'Building activism’ in our city centres

 

Artist and architectural designer Seyi Adelekun discusses how the built environment can do more to address the great environmental and societal challenges of our age.

Most of us can think of a building or cityscape that inspires awe. But could our built environment also inspire actions to minimise climate change or tackle social inequality? Can sustainable architectural design go beyond energy efficiency and responsibly sourced building materials to actively change our relationship with other people and the natural world?

Whether it's eradicating the concept of waste by elevating our perception of plastic as a beautiful material or encouraging people to reconnect with nature by bringing biodiversity to central London, artist and architectural designer Seyi Adelekun believes the built environment can do more to address the great environmental and societal challenges of our age.

In this lunchtime interview we will explore Seyi’s varied career - from producing Steve McQueen's Year 3 project to designing a kaleidoscopic Festival pavilion and Algae Meadow installation on our own Exhibition Road.