambitious Thames Bath proposals which first caught peoples attention nearly a decade ago.

In this episode they discuss the landscape of swimming, with a particular focus on tidal pools and the benefits they can bring to coastal ecosystems and communities.

You can find an online version of Landscape for free here

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This week Merlin is joined by Tom Wilkinson. Tom is a writer and historian, and author of the new book ‘Emergency Money: Notgeld in the Image Economy of the German Inflation, 1914–1923'

// Competition probe into the UK’s biggest housebuilders // Heatherwick to turn BT Tower into a luxury hotel // Government redirects billions from HS2’s scrapped northern leg // And architects report the longest period of pessimism since 2009 //

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 C20THEBRIEF 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.



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This week Producer Poppy spoke to Fran Williams - the architectural journalist and occasional host of The Brief - to discuss the big stories in housing, architecture, and planning news this week.

// Government warned London house building is grinding to a halt // A new benchmark for sustainable housing wins planning in East Sussex // Loss of Jewish East End heritage as landmark beigel shop closes its doors // And a 6 million pound rebrand for London's ‘Orange Line’

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 C20THEBRIEF 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.



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This week Sahiba spoke to Rob Fiehn, the Director of the London Society

// RIBA president Muyiwa Oki slams Labour’s £28 billion pound green U-turn // Michael Gove approves controversial South Bank tower plans // The public toilet crisis isolating vulnerable people // And delivery riders stage a Valentine’s Day strike demanding fair wages //

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 C20THEBRIEF 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.



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In this episode Paul spoke to the architect, curator and urbanist, Madeleine Kessler. Together they looked at waste water management in London, and investigated the value of holistic design-led approaches to major infrastructure projects.

You can find an online version of Landscape for free here

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This week Sahiba spoke to Pooja Agrawal. Pooja is an architect, chief executive of Public Practice, and a trustee of Open City.

// Housebuilders throw support behind Labour as Conservatives ‘bow to Nimbyism’ // Fresh plans submitted for London tower set to be joint-tallest in Europe // Channel 4 to sell iconic Richard Rogers-designed HQ amid job cuts // And the clifftop project dubbed Grand Designs’ ‘saddest ever’ home, goes back on the market //

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 C20THEBRIEF 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.



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This week Merlin spoke to the architect and co-founder of the Stirling Prize-winning practice Haworth Tompkins, Graham Haworth.

// Calls for a Royal Commission into housing and health as 5,000 deaths caused by cold and damp homes // A new wave of multistorey industrial developments transforming urban skylines // South Korean architect Minsuk Cho picked for 2024 Serpentine pavilion //

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 C20THEBRIEF 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.



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Fill out our 2 minute listener survey to be in with a chance to win a 6 month subscription to Open City's Pocket London printed guides.

This week Merlin spoke to Siraaj Mitha, Head of Open City's Accelerate programme.

// Lesley Lokko wins RIBA Gold Medal // The state of Britain’s pavements forces many to stay at home // 2023 named hottest year ever recorded globally by a blistering margin // And the Elizabeth Line station which was nearly never built now faces acute overcrowding //

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 C20THEBRIEF 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.

Fill out our 2 minute listener survey to be in with a chance to win a 6 month subscription to Open City's Pocket London printed guides.

On the show this week Merlin spoke to Des Fitzgerald. Des is a professor of medical humanities and social sciences, and author of the new book ‘The City of Today is a Dying Thing’

// Fresh divisions emerge in the debate over greenbelt development // Big oil bankrolls a major British Museum overhaul // Public buildings at risk amid a wave of local authority bankruptcies // And the record-breaking theft of Banksy’s newest Peckham artwork //

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 C20THEBRIEF 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.