The City of London and its architecture is never static. The City is a location steeped in history and architectural heritage but this has rarely held it back from being forward-looking, ever changing and willing to address new challenges. It captivates and fascinates with its ability to reinvent itself and push new boundaries, and its ability to work equally well with the old and the new. This dynamic inspired the foundation of the City Architecture Forum and it continues to drive us forward.
Our programme of events for this year has focused on capturing some of the latest thinking and current examples of this activity, as well as engaging our members and guests in debate and prognostication on the future. Thanks to the membership and our network, we are lucky enough to be able to gain access to buildings where others can’t, and our talks and debates are chosen for their relevance to our industry, with the speakers and participants we invite usually ensuring these are very quickly sold out!
In 2024, we have covered a very broad range of topics and projects already. The year began with an early viewing of progress – a ‘sneak peek’ - at the Museum of London, a major arts and culture project which cleverly and thoughtfully repurposes part of the old Smithfield Market, and followed this with a complete contrast in architectural terms - a tour of the bold, new and hugely impressive 20 Ropemaker Street, the latest in the line of tall office buildings emerging around the City core developed by OPLM and CO-RE.
As we moved into the spring months, it was time to promote some lively discussion with debates on Retrofit and Reuse First and the City’s journey towards net zero, and the City Plan 2040. The City of London Corporations’ active participation in these events, involving key individuals such as Kerstin Kane, Rob Nichol, and Shravan Joshri, demonstrates the level of commitment we have enjoyed from the membership and the high regard in which the Forum is held.
In May, we were treated to examples of intricate urban design and the expert architectural ‘stitching’ together of old and new on our tour of British Land’s Norton Folgate site, in the Elder Street Conservation Area between the City of London and Shoreditch. After this - in June - came a presentation from 3XN, GXN and British Land describing how research-based design thinking has informed the architecture of 2 Finsbury Avenue, a striking new office scheme and one of the latest buildings in a new wave of large development projects at Broadgate.
The excellent attendances and positive responses we have had to these events has established a momentum we hope to be able to sustain in the latter half of the year, so please watch this space for how the rest of the programme will unfold! In case you have missed what has gone before, our website carries reports of all our 2024 events to date, so you can readily catch up on the details.
Our Forum Chair, Andrew Reynolds, and the Committee, are also hard at work preparing for this year’s Annual Dinner in November and confirming the guest speakers. Last year we invited Sharon Ament and Tom Nancollas, who were of the highest calibre, and we are keen to ensure we maintain these high standards for this year.
We very much look forward to seeing members old and new, and their guests, at future events and welcome all suggestions for next year’s programme and how we can make the Forum more relevant for you.
Best wishes,
David
David Magyar
Hon. Secretary
