All-star line-up revealed for Vision 2017: UNStudio, Zaha Hadid Architects, Gensler, Foster + Partners and more

Vision 2017 has announced its programme, including some of the biggest names across the built environment industry, alongside the brightest start-ups and world-renowned experts. A series of talks, debates and presentations will address the main issues facing the profession, both in the UK and in a global context. New technologies, materials, products and approaches will be explored across five lecture theatres on the 6-7 June, with Vision as the official trade partner of the London Festival of Architecture. The event is also affiliated to other key industry partners, such as the RIBA, New London Architecture, the Museum of Architecture and BRE.

As always, Vision will showcase a selection of the best products, materials and solutions on the market. The exhibitors at Vision cover a range of products and services, including research and development into the latest software, bringing elegant solutions to everyday challenges in the built environment.

This year’s programme is split into four main categories: Architectural & Design Evolution; Building Health & Wellness; Offsite & Modular Construction; and Materials & Systems Innovation. Highlights in the former include keynote lectures from Caroline Bos of UNStudio, who will unveil brand-new research into the circular economy, as well as Stefano Paiocchi from Zaha Hadid Architects explaining a ground-breaking CodeStructed Skin project that fuses architecture with fashion. On the second day, this theatre will see a major debate, chaired by the NLA’s Peter Murray, that will tackle housing as part of our complex urban future. The RIBA President Elect Ben Derbyshire will take a leading role in this debate, outlining his vision for solutions to the ongoing crisis. This theatre is sponsored by ACO.

The talks that are part of the Building Health & Wellness lecture series will ask if buildings make us healthier. Whether it’s environmental considerations or new standards, we need to think about how the places we live and work impact on our daily lives. Academics, designers and innovators will gather to discuss the ways which light, air, heat and space can be controlled for cities of the next generation, from the likes of the Mack, the Bartlett, BuroHappold, Hoare Lea and the RIBA Ambassador on Climate Change: Lynne Sullivan OBE. 

The debate gets technical in the Offsite & Modular Construction theatre, with volumetric housing solutions presented by shedKM and modular student homes from Weston Williamson+Partners. Aukett Swanke will outline how they are using the disruptive technology of offsite manufacture techniques to reshape projects for the future and HawkinsBrown will explain the prefabricated construction methods that were essential for Crossrail. 

Sponsored by Nudura, the Materials & Systems Innovation theatre will explore future materials, such as bio-responsive stone, a material that absorbs water and grows moss; mushroom mycelium structures; urban balcony farms; and interactive coastal monitoring and management systems. BIG will reveal their unique approach to architectural conundrums, the first such talk from the London studio, and the Soane Museum will team up once again with ScanLAB to explore one of London’s greatest architectural masterpieces through the lens of virtual reality.

BRE will also be running their thought leadership conference, BIM Prospects, asking how we can ensure that the next generation of architects are ready for BIMified world. Speakers will explore the approaches that educators and training providers are taking to provide the knowledge and skills needed to take forward BIM in the world of design and construction, as well as showing how BIM can help architects better engage with construction suppliers and specialists in delivering better buildings. 

The exhibition and the talks are CPD certified and free-to-attend, register today for your free pass.

Vision 2017 – 6-7 June Olympia London – www.visionlondon.com – @visionldn