A talk with architect Peter Barber on designing dignified housing for people experiencing homelessness, part of the Design West series.
Peter Barber is coming to the Arnolfini Theatre on Thursday 29 October for a talk called Designing for Dignity & Hope. It's part of the Design West series, and the whole thing centres on one question: how do you design places and systems for people experiencing homelessness?
Barber doesn't start from a blank page. The conversation kicks off with the Government's Rough Sleeping Programme, which is backed by £442 million over three years, and Greater Manchester's 'A Bed Every Night' initiative. It's a way of grounding the talk in the actual policies and funding that shape how this kind of housing gets built in the first place.
If you're not familiar with the name, Peter Barber is a London architect who's spent decades working in social housing and urban design. He founded Peter Barber Architects in 1989, and he's a Royal Academician and a 2022 Soane Medal recipient. He also teaches at the University of Westminster. Two of his projects are mentioned as examples: Holmes Road Studios in Camden and Spring Gardens in Lewisham. Both combine accommodation for people experiencing homelessness with spaces for support and social connection, rather than just providing a roof and leaving it at that. He's picked up the RIBA Neave Brown Award for Housing and the Royal Academy's Grand Prize for Housing along the way.
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So, if you're interested in how architecture actually works when the brief is about more than just bricks and mortar, this is one to keep on your radar. It's at the Arnolfini, Bristol BS1 4QA, on Thursday 29 October.
