Open City

In this episode, host Sahiba Chadha will be joined by guest Mike Althorpe, an architectural researcher at Karakusevic Carson Architects and the mastermind behind The London Ambler tours. They will be discussing:

The programme for this year’s Open House Festival goes live // Bold plans to pedestrianise London’s West End revealed // A last chance to save Milton Keynes landmark pyramid from demolition // And could nightclubbing offer a lifeline to London’s troubled office blocks?

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

In this episode of Deconstructed, host Matthew Lloyd Roberts is joined by Shukri Sultan, a lecturer at Westminster University, to explore the story of Almanaar Mosque in West London. Together, they unpack how this unassuming building became a vital hub for faith, community, and resilience — especially in the wake of the Grenfell Tower fire.

Correction, the correct meaning of the word masjid is not "place of prayer", a more accurate translation would be "place of prostration”.

The end quote is attributed to Mariyama Sanyang, Community Coordinator at Almanaar, who took the time to spea...

In this episode, host and Open City architectural director Merlin Fulcher will be joined by guest Sarah Carrington, the new Director of The Line, a public art trail that connects Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and The O2. They will be discussing:

Norman Foster picked to design Queen Elizabeth’s memorial // The majority of architects are now using AI according to a new study // A major low-carbon heating project gets the green light in Oxford // And SAVE Britain’s Heritage reveals its latest Buildings At Risk register

To help support excellent and accessible, independent jour...

InterCities is a six-part podcast series from Open City. In it, we travel to a number of cities and boroughs around the world that have transformed over time to discover what we can learn from these places’ achievements, struggles, successes and mistakes.

In this episode, our host Owen Hatherley is joined by the Israeli-born, UK-based academic and writer Dr Yair Wallach who specialises in the urban history of the Middle East. Today the focus is his 2020 book “A City in Fragments: Urban Text in Modern Jerusalem” which explores the city's history through ephemera and urban text and we...

In this episode, host Sahiba Chadha is joined by Sharon Giffen, Head of Design at The Earls Court Development Company and an architect with more than 20 years experience leading large scale masterplans and infrastructure projects. They will be discussing:

Plymouth high street regeneration wins the 2025 Davidson Prize // From ‘living wage’ to ‘living hours, how an architecture firm is changing working life // Oxford Street’s pedestrianisation set to finally go ahead // And Open City’s Accelerate team is making waves at the AJ100 Awards

To help support excellent and accessible, independent journalism about the buildings a...

In this episode of Deconstructed - the first of a trilogy to mark 60 years since the end of the London County Council - Matthew Lloyd Roberts is joined by Dr Dawn Pereira, historian of architectural sculpture and author of a forthcoming monograph on the artist William Mitchell. They discuss Crystal Palace Park, from its origins as the home of Joseph Paxton’s Crystal Palace, which was moved from the Great Exhibition at Hyde Park to form a permanent new collection on the hilltops of South London. After the destruction of the palace in a fire in 1936, the London County Co...

In this episode, host Sahiba Chadha is joined by Billy Reading, Inspector of Historic Buildings and Areas for Historic England to discuss:

A major estate agent casts doubt over Labour’s housebuilding targets // Hawkins\Brown wins the contest to upgrade St Pancras // Campaigners call for Central YMCA’s listing // And Norman Foster celebrates his 90th birthday

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 office...

InterCities is a six-part podcast series from Open City. In it, we travel to a number of cities and boroughs around the world that have transformed over time to discover what we can learn from these places’ achievements, struggles, successes and mistakes.

In this episode, our host Owen Hatherley is joined by the Ukranian architect and urban historian Ievgeniia Gubkina. Gubkina was born in the northeastern Ukranian city of Kharkiv and lived there until the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, after which she fled with her teenage daughter and now lives in London in exile. To...

In this episode, host Fran Williams is joined by the architect Daniel Innes, committee member of Architecture LGBT+ to discuss:

The Mayor of London concedes to green belt housing  // Five competing visions for a new Queen Elizabeth II memorial revealed // New plans announced to upgrade the Barbican Centre  // And a sneak peek inside LGBT+ issue of the Architects’ Journal’s

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

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In this episode of Deconstructed, Matthew Lloyd Roberts is joined by Calvin Po, Strategic Lead at Dark Matter Labs, Unit Master at the Architectural Association and architecture critic at The Spectator. They discuss 159 Marlborough Road, a house on a typical suburban street in Romford, which was the scene in 1954 of a tragic death resulting from Compulsory Purchase powers created by the 1947 Town and Country Planning Act.

The content of this episode can be distressing for some people as it mentions suicide. If this affects you, contact the Samartians, a free and confidential service available 24 hours a d...

In this episode, host Fran Williams is joined by Stella Mutegi, founding director of Cave Bureau and co-curator of the British Pavilion at this year’s Venice Architecture Biennale.

Architecture and ‘colonial afterlives’ take centre stage in this year’s British Pavilion at Venice // Gaza’s reconstruction hangs in the balance as Israel vows 'indefinite' military occupation // Proliferating space debris threatening to leave Earth’s orbit an impenetrable junkyard // And a new space dedicated to tackling climate change at Kew Gardens

To help support excellent and accessible, independent journalism about the buildings and the urban env...

InterCities is a brand new podcast from the team at Open City. In this six-part series, we travel to a number of cities and boroughs around the world that have transformed over time to discover what we can learn from these places’ achievements, struggles, successes and mistakes.

In this episode, our host Owen Hatherley is joined by the author and academic Dubravka Sekulić. Sekulić was born in one of Serbia’s lesser-known cities Niš but today, she’s walking us through the capital of the former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and current capital of Serbia, Belgrade...

In this episode, host Merlin Fulcher is joined by the CEO of Open City, Vickie Hayward to discuss:

The Twentieth Century Society reveals its latest list of architectural heritage at risk // Architects voice copyright fears over the government’s AI plans // A landowner serves notice on a pioneering food forest garden in Devon // And the barriers holding back a community-led housing boom in London

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 r...

In this episode of Deconstructed, Matthew Lloyd Roberts is joined by Ewan Harrison, architectural historian and lecturer at the Manchester School of Architecture, University of Manchester. They discuss Euston Station, designed by William Robert Headley and Ray Moorcroft of British Railways in the early 1960s, in consultation with Richard Seifert, who later designed the commercial office scheme which surrounded the concourse on the south side.

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The Open City Podcast is supported by Bloomberg Connects, the free arts and culture app and produced in as...

On The Brief this week, host Fran Williams is joined by Peter George, Strategic Director of Economy and Sustainability at Ealing Council.

Government announces a £2 billion pound boost for affordable and social homes // Design Council warns ‘typical’ approach to new homes may derail zero carbon goals // Studio Egret West reveals plans for the UK’s largest office-to-residential conversion in Croydon // And the London homes pushing raw sewage directly into the Thames

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

InterCities is a brand new podcast from the team at Open City. In this six-part series, we travel to a number of cities and boroughs around the world that have transformed over time to discover what we can learn from these places’ achievements, struggles, successes and mistakes.

In our second episode, our host Owen Hatherley is joined by the broadcaster, writer and photographer Johny Pitts. Johny is a Sheffield-native and has witnessed first-hand the huge social and architectural change the city has undergone since the early 1990s. Today, we use photographs from "After the End of His...

On The Brief this week, host Fran Williams is joined by Robin Nicholson, fellow of Cullanan Studios, to discuss:

Plans for new 100 thousand-seat Manchester United stadium // Top architecture firms announce redundancies // Labour's new planning and infrastructure bill // And the winner of the 2025 Pritzker Prize

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 n...

In this episode of Deconstructed, Matthew Lloyd Roberts is joined by Petra Cox – heritage educator, Open City tour guide and Golden Key Academy graduate. They discuss Crossness Pumping Station, constructed from 1859–65 by William Webster to designs by Charles Henry Driver to serve the entire southern half of Joseph Bazalgette's London sewer system. Commissioned by the Metropolitan Board of Works, it transformed London's public health and sanitation, and large parts of the sewer system are still in use today.

Petra Cox will lead a new Open City tour of Crossness and its sewage system on 4 May and 31 May...

On The Brief this week, host Sahiba Chadha is joined by the editor of London Centric Jim Waterson, to discuss:

The man behind Criterion Capital, Asif Aziz // Safety concerns around London Lime bikes // Demonstrations in Peckham against high-rise regeneration // And what this year's winner of the Jane Drew Prize says about architecture in 2025.

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 B...

InterCities is a brand new podcast from the team at Open City. In this six-part series, we travel to a number of cities and boroughs around the world that have transformed over time to discover what we can learn from these places’ achievements, struggles, successes and mistakes.

In our first episode, our host Owen Hatherly is joined by the architect Ana Francisco Sutherland, the director of Francisco Sutherland Architects. Through the lens of Ana’s latest book Modern Buildings in Blackheath and Greenwich, the pair discuss the changing face of the London borough of Greenwich. In a pla...

In this episode, host Merlin Fulcher is joined by the CEO of Open City, Manijeh Verghese to discuss:

UK government unveils plans for dozens of new towns across England // The proposed dismantling of Grenfell Tower is met with strong opposition // Japanese architecture duo SANAA win the 2025 RIBA Royal Gold Medal // And the spiritual leader and champion of Islamic architecture, the Aga Khan, has died at the age of 88

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

In this episode of Deconstructed, Matthew Lloyd Roberts is joined by George Saumarez Smith, Design Director at ADAM Architecture. They discuss the church of St Anne's Limehouse, designed by Nicholas Hawksmoor and consecrated in 1730 as one of the 'Queen Anne Churches' built by the New Church Commission. 

St Anne's Limehouse is currently campaigning to raise funds for repairs ahead of their tercentenary, with a programme of public events ongoing: https://www.hawksmoor300limehouse.com/.

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

In this episode, host Merlin Fulcher is joined by Jon Wright, an historian and 20 Century lead at Purcell to discuss:

Plans to revamp London’s Brutalist Barbican Centre // A redevelopment bid for Denys Lasdun’s ‘glass castle’ // Tributes for legendary Archigram member Dennis Crompton // And a campaign to save Soho’s Prince Charles cinema.

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. B...

This week Sahiba Chadha is joined by Julian Maynard, industrial designer and the managing director of Maynard Design Group. 

The Elizabeth Line spurs on new development, but across England, planning approvals for housing have seen record lows // A transformative redesign of London’s Regent Street area is won by Allies and Morrison // The first-ever winner of the RIBA Stirling prize is set to be demolished in Salford // And the devastating fires in Los Angeles destroy Modernist landmarks

To help support excellent and accessible, independent journalism about the buildings and the urban environment, please bec...

In the first episode of Deconstructed, Matthew Lloyd Roberts is joined by Eleanor Marshall, an architectural designer and civil servant at the Department for Transport who runs Open City’s London Public Health Architecture Walking Tour. They discuss Finsbury Health Centre, an iconic modernist building in Clerkenwell, designed by the architect Berthold Lubetkin’s practice Tecton and built for Finsbury Borough Council from 1935–8.

Eleanor appeared in a video discussing Lubetkin’s legacy, especially his housing at Bevin Court, which you can watch here: https://open-city.org.uk/films/marxism-and-london-ep1 

Deconstructed is a new monthly s...

This week Merlin Fulcher is joined by journalist and YouTuber Jon Stone to discuss the week's major stories in architecture and the built environment:

Ministers warned UK housing crisis threatens the economy and NHS recovery // How 2025 could be transformative for London cycling // A new study suggests doubling London St Pancras International’s capacity // And could the Palace of Westminster witness a catastrophic Notre Dame-style inferno?

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 Bri...

De-constructed is Open City's brand new podcast which explores buildings, places, landscapes and communities, taking apart their architecture piece by piece to better understand what makes them so compelling.

Each month, Matthew Lloyd Robert is joined by a different guest and transported to a location of their choice, that reveals something about the past, present and future of the built environment in London and beyond. 

Paying tribute to ancient and new, remarkable and everyday, we will help you see these city landmarks with fresh eyes.

Hosted on A...

This week Merlin Fulcher is joined by Peter Murray OBE, the co-founder of New London Architecture to discuss the week's major stories in architecture and the built environment:

Angela Rayner approves M&S’s contentious Oxford Street redevelopment // Keir Starmer sets down new Housing and Infrastructure pledges  // New data shows average house prices are no longer affordable on average incomes // And just how safe are the City of London’s streets for pedestrians and cyclists?

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

This week Merlin Fulcher is joined by the author, columnist and SAVE founding trustee Simon Jenkins to discuss: 

Smithfields meat market closes for good after 850 years // Councils raise concerns over unrealistic government housing targets // Brighton’s i360 enters administration // And cycling in London booms more than 25 per cent in the past five years

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 Bure...

This week Sahiba Chadha is joined by award winning architect Gurmeet Sian, to discuss: 

Government design champion, the Office for Place is scrapped // New powers for councils to tackle empty High Street units // Angela Rayner massively restricts right to buy for new council homes // And a new campaign by the Twentieth Century Society to list recent buildings which are … ‘coming of age’ 

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

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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...

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...

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 loca...

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 a...

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...

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...

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 c...

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.

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.

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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.

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