Cultur Vultur / Design & Architecture
Design and architecture, from sketch to street.
Architecture, design, places and ideas worth discovering across the city.
Lunchtime Talk: What is design for now?
As the climate crisis intensifies, pressures on public health grow and communities seek greater resilience, expectations of the built environment are changing. Increasingly, places are expected to do more than accommodate growth or deliver economic value. They are also need to support nature recovery, improve wellbeing, strengthen social connections and help address some of society's most pressing challenges. But what does this mean for design? This lunchtime discussion brings together Frazer Osment, Director and Chair of LDA Design, and Stephanie Leung, Associate at LDA Design, to explore a timely question: What is design for now? The session will examine whether the systems, policies and assumptions that shape development have kept pace with changing societal expectations, and what this means for the role and responsibilities of designers today. Rather than offering simple answers, the discussion will challenge participants to think critically about what society needs from the places we create and the processes through which they are delivered. Beginning with a thought-provoking provocation from Frazer Osment, the session will explore how the purpose of design may be evolving in response to contemporary environmental, social and economic challenges. Stephanie Leung will then draw on a selection of real-world projects to examine how these ambitions play out in practice, highlighting the opportunities, constraints and trade-offs involved in delivering meaningful change. A candid conversation between the speakers will consider questions such as: How much influence do designers really have? Where should the profession show greater leadership? Are we asking too much of design, or not enough? And what roles should policymakers, developers and communities play? The session will conclude with an interactive audience discussion, inviting participants to share their own perspectives on what the built environment should be delivering for society over the next 20 years. Expect a lively, thought-provoking conversation that combines strategic thinking, practical experience and audience conversation to explore the future purpose of design. Speakers Frazer Osment, Chair, LDA Design Frazer Osment is Chair of LDA Design and has over 30 years' experience shaping new places and regeneration projects. He leads the practice's strategic direction, championing its purpose to shape the world for the better. Drawing on extensive experience of both design and delivery, Frazer is a leading voice on the evolving role of the built environment in addressing challenges such as climate resilience, nature recovery, health and wellbeing. He advocates an outcomes-led approach, focused on creating lasting value for clients, communities and nature. Stephanie Leung, Associate, LDA Design Stephanie Leung is an Associate at LDA Design and leads the London studio. A Chartered Landscape Architect with over 15 years' experience, she specialises in the design and delivery of complex public realm and urban regeneration projects. Her work includes Wembley Park, Brent Cross Town, Aberfeldy Village, Stevenage Town Centre regeneration and Queen's Walk, and she has extensive on-site experience taking large, phased developments through construction. Stephanie is interested in how design can shape better outcomes for people and nature within the real constraints of funding, policy and delivery.
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