Talks & exhibitions
16th International Architecture Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia
26.05.2018—25.11.2018
Alison Brooks Architects have been invited to participate at the 16th International Architecture Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia curated by Yvonne Farrell and Shelley McNamara. The 16th Exhibition runs from 26 May to 25 November 2018. Details of our involvement will be unveiled on the 23rd May.
Alison Brooks Architects have been invited to participate at the 16th International Architecture Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia curated by Yvonne Farrell and Shelley McNamara. The 16th Exhibition runs from 26 May to 25 November 2018. Details of our involvement will be unveiled on the 23rd May.
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Alison Brooks to present the keynote lecture at Vancouver Design Week
9.05.2018 18:00–21:00, UBC Robson Square
Alison Brooks is presenting the keynote lecture of Vancouver Design Week taking place from 7-13 May 2018.
Alison Brooks is presenting the keynote lecture of Vancouver Design Week taking place from 7-13 May 2018.
In her lecture ‘IDEALS THEN IDEAS: New Urban Housing as Civic Architecture’ Alison will be discussing her practice philosophy, architectural approach and the ideal of ‘civicness’ relating her current and recently completed projects in housing and higher education. These include the Cohen Quadrangle at Oxford University and her exceptional mid-rise, high density residential schemes In London such as Ely Court, shortlisted for the 2017 Mies Award for contemporary European architecture. She will discuss how her architectural ideals of authenticity, generosity and beauty can be embedded in all urban development and will demonstrate the potential of housing to both express local culture and serve the wider community.
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Alison Brooks to speak in Toronto at Architect@Work
12.04.2018 15:00, Enercare Centre
Alison Brooks will speak at Architect@Work, an international convention being held for the second year in Toronto this April.
Alison Brooks will speak at Architect@Work, an international convention being held for the second year in Toronto this April.
Alison Brooks will speak about her practice, the resurgence of building as craft, housing as civic advocacy, and the rise of timber in architecture.
Tickets are free – register on the Architect@Work website.
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Alison Brooks to Speak at RIBA Future Leaders: Learning to Lead
22.03.2018—22.03.2018 14:00–18:00, RIBA
Alison Brooks will be providing a talk at the RIBA Future Leaders ‘Learning to Lead’ half day conference on 22 March. [more..]
Alison Brooks will be providing a talk at the RIBA Future Leaders ‘Learning to Lead’ half day conference on 22 March.
‘Learning to Lead’ is the first of this year’s three-part programme, aiming to provide early career professionals with a comprehensive introduction to leadership through industry specific training. It is a dedicated session on what it means to lead. Why is leadership important to practice? What differentiates leadership from management? How do you line yourself up for leadership by adopting a leadership mindset? How do you set about taking those initial steps to shift from an operational to leader mode?
Following the half day conference, Alison will be amongst an inspiring team of female mentors, providing practical tips, guidance and encouragement to delegates.
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If not us, then who?
22.02.2018 18:00–19:00, Great Room Auditorium, RSA
Following Alison Brooks’ appointment as a Royal Designer for Industry, Alison will be this year’s speaker for the annual RSA Bossom event on the built environment and society on 22 February. [more..]
Following Alison Brooks’ appointment as a Royal Designer for Industry, Alison will be this year’s speaker for the annual RSA Bossom event on the built environment and society on 22 February.
In her lecture, Alison will discuss architects’ duties to respond to the social, cultural and physical context in their work within a clearly stated set of values.
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RIBA Gloucestershire: Guest Lecture with Alison Brooks
25.01.2018—25.01.2018 17:30–19:30, Chapter House, Gloucester Cathedral
Alison has been invited by RIBA Gloucestershire to give a lecture on the theme ‘Taking Architecture out of the Straitjacket’ in January.
Wood in Architecture, Milan The Smile
14.12.2017—14.12.2017 16:00–20:00, Milan, Italy
Alison will be presenting The Smile at ‘Wood in Architecture’ in Milan, a seminar jointly organised by American Hardwood Council (AHEC) and The Plan Magazine.
Alison will be presenting The Smile at ‘Wood in Architecture’ in Milan, a seminar jointly organised by American Hardwood Council (AHEC) and The Plan Magazine.
Alison will be joined by Alex de Rijke, Founder of dRMM presenting the Maggies Centre, Oldham and Andrew Laurence, Director at Arup who will be presenting the Warner Strand.
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Alison Brooks to lecture at Greenwich University
23.11.2017—23.11.2017 18.30, University of Greenwich
As part of Greenwich University’s Hawksmoor International Lecture Series 2017-2018, open to all, Alison Brooks is giving a talk on ‘ The Ideal and the Real – why Civicness is the project’ at the Tessa Blackstone Lecture Theatre, Greenwich on Thursday 23 November.
As part of Greenwich University’s Hawksmoor International Lecture Series 2017-2018, open to all, Alison Brooks is giving a talk on ‘ The Ideal and the Real – why Civicness is the project’ at the Tessa Blackstone Lecture Theatre, Greenwich on Thursday 23 November.
In her lecture, Alison will speak about the recent and current work of Alison Brooks Architects, including: The Cohen Quadrangle at Oxford University; a high rise urban block in Kings Cross, London, The Smile Pavilion and housing scheme Ely Court, shortlisted for the 2017 Mies Award for contemporary European architecture. She will discuss the notions of civicness and performance, the role of experimental materials and making, and how these can transform both our expectation and everyday experience of cities.
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Architecture Masters
Alison Brooks was interviewed by Owen Wainhouse for episode 11 of Architecture Masters, the new podcast from the London Festival of Architecture.[more..]
Alison Brooks was interviewed by Owen Wainhouse for episode 11 of Architecture Masters, the new podcast from the London Festival of Architecture.
In this episode Alison talks about her early experience, her career, current projects and housing in Britain.
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Alison Brooks at World Architecture Festival, Berlin
15.11.2017—15.11.2017 12:00–12:40, Arena, Berlin
Alison Brooks will be presenting on the main stage at this years World Architecture Festival in Berlin on Wednesday 15 November alongside Jacob Kurek, Partner of Henning Larsen Architects. [more..]
Alison Brooks will be presenting on the main stage at this years World Architecture Festival in Berlin on Wednesday 15 November alongside Jacob Kurek, Partner of Henning Larsen Architects.
During the session ‘Performance Spaces’, Alison will be presenting four key projects in relation to performance: Quarterhouse, The Smile, Cohen Quad and Ely Court.
Whilst in Berlin Alison will also be presenting our shortlisted project ‘The Smile’ to a panel of judges for the 2017 ‘Small Projects’ Award.
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Alison Brooks to lecture at Massachusetts Institute of Technology
9.11.2017—9.11.2017 18:00
Alison Brooks is presenting a lecture at MIT, Cambridge on ‘The Ideal and the Real – why Civicness is the project’. Alison will be discussing her practice philosophy, techniques and the ideal of ‘civicness’ using current and recently completed projects: The Cohen Quadrangle at Oxford University; a high rise urban block in Kings Cross, London; The Smile Pavilion and housing scheme Ely Court, shortlisted for the 2017 Mies Award for contemporary European architecture.
Alison Brooks is presenting a lecture at MIT, Cambridge on ‘The Ideal and the Real – why Civicness is the project’. Alison will be discussing her practice philosophy, techniques and the ideal of ‘civicness’ using current and recently completed projects: The Cohen Quadrangle at Oxford University; a high rise urban block in Kings Cross, London; The Smile Pavilion and housing scheme Ely Court, shortlisted for the 2017 Mies Award for contemporary European architecture.
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Boston Architecture Expo: ABX 2017
8.11.2017—8.11.2017 10:00–12:30, Boston Convention & Exhibition Centre
Alison Brooks has been invited by Leers Weinzapfel Associates, the first female-owned US practice to win the AIA Architecture Firm Award to take part in a panel discussion alongside Mexican Architect, Rozana Montiel. The discussion will address the extraordinary achievements of female architects in the UK, Europe, North and South America and their strategies to achieve parity in the profession.
Alison Brooks has been invited by Leers Weinzapfel Associates, the first female-owned US practice to win the AIA Architecture Firm Award to take part in a panel discussion alongside Mexican Architect, Rozana Montiel. The discussion will address the extraordinary achievements of female architects in the UK, Europe, North and South America and their strategies to achieve parity in the profession.
ABX is the leading design and construction event in New England, bringing the industry together to share information, skills and resources. Attendees explore design trends and discover new technologies and products – this year with an added emphasis on sustainability.
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Festival of the Future City Bath: Preserving Utopia
20.10.2017—20.10.2017 13.00–14.30, University of Bath
Alison Brooks will join a prestigious panel at the Festival of the Future City of Bath to discuss how Bath could evolve in the 21st century and how the city can preserve its UNESCO World Heritage status through new architecture, new infrastructure and welcome new populations.
Alison Brooks will join a prestigious panel at the Festival of the Future City of Bath to discuss how Bath could evolve in the 21st century and how the city can preserve its UNESCO World Heritage status through new architecture, new infrastructure and welcome new populations.
Alison will be in conversation with Henrietta Billings, Director of SAVE Britain’s Heritage, who leads campaigns to preserve Britain’s historical environment and Tanvir Hasan, deputy chair of Donald Insall Associates. The event will be chaired by Elena Marco, a passionate Bath resident and Head of Architecture and the Built Environment at UWE.
The first in its series, The Festival of the Future of the City Bath is a three day festival of lectures, discussions, panels, pop up pavilions, walks, family events and more, exploring urban development in the 21st-century. Festival themes include housing, the artist & the city and what makes architecture great.
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RIAI Annual Conference 2017: Challenge, Change, Collaboration
6.10.2017—7.10.2017, RDS Main Hall, Dublin
Alison Brooks will be a keynote speaker this year’s RIAI Annual Conference alongside award-winning Irish journalist Fintan O’Toole, discussing themes of Challenge, Change and Collaboration in architecture.
Alison Brooks will be a keynote speaker this year’s RIAI Annual Conference alongside award-winning Irish journalist Fintan O’Toole, discussing themes of Challenge, Change and Collaboration in architecture.
The Conference will be Ireland’s ‘biggest architectural gathering of the year and an important forum to meet, debate and launch new ideas’. It will run in parallel with the Architecture and Building Expo.
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US Modernist Radio #31 – Alison Brooks
Alison Brooks was interviewed by US Modernist Radio’s George Smart on her career development, her achievements and also on the development of housing in Britain.
Alison Brooks was interviewed by US Modernist Radio’s George Smart on her career development, her achievements and also on the development of housing in Britain.
US Modernist Radio talk and laugh with people who enjoy, own, create, dream about, preserve, love, and hate Modernist architecture, the most exciting and controversial buildings in the world.
The podcast is free to download from iTunes.
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London Festival of Architecture: City(e)State City (e) State
Thank you to all those who joined us for our City(e)State exhibition at our studio! This event was part of the 2017 London Festival of Architecture.
Thank you to all those who joined us for our City(e)State exhibition at our studio! This event was part of the 2017 London Festival of Architecture.
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The Cohen Quadrangle: Collegiate Architecture as Future Heritage – LFA 2017 Exeter College Cohen Quad
22.06.2017 14.00–15.00, Embankment Galleries, Somerset House
In a rare public talk and Q&A session as part of the London Festival of Architecture 2017, Alison Brooks will be sharing the ideals and design approach behind the newest building to emerge on the Oxford city skyline; the Exeter College Cohen Quad.[more..]
In a rare public talk and Q&A session as part of the London Festival of Architecture 2017, Alison Brooks will be sharing the ideals and design approach behind the newest building to emerge on the Oxford city skyline; the Exeter College Cohen Quad.
ABA’s campus is due for completion later this year, making it the first complete College commissioned by the University of Oxford since Powell & Moya’s 1974 Wolfson College.
The Cohen Quad is a 21st century reinvention of the collegiate quadrangle, the basis of Oxford’s academic and urban fabric. Weaving together themes of collective memory, spatial experimentation, and the contemporary narrative of the city, the talk also addresses the architect’s role in creating generous and humane platforms for social exchange.
The design of the new quad is based on three key concepts: the journey, places of gathering and sense of home. These concepts are embedded in the formal layout of the building, the variety of its spaces, and its shimmering, curved stainless steel roof. The 6,000m2 Cohen Quad offers a new institutional model for education and creativity. At its heart is the Learning Commons; its multi-layered spaces speak of a future where socialising, eating, drinking, studying and teaching will merge and evolve in a multitude of ways.
The Exeter College Cohen Quad talk will take place on the 22 June at 2pm in the Embankment Gallery of Somerset House. Entry is on a ‘first come, first served’ basis; please arrive promptly to secure a place.
The London Festival of Architecture is Europe’s biggest annual architecture festival, and returns to the capital from 1-30 June 2017 with hundreds of events exploring ‘memory’. It celebrates London as a global architectural hub, provokes questions about the life of the city, and promotes positive change to its public realm. For more information on the festival, visit www.londonfestivalofarchitecture.org.
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Robert Elms in conversation with Alison Brooks
21.05.2017 13:25, Urban Village Fete
Alison Brooks will join BBC Radio’s Robert Elms this Sunday at Greenwich Peninsula Urban Village Fete as part of his series Living for the City.
Alison Brooks will join BBC Radio’s Robert Elms this Sunday at Greenwich Peninsula Urban Village Fete as part of his series Living for the City.
This year Robert will be in conversation with five influential female role models in aspirational industries, discussing their importance in shaping the landscape and celebrating their achievements.
Curated by Hemingway Design, the Urban Village Fete is a contemporary twist on the traditional village fair that celebrates the best in design, music, art, innovative events and modern craftmanship.
The Fete runs from 12pm until 7pm on Sunday 21 May and is free to attend. For more information, click here.
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Conscious Cities Conference No. 2 Ely Court
3.05.2017 09.00–18.00, One Sekforde Street, London
Alison Brooks will be speaking on the subject of conscious design and behavioural insight at the Conscious Cities Conference No. 2: Bridging Neuroscience, Architecture and Technology, a full day event taking place in London’s Urban Innovation Centre.[more..]
Alison Brooks will be speaking on the subject of conscious design and behavioural insight at the Conscious Cities Conference No. 2: Bridging Neuroscience, Architecture and Technology, a full day event taking place in London’s Urban Innovation Centre.
Building upon the topics and findings from its first conference examining the relationship between neuroscience and architecture, Conscious Cities’ second conference will disseminate and unify the industries and elements needed to create and build a ‘Conscious City’ that is responsive to human activity and needs.
This conference is divided into four segments:
- What Does Neuroscience Teach Us About The Built Environment?
- How Can We Use High Technology In The Built Environment?
- Creating Conscious Design: How Does Behavioural Insight Affect Architecture And Planning?
- What Do We Want Life To Look Like In A Conscious City? Ethics In The Built Environment.
Alison’s talk will focus on the transformative social and psychological role that architecture can play, using ABA’s EU Mies Award 2017 finalist Ely Court as an example.
For more information on the event and to book tickets, click here.
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EU Mies Award Talks Ely Court
1.05.2017 09.00–11.00, Academie van Bouwkunst of Amsterdam
Alison Brooks and project architect Nelson Carvalho will present EU Mies van der Rohe Award Finalist Ely Court as part of a public lecture series featuring the five finalists in four cities over three days.
Alison Brooks and project architect Nelson Carvalho will present EU Mies van der Rohe Award Finalist Ely Court as part of a public lecture series featuring the five finalists in four cities over three days.
Alison and Nelson will speak on the 1st May at the Academie van Bouwkunst of Amsterdam. For more information on the event, click here.
Following the lecture series, the jury will visit the finalist works and will collect first-hand information from the people who use the buildings, the clients and the architects to aid in their judgement process. Following deliberations, The Prize Winner and the Emerging Architect Winner will be announced in Brussels on 16th May. The process will culminate with the Awards Ceremony on 26th May at the Mies van der Rohe Pavilion, marking several days of Open Doors throughout Europe during which sites of the shortlisted works will be open for visits by the general public.
The European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture Mies van der Rohe Award is awarded biennially to works completed within the previous two years. The principal objectives are to achieve a thorough understanding of the transformation of Europe’s built environment; to recognize and commend excellence and innovation in the field of architecture and to draw attention to the important contribution of European professionals in the development of new ideas, the clients who support them and the citizens that enjoy them.
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