This year's London Festival of Architecture focuses on the increasing use of unconventional workspaces across the capital. As the nature of work continues to change, so too does the working environment. Remote working has freed employees up from their workstations; at the same time, myriad start-ups and sole-traders have taken space in shared offices, which are springing up across cities worldwide.
The London-based architectural practice Gensler is exploring this phenomenon in its debate 'Why Keep Work in the Office When We Can Have the City?' The panellists will grapple with issues such as: How will office environments change to counter or embrace this trend? What will future 'Third Spaces' become? And how can these spaces respond in order to better support the industry clusters that they are embedded in?'
RIBA's event, 'The Changing Face of Workspace', pushes this theme further still, questioning whether these changes and the way we work have a greater impact on us than we might expect.
But it's not all co-working and coffee shops. Under the Archiboo banner, Carlo Ratti of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology ponders the repercussions for how whole cities are designed in his talk 'The Future of Work: the New Ideas That Will Kill the Office'.
Meanwhile, as digital technology allows work to become ever-more invasive, the effect this is having on our sleep and well-being is discussed at 'Hypnos: The Architecture of Sleep'. This panel debate, which accompanies Sto Werkstatt's exhibition on sleep, asks: 'What does it say about a company that provides a bed, on the proviso that you are available 24/7?' Sleep neuroscientist Professor Jim Horne will be on the panel hoping to throw light on the subject.
This year's event illustrates many different futures for our working lives – but one thing participants do agree on is that almost continual change is now a given.
Up to eight people can book a spot in the temporary co-working space and use the tree's WiFi
It's a collaboration between Australian American artist Natalie Jeremijenko, London-based artists Shuster + Moseley, architects Tate Harmer and briefing architects Gensler
TREExOFFICE will be available to book for the entire month of June
In a separate event, Professor Mark Brearley's venture Cass Cities throws light on London's 'alternative' economic life, focusing on smaller manufacturing businesses
Where London Works Exhibition by Cass Cities maps the capital's workshops, shoemakers and bakers
The exhibition of Cass's fascinating findings is on display at Building BloQs, a new open-access workspace for independent designers working in wood, metal, concrete, plastic and paint
Open from the 13th to the 20th June, this show celebrates London's 'vast economic life'
Organic Grid + - Vision of the Workplace of the Future is one more exhibition that opens this week, this time in collaboration with Domus Tiles
In this show, designers Sean Cassidy and Joe Wilson have imagined what our working lives could be like in 2050
The duo have brought together technology and nature, and present - among other ideas - a world in which staff harvest their lunch
The show explores conceptual blueprints related to the evolution of our working environment and asks the question 'what if?'
A healthy, functioning city needs to balance limited land with the need for jobs and infrastructure. Three such projects in Eindhoven, London and New York are presented in the LFA's keynote debate, The Working City: Eindhoven, London, New York, followed by panel discussion to thrash out this pressing issue.
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Glenn Martens is headed to Maison Margiela as the house’s new creative directorThe former Y/Project designer and current Diesel creative director will replace John Galliano, who exited the Maison Margiela in late 2024
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Glamping on the Greek riviera: an alternative resort rooted in luxuryWe check in at the 91 Athens Riviera; an alternative seaside glamping resort in the Greek capital that is all about relaxed luxury
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Inspired by Robert Mapplethorpe, Saint Laurent’s surprise menswear show captured ‘a menacing, seductive elegance’Staged at Paris’ Bourse de Commerce – Pinault Collection, Anthony Vaccarello mashed up Rive Gauche elegance with Robert Mapplethorpe-inspired kink for his A/W 2025 Saint Laurent menswear collection
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2025 Serpentine Pavilion: this year's architect, Marina Tabassum, explains her designThe 2025 Serpentine Pavilion design by Marina Tabassum is unveiled; the Bangladeshi architect talks to us about the commission, vision, and the notion of time
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We celebrate the emerging London architects to be excited aboutThese emerging London architects are some of the capital's finest ground-breakers, movers and shakers; heralding a new generation of architecture
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From a mobile pub to a thatched canopy: Japanese architecture and craft explored at AA show in London'Distillation of Architecture', a new AA show in London, pairs architects with materials and makers in an exploration of craft through the Japanese lens
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A library in a London telephone box? This is a charming reading nook full of surprisesSet in a restored London telephone box, Upper Street Little Library is a cosy beacon to encourage reading to the wider community
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This revamped east London terraced house is a music lover’s dreamAn east London terraced house gets a boost of personality and sustainability thanks to Archmongers, whose transformation makes room for the owners’ creativity and extensive record collection
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This elegant infill project slots beautifully into the London streetscapeIn this infill project, a row of garages in Blackheath, south-east London, has been replaced by a contemporary family home by local practice Mailen Design
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Don’t Move, Improve 2025: the 14 London homes adding design oomph to the everydayThe shortlist for Don’t Move, Improve 2025 has been announced, revealing 14 residential projects across London that add value and pizazz to their inhabitants’ daily lives
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Space House: explore the brutalist London landmark’s new chapterSpace House, a landmark of brutalist architecture by Richard Seifert & Partners in London’s Covent Garden, is back following a 21st-century redesign by Squire & Partners and developer Seaforth Land
