• Open House
• Public Programmes
• Education Programmes
• Design Advocacy Programmes

Green Sky Thinking – Open House's sustainable design campaign

Nearly half of the UK's energy consumption comes from the ways in which are buildings are lit, heated and used. Creating sustainable design solutions are therefore among the most urgent issues for architects and designers today.

What is Green Sky Thinking?

Open House's campaign Green Sky Thinking supports and promotes sustainability as an integral part of design excellence across all our programmes, looking at the question ‘Is good design, green design?'

As sustainability and green living become mainstream, what does sustainable design actually mean in practice? Through this campaign we seek to advocate clarity in definitions of sustainable design, champion sustainable design exemplars and the importance of ‘designing in’ sustainability, not as an ‘add-on’, promote a holistic understanding of sustainable design as it relates to capital-wide built environment and public realm, placemaking and regeneration, and raise awareness of how design decisions have impact on liveability.

Our initiatives have included the Green Sky Thinking debate with eight leading architectural practice showcasing their innovations in sustainable design, as well as resources including a guide to Sustainable Southwark, in partnership with the London Borough of Southwark.

Our green design poll investigates what Londoners think about sustainable design. For info on 2008 initiatives, click here.

What is happening in 2009?

Our focus in 2009 is on exploring the idea of 'architectural renewal'. Reuse, intervention, adaptation, extension, refurbishment: these have sometimes been seen as ‘second best’ options for architects. Now the ‘recycling’ of buildings has become more common with the impact of the economic downturn and with climate change as a continuing threat. Reusing and revitalising buildings makes sense both financially and environmentally.

This trend in reuse raises many questions: how can old and new fit together successfully? How far should we or can we intervene? And, how should we be building now to ensure we can renew today’s architecture in the future? How and why do buildings will stand the test of time?

The Lives of Buildings - Story of London Festival
Open House and English Heritage collaborated to create an exciting new programme on 26-28 June 2009 as part of the Mayor of London’s Story of London festival to explore how ‘architecture lives’. The event looked at the past, present and future of London’s architecture to show how its buildings live, grow, die and are reborn, through a programme of talks, debates, tours. Research among our audience during the Lives of Buildings weekend showed that 68% of respondents think that it is important that older buildings are updatd to be more eco-friendly.

The Lives of Buildings was created by Open House in partnership with English Heritage and the Mayor of London's Story of London Festival.

To see an archived version of the programme, click here

Open House London Annual Event
This year, Open House London looks at innovation in green design by showcasing renovated or refurbished as well as new eco-buildings. Find out more by visiting the Open House London green pages.

You might also like to know that you can order a pdf copy of the Open House London programme instead of the full 72 page hard copy.

 

 

 

 

 

Design Issues

• Sustainability
• School Design
• Young Londoners' Campaign
• Art in the Public Realm

Love Architecture?

• About Us
• Open House London Annual Event
• Architecture Tours Year-Round
• Visit Our Shop