Even better than the World Cup

Here’s what you need to do right now. Find that cuppa tea and browse the programme for this year's London Festival of Architecture. www.londonfestivalofarchitecture.org  In a world drowning in emails, this is a just a wonderful antidote to working life. Creative, quirky and essentially free. 

Last year, they had choirs singing in disused docks, a lego challenge and an architectural bake-off. This year, alongside the lectures and clever stuff, there’s a tour of hidden data centres, a competition to improve the feel of a railway bridge, and all sorts of riffs off the elephant campaign.   

Each year, the festival has a theme and this time it’s identity. Personally, that resonates. London feels like a much more careful city to me today than in 2012. Buffeted by Brexit, knife crime and Trump arriving on July 13. Statistically the least happy, most anxious place in the country. Open and remain in a country that is generally closed and leave.

All of that plays out in the streets and the buildings around us, which is why architecture and the public realm matter. So if you’re interested in what kind of city we want this to be, dip into the festival. https://bit.ly/2rpm3nE

Things are booking up fast (and you can of course watch the England games AS WELL). #LFA2018