School of Architecture and Cities

• ‘…children at play are not playing about; their games should be seen as their most serious-minded activity.’ – Michel de Montaigne

OPEN2024 celebrates the work of students of all the design courses in the School of Architecture + Cities. Diverse projects which share the School’s commitment to regenerative design and a belief that creative practices are critical to addressing the planetary and societal challenges that confront us. Projects that show what is possible, and how joyful design can be.

Our School casts its task not as the creation of fantastical objects but as the formation of empathetic interventions that engage with and enhance existing qualities of place – and in turn shape beneficial new spatial relationships and assemblages. The democracy of the open-ended project lies at the heart of our pedagogy, and, as the projects in OPEN2024 show, we cherish risk and experimentation, invention and testing, and thinking through making.

The School remains committed to our Polytechnic ethos of educating reflective practitioners through courses characterised by their triangulation of teaching, research, and practice, with practitioners as well as academics at the core of our teaching teams. OPEN2024 reflects the School’s view that our students are agents, not supplicants, and that diversity, difference, and a mix of experiences and views are key to our success.

A high-point of the past year was Kacper Sehnke winning the 2023 RIBA President’s Bronze Medal for best undergraduate architecture project, and his Council for Ecosystem Restoration also won the RIBA Award for Sustainable Design at RIBA Part 1. Kacper’s two awards reflect his remarkable creativity and endeavour and also embody the insight and care of his tutors.

At the end of last year, we paid homage to Michael Rose who retired after giving decades of inspiring and generous teaching to the School. We also welcomed several new members of staff who have brought new perspectives to our subject and course teams; Diana Periton and Alessandro Toti in architectural humanities, Ana Gatóo and Urna Sodnomjamts in technical and environmental studies, Alice Odeke in professional studies, Catherine Phillips to the Foundation in Architecture & Design, Neil Kiernan, Jenny Kingston, Emma Perkin to BA Architecture, and Carine Berger Woiezechoski to BSc Architecture & Environmental Design.

OPEN 2024 is made possible by the work of many: Daniel Scroggins who organised the event; the campus team led by Amaniel Gebreyesus, Kow Abadoo, and Chris Meloy; François Girardin and the Fabrication Laboratory staff who enabled the building of the exhibition; Mirna Pedalo who curates our Open Studio digital home and social media; Clare Hamman who designed the catalogue; Tadej Vindiš who curates the Westminster Degree Shows platform – and of course all our students and the staff who provided the vital content.

Please enjoy the show,

Harry Charrington
Head, School of Architecture + Cities