A marker of the Festival’s mission to champion emerging talent, this exciting project with the Design Museum launched in 2019 by highlighting the work of 10 emerging voices in architecture, who have each been nominated by established names in the profession, for their impact on shaping a new future for London. This sell-out event saw an evening of lively public debate fill the atrium of the Design Museum, pushing the boundaries of what architecture can be, who London is for and what its future holds.

Using the Festival as a ‘springboard to engage with the local community’, a creative collaboration between Squire & Partners and design studio AWMA saw a series of workshops delivered to explore Brixton’s unique boundaries through the eye of its residents. An interactive installation shared some of these physical and emotional boundaries through illuminations, maps, film and models, to which members of the community were invited to contribute their own experiences and become part of the evolving display. Open for nine days, the event welcomed a variety of local neighbourhood and school groups including the Young Lambeth Co-op, Brixton Soup Kitchen, Brixton Chamber Orchestra and Stockwell Primary School, bringing together people of all ages and backgrounds to think about the place collectively called home.

Following a ballot entry, Woods Bagot offered a lucky select few the opportunity to catch a unique ‘behind the scenes’ glimpse of a prominent new hotel under construction on Leicester Square
- The Londoner. With guided tours led by the project architects themselves, visitors had the chance to explore the pioneering project, learning more about the scheme from concept to construction.

Part of the LFA2019 International programme saw the Finish Institute host a panel debate which not only explored the role of libraries in citizen activism, but also how architecture can better serve democracy - using the new central library Oodi in Finland as a starting point. Across the evening, a series of expert speakers came together to address the challenges faced as the nature of the public library evolves.

Food for thought’ was
a tantalising evening, exploring the unique boundaries of architecture and food. A menu
of conversation starters and mini talks were introduced by expert speakers including Gurmeet Sian, Founder of award-winning architecture
and design studio Office Sian, Steve Wong, Placemaking Manager for New West End, Nasra Abdullahi from team make:good, and Rolanda

Norman-Gay from one of the practices’ resident engagement projects in South London. Over a delicious dinner, cross-industry peers discussed boundaries associated with creating more equitable public spaces in London. Sharing

their own experiences, guests considered the boundaries present in entering the architecture profession, gathering community feedback and designing truly inclusive spaces.

A deconstruction of the seminal work by Denise Scott Brown and Robert Venturi, hosted at the London Hippodrome by drag queen Ginger Johnson was, for many, a typical evening with the LFA. Organised ‘for the sheer fun of it’ by Rob Fiehn, Bobby Jewell and Luke Neve, this extraordinary cabaret-style event brought together architects, writers and teachers including Owen Hopkins, Sam Jacob, Isobel Harbison, Adam Nathaniel Furman, Studio Mutt and Space Popular, for an evening where fans of postmodernism learned and laughed together.

Shobana Jeyasingh Dance and footwork choreographed a powerful community dance which was both created and performed by professional dancers, architects and members of the community. Joined by pupils from local schools, the event not only celebrated social inclusion, but also helped to break down personal and cultural boundaries by empowering girls and women to perform together in public. Inspired by the space around Aldgate Square, this unique dance challenged perceptions about a space people walk through every day.

Basking in a myriad of lights and colours, Alan Parkinson’s unforgettable architectural installation sparked curiosity in the minds of many, as visitors navigated their way through a spectacular inflatable maze. From dazzling paths to luminous tunnels and subtle soundscapes, these ‘cathedrals of air’ have attracted more than 3 million visitors worldwide, welcoming visitors and residents of all ages to the Royal Docks for this immersive experience as part of both LFA2019 and Greenwich and Docklands International Festival (GDIF).

Brought together by Austrian choreographer Willi Dorner, a group of local dancers, performers and free runners intertwined and stacked their bodies into the doorways, arches and alleyways of The City. Free and visible for all to see, this moving performance not only captured the imagination of a dedicated trail of followers, but of hundreds and thousands of passers-by as the fleetingly colourful intervention popped up in unexpected placesand spaces. Perfectly in keeping with this year’s theme, the performance encouraged people of all ages and backgrounds to take a closer look at the built environment around them and to consider how we interact with the boundaries it presents.

For LFA2019 the Flanders Architecture Institute offered visitors a rare opportunity to experience the work of acclaimed post-war Brutalist architect Léon Stynen’s (1899-1990) work first-hand. Selected pieces from Stynen’s archive and photography by Filip Dujardin brought his work to new audiences, while a new architecture installation outside the Silver Building - created by Flanders Architecture Institute in collaboration with Eagles of Architecture and a group of high school students - applied Stynen’s principles to a modern London setting.