
The impact on Liverpool of losing UNESCO World Heritage Status
Museum of Liverpool: view looking north to the Three Graces with Liverpool Waters beyond (Ant Clausen) Following the news this week that the City of Liverpool has had its UNESCO world heritage status withdrawn, Future Cities Forum interviewed Laura Pye, Director of National Museums Liverpool, on her reaction and whether the decision now alters her plans for development. Laura said: 'It doesn't make any difference to our plans as we are committed to protecting our heritage in

Future of office design post-pandemic
Interior: MediaCityUK Tomorrow in Salford (Chapman Taylor for Peel Media and L&G Capital) Future Cities Forum is beginning a new series of discussions around the ‘return to work’, post-pandemic, and how office interior design will change to accommodate new ideas. We were delighted to interview Gavin King, who has recently been appointed as a Director at Chapman Taylor in the UK to reinforce and expand the company’s capability in the office sector. Gavin spoke about the need t

Creative Enterprise Zone launched in Deptford and New Cross
Goldsmiths, University of London campus in New Cross, south east London Future Cities Forum will be holding its next Cultural Cities forum in September with Lord Mendoza, Commissioner for Cultural Recovery at the DCMS, and will be discussing not only the support needed for cultural institutions in the UK, but also the issue of whether London can provide affordable studios for artists and the creative sector. Our discussions in our 'Cultural Cities' series have highlighted the

David Lock Associates on Net Zero planning
CGI of Waterbeach new settlement development, north of Cambridge (Urban & Civic for the Defence Infrastructure Organisation) Planning firm David Lock Associates joined our 'Sustainable Cities' forum this month, to discuss whether there were still obstacles in the planning system that were preventing a move towards greater sustainability in housing developments. Partner Heather Pugh spoke along side Cllr Ian Courts, Portfolio Lead for the Environment and Climate Change at the

Gateway development at Cambridge Science Park completes
Gateway development, Cambridge Science Park (Scott Brownrigg for TusPark and Trinity College Cambridge - image Hundven Clements Photography) The stunning new 210,000 square feet Gateway development has been completed on the world renowned Cambridge Science Park. The building was designed by Scott Brownrigg and developed by property consultants Bidwells on behalf of Trinity College and TusPark. Known as Building 1&2, the development is the final stage of a five-building schem

Kier Group sets Passivhaus standards for civic buildings
CGI of St. Sidwell's Point leisure centre in Exeter (Kier Construction) We were delighted that Kier Group joined our 6th July ‘Sustainable Cities’ panel debate in our ‘Net Zero’ series as we move towards COP 26. The discussion looked at how to build civic facilities to Passivhaus standards, the importance of influencing supply chains, the use of greener building materials and communicating with the end-users of buildings to maintain the long-term benefits of low carbon constr

West Midlands Combined Authority speaks at our 'Sustainable Cities' forum
Mayor of West Midlands Combined Authority Andy Street visiting the Voi e-scooter warehouse in Birmingham (WMCA) Future Cities Forum was delighted that Cllr Ian Courts, portfolio lead for the environment, clean energy and HS2 at West Midlands Combined Authority and Leader of Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council, spoke at our 'Sustainable Cities' event this week. He has recently been involved in a launch to local businesses organised by the Combined Authority Mayor, Andy Stre

LDA Design turns Oxford's Broad Street into Broad Meadow
Broad Street Oxford with temporary wild flower meadows and lawns (LDA Design) LDA Design working with Oxford City Council has turned famous Broad Street into 'Broad Meadow' for the summer. Temporarily pedestrianising the western half of Broad Street has created one of the largest civic spaces in the city centre, with wildflower meadows and lawns. Installation took just four days. A full programme of community and arts events is planned for the space over the summer. A two-way

A new model of modular housing for local authorities and developers
Chapman Taylor's Umbrellahaus model of offsite housing for cities The debate for local authorities continues on whether to focus on retrofit for older housing or to build new to address the housing crisis and meet net zero goals. Existing housing contributes significantly to carbon emissions but so does the construction process when creating new homes. Architects Chapman Taylor joined our 'Sustainable Cities' forum this month with West Midlands Combined Authority, Kier Group