London Festival of Architecture: Eco events

Starting tomorrow, the capital is showcasing all things related to architecture throughout June and July at the London Festival of Architecture 2008 with over 600 exhibitions, lectures, public space installations, guided walks, bicycle rides, boat tours, parties, design workshops and debates at various locations throughout the city. Here we have gathered a list of events with a green angle.

Pachamama Toilet

21 June, 10am - 6:30pm, Exhibition Road

Installation of full size prototype of a sustainable fabric and earth toilet on Exhibition Road, designed by architect Harry Paticas.

Pachamama Toilet is a prototype fabric and earth structure designed as a low technology, waterless toilet for the shanty towns of Lima in Peru. The full-scale prototype will be constructed for the first time in the middle of South Kensington’s Exhibition Road. Measuring 5m long by 4m wide and 3m high the toilet will contain approximately 10 cubic metres of earth. The installation will appear as a large sculptural object with a series of bulging fabric envelopes where the internal pressure of earth is pushing the fabric into tension. The double curvature forms of the external envelopes were derived using the Tensys in-house form-finding software inTENS. The weight of the contained earth is balanced by the geometry and stresses contained within the fabric.

Two elevated squatting bays are reached by a series of triangular steps and have fabric envelopes around them to provide privacy and fabric envelopes below them to collect the excreta and earth. The design requires simple labour to build and is based on research into the cultural beliefs of the local people and available material. By elevating the point of excretion and providing collectors above ground for the desiccation of excreta, the risk of contamination of local water sources is reduced.

The aims of the installation are to test the prototype structurally, functionally and aesthetically at the same time as raising awareness of the fact that, according to UNICEF, 2.6 billion people in the world lack adequate sanitation. A display will be provided on the design and fabrication process as well as information on current conditions of sanitation around the world.

For more information visit Pachamama Toilet.

Sustainab.Italy Debate

24 June, 7pm, Italian Cultural Institute

Sustainab.Italy Debate is an overview of new Italian architecture focusing on sustainability.

Young Italian designers look at the current, fast-changing reality and indicate a feasible Italian approach to sustainable architecture, where architectural heritage and landscape are used and safeguarded as primary and essential resources.

The project is curated by Luca Molinari with Alessandro D'Onofrio and was developed by the Italian Cultural Institute in collaboration with the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, DGPC-General Directorate for cultural promotion and cooperation, and the Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities, PARC-General Directorate for landscape quality and protection, contemporary art and architecture.

For more information visit Sustainab.Italy Debate.

Future Living in E13 / E14 / E15 / E16 / SE10

26 June - 1 July, 10am - 6pm, Pan Peninsula Floating Exhibition Space

An exhibition examining sustainable housing developments emerging in response to the demands generated by the success of Canary Wharf and how this ‘World City’ could become a model for others.

For more information visit Future Living in E13 / E14 / E15 / E16 / SE10.

Growing Food For London Conference

30 June, 10am - 7pm

The day will deal with the question of how to cater for the rising demand for space to grow food in the capital in the face of increasing pressure on land.

Through a series of presentations and discussions, we will explore how more food could be grown on under utilised areas, and look at examples of existing food growing initiatives and training schemes. The day will cover the urban fringe and how commercial farming can be maintained and expanded, the potential for growing food in parks and on social housing land and much more.

For more information visit Growing Food For London.

Sustainable by Design – Breakfast Talk

1 July, 9am - 12pm, The Royal Danish Embassy

British architect Tony Fretton will discuss the problem solving capacity of architecture with Henning Thomsen from The Danish Architecture Centre’s Laboratory for Sustainable Urban Development. Additional speakers will include exhibitors from the two Danish exhibitions at LFA, CO-EVOLUTION and SUST-DANE-ABLE.

Current innovation in architecture is giving hope that alternative paths to environmentally sustainable development and continued human co-existence exist. The field of problem solving, value based architecture that is emerging from these developments suggests a radical re-orientation in the way architects perceive of the discipline, it’s purposes and instruments. Problem solving architecture engages in cross disciplinary and creative solution seeking in a world of accelerated globalisation, new cultural encounters, environmental crisis, rapid urbanisation, new social organisations etc.

As part of the pressing agenda that aims to promote new strategies for sustainable architecture and urban design, The Danish Embassy and The Danish Architecture Centre will join forces throughout the festival month in arranging programming for the two exhibitions SUST-DANE-ABLE and CO-EVOLUTION.

This ia a one time event only. Advance booking is essential.

For more information visit Sustainable by Design.

Planning in London in a New Political and Economic Climate

14 July, London Festival of Architecture HQ

An NLA conference, in association with Planning in London magazine, examining how the planning system is functioning in the Capital and its impact on maintaining London’s position as a leading global city.

This major conference will draw leading figures from the planning, development and design industry to explore how London’s new political and economic landscape will affect the planning and delivery of schemes in the Capital.

Speakers Include:
Tony Travers, director Greater London Group, LSE
Michael Hussey, managing director, Land Securities
Robert Evans, director, Argent
Paul Finch, editor, Architectural Review (Chair)

For more information visit Planning in London in a New Political and Economic Climate.