Open City

In this episode, host Merlin Fulcher is joined by Jon Wright, an historian and 20 Century lead at Purcell to discuss: Plans to revamp London’s Brutalist Barbican Centre // A redevelopment bid for Denys Lasdun’s ‘glass castle’ // Tributes for legendary Archigram member Dennis Crompton // And a campaign to save Soho’s Prince Charles cinema.To help support excellent and accessible, independent journalism about the buildings and the urban environment, please become an Open City friend by clicking here.The Brief 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. To book a free day pass follow this link.The Brief is produced in association with the Architects’ Journal, and the C20 Society.The Brief is also supported by Bloomberg Connects, the free arts and culture app.

This week Sahiba Chadha is joined by Julian Maynard, industrial designer and the managing director of Maynard Design Group. The Elizabeth Line spurs on new development, but across England, planning approvals for housing have seen record lows // A transformative redesign of London’s Regent Street area is won by Allies and Morrison // The first-ever winner of the RIBA Stirling prize is set to be demolished in Salford // And the devastating fires in Los Angeles destroy Modernist landmarksTo help support excellent and accessible, independent journalism about the buildings and the urban environment, please become an Open City friend by clicking here.The Brief 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. To book a free day pass follow this link.The Brief is produced in association with the Architects’ Journal, and the C20 Society.The Brief is also supported by Bloomberg Connects, the free arts and culture app.

In the first episode of Deconstructed, Matthew Lloyd Roberts is joined by Eleanor Marshall, an architectural designer and civil servant at the Department for Transport who runs Open City’s London Public Health Architecture Walking Tour. They discuss Finsbury Health Centre, an iconic modernist building in Clerkenwell, designed by the architect Berthold Lubetkin’s practice Tecton and built for Finsbury Borough Council from 1935–8.Eleanor appeared in a video discussing Lubetkin’s legacy, especially his housing at Bevin Court, which you can watch here: https://open-city.org.uk/films/marxism-and-london-ep1 Deconstructed is a new monthly show from Open City produced by Hunter Charlton dedicated to in-depth explorations of the past, present and future of the built environment in London and beyond.To help support excellent and accessible, independent journalism about the buildings and the urban environment, please become an Open City friend by clicking here.Deconstructed 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.

This week Merlin Fulcher is joined by journalist and YouTuber Jon Stone to discuss the week's major stories in architecture and the built environment:Ministers warned UK housing crisis threatens the economy and NHS recovery // How 2025 could be transformative for London cycling // A new study suggests doubling London St Pancras International’s capacity // And could the Palace of Westminster witness a catastrophic Notre Dame-style inferno?To help support excellent and accessible, independent journalism about the buildings and the urban environment, please become an Open City friend by clicking here.The Brief 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. To book a free day pass follow this link.The Brief is produced in association with the Architects’ Journal, and the C20 Society.The Brief is also supported by Bloomberg Connects, the free arts and culture app.

De-constructed is Open City's brand new podcast which explores buildings, places, landscapes and communities, taking apart their architecture piece by piece to better understand what makes them so compelling.Each month, Matthew Lloyd Robert is joined by a different guest and transported to a location of their choice, that reveals something about the past, present and future of the built environment in London and beyond. Paying tribute to ancient and new, remarkable and everyday, we will help you see these city landmarks with fresh eyes.

This week Merlin Fulcher is joined by Peter Murray OBE, the co-founder of New London Architecture to discuss the week's major stories in architecture and the built environment: Angela Rayner approves M&S’s contentious Oxford Street redevelopment // Keir Starmer sets down new Housing and Infrastructure pledges  // New data shows average house prices are no longer affordable on average incomes // And just how safe are the City of London’s streets for pedestrians and cyclists?To help support excellent and accessible, independent journalism about the buildings and the urban environment, please become an Open City friend by clicking here.The Brief 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. To book a free day pass follow this link.The Brief is produced in association with the Architects’ Journal, and the C20 Society.The Brief is also supported by Bloomberg Connects, the free arts and culture app.

This week Merlin Fulcher is joined by the author, columnist and SAVE founding trustee Simon Jenkins to discuss: Smithfields meat market closes for good after 850 years // Councils raise concerns over unrealistic government housing targets // Brighton’s i360 enters administration // And cycling in London booms more than 25 per cent in the past five yearsTo help support excellent and accessible, independent journalism about the buildings and the urban environment, please become an Open City friend by clicking here.The Brief 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. To book a free day pass follow this link.The Brief is produced in association with the Architects’ Journal, and the C20 Society.The Brief is also supported by Bloomberg Connects, the free arts and culture app.

This week Sahiba Chadha is joined by award winning architect Gurmeet Sian, to discuss: Government design champion, the Office for Place is scrapped // New powers for councils to tackle empty High Street units // Angela Rayner massively restricts right to buy for new council homes // And a new campaign by the Twentieth Century Society to list recent buildings which are … ‘coming of age’ To help support excellent and accessible, independent journalism about the buildings and the urban environment, please become an Open City friend by clicking here.The Brief 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. To book a free day pass follow this link.The Brief is produced in association with the Architects’ Journal, and the C20 Society.The Brief is also supported by Bloomberg Connects, the free arts and culture app.

This week Fran Williams is joined by Ramsey Yassa, an architect and founding director of NOOMA studio, to discuss: UK architects facing scrutiny amid reports of 21,000 Saudi worker deaths // ACME takes over and reveals scaled-back Liverpool St station revamp plans // Mouldy, hard-to-heat rental homes spell royal scandal for Prince William // And is the architectural profession facing the precipice amid a major exodus of talent To help support excellent and accessible, independent journalism about the buildings and the urban environment, please become an Open City friend by clicking here.The Brief 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. To book a free day pass follow this link.The Brief is produced in association with the Architects’ Journal, and the C20 Society.The Brief is also supported by Bloomberg Connects, the free arts and culture app.