Since the LFA started in 2004 an important part of the London Festival of Architecture has been our Open Studios programme. These have been an opportunity for practices to open their doors both to the profession and the wider public – helping to demystify their work. Practices can benefit by getting both a public and professional audience into their studios to understand more about their work.
Over the years we’ve experimented with different models for the Open Studios, in different locations at different times of day. In 2018 we focused the Open Studios on the five Friday evenings during the festival based around five areas. This gave people the opportunity to visit a number of architecture studios during the evening. The density of practices in a concentrated area gave the programme a real buzz.
This evening model, combined with a drink and celebratory atmosphere really enlivened our Open Studios in 2018. For our 2019 festival we renamed our Open Studios as ‘Studio Lates’ on the LFA website to reflect this evening opening.
For our Studio Lates this year we have chosen the following areas on the following dates during the 2020 Festival.
- Friday 5 June: Clerkenwell
- Friday 12 June: Fitzrovia
- Friday 19 June: Shoreditch
- Friday 26 June: Southwark
The above map indicates where each area is without giving it a clear border. If your studio is based in or around one of these areas, we invite you to submit your event proposal for the relevant day as part of the main Open Call. There is no limit on how many studios can take part in each area. Our Curation Panel will determine if a practice falls into the designated area or not. In order to create a decent density of practices we do need to ensure that all practices in a given area are within easy walking distance of each other. If you’re not in one of these areas, there are still plenty of other ways your practice can get involved in the festival by submitting an event proposal. We’d just recommend that you select another day for your event.
Architecture Practices, Landscape Architects, Architectural Engineers can take part. If you want to participate in Studio Lates you’ll need to submit your proposal through our main Call for Entries. The deadline for submitting is 10 March.