This week Fran Williams is joined by Ramsey Yassa, an architect and founding director of NOOMA studio, to discuss: 

UK architects facing scrutiny amid reports of 21,000 Saudi worker deaths // ACME takes over and reveals scaled-back Liverpool St station revamp plans // Mouldy, hard-to-heat rental homes spell royal scandal for Prince William // And is the architectural profession facing the precipice amid a major exodus of talent

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

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 Brief is also supported by Bloomberg Connects, the free arts and culture app.

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

This week Merlin Fulcher is joined by the architectural worker, writer and editors of the magazine Failed Architecture to discuss: 

Rachel Reeves commits £500 million pounds more for affordable housing // Leading economist calls on Labour to spend large on arts and culture projects // David Chipperfield’s Chinese Embassy plans called in by Angela Rayner // And reflecting on the centenary of the British Empire Exhibition at Wembley

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

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 Brief is also supported by Bloomberg Connects, the free arts and culture app.

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

This week Sahiba Chadha is joined by the architect Tara Gbolade to discuss: 

Rachel Reeves' £1 billion boost for council housing in the autumn budget // How planning reform and design codes could help create 1.5 million homes // Calls for the government to engage more with architects on retrofit // And the architecture critic, Joseph Rykwert, has died aged 98

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

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 Brief is also supported by Bloomberg Connects, the free arts and culture app.

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 the architectural journalist Amy Frearson to discuss: 

The Elizabeth Line comes out on top at this year’s RIBA Stirling Prize // Government housing targets branded ‘unrealistic’ by local authorities // The Olympic Park gets a refresh with a new public space for young women and girls // And the £4 million pound battle for Bethnal Green Working Men's Club

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

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 Brief is also supported by Bloomberg Connects, the free arts and culture app.

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 the architect David Ogunmuyiwa to discuss:

A luxury Croydon tower needing ‘extensive’ remediation after only two years // The president of the Royal Institute of British Architects, Muyiwa Oki announces a rebrand // Mayor picks top names for London’s new ‘town architects’ // And the campaign to see 11 Jubilee Line stations given protected heritage status

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

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 Brief is also supported by Bloomberg Connects, the free arts and culture app.

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 writer and housing activist Adam Peggs to discuss:

Run for profit affordable homes spark rent rise fears // Questions over the government’s 1.5 million homes pledge amid troubling housing market data // London’s mayor approves controversial Wimbledon tennis redevelopment plans // And the government is set to back HS2 to Euston amid a growing outcry over the current station’s performance

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

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 Brief is also supported by Bloomberg Connects, the free arts and culture app.

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

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

This week Sahiba Chadha is joined by the renowned tree expert and author, Paul Wood, to discuss:

Sycamore Gap one year on // Labour's ‘brownfield passports’ for new housing // the UK's missed tree-planting targets // and how millions of Britons want their cities carfree according to a new poll.

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

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 Brief is also supported by Bloomberg Connects, the free arts and culture app.

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 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.