Raze it to the ground or build around?

Inspired by the spirit and conviction of the late Will Alsop RA, we bring together practitioners, writers and critics to make conclusive arguments on the prime conditions for architectural creativity. Does working with existing buildings put a stop to any original ideas? Do clever architectural solutions only arise from interacting with a complex brief? Should architecture clearly distinguish between heritage and contemporary, or whether the two can co-exist without apparent delimitation?

According to Will Alsop, every building contains references, memories and meaning for many people, and he felt they should be loved, reworked and kept. His response was to juxtapose the old and the new or lift buildings above existing ones, blurring the boundaries between the two. Demolishing was not an option for Alsop unless a building was physically dangerous. In this debate, we will put this contentious point to our participants and look to them to work out an answer.

Join us and see the competing sides make their case in short dynamic presentations, only to then take on the opposing parties in lively architectural debate. The audience is invited to join the discussion and will decide on the winner.

The evening will be led by architect, educator and writer Sam Jacob.