Street Assemblies for the Square Mile

Location: City of London

Date: 2024

Status: Temporary

Client: Aldgate Connect, Culture Mile, EC BID, and Fleet Street Quarter

In December 2023, the LFA partnered with the City’s Business Improvement Districts, Aldgate Connect, Culture Mile, EC BID, and
Fleet Street Quarter to launch a new competition “Navigating Change: Reimagining the Square Mile” for a trail of four architectural interventions across the City. The aim of the competition was to introduce playful public realm elements into the City that render the space more sustainable and equitable, introducing wayfinding elements that would encourage the public to enjoy the space outside of office hours.

In early 2024, the winning design team Urban Radicals were selected by an expert jury to deliver the series of installations in June. The team were supported AKT II engineers and Millimetre fabricators.

Winning designs

Street Assemblies for the Square Mile by Urban Radicals

Roundtable, Speakers’ Plinths, Voicing Pod and Public Assembly © Luke O’Donovan

The design team’s Street Assemblies included four installations across the City of London which re-imagined alternative parliament typologies and forms. The installations aimed to make the idea of civic assembly accessible to a diverse audience, prompting Londoners to actively engage in shaping the city’s discourse.

Roundtable © Luke O’Donovan

Installations included Roundtable at Moorgate Station, designed for shared meals and discussions that invite the public to sit down for exchange and deliberation. Crafted from modular pre-fabricated and found elements, including industrial concrete pipes, decking panels and utility poles, Roundtable was delivered in partnership with the Culture Mile BID and supported by the Migration Museum.

A series of plinths along Vine Street were installed encouraged the public to share reflections on the city, stories of origin, as well as prompting informal discussions and connections held along a walkable route. Speakers Plinths was delivered in partnership with Aldgate Connect BID.

A photo of the design team in front of Roundtable

The design team, Urban Radicals © Luke O’Donovan

At the base of the Lloyd’s Building, Voicing Pod provided a two-person podcast space for dialogue, interviews, and public broadcasting delivered in partnership with EC BID. A series of conversations were recorded in-situ in June and July 2024.

A group of drummers perform at Public Assembly

A crowd of people gather around a structure with an inflatable roof to watch a performance of drummers. In the background is a gothic library building

Public Assembly – a street auditorium for public debate, discussions, performances, summer screenings and small community gatherings – was delivered in partnership with the Fleet Street Quarter. Each of the four installations was home to diverse programming throughout the month of June including musical performances, theatre, readings, workshops and exhibitions.

Sustainability & Afterlife

Voicing Pod & Roundtable both now live at Cody Dock, E16 4TL.

Speaker’s Plinth now lives at RUSS (Royal Urban Synthesis Society) in Lewisham, SE13 7UU.