Seeds in the City Barbican Competition

The London Festival of Architecture (LFA) - powered by NLA, in partnership with Culture Mile BID, has launched 'Seeds in the City', a design competition inviting emerging architects, designers, landscape architects and artists to reimagine a corner of the Barbican Estate through a new temporary community pavilion.

The competition seeks proposals for the design, fabrication and installation of an experimental pavilion to be built on St. Giles Terrace, next to the City of London Girls’ School (CLGS) and St. Giles Cripplegate Church. The pavilion will form part of the London Festival of Architecture 2026, running throughout June, and will support a programme of talks, workshops and educational activities focused on food growing, sustainability, climate change and community wellbeing.

In 2025, Culture Mile BID, working with urban design practice Publica, delivered the first phase of greening enhancements across key spaces in the Culture Mile area. The BID’s greening programme is guided by its Public Realm Vision and Strategy, informed by analysis of the area’s character zones, public spaces, key connections and heritage assets. Through this programme, the BID works with local community groups, educational and cultural institutions, and businesses to enhance existing infrastructure, support biodiversity, and create amenity and dwell space across the area.

St. Giles Terrace is identified in the Public Realm Vision and Strategy as a priority location for adaptable greening interventions, temporary seating and community activation.

This project builds on CLGS’s self-initiated urban farm, piloted this year with students and staff and supported by St. Giles Cripplegate Church and the City of London Corporation. The BID is delighted to collaborate with the school on the next phase, which includes planters for fruit and vegetables, composting facilities and an air quality monitor, with produce already used in the school canteen. The proposed pavilion will extend this initiative, providing sheltered space for learning and collaboration and acting as a prototype for a future permanent community hub.

Designers are encouraged to treat the pavilion as a testing ground for new spatial, material and social ideas. Proposals must include a greenhouse element, tool storage and flexible space capable of hosting a wide range of activities. The structure must be accessible, mobile, self-standing and weatherproof, with a strong emphasis on sustainability, reuse and low-impact construction.

Rebecca Crofton, Placemaking Manager, Culture Mile BID said ‘We are delighted to be able to support the City of London Girls School with their urban farm initiative. Through the LFA project we are excited to explore how the pavilion can encourage wider community participation in our important greening initiatives and create a welcoming space to dwell and interact in the historic setting of St. Giles Terrace.’

The competition responds directly to the LFA 2026 theme of “Belonging”, exploring how architecture can bring people together across generations and backgrounds in one of London’s most distinctive residential and cultural settings. Surrounded by listed buildings, water features and homes to nearly 4,000 Barbican residents, St. Giles Terrace presents both a sensitive and high-profile context for experimentation in public space.

Rosa Rogina, Associate Director of Place Partnerships at NLA said “We’re thrilled to be partnering on a project in such an iconic setting, working alongside Culture Mile Business Improvement District to bring about a project that will leave a real impact on the people it serves. The pavilion will exemplify the LFA theme of Belonging, and we’re excited to see the contribution it will bring to LFA2026”.

The commission will be awarded through a two-stage competition. Four teams will be shortlisted and paid an honorarium of £500 each to develop detailed proposals. The winning team, to be announced in March 2026, will receive a £50,000 budget (plus VAT) to deliver the project, covering design, fabrication, installation and deinstallation. Installation is scheduled for the end of May 2026, ahead of the festival opening.

The judging panel includes representatives from CLGS, Culture Mile BID, the City of London Corporation, St. Giles Cripplegate Church and the London Festival of Architecture, chaired by Rosa Rogina, Director of LFA.

The competition is open to emerging practitioners, with eligibility criteria designed to support those early in their careers. Applications from underrepresented groups in architecture and design are strongly encouraged.

Submissions for the first stage close at midday on Thursday 22 January, with shortlisted teams announced in early February.

More information and submission details are available via the London Festival of Architecture website here.