LA London’s Autumn Event Highlights
As the weather here in London takes a distinctly autumnal turn, we’re looking forward to a busy schedule of industry events to brighten our working days as we move into the last quarter of the year. Following the success of our recent summer party earlier in September, we’ll be making the most of our central location by exploring the many architecture and design events taking place in the capital.
Here’s a glimpse of what the next few months have in store:
Richard Rogers: Talking Buildings
Sir John Soane Museum, until 21 September
This exhibition celebrates the life and legacy of the highly influential architect Richard Rogers, who died in 2021. Discover the process and artistry behind such iconic structures as the Pompidou Centre and the Millenium Dome at the atmospheric Sir John Soane Museum in Lincoln’s Inn Fields. The exhibition is curated by Rogers’s son Ab, and the architect’s work is presented through large drawings, models and moving imagery, as well as two films by Marina Willer.
Richard Rogers: Talking Buildings at the Sir John Soane Museum
An exhibit from the V&A’s Design and Disability show.
Design and Disability
V&A, until 15 February
The V&A’s latest exhibition, Design and Disability, celebrates the work of disabled, deaf and neurodivergent people and communities. Billed as a call to action as well as a celebration, it features work from the 1940s to the present day including printed works by Irish creative practice Dysfluent and photography by Chicago-based Sandra Oviedo, AKA ColectivoMultipolar.
London Design Festival
Across London, 13–21 September
Taking place across 10 design ‘districts’ around the capital, the London Design Festival aims to promote London as the design capital of the world. Events include talks, workshops, exhibitions and launches, with highlights including the V&A’s Digital Design Weekend, a celebration of contemporary digital art and design.
The festival also recognises leading figures from the worlds of design and architecture by awarding four LDF Medals, and this year Norman Foster has been recognised with a Lifetime Achievement Award.
Material Matters
Space House, Kingsway, 17–20 September
Part of the London Design Festival, Material Matters celebrates the brands defining the future of architecture, design and product development. This year’s exhibitors include PriestmanGoode, 3M and MycoWorks, whose sustainable new bio-material Reishi is made from fungi, sawdust and bran. The fair also plays host to talks, installations and panel discussions, providing a chance to discover the latest innovations in sustainable design.
Decorex 2025
Kensington Olympia, 12 – 15 October
Now in its 47th year, the four-day Decorex show at Kensington Olympia has established itself as an annual highlight of the interior design calendar. Exhibitors for 2025 include leading design and homeware brands such as Ian Sanderson, Ca’ Pietra and Zardi & Zardi.
As well as talks on design for wellbeing, multipurpose spaces and sustainability certifications, this year’s programme includes the intriguing discussion, ‘Divas, Devils or Delights? Are Interior Designers Impossible To Work With?’, which sounds like one not to be missed!.
Decorex 2024
PAD London 2025
Berkeley Square House, London, UK, 14 – 19 October
The annual PAD (Pavilion of Art and Design) art fair takes place in London’s Berkeley Square, with a sister show held in Paris each spring. Exhibitors including artists, galleries and designers congregate in the heart of Mayfair to sell and buy 20th-century and contemporary furniture, sculpture and paintings. Prizes are awarded for historical design, contemporary design, and the best stand.
Frieze London
The Regent’s Park, 15 – 19 October
Few events represent culture in the capital like Frieze London, a celebration of contemporary art and living artists from around the world. This year the fair welcomes more than 160 international galleries, including Sadie Coles HQ, Frith Street Lisson Gallery, and Victoria Miro, and the layout has been reorganised to highlight curated sections including a new themed area, Echoes in the Present.
Running alongside the main exhibition is a free outdoor sculpture show in Regent’s Park, as well as Frieze Masters, an exhibition of important artworks from the past.
An artwork from the Frieze London sculpture show in 2024.
Stirling Prize Announcement
Roundhouse, Chalk Farm Road, 16 October
It may not be a public event, but we’ll be looking on with interest as RIBA awards its prestigious Stirling Prize at the Roundhouse in Camden on 16th October, the highest accolade awarded by architecture’s professional body.
This year’s highly diverse shortlist of six entries includes conservation work on the Elizabeth Tower, the Discovery Centre, AstraZeneca’s new facility in Cambridge, and a pair of private residential projects. Other prizes awarded on the night include the Stephen Lawrence Prize, the Client of the Year Award, the Neave Brown Award for Housing and the Reinvention Award.