Royal College of Physicians joins London Festival of Architecture

This summer, for the first time ever, the Royal College of Physicians museum will be a part of the London Festival of Architecture, the capital’s salute to London as a global hub of architectural experimentation, practice and debate.

In a special season of events, also forming part of its 500th anniversary celebrations, the Royal College of Physicians presents ‘A Summer of Architecture’ running from June 7 to July 7, 2018.
The public are invited to explore the college’s home, a Grade I listed modernist masterpiece in Regent’s Park by the great architect and designer, Sir Denys Lasdun, and to discover medicine’s wider architectural heritage.

Since its foundation in 1518, the Royal College of Physicians has enjoyed a long and remarkable history of supporting brilliant architecture. Over the course of the last five centuries, it has worked with major figures including Robert Hooke, Sir Christopher Wren and Sir Robert Smirke on the designs for its successive homes.

The most outstanding of all these collaborations was with the late Sir Denys Lasdun, architect of the National Theatre, SOAS, UEA, and the college’s current Grade I listed headquarters in Regent’s Park. Acclaimed as a triumph of the modernist movement upon its opening in 1964, the Royal College of Physicians’ architectural reputation has only grown over the subsequent half century. Each year it draws architects, students, designers and the public from around the world to admire its clean lines and era-defining innovation.

Natalie Craven, public programmes officer, Royal College of Physicians museum, said: “At the Royal College of Physicians museum we are delighted to be taking part in the London Festival of Architecture for the first time in 2018, the year of our 500th anniversary. The festival, which takes place from the June 1-30, will be its usual diverse programme of public events exploring this year’s theme ‘identity’.

“With our ‘A summer of architecture’ season, we look forward through our own great events including late opening of the museum, panel discussion, walking tours and a photography workshop, to making a memorable contribution to the festival’s celebration of London as a global hub of architectural experimentation, practice and debate.”