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PODCAST

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 – theOpen City Podcastcovers 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 showThe Brief– an award-winning review of the big stories in architecture, planning and housing news – hosted by Sahiba

society & culture design

All Episodes

28:35

Deconstructed: Lloyd's Building - Inside-Out...

Open City ·

2026/09/24

In this episode, Matthew Lloyd Roberts was joined by Graham Stirk, Senior Director at RSHP, to discuss Lloyd’s of London, the first building Stirk worked on when he joined the Richard Rogers Partnership as an architecture graduate in 1983. The Lloyd’s Building is the Grade I-listed home of the oldest continuously operating insurance market in the world. It was designed by the Richard Rogers Partnership and is an icon of High-Tech architecture, a work of industrial craftsmanship covered in a dense

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30:19

Deconstructed: Vanbrugh Castle - Crenellations in...

Open City ·

2026/08/20

In this episode, Matthew Lloyd Roberts is joined by the architect Piers Gough, co-founder of CZWG and a major figure in post-modern British architecture. They discussed Vanbrugh Castle, one of the few surviving buildings in London designed by John Vanbrugh, a hugely important English baroque architect, whose tercentenary is being celebrated this year #Vanbrugh300. The ‘Castle’ itself is a curious and precocious piece of medieval revival architecture, built by Vanbrugh towards the end of his life in

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29:37

Deconstructed: The BBC Television Centre -...

Open City ·

2026/07/16

In this episode, Matthew Lloyd Roberts is joined by Samira Ahmed, journalist, broadcaster, presenter and President of C20, to discuss the BBC Television Centre. Opened in 1960 in White City, the building became one of the most recognisable homes of British broadcasting, where countless television programmes were made and transmitted for over half a century. In this episode, we explored the history and architecture of the Television Centre, its place in Britain's cultural imagination, and what its

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30:48

Deconstructed: Leighton House - Art and Orientalism

Open City ·

2026/06/11

In this episode Matthew Lloyd Roberts was joined by Hannah Lund, Curator of Exhibitions and Displays at Leighton House and Sambourne House. Leighton House was built in Kensington by the Frederic Leighton, a painter, sculptor and president of the Royal Academy famed during the reign of Queen Victoria who vanished into relative obscurity during the 20th century. His house was an important place to create and exhibit his paintings, with a double height studio lit by north facing windows for the vast

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30:48

Deconstructed: Grosvenor Square - Protest and the State

Open City ·

2026/05/28

In this episode Matthew Lloyd Roberts was joined by the historian Katrina Navickas to discuss the history of Grosvenor Square in Mayfair as a site of protest and policing. From the early twentieth century the square was home to the US Embassy, and it was the site of several protests against American foreign policy, most notably the Vietnam War in 1968. The policing of the Vietnam Solidarity Campaign led to the first CCTV system in the UK being erected in the square. The Embassy building itself,

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29:34

The Home That Made Me: 1 Plot, 3 Families

Open City ·

2026/05/07

In this episode Fiona Chilton is joined by Miriam, who lives in rural Devon in a home that she bought together with two other households so that they could raise their families side by side. But the dream was more challenging in reality as they tackled the practicalities of dividing land, buildings and responsibilities fairly between them. It’s a story of a dream becoming a reality, but also of the trade-off between city and country and the quest to combine the joy of wide-open space with the

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31:04

Deconstructed: Culling Road Ventilation Shaft -...

Open City ·

2026/04/23

In this episode Matthew Lloyd Roberts is joined by Judy Ovens, one of the authors of the new book ‘Adventurous Vents: A Journey through the Ventilation Shafts of Britain’. They discussed the Culling Road Ventilation shaft on the edge of Southwark Park, designed for the Jubilee Line by Ian Ritchie Architects. They also discussed ventilation shafts designed by Eduardo Paolozzi in Pimlico, William Whitfield in Paternoster Square and the ‘Camberwell Submarine’.Judy co-founded the architecture education

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55:13

In the Room at Accelerate Debates: Healthy Competition

Open City ·

2026/04/14

In The Room at Accelerate Debates is a podcast which broadcasts the live debates from Accelerate, Open City’s free educational programme. In this episode, you’ll hear our fifth and final debate of2025, “Heatlhy Competition", where we ask:is there a healthier way to run architectural competitions that makes them worth the risk?Moderators Siraaj Mitha and Jasmin Yeo were joined by six guest speakers:Selasi Setufe,PrincipalProject Officer at the Greater London Authority(GLA)and Co-FounderofBlack

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29:58

Four more new towns announced and the future of the...

Open City ·

2026/04/01

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

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30:35

The Home That Made Me: The place that raised me

Open City ·

2026/03/26

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

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29:49

The UK government hires AI to help speed up planning...

Open City ·

2026/03/19

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

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27:58

Deconstructed: Peckham Library - Millenium Culture

Open City ·

2026/03/11

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

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30:11

Retail giant John Lewis closes its housebuilding...

Open City ·

2026/03/05

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

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43:43

In the Room at Accelerate Debates: Designing With,...

Open City ·

2026/02/26

In The Room at Accelerate Debates is a podcast which broadcasts the live debates from Accelerate, Open City’s free educational programme. In this episode, you’ll hear our fourth debate of the year, “Designing With, Designing For", where we ask: how often do communities truly get to shape the spaces they live in? This was a special debate held as part of our Open House Festival programme in September 2025 at The Priory Church of St Bartholomew the Great. For this episode two of our Accelerate Alumni,

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27:13

Generational pedestrianisation plans for London's...

Open City ·

2026/02/19

This week on The Brief Fran Williams is joined by Christopher Martin. Christopher is the managing director and head of urban design at Urban Movement.Together they discuss:Massive pedestrianisation plans for London’s West End move forward // The Brutalist Southbank Centre is listed after three decades of uncertainty // Controversial plans to overhaul London’s Liverpool Street are approved // And campaigners are fighting a decision to leave Clandon Park House a preserved ruinSubscribe to the Open

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29:44

Deconstructed: Robin Hood Gardens - Brutalism and...

Open City ·

2026/02/12

In this episode, Matthew Lloyd Roberts was joined by Sam Elbahja to discuss a vanished building with a complicated history. Robin Hood Gardens was a housing estate in Poplar, designed by Alison and Peter Smithson for the LCC, completed in 1972. It was the first opportunity that the Smithsons had to enact their long-developed ideas about modern residential planning, including 'streets in the sky', a principle for community design grounded in the sociological patterns of kinship in the East End. The

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25:34

Government guidance on best practice design and why...

Open City ·

2026/02/05

This week on The Brief Sahiba Chadha is joined by Caroline Harper. Caroline is the Managing Director of BeFirst, the London Borough of Barking & Dagenham’s urban regeneration agency.Together they discuss:Government reveals its latest housing design and placemaking guidance // London house prices need to fall, says the housing minister // Níall McLaughlin wins RIBA Royal Gold Medal// And amid downturn and uncertainty is a career in architecture and the built environment still endlessly

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30:25

The Home That Made Me: When home becomes a prison

Open City ·

2026/01/28

Introducing a brand new show from Open City: The Home That Made Me.In this episode Fiona Chilton is joined by Clare who after years of renting managed to buy her dream flat in London. But, within a matter of months, everything changed and her sanctuary became a place of despair. This experience has profoundly changed how she sees the balance of power in the built environmen, and has forever changed what she would look for in any future home.Subscribe to the Open City Podcast

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28:15

Government launches ‘biggest home upgrade plan in UK...

Open City ·

2026/01/22

This week on The Brief Fran Williams is joined by the architect and partner for sustainability at Pollard Thomas Edwards, Tom Dollard to discuss:Government launches ‘biggest home upgrade plan in UK history’// Westminster Council puts Retrofit at the heart of the city // New plans to protect architects from unqualified rivals// And Mexico’s LANZA picked for this year’s Serpentine PavilionSubscribe to the Open City Podcast onSpotify,SoundcloudoriTunesThe Open City Podcast is supported byBloomberg

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31:27

Deconstructed: Tate Modern - Art and Power

Open City ·

2026/01/15

In this episode Matthew Lloyd Roberts is joined by Christian Dimbleby to discuss Tate Modern, the former power station converted into a gallery for modern art by Herzog & de Meuron at the turn of the millennium. Originally built as Bankside Power Station from 1947 to designs by Giles Gilbert Scott, the discussion ranged from the challenges in transforming infrastructure into cultural spaces and the lasting lessons which can be learned from the conversion.Christian Dimbleby is the UK Head of

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