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Open City

Open City
Open City
Latest episode

276 episodes

  • Open City

    Four more new towns announced and the future of the Museum of London

    01/04/2026 | 29 mins.
    This week on The Brief Sahiba Chadha is joined by Henrietta Billings. Henrietta is the director of SAVE Britain’s Heritage, an organisation dedicated to protecting historical buildings. Since joining SAVE in 2016, she has worked on campaigns such as M&S Oxford Street, Anglia Square in Norwich and the historic Grimsby Docks.

    The government confirms four more locations for its new towns programme // A derelict church with a Grade II listed mural is finding new life as an arts and community centre // A court has rejected a legal challenge opposing the demolition of the former Museum of London // And a storm is brewing in Edinburgh over plans to transform four listed buildings in the New Town into a pod hostel

    Subscribe to the Open City Podcast on Spotify, Soundcloud or iTunes

    The Open City Podcast is supported by Bloomberg Connects, the free arts and culture platform and produced in association with the Architects’ Journal, London Society, C20 Society and Save Britain's Heritage.

    The Open City Podcast is recorded and produced at the Open City offices located in Bureau. Bureau is a co-working space for creatives offering a new approach to membership workspace. Bureau prioritises not just room to think and do, but also shared resources and space to collaborate.
    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
  • Open City

    The Home That Made Me: The place that raised me

    26/03/2026 | 30 mins.
    In this episode of the Home that Made me, Nabil Al Kinani reflects on his experience growing up on the Chalk Hill Estate in Wembley, and how his sense of self was challenged as he saw his home through the eyes of others without first hand experience of the place and its community. This experience has profoundly shaped what he wants for his future as well as the responsibility he feels he has to the place and community that helped raise him.

    Background image for the artwork is by Nabil Al Kinani.

    Subscribe to the Open City Podcast on Spotify, Soundcloud or iTunes

    The Open City Podcast is recorded and produced at the Open City offices located in Bureau. Bureau is a co-working space for creatives offering a new approach to membership workspace. Bureau prioritises not just room to think and do, but also shared resources and space to collaborate.
    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
  • Open City

    The UK government hires AI to help speed up planning decisions and the new architects of the BT Tower revamp

    19/03/2026 | 29 mins.
    This week on The Brief Fran Williams is joined by Ben Stuart. Ben is director and co-founder of architecture studio able partners, and the host of Able Diaries, a weekly show that gives a behind-the-scenes look at running an architecture practice.

    Government hires Google to speed up planning decisions in England using AI // Orms replaces Heatherwick Studio on the revamp of BT Tower // Restoration plans for the Brutalist Crystal Palace Sports Centre are revealed // And another blow to Glasgow’s heritage as Forsyth House is destroyed in a fire

    Subscribe to the Open City Podcast on Spotify, Soundcloud or iTunes

    The Open City Podcast is supported by Bloomberg Connects, the free arts and culture platform and produced in association with the Architects’ Journal, London Society, C20 Society and Save Britain's Heritage.

    The Open City Podcast is recorded and produced at the Open City offices located in Bureau. Bureau is a co-working space for creatives offering a new approach to membership workspace. Bureau prioritises not just room to think and do, but also shared resources and space to collaborate.
    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
  • Open City

    Deconstructed: Peckham Library - Millenium Culture

    11/03/2026 | 27 mins.
    In this episode Matthew Lloyd Roberts is joined by John Puttick to discuss Peckham Library, one of a number of civic and community projects commissioned to mark the turn of the millenium. It was designed by Alsop & Störmer Architects with engineering by AKT II and won the Stirling Prize in 2000, and combines ebullient and eccentric design culture with a hard-wearing material palette to create a hugely successful piece of community infrastructure.

    John Puttick has over 25 years' experience as an architect and founded John Puttick Associates in 2014. He led the refurbishment of Grade II-listed Preston Bus Station, which was awarded the World Monuments Fund/Knoll Modernism Prize and Civic Trust’s Special Award for Reuse & Adaptation. The practice’s work includes significant civic and community projects across the UK, and is appointed to the Mayor of London’s Architecture + Urbanism framework.

    Background image by John Puttick.

    Subscribe to the Open City Podcast on Spotify, Soundcloud or iTunes

    The Open City Podcast is supported by Bloomberg Connects, the free arts and culture platform and produced in association with the Architects’ Journal, London Society, C20 Society and Save Britain's Heritage.

    The Open City Podcast is recorded and produced at the Open City offices located in Bureau. Bureau is a co-working space for creatives offering a new approach to membership workspace. Bureau prioritises not just room to think and do, but also shared resources and space to collaborate.
    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
  • Open City

    Retail giant John Lewis closes its housebuilding venture and what style of homes do Londoners want?

    05/03/2026 | 30 mins.
    This week on The Brief Sahiba Chada is joined by architect Jeremy Walker. Jeremy is the Head of Design at Human Nature, a property developer currently working on the construction of the UK’s largest timber-structure neighbourhood: the Phoenix development in East Sussex. Together they discuss:

    Retail giant John Lewis winds up its housebuilding arm amid economic woes // The London Assembly argues Londoners want more traditional-looking homes // The Royal Institution of British Architects calls for the abolition of the Architects Registration Board // And… raising the profile of women architects and designers… we discuss the winners of the 2026 Jane Drew and Ada Louise Huxtable prizes

    Subscribe to the Open City Podcast on Spotify, Soundcloud or iTunes

    The Open City Podcast is supported by Bloomberg Connects, the free arts and culture platform and produced in association with the Architects’ Journal, London Society, C20 Society and Save Britain's Heritage.

    The Open City Podcast is recorded and produced at the Open City offices located in Bureau. Bureau is a co-working space for creatives offering a new approach to membership workspace. Bureau prioritises not just room to think and do, but also shared resources and space to collaborate.
    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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About Open City

Open City is a charity dedicated to making architecture and built heritage more open, accessible and equitable.Providing you with essential listening, inspiring voices and built environment insights – the Open City Podcast covers news and current events as well as in depth studies of landmark buildings, and cities around the UK and world.At the centre of our line-up is our flagship show The Brief – an award-winning review of the big stories in architecture, planning and housing news – hosted by Sahiba Chadha and Fran Williams on a fortnightly basis.Alongside this is Deconstructed – a monthly podcast hosted by Matthew Lloyd Roberts taking apart the architecture of individual buildings and InterCities – a monthly podcast hosted by Owen Hatherley exploring municipal transformation around the world. All three shows profile new, expert and diverse voices from across industry, journalism, academia and beyond. The Open City Podcast is produced by Hunter Charlton and Paige Reynolds. The commissioning editor is Merlin Fulcher. The Open City Podcast is supported by Bloomberg Connects, the free arts and culture platform and produced in association with the Architects’ Journal, London Society, C20 Society and Save Britain's Heritage. The Open City Podcast is recorded and produced at the Open City offices located in Bureau. To help support excellent and accessible, independent journalism about the buildings and the urban environment, please become an Open City Friend.Photo credit: Owen Hatherley portrait © Antonio Olmos Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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