London Exemplar

The London Exemplar is Open House’s design awareness programme for built environment decision makers.

Planning Policy Statement 1 (PPS1) stresses that good design is indivisible from good planning, that mediocre design should not be accepted and that high quality deisgn should be the aim of all in the development process.

London Exemplar provides a space in which those involved in planning and development can interrogate what ‘good design’ really is, the benefits it brings and how to ensure that  aspirations can become reality. The programme uses Open House’s expertise in architecture as a learning tool to equip participants with the tools and language to evaluate and argue for a high standard and appropriate design.

The programme has been running since 2005 and provides half day masterclasses for local councillors, which explore exemplar developments in London. They are professionally facilitated and are made up of four elements:

  1. addressing what is meant by design and design quality
  2. testing key design principles against real life examples
  3. explore how 2D plans translate into 3D reality
  4. practising arguing for/against a proposal on design grounds

Last year's masterclasses explored Tabard Square and Wansey Street in LB Southwark, Barking Central in LB Barking and Dagenham, and New River Village in LB Haringey.

Members from all London boroughs have now participated in London Exemplar and full details of the 2008–09 programme will shortly be on this webpage. The next London Exemplar Masterclass will take place on the morning of Friday 10 October 2008 at Westminster Academy, City of Westminster.

For more information about the programme, about Westminster Academy or if you would like to see how the London Exemplar could work to address the needs of your organisation, please contact Zoe Chick, London Exemplar Coordinator.

What people say about London Exemplar:

 “The tour of the site and the question and answer session with the client was fantastic. It was very interesting to hear, first hand, how the project was delivered. I am now able to take back to Islington the learning from today and apply it in our borough, knowing where to apply pressure having seen the precedent.”

Cllr Anna Berent, East Area Planning Committee Chair, LB Islington

“Being on site and having the opportunity to have walk around the completed project and hear firsthand about the problems encountered since build, but not foreseen in planning terms, was invaluable.”

Cllr Luke Clancy, Planning Committee, LB Croydon

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