UPCOMING EVENTS
School's Out! #49 - XL edition. A festive opening of the Independent School for the City's new location with Guardian's architecture and design critic Oliver Wainwright, drinks and DJ's.
Oliver Wainwright will talk about "The New Utopias". City building is back – and being weaponised like never before. Silicon Valley tech bros are drawing up plans for libertarian free states. The Saudi monarchy is concocting sci-fi fantasies in the desert. Donald Trump has a megalomaniacal ambition to transform Gaza into the “riviera of the Middle East”. Bjarke Ingels is busy conjuring everything from a Mindfulness City in Bhutan, to a floating city for the UN, to a masterplan for the entire planet. Friday 28 March 2025, 19:00 - Late
An all-female crew is currently preparing for their maiden space voyage this year. Yet, menstruation in space is still under-researched and practically impossible during voyages and at space stations. In this Gossip Session we will delve into the unique considerations of space architecture not as an escape from the human-made-environmental-crises on our planet, but rather as an extreme case study for how to approach the challenges we face on Earth. Situated within a feminist praxis (reclaiming gossip as a source of knowledge sharing) this event examines the current status of menstruation in outer space led by architect Thaïs Zuchetti, and former NASA space gynaecologist Dr Varsha Jain. We invite participation from architects, urbanists, activists, cultural thinkers and anyone interested in the intersection of inclusive design and menstruation rights.
Organised in collaboration and curated by affect lab. Wednesday 23 April 2025, 19:00 - 22:00. Tickets are available for 5 euro here
A lecture about the work of this Brussels-based architectural practice that operates at the intersection of architecture and fiction, using critical and creative instruments to rethink how we live together, followed by a short film, drinks and tunes. Tickets available for 5 euro here
A lecture by historian and writer Samia Henni about built and destroyed environments, dealing with questions of colonisation, nuclear weapons, and deserts. Henni will present her latest research on the French nuclear weapons testing programme (1960–1966) in the Algerian Sahara, bringing together nearly six hundred pages of materials documenting this violent history of France’s nuclear bomb programme in the Algerian desert. Meticulously culled together from across available, offered, contraband, and leaked sources, Henni will present a rich repository for all those concerned with histories of nuclear weapons and engaged at the intersections of spatial, social and environmental justice, as well as anticolonial archival practices.
The lecture is followed by a short film and drinks at the bar. Friday 30 May 2025, 19:00 - 22:00. Doors open at 18:00. Get your tickets here
A lecture by Kenny Cupers, Professor of Architectural History and Urban Studies at the University of Basel, where he co-founded and leads the Urban Studies division since 2015. This lecute will be about his historical and collaborative research in Kenya, exploring the planetary politics of design, the coloniality of infrastructure, and African worldmaking.
The lecture is followed by a short film and drinks at the bar. Friday 27 June 2025, 19:00 - 22:00. Doors open at 18:00. Get your tickets here