Organised by the British Embassy in Paris and the Department for Business and Trade (DBT), the UK Architecture Showcase offered a great opportunity for the exhibitors and speakers to present their work to investors, contractors, and policy-makers.
Dame Menna Rawlings DCMG CVO, the British Ambassador to France welcomed hundreds of guests during a diplomatic soiree on 22 January. The reception, also attended by UK politicians including the Deputy Trade Commissioner Europe and Director for International Trade UK-France Jo Hawley, HM Trade Commissioner for Europe Chris Barton and Gareth Thomas, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Minister for Services, Small Businesses and Exports) at the Department for Business and Trade, the event offered a great platform for showcasing, discussions and networking.
Politicians delivered insightful and exciting speeches on the development of architecture, engineering and urban design and the chances for a positive impact of sustainable and innovative design on our environment.
Jack Pringle, Chair of the RIBA Board, was present and delivered a presentation on Smart Cities: A Human-Centred Approach to Technology and Design.
Browse pictures and find out more information on the event.
Parallel to the showcase, a programme of panel discussions and presentations provided visitors with an opportunity to learn more about, amongst other things, current opportunities for the sector in light of the new UK Government’s priorities around infrastructure and housing development.
The UK Architecture Showcase was a fantastic opportunity for RIBA members to contribute by delivering presentations, addressing speeches and moderating some of the discussion panels, emphasizing the UK’s architectural expertise in France, exchanging ideas with peers, and exploring new ways to create communities and cities that are greener, more adaptable, and people-centric.
Nathalie Rozencwajg, Director of NAME Architecture and member of the RIBA Europe Committee, chaired a panel discussion on the contrasting urban planning approaches in the UK and France. In the discussion the participants explored how London's flexible, negotiation-based system compares to France’s more regulation-driven planning model and how both cities are evolving. Key topics included successful urban regeneration projects, sustainability regulations, and the challenge of adapting aging building stock to meet future needs. Despite differences, both cities share common goals: reducing carbon footprints, retaining talent, and ensuring long-term urban resilience.
Nathalie also presented NAME Architecture’s approach to adaptive reuse of commercial buildings—a strategy that not only addresses the growing vacancy crisis but also fosters sustainable urban development.
Waldemar Koehler, RIBA International Council Member for Europe, moderated a panel on 'Infrastructure as a catalyst for urban regeneration' which showcased the variety of developments in the urban design based on examples from new master plans of cities like Paris, London and Toronto. Topics such as the actions required to implement the climate emergency, UN sustainable developments goals, equity, diversity and inclusion as well as how to cooperate with governments, policymakers, private sector and UN institutions were discussed by specialists in this field: Heike Neurohr, Partner, Hawkins\Brown and Lucy Dunn, Senior Architect, WW+P.
Both Waldemar and Nathalie enjoyed the experience and look forward to more opportunities like this, where collaboration fuels innovation, challenges spark new ideas, and professional growth goes hand in hand with creating more sustainable and liveable environments.
