These architecture-based exhibitions and events make for the perfect day out over the Christmas break and beyond.
Image: Beyond Bauhaus, RIBA
If you've been inspired by Grand Designs to start taking a more keen interest in architecture and how we live in the modern age, why not take in one of these exhibitions that explores the architecture of yesteryear, today and the future?
These exhibitions make for the perfect way to spend a day during the post-Christmas lull, and there are even some that are family-friendly for children of all ages.
Beyond Bauhaus
Architecture Gallery, RIBA, London. Until 1st February 2020. Free
2019 marked 100 years since the advent of the Bauhaus design movement, and this exhibition looks at how it went on to influence the design of British architecture and homes in the years the follows through drawings, illustrations and photographs of architecture between 1933-1966.
The Gingerbread City
Somserset House, London. Until the 5th of January 2020. £9 for adults, £7 for under 12s.
Image: Luke O'Donovan
This now annual showcase from the Museum of Architecture invites leading architects, engineers and designers to contribute structures made entirely from gingerbread to create a vast sugar-encrusted city.
An exhibition that has a lot to offer for both children and adults alike, this year's theme is 'transport', with a focus on sustainable and cutting edge ideas for how public transport can interact in crowded public spaces.
Forest of Fabrication
RIBA North, Liverpool. Until April 11th 2020. Free.
Image: RIBA
Showcasing scale models from RIBA-chartered, Stirling prize-winning architectural practice dRMM, this exhibition looks at 24 examples of designing timber structures over the course of 24 years.
Moving to Mars
Design Museum, London. Until 23rd February 2020. Tickets £16-£18
Image: HASSELL+Eckersley O’Callaghan
If we were to launch a mission to colonise Mars, how exactly would it look? That's the idea behind this exhibition at the Design Museum, including contributions from NASA, the European Space Agency and SpaceX. The immersive experience features an full-scale model of an architectural concept from design practice Hassell and Eckersley O'Callaghan Engineers which envisaged that robots would be sent first to create outer structures and that humans would follow later to set up inflatable pods underneath these shells.
Eco-Visionaries
Royal Academy, London. Until 23rd February 2020. Adults £12, Under-16s free with adult ticket.
Image: Royal Academy
The environment continues to be the most pressing issue of our times, and the Eco-Visionaries exhibition at the Royal Academy is an interesting look at how art, design and architecture are contributing to the conversation.
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