

V&A to stage Bowie exhibition in 2025
Above: Striped body suit for Aladdin Sane tour, 1973 design by Kansai Yamamoto. Photo by Masayoshi Sukita - Copyright Sukita and The David Bowie Archive Investment in London's new creative district at Stratford is continuing to grow. Future Cities Forum will be bringing together museum, film and television as well as university leaders at its March forum being held at the British Film Institute, to discuss development opportunities in creative districts in London and across t


West Midlands Combined Authority to speak at Future Cities Forum in April
We are delighted that Cllr Ian Courts, West Midlands Combined Authority portfolio holder for HS2, environment and energy and Leader of Solihull Council will be speaking at our Birmingham 'Making of the Modern City' forum this April. The forum which is being hosted by developer MEPC at 2 Chamberlain Square, will look at the future for the city and wider region, its infrastructure developments, environmental concerns and evolving plans for connected housing and jobs. Last week


LDA chosen by Mayor of London for new Architecture + Urbanism framework
LDA Design has been chosen to join a new Mayor of London Architecture + Urbanism framework devised to help diversify architecture and design in London and to build a better, greener, more sustainable city for everyone. The Framework received 578 submissions from 273 suppliers, with the final 96 places awarded to 65 suppliers, including LDA Design. The two-stage procurement process included responding to the climate crisis and designing for net zero; inequalities highlighted b


Manchester's New Century Hall transformed by Sheppard Robson
Above: view of entrance and outside bar area at New Century Hall in Manchester (Sheppard Robson How do cities preserve their music and performance heritage while updating venues for modern audiences? Following the pandemic, the need to grow a sustainable night-time economy has been an important consideration. Since its construction in 1963 for the Cooperative Wholesale Society, the well-renowned New Century Hall in Manchester has played host to many famous names in music. Jim


BDP links shipping heritage to new all-day dining in Liverpool
Above: CGI of BOXPARK, Liverpool (BDP) All day dining and leisure - covering 16,000 square feet - is the central BOXPARK offer designed by architects BDP to complement the heritage of Canning Hall, part of the Cains Brewery Estate in Liverpool's Baltic Triangle district. The area located just south of the city centre was previously occupied by industrial warehouse spaces and takes its name from the numerous businesses previously located there what would trade with Baltic coun


Wright & Wright's St Edmund Hall project - exemplar of sustainability
Above: Views of the Norham Gardens development project for St Edmund Hall, Oxford University (Wright & Wright Architects) The creation of the 'intimacy of village life' is one aim of this newly planned scheme for St Edmund Hall, Oxford, by Wright & Wright Architects, where improved student bedrooms and landscaping has taken inspiration from Oxford's Gothic and Italianate architecture of the mid to late 19th century. Planning permission has been recently given to the project.


Grimshaw speaks about new Villa Park stadium at our April Future Cities Forum
Above: approach to new North Stand and club retail outlets at Villa Park (CGI from Grimshaw) Grimshaw Architects will be speaking at our 'Making of the Modern City' in Birmingham this April, where we will be hosted by developer MEPC. One topic for discussion will be the economic value that sport continues to bring to cities. Grimshaw and Trivandi’s designs for the redevelopment of Aston Villa’s Villa Park have received planning permission from Birmingham City Council. The fir


New film studios for Buckinghamshire
Image: CGI of new film campus at Marlow, Buckinghamshire - courtesy Wilkinson Eyre Investment interest in new film and production studios is continuing strongly in the UK. Future Cities Forum last month featured the growth of the creative arts in the Thames Corridor around Purfleet at its City of London event. It is holding its March forum at the British Film Institute to discuss the future for investment in film production and implications of the forthcoming Media Bill. Plan


'Science Cities' Report from Cambridge - Part Two
Above: Science park panel at Newnham Cambridge with (from left) Ed Hayden of Scott Brownrigg, Dr Wei Meng of TusPark Holdings (UK), Heather Fearfield of Future Cities Forum, Orestis Tzortzoglou of BioMed Realty and Eugene Sayers of Sheppard Robson Future Cities Forum held its second panel debate in its science cities series at Newnham College, Cambridge this month, talking about how to design the science park of the future. Transport infrastructure challenges and reaching net


Workplace, mixed-use and transport - our Birmingham event this April
Above: Join Future Cities Forum at MEPC's offices in Chamberlain Square, Birmingham, for our April discussion event. Future Cities Forum is delighted to be hosted by developer MEPC for its Birmingham forum in April, where discussions will be held on investment, economy, transport and net zero. Regional Development Director at MEPC, Rob Groves, will be contributing and guests will be invited to their offices in Chamberlain Square, Paradise. MEPC is part of Federated Hermes Int