Talks & exhibitions
Constructing Realities Lecture Series at UCL East Marshgate
2.10.2025, London, UK
Michael Mueller, Director at Alison Brooks Architects, presented ‘Making Architecture in Context’ as part of the Constructing Realities Lecture Series at UCL East Marshgate, kicking off the first studio for MEng Engineering and Architectural Design students.
Michael Mueller, Director at Alison Brooks Architects, presented ‘Making Architecture in Context’ as part of the Constructing Realities Lecture Series at UCL East Marshgate, kicking off the first studio for MEng Engineering and Architectural Design students.
Hosted by The Bartlett Faculty of the Built Environment and supported by the student society SEAD, the Constructing Realities series invites speakers to explore the design and making of our built environment, examining how invention, creativity, collaboration, and technology are shaping the future of the spaces we live in.
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MEXTRÓPOLI 2025, South America’s Architecture and City festival
19.09.2025, Mexico City, Mexico
This week, Alison Brooks will be speaking at MEXTRÓPOLI 2025, the Americas’ most important Architecture and City festival, where over 100,000 people gather in Mexico City to rethink the city through architecture. This festival opens urgent and critical dialogue among students, professionals, creatives, citizens and urban experts from across Latin America and around the world.
This week, Alison Brooks will be speaking at MEXTRÓPOLI 2025, the Americas’ most important Architecture and City festival, where over 100,000 people gather in Mexico City to rethink the city through architecture. This festival opens urgent and critical dialogue among students, professionals, creatives, citizens and urban experts from across Latin America and around the world.
She will be joining a stellar lineup of speakers including Alejandro Aravena, Bjarke Ingels, Natura Futura, Steven Holl, Minsuk Cho, Prof. Dietmar Eberle, Elizabeth Añaños, Cierto Estudio, Shohei Shigematsu, Iwan Baan, Clara Solá Morales and Pier Vittorio Aureli.
From the MEXTRÓPOLI website:
“The right to housing is considered basic and universal. After twelve years of reflecting on the city, public space, and particularly the housing crisis, MEXTRÓPOLI presents itself as the ideal moment and space for debate, for exploring new proposals, and for interaction between the architectural community, housing developers, and citizens.
This initiative highlights the need to rethink collective housing—something that has been central to architecture for at least a century. A critical exploration is essential, addressing key aspects such as optimal urban density, typological options, flexibility, and the recycling of both spaces and materials.”
⚪ Link to event here.
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‘A New Era of Expressionism with Timber’: YACademy Program Launch
17.07.2025, Bologna, Italy
Alison Brooks launched YACademy‘s Wood Architecture program in Bologna with her lecture ‘A New Era of Expressionism in Timber’. She guided students through the practice’s research-driven timber projects, beginning with The Smile, Alison Brooks Architects’ sculptural landmark for the 2016 London Design Festival, and exploring design and construction documents for the Homerton College Entrance Building & Study Centre at the University of Cambridge, which will be built entirely from Spanish Radiata Pine CLT.
Alison Brooks launched YACademy‘s Wood Architecture program in Bologna with her lecture ‘A New Era of Expressionism in Timber’. She guided students through the practice’s research-driven timber projects, beginning with The Smile, Alison Brooks Architects’ sculptural landmark for the 2016 London Design Festival, and exploring design and construction documents for the Homerton College Entrance Building & Study Centre at the University of Cambridge, which will be built entirely from Spanish Radiata Pine CLT.
Alison traced her material journey through 2004’s VXO house, explaining how North American Black Cherry became her timber of choice for staircases, panelling, framed glass partitions and doors. Concluding by presenting her latest experimental pavilion – a cherrywood CLT roof structure for a private dwelling in London.
Alison joins an international cohort of YACademy visiting lecturers alongside Eduardo Souto de Moura, Kazuyo Sejima and Alvaro Siza. Before her presentation, YACademy’s Alba Russo guided Alison through Bologna’s architectural treasures, including the Teatro Anatomico in the University’s Palazzo dell’Archiginnasio. This spectacular amphitheatre-like space, built in 1637 as the first anatomical dissection theatre of its kind, is adorned with carved human figures and constructed entirely in cedar wood.
The Wood Architecture course, a project by KlimaHouse, features Dagur Eggertsson – co-founder of renowned Norwegian office Rintala Eggertsson Architects – as tutor of the design workshop. YACademy represents a transformative approach to postgraduate education, bridging the gap between academic study and professional practice. This model creates a direct pathway for visiting lecturers to help students transition into practice through guaranteed professional placements, bridging world-class mentorship with career advancement.
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Clerkenwell Design Week 2025
21.05.2025, London, UK
Michael Mueller, our Director, delivered a presentation at the EH Smith Design Centre in London for CDW 2025.
Michael Mueller, our Director, delivered a presentation at the EH Smith Design Centre in London for CDW 2025.
His presentation, ‘Place and Materials’, explored the practice’s ethos, highlighting two of our recent projects – Rubicon in Eddington, northwest Cambridge, and Cadence in King’s Cross – as case studies demonstrating the studio’s collaboration with EH Smith and our shared commitment to beautiful and enduring materials.
The Rubicon project features a distinctive hand-glazed brick produced by Klinker Covadonga, while Cadence – a mixed-use residential development that defines the northern edge of the Stirling Prize-shortlisted King’s Cross masterplan – is characterised by its richly detailed orange brick, evocative of the materiality of the nearby St Pancras landmark.
Hosted in partnership with EH Smith, the event was held as part of London’s leading design festival, Clerkenwell Design Week, with the support of Architecture Today.
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Alison Brooks Architects Participates in South Korean Exhibition
20.05.2025, Seoul, South Korea
Alison Brooks Architects was invited by the Korean Institute of Female Architects (KIFA) to participate in the International Exchange Exhibition for Women Architects 2025 held at the Dongdaemun Design Plaza.
Alison Brooks Architects was invited by the Korean Institute of Female Architects (KIFA) to participate in the International Exchange Exhibition for Women Architects 2025 held at the Dongdaemun Design Plaza.
The event titled, “Arch of Inclusion, Architecture Bridging Worlds” (포용의 아치, 세상을 잇는 건축), celebrated architecture’s enlightened role in promoting diversity, equal opportunity and sustainability – bringing together women architects from across the globe for a six-day event encouraging deeper reflection.
As the inaugural presentation of our work in South Korea, we were honoured to stand alongside peers such as 2020 Pritzker Prize laureates Yvonne Farrell & Shelley McNamara (Grafton Architects), 2025 RIBA Royal Gold Medallist Kazuyo Sejima (SANAA) and Astrid Feiber (UNStudio).
First Vice Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Yong Ho-Seong, aptly stated, “Architecture is not simply the composition of physical space, but a cultural art that designs people’s lives.’’
This was a meaningful and grounding experience – also the first international women’s architecture exhibition in South Korea in 15 years – which was made possible by KIFA and generously supported by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.
Links to articles: Naver and eKoreaNews
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Design Studio Master in Collective Housing Programme ETSAM, ETH Zürich
5.05.2025, Madrid, Spain
Alison Brooks led an intensive postgraduate design studio in Madrid as part of the renowned Master in Collective Housing (MCH) programme at Escuela Técnica Superior de Arquitectura de Madrid (ETSAM) and ETH Zürich, alongside Architect and Teaching Assistant, Carlos Chauca Galicia.
Alison Brooks led an intensive postgraduate design studio in Madrid as part of the renowned Master in Collective Housing (MCH) programme at Escuela Técnica Superior de Arquitectura de Madrid (ETSAM) and ETH Zürich, alongside Architect and Teaching Assistant, Carlos Chauca Galicia.
Alison’s studio, entitled Inhabited Boundaries, explored collective housing through the lens of consciousness, identity and architectural edges. Set in Madrid’s historic Barrio de La Latina, students worked on ‘Plaza Fiesta’, a public space bridging two streets at C. del Almendro and C. de la Cava Baja.
More than any other typology, urban housing impacts our collective understanding of place. It is the frame for streets, squares and passages in which civic life takes place – a three-dimensional boundary between the public realm and the space of private dwelling.
How does nature of the urban ‘street-wall’, the boundary, the façade and its structure express these new conditions? Can a wall be re-imagined as a place of invitation, of liminal being, of environmental absorption or social expression?
‘’Urban housing impacts individual and collective consciousness at multiple scales. Each dwelling offers an intimate stage for individual experience: of home, of shelter, of daily domestic rituals and as a place for social exchange. Volume, light, material and acoustic properties of the dwelling are experienced sensorially. Moments in everyday life engrain themselves in human conscious or subconscious to forge our sense of place and a sense of self,’’ Alison Brooks explained.
This year’s MCH workshops feature an exceptional faculty including:
Hrvoje Njiric (Zagreb)
Elli Mosayebi (Zurich)
Momoyo Kajima (Tokyo)
Jan De Vylder (Brussels)
Juan Herreros (Madrid)
Anne Lacaton (Paris)
Huge congratulations to Alison’s brilliant international cohort for their energetic and imaginative contributions.
MCH Students
Alejandro Gonzalez (Mexico), Bea Candano (Phillipines), Vipasha Chauhan (India), Anna Fatourou-Sipsi (Greece), Juan Begino (Argentina), Martina Carassale (Argentina), Kihyun Ahn (South Korea), Claudia Izquierdo (Chile), Myrto Peppa (Greece), Guillermo Hernández (Mexico), Soham Jamdar (India), Daniela Maestre (Colombia), Jatin Nimmala (India), Abel Chamberlin (USA), Luis Molina (Chile), Luis Gutierrez (Mexico), Nima Kordjanbaklou (Iran), Nada Azzez (Tunisia), Mariana Cantú (Mexico), Stergios Kaloudis (Greece), Ricardo Valladares (Mexico).
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Monograph Launch at AA Bookshop in London
5.03.2025, London, UK
We marked World Book Day with the launch of our new practice monograph at the Architectural Association Bookshop, London.
We marked World Book Day with the launch of our new practice monograph at the Architectural Association Bookshop, London.
It was a fitting moment to to commemorate this milestone for the volume, Alison Brooks Architects: Architecture 2004–2024, with our practice collaborators, contributors and members of the UK’s oldest private school of architecture at 33 Bedford Square.
Published by TC Cuadernos, this dual English-Spanish edition (TC 163) captures two decades of our work. The monograph features:
+ An introduction by Ricardo Meri de la Maza: ‘On the Essence of Alison Brooks’ Architecture’
+ A conversation between Jose Maria de Lapuerta and Alison Brooks
+ 16 built works completed in the past 20 years, extensively documented with descriptive texts, photographs, drawings
‘The work of Alison Brooks Architects fuses an endlessly inventive architectural imagination with profound sensitivity to the diverse cultural and natural histories that form each project’s provenance. This ethos underpins the extraordinary array of nuanced and joyful works illustrated in this book, collectively described by Brooks as experimental archetypes.’
Thank you to all who attended and purchased a copy of our monograph.
The monograph is available to purchase here.
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Alison Brooks Lecture at Cambridge University
21.02.2025, Cambridge, UK
Alison Brooks delivered a lecture on ‘An Architecture of Kindred Spirits: Identity, Community, Belonging’ at the Department of Architecture at the University of Cambridge.
Alison Brooks delivered a lecture on ‘An Architecture of Kindred Spirits: Identity, Community, Belonging’ at the Department of Architecture at the University of Cambridge.
In this talk, Alison Brooks shared her philosophy and practice, focusing on three questions: how can new spaces of learning enhance daily experience, embody both cultural memory and a more sustainable future, and simultaneously foster the social connections that underpin communities?
Her talk outlined both the process and craft that underpins her approach, featuring her firm’s notable education projects in the UK and Canada, including Homerton College’s new Entrance Buildinthe g, Cohen Quadrangle at Oxford University and the revitalisation of the Claude T. Bissell Building for the Faculty of Information at the University of Toronto.
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Alison Brooks Delivers Two Canadian Lectures at McGill and TMU
11.02.2025, Montreal, Toronto, Canada
Alison Brooks recently participated in a roadshow for architectural discourse at the prestigious McGill and Toronto Metropolitan Universities, as part of her ‘An Architecture of Kindred Spirits’ lecture series.
Alison Brooks recently participated in a roadshow for architectural discourse at the prestigious McGill and Toronto Metropolitan Universities, as part of her ‘An Architecture of Kindred Spirits’ lecture series.
In it, she explores how her practice embeds memory, material culture, and the concept of journey in works that help strengthen communities.
Brooks presented the annual Sheila Baillie Lecture in Architecture at McGill University’s Peter Guo-Hua Fu School of Architecture in Montreal on February 11th.
Following her Montreal engagement, Brooks continued her tour with a lecture series at Toronto Metropolitan University’s Department of Architectural Science on the 13th of February. In addition to her academic engagements, Brooks was the guest of honour at the BEAT Dinner Series in Toronto. Building Equality in Architecture Toronto (BEAT) is a Toronto-based volunteer-run organization seeking to creating opportunities for community-building, advocacy, networking, and mentorship within the built environment.
Brooks’ ‘An Architecture of Kindred Spirits’ series, premiered in London, United Kingdom, in 2024, presented by the Architecture Foundation x the Barbican. The series continues to reach audiences in Canada and beyond, emphasising lessons from her personal narrative underscoring her commitment and establishing her reputation as one of the most individual voices in architecture.
McGill poster by Atelier Pastille Rose
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Stockholm Furniture Fair Talks with Oli Stratford of Disegno
7.02.2025, Stockholm, Sweden
Alison Brooks delivered a keynote at the Stockholm Furniture Fair Talks in Sweden on 6th February, moderated by Oli Stratford, Editor-in-Chief at Disegno.
Alison Brooks delivered a keynote at the Stockholm Furniture Fair Talks in Sweden on 6th February, moderated by Oli Stratford, Editor-in-Chief at Disegno.
Her talk explored architectural practice as a form of cultural research, discussing how architecture can engage sensitively with place, community, and landscape – while expanding how our built environment reveals more about ourselves, our cities, and social values.
Titled ‘The Construction of Research’, the talk was highlighted by Charlotte Ryberg, creative director and founder of the ENTIÈRE newsletter, who praised Brooks’ emphasis on, “the importance and possibilities of using extensive research to understand place, people, and origin of material – making work more relevant, authentic, and opening new dialogues around authorship.”
Check out the event here.
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University of East London Lecture
10.12.2024, London, UK
Michael Mueller, Director at Alison Brooks Architects, delivered a lecture titled “Making Architecture in Context” at the University of East London’s Docklands Campus.
Michael Mueller, Director at Alison Brooks Architects, delivered a lecture titled “Making Architecture in Context” at the University of East London’s Docklands Campus.
In his presentation, Mueller provided insight into the making and ethos of the practice, particularly exploring archetypes of urban form and their relation to the values embedded within the practice: authenticity, generosity, civicness and beauty.
He discussed the Cadence King’s Cross residential scheme, demonstrating how the landmark housing development contains echoes of Gilbert Scott’s iconic St Pancras nearby. Mueller also examined Cohen Quad Exeter College, Oxford University and Rubicon, a series of high-density, low-rise housing blocks defining the urban edge of northwest Cambridge.
The practice’s ethos formed a central theme, while addressing the contemporary context facing the architectural industry – including the legacy of Grenfell, the dual crisis of climate change and affordable housing and emerging applications of AI in architecture.
The University of East London’s Architecture and Visual Arts lecture series is a prestigious platform that has previously featured speakers from John Pawson Architects, Haworth Tompkins, Caruso St. John and Herzog & de Meuron. Find out more about the program here.
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Architecture on Stage: Alison Brooks by the Architecture Foundation and Barbican Centre
17.09.2024, London, UK
Alison Brooks’ lecture and book signing event: (An Architecture of) Kindred Spirits, took place on the 17th of September.
Alison Brooks’ lecture and book signing event: (An Architecture of) Kindred Spirits, took place on the 17th of September.
Part of the Architecture on Stage series presented by the Architecture Foundation and Barbican Centre, Alison traced the foundations of her practice through projects such as Windward House, Cohen Quad and Cadence, the final piece of the King’s Cross regeneration.
She drew on her early influences from Europe after arriving in London in 1988, which embedded a sense of memory, material culture and a deeply human experience of place throughout her later works. Concluding the evening was a delightful conversation led by chair, Jamie Fobert, sparked by questions on the inclusion of indigenous voices in Canadian projects, advocating for female founders and architects in a challenging industry, and more.
Signed copies of the practice’s first monograph by TC Cuadernos were also available on the night.
Discover where to find the monograph here.
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Alison Brooks Opens ‘Back to the Future’ forum, Oslo Urban Week
24.09.2024, Oslo, Norway
Alison Brooks opened the packed three-day ‘Back to the Future’ forum at Oslo Urban Week with a conversation alongside Andreas Magnusson, activist for youth in the built environment, and Peter Butenschøn, renowned architect, urban planner, and writer.
Alison Brooks opened the packed three-day ‘Back to the Future’ forum at Oslo Urban Week with a conversation alongside Andreas Magnusson, activist for youth in the built environment, and Peter Butenschøn, renowned architect, urban planner, and writer.
Her keynote, ‘Making Future Heritage: Context is Everything,’ explored how diversity, civicness, locality, memory, and context are interpreted within the built environment – through the lens of projects such as Ely Court and Unity Place (both part of Brent Council’s twenty-year South Kilburn Regeneration Masterplan), Rubicon and Cadence.
Held in Oslo’s historic Kvadraturen district – celebrating its 400th anniversary this year – Oslo Urban Week focused on shaping future built environments through sustainability and contextual sensitivity. The event took place on 24 September at Telegrafen, Oslo, where Rasmus Reinvang and Maren Bjerkeng joined the discussion, seeking solutions for more resilient cities.
Photography by Maria Brox, OMA. Check out the event here.
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Open House Festival 2024 Tour of South Kilburn
14.09.2024, London, UK
Join us on Saturday, September 14th, for a guided walk through 20 years of the South Kilburn Regeneration Masterplan in North West London, led by the team at Alison Brooks Architects.
Join us on Saturday, September 14th, for a guided walk through 20 years of the South Kilburn Regeneration Masterplan in North West London, led by the team at Alison Brooks Architects.
As part of this year’s Open House Festival, drop in and delve into Brent Council’s ambitious 20-year regeneration efforts. Discover the evolution of our ethos for Ely Court, Kilburn Quarter and Unity Place. Trace the development of 19th century typologies such as Terraces, Flatiron Block, Link Block, Mews House, Mansion Block and Mansard roofs, while reflecting on the lessons learned and the ongoing conversation around affordable housing in London.
Open House Festival is a London-wide festival that opens up and celebrates the city’s architecture, special sites and neighbourhoods, with open days and events taking place across all 33 London boroughs.
Sign up for the tour here: https://programme.openhouse.org.uk/listings/10231
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Alison Brooks and Rasmus Astrup of SLA: Transforming Urban Landscapes
4.07.2024, London, UK
Alison Brooks and Rasmus Astrup of SLA teamed up for a keynote presentation at the Festival of Place in Boxpark Wembley.
Alison Brooks and Rasmus Astrup of SLA teamed up for a keynote presentation at the Festival of Place in Boxpark Wembley.
The duo showcased three innovative Toronto projects that reimagine the city’s post-industrial waterfront and brutalist legacies.
Their presentation, centred around the theme “Transforming Urban Landscapes,” highlighted the integration of natural elements into the regeneration of Toronto in Canada. Christine Murray, Editor-in-Chief and Director of The Developer and Festival of Place, chaired the double-act.
Alison Brooks and Rasmus Astrup showcased three innovative Toronto projects that reimagine the city’s post-industrial waterfront and brutalist legacies:
- Waterfront Toronto – A bold vision for sustainable urban development featuring an ensemble of mid- and high-rise buildings stitched together by a community forest.
- Bissell Building, University of Toronto – A revitalization of the Brutalist Claude T. Bissell Building, home to the Faculty of Information in downtown Toronto.
- David Crombie Park – A revitalization of a historic 1970s landscape designed to meet the needs of the local urban community.
Their keynote emphasized sustainability, community, and the seamless blend of architecture with natural surroundings, offering valuable insights into the future of urban design and the potential for nature to reshape our cities.
You can watch their conversation here.
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Alison Brooks and Carlos Chauca Galicia Lead Workshop for Master of Advanced Studies in Collective Housing
3.06.2024, Madrid, Spain
This June, Alison Brooks alongside Carlos Chauca Galicia, led a studio in the Master of Advanced Studies in Collective Housing – a collaborative postgraduate program for qualified architects offered by Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM) and ETH Zürich.
This June, Alison Brooks alongside Carlos Chauca Galicia, led a studio in the Master of Advanced Studies in Collective Housing – a collaborative postgraduate program for qualified architects offered by Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM) and ETH Zürich.
This program focuses on housing, city, and energy studies, combining practice-oriented design synthesis with integrated disciplines and theoretical issues of dwelling and housing.
In Praise of Shadows: Towers of Madrid Nuevo Norte
In the workshop, the task is to re-imagine the residential tower so that it is liveable, generous, and welcoming of shade and darkness and attuned to the climate of Madrid. The seven tower schemes will evolve the qualities of the city’s finest ‘street architecture’ to find new form and expression, giving darkness and light equal consideration.
Using the text “In Praise of Shadows” by Japanese writer Junichiro Tanizaki, the workshop also addressed the increasing reliance on tower typologies in urban development to fund economic models in Europe’s metropolitan centres. High-density residential developments reflect the costs associated with land purchase, decontamination, infrastructure installation, and the funding of social, economic, cultural, and ecological infrastructure in new neighbourhoods. Tall buildings are thus a prerequisite for new metropolitan neighbourhoods. This principle is evident in the planned regeneration of Madrid Nuevo Norte, where the central urban gesture – a new park over the rail lands – is lined with tall buildings.
Site:
The Madrid Nuevo Norte project, also known as the Chamartín project, aims to transform the northern part of Madrid into a modern, sustainable, and connected district. Covering approximately 2.3 million square meters (3.3 million including the railway tracks), it stands as one of the largest urban regeneration initiatives in Europe.
The development encompasses a new financial district along with extensive residential, commercial, and green areas. It will feature 1 million square meters of residential space, including 10,500 new housing units, 20% of which will be affordable. Additionally, there will be 1.6 million square meters of office space and 400,000 square meters dedicated to green spaces and parks.
MCH Students:
Anwar Abbassi, Kailey Akins, Derrick Christensen, Thomas Christensen, Edgardo Cruz, Viktoriia Denisova, Jose Eduardo Delgado, Julio Ferré, Pedro Gaxiola, Rafailia Mandi, Eduardo Maldonado, Karla Madrigal, Diego Martínez, Ximena Real, Elizaveta Nikolskaia, Ayush Patel, Betul Sahin, Kunal Sonawane, Sofia de Luca, Milagros Ucha, Antoine Voruz, Mariam Yasser.
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Alison Brooks to speak at OAA Conference in Niagara Falls Quayside
23.05.2024, Ontario, Canada
Alison Brooks will be speaking at the Ontario Association of Architects Conference on Thursday the 23rd of May. Her speech is entitled: “Social Equity and Future Heritage: Housing as Civic Building.”
Alison Brooks will be speaking at the Ontario Association of Architects Conference on Thursday the 23rd of May. Her speech is entitled: “Social Equity and Future Heritage: Housing as Civic Building.”
Urban housing frames the space of our civic commons. It gives both form and identity to our streets and neighborhoods, and, at the same time, “home” provides the physical and cognitive framework through which we experience the world. Housing architecture therefore embodies a critically important relationship between the individual and the collective, the household and society. In the context of the biodiversity crisis, urban housing as civic infrastructure must also play a significant role in transforming the relationship of architecture to nature. The way we conceive, design, and construct housing must start to serve nature, not only humans.
For 25 years, Alison Brooks Architects London has made housing design a pillar of our practice: to restore its civic role as a generous, resilient frame for public and private life. We see housing as mixed-use places for productivity and work, and as places of resilience and adaptability over time. In this talk, Alison Brooks will outline the urban design policies, frameworks, and quality standards that support inclusive and resilient housing in the United Kingdom, and her context-inspired design strategies that have underpinned her work in the U.K. and internationally.
Pictured, The Western Curve, our practice’s tallest building to date—a 69-storey tower and education space at Waterfront Toronto is designed to re-establish local ecologies in Toronto’s emerging Dream & Great Gulf Quayside masterplan.
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Alison Brooks Delivered Closing Keynote at AIBC Conference 2024
24.04.2025, Vancouver, Canada
British-Canadian architect Alison Brooks delivered the closing keynote on April 24, 2024, at the AIBC (Architectural Institute of British Columbia) Conference, held in-person at the Vancouver Convention Centre West.
British-Canadian architect Alison Brooks delivered the closing keynote on April 24, 2024, at the AIBC (Architectural Institute of British Columbia) Conference, held in-person at the Vancouver Convention Centre West.
In her keynote, “Context is Everything,” Alison Brooks, founder of Alison Brooks Architects in London, explored themes such as civicness as a condition of reciprocity, the creation of future contexts, infrastructure for the arts, embracing new global narratives, and identity and inclusion.
Her talk closed the AIBC Conference 2024 in Vancouver, which featured nearly 30 sessions over two days. The conference theme, “Act,” highlighted the pivotal role of architects in the built environment, exploring technical actions, the art and science of architecture, and the impact of architectural professionals on their communities.
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Alison Brooks at The Interior Design Show Toronto 2024
18.01.2024
Join Alison Brooks next Thursday, January 18th, as she delivers the keynote speech for the Interior Design Show (IDS) Toronto 2024. In conversation with Deezen’s US Editor, Ben Dreith, Alison will discuss her inspirations, her career journey and the future of the studio.
Join Alison Brooks next Thursday, January 18th, as she delivers the keynote speech for the Interior Design Show (IDS) Toronto 2024. In conversation with Deezen’s US Editor, Ben Dreith, Alison will discuss her inspirations, her career journey and the future of the studio.
Get your tickets here.
When: Jan. 18, 2024 – 12:00 to 1:00pm
Where: Cosentino Main Stage, Metro Toronto Convention Centre North Building, 255 Front St W, Toronto
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Alison Brooks at Toronto International Architectural Roundtable
Alison Brooks will be in Toronto this November for The Buildings Show Toronto International Architectural Roundtable, where she will discuss Design Solutions for the Housing Crisis with Alfonso Femia, Janna Levitt and Ouri Scott. Co-sponsored by the Ontario Association of Architects and moderated by architectural critic Adele Weder, she will outline the challenges presented by the housing crisis both internationally and in Canada. The conversation will explore strategies to tackle these challenges across design and policy.
Alison Brooks will be in Toronto this November for The Buildings Show Toronto International Architectural Roundtable, where she will discuss Design Solutions for the Housing Crisis with Alfonso Femia, Janna Levitt and Ouri Scott. Co-sponsored by the Ontario Association of Architects and moderated by architectural critic Adele Weder, she will outline the challenges presented by the housing crisis both internationally and in Canada. The conversation will explore strategies to tackle these challenges across design and policy.
At ABA, our dedication to inclusive city-building is grounded in the belief of housing as civic building. Working with private and public sector clients and local communities to deliver affordable, sustainable, and diverse neighbourhoods, we strive to foster equitable opportunities for both urban and rural societies. Get your tickets here.
When: Nov. 29, 2023 – 9:00 to 10:30am
Where: Metro Toronto Convention Centre South Building, 222 Bremner Blvd, Toronto
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Home Ground @ABA for the London Festival of Architecture 2023
This June, the office welcomed visitors to experience our Home Ground installation. After being exhibited at the 2021 Venice Architecture Biennale ‘How will we live together?’ and then travelling to Germany in 2022 for the Biennale Meets Roma exhibition, our installation finally found a home at our studio in Kentish Town.
This June, the office welcomed visitors to experience our Home Ground installation. After being exhibited at the 2021 Venice Architecture Biennale ‘How will we live together?’ and then travelling to Germany in 2022 for the Biennale Meets Roma exhibition, our installation finally found a home at our studio in Kentish Town.
As part of the festival, we held an event where Alison Brooks and Associate Ceri Edmunds discussed the role of the Biennale in architectural culture, the ideas behind our installation and the projects it represents.
Alison Brooks and Associate Ceri Edmunds discussed our approach to the installation, the process of making it during Covid-19 times, and the projects it presents. We finalised the evening with a conversation about the role of the Biennale in the making of architectural culture.
One of our initial intentions for the installation was to generate a space for discussion. It brings us much joy to see the exhibition’s continued significance.
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Architects, not Architecture Keynote Speech
Alison Brooks spoke of her Canadian upbringing and architectural inspirations in a unique London event that prohibits speakers from talking about their practice’s work.
Watch the full keynote speech by clicking here.
Alison Brooks spoke of her Canadian upbringing and architectural inspirations in a unique London event that prohibits speakers from talking about their practice’s work.
Watch the full keynote speech by clicking here.
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Reconceptualizing Urban Housing at the Venice Biennale 2023
ABA work is on show at the Palazzo Mora in Venice as part of the Reconceptualizing Urban Housing exhibition. Organized by the ECC and curated by Canadian architect Heather Dubbeldam, the exhibition brings together a group of women-led practices from around the world presenting new housing models that redefine what collective housing can be and how it can support liveability for its inhabitants. The exhibition features our projects Unity Place, London and Quayside, Toronto.
ABA work is on show at the Palazzo Mora in Venice as part of the Reconceptualizing Urban Housing exhibition. Organized by the ECC and curated by Canadian architect Heather Dubbeldam, the exhibition brings together a group of women-led practices from around the world presenting new housing models that redefine what collective housing can be and how it can support liveability for its inhabitants. The exhibition features our projects Unity Place, London and Quayside, Toronto.
Participants:
Alison Brooks Architects, UK
Adengo Architecture, Uganda
Dubbeldam Architecture + Design, Canada
Manuelle Gautrand Architecture, France
Eleena Jamil Architect, Malaysia
Fernanda Canales Arquitectura, Mexico
Studio Gang, USA
Meyer-Grohbruegge, Germany
Mecanoo, Netherlands
The exhibition will be on from May 20 to November 26, 2023 at Palazzo Mora in Venice, Italy.
Visit the exhibition’s website here.
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IE University Guest Lecture
In November, Alison Brooks travelled to IE university to present her works to graduate students, placing an emphasis on sustainable, context-driven design.
In November, Alison Brooks travelled to IE university to present her works to graduate students, placing an emphasis on sustainable, context-driven design.
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Siza Talks 2022
16.11.2022—18.11.2022, Porto, Portugal
Perspective Forum Venice: A New Age of Wood
Alison Brooks headlined a conference sponsored by AHEC and attended by hundreds of architects and industry professionals this November.
Read about the event here.
Alison Brooks Features at the Monterey Design Conference
Headlining alongside an impressive list of international design talents, Alison Brooks featured as a keynote speaker in Monterey, California for CAIA’s famed Monterey Design Conference.
Headlining alongside an impressive list of international design talents, Alison Brooks featured as a keynote speaker in Monterey, California for CAIA’s famed Monterey Design Conference.
Learn more about the event and speakers by clicking here.
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Opening Keynote Speech ‘Transformations’ Cadence Exeter College Cohen Quad
30.09.2022—2.10.2022, Samsung KX
Alison Brooks spoke for the American Institute of Architects, kicking off a 3-day conference focused on London, King’s Cross and its transformations since the last AIA London Conference in 2014.
Alison Brooks spoke for the American Institute of Architects, kicking off a 3-day conference focused on London, King’s Cross and its transformations since the last AIA London Conference in 2014.
Alison Brooks presented her work with a talk entitled ‘Context in Architecture.’ Cadence, Cohen Quad and the LSE Global Hub design proposal were all covered as case studies.
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Biennale Meets ROMA
3.06.2022—17.11.2022, ROMA KG Campus Burgau, Germany
The ‘Home Ground’ installation will be exhibited at the ROMA KG campus in Burgau, Germany until November.
The ‘Home Ground’ installation will be exhibited at the ROMA KG campus in Burgau, Germany until November.
We are glad to be featured in this exhibition alongside models by Peter Pichler Architecture, Michael Maltzan Architecture, Storia Na Lugar, LOVE Architecture, Kozo Kadowaki, Enlace Arquitectura, Daniel López-Pérez, and Reiser + Umemoto. →
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Alison Brooks Closing Keynote Speaker at Banffsessions
6.05.2022—8.05.2022, Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel, Alberta, Canada
Alison Brooks will be the closing keynote speaker at the Alberta Association of Architects’ BanffSessions conference.
Alison Brooks will be the closing keynote speaker at the Alberta Association of Architects’ BanffSessions conference.
The theme of the conference is ‘ADAPTATIONS’. Brooks’ presentation will focus on context, authenticity, generosity, civicness and beauty.
Visit the conference homepage here.
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Alison Brooks to speak at The Good Business Festival
23.03.2022 11:10–12:00, Met Cathedral Crypt, Liverpool
Join Alison Brooks in conversation with Osama Bhutta and Ayesha Hazarika, as part of The Good Business Festival. Titled House Nation, the panel discussion will delve into the challenges and opportunities of post-lockdown living: how can designers and urban planners rethink housing design and placemaking? →
Join Alison Brooks in conversation with Osama Bhutta and Ayesha Hazarika, as part of The Good Business Festival. Titled House Nation, the panel discussion will delve into the challenges and opportunities of post-lockdown living: how can designers and urban planners rethink housing design and placemaking? →
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Cultural Formations
18.02.2022—7.04.2022, Clare Hall, Cambridge
Building Stories | The Awards Talks
15.02.2022 13:00–14:00
Join Alison Brooks and Amin Taha as they discuss the unique story behind House on the Hill, recipient of the RIBA House of the Year 2021. Register here →
Alison Brooks to speak at CTU Prague, Faculty of Architecture
6.12.2021 17:00–18:30
Join Alison Brooks for her ‘Re-Invent’ lecture, as part of CTU Prague, Faculty of Architecture’s November Talks series. The presentation will be livestreamed on CTU’s YouTube page.
Join Alison Brooks for her ‘Re-Invent’ lecture, as part of CTU Prague, Faculty of Architecture’s November Talks series. The presentation will be livestreamed on CTU’s YouTube page.
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Alison Brooks to speak at ‘Re-Evaluation’ Conference
19.10.2021 10:25–11:00
Join Alison Brooks for her ‘Home Ground – Exploring the Civic Role of Housing’ lecture, as part of the ‘Re-Evaluation’ Conference.
Join Alison Brooks for her ‘Home Ground – Exploring the Civic Role of Housing’ lecture, as part of the ‘Re-Evaluation’ Conference.
A collaboration between the International Academy of Architecture (IAA) and the Italian Pavilion at the 17th International Venice Architecture Exhibition, the digital event is set to offer an open exchange of visions and proposals towards a more communal future. Watch it here →
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Education Estates Conference 2021
12.10.2021 14:00–15:00, Manchester Central
Alison Brooks and Professor Sir Richard Trainor, Rector of Exeter College, Oxford, will present the Cohen Quad at the Education Estates Conference 2021. Register here →
Alison Brooks and Professor Sir Richard Trainor, Rector of Exeter College, Oxford, will present the Cohen Quad at the Education Estates Conference 2021. Register here →
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Alison Brooks to speak at the Kosovo Architecture Festival 2021
17.09.2021 18:00–20:00, Pristina, Kosovo
As part of this year’s edition of the Kosovo Arch Fest, Alison Brooks will be giving a keynote lecture at the ICK – Innovation Centre Kosovo.
As part of this year’s edition of the Kosovo Arch Fest, Alison Brooks will be giving a keynote lecture at the ICK – Innovation Centre Kosovo.
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Accelerate 2021 | Open City’s Programme
Alison Brooks Architects is delighted to be supporting Accelerate on a journey towards a more diverse, open and inclusive industry.
Alison Brooks Architects is delighted to be supporting Accelerate on a journey towards a more diverse, open and inclusive industry.
Providing 30 sixth form students from across London with a series of skills workshops in a university environment, Open City’s Accelerate Programme offers one-to-one mentoring at an architecture practice, as well as in-depth bespoke guidance on university applications. As part of the Mentor Partners, we look forward to inviting the students to cultivate a critical questioning of the built environment. Learn more about the programme →
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Alison Brooks Shortlisted for Female Frontier’s 2021 Architect of the Year Award
Alison Brooks is delighted to be shortlisted in the Architect of the Year category in the Female Frontier Awards: Powered by WAN 2021, alongside 6 influential and esteemed colleagues from around the world.
Alison Brooks is delighted to be shortlisted in the Architect of the Year category in the Female Frontier Awards: Powered by WAN 2021, alongside 6 influential and esteemed colleagues from around the world.
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Cohen Quad Exeter College, Oxford is a Civic Trust Awards Winner 2021 Fitzhugh Auditorium
Alison Brooks Architects is delighted that the Cohen Quad, Exeter College, Oxford has won a 2021 Civic Trust Award at the 5 March ceremony.
Alison Brooks Architects is delighted that the Cohen Quad, Exeter College, Oxford has won a 2021 Civic Trust Award at the 5 March ceremony.
Thank you Civic Trust Awards and congratulations to all award winners. Delve into the announcement and explore the winning projects. →
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