A week of debates started off with Tony Fretton and Terry Farrell talking about the design of embassies and diplomatic buildings in the Ambika P3 space which was hosting installations from the Caribbean, Namibia, Serbia, South Africa and Taiwan as part of the International Architecture Showcase.

It continued with a seminar at the UK Green Building conference to mark the end their Olympic ‘Learning from Legacy’ programme, went on to a discussion about the medicalisation of architecture with NYC’s David Burney, Canadian Centre for Architecture Mirko Zardini and the editor of the Lancet, and concludes on Friday with ‘Definitely-NOT-the-Olympics-Pecha-Kucha’ when a dozen of the architects who worked on the Olympic site will talk about their experiences. 

The week’s discussions are bookended by a joint UKGBC/NLA/Building Centre party on Tuesday and the LFA closing party at the Carmody Groarke-designed Filling Station pop-up at Kings Cross. The Building Centre party launched the Roz Barr/Ramboll Oculus installation which in turn launched the public consultation programme for plans to transform the Store Street Crescent from a car park into a pedestrianised public space, as well being the private view for the exhibition 60 buildings 60 years - a Jubilympics exhibition of the best modern buildings in the capital providing a must-see guide for architectural tourists to the capital.

Today I’m doing a breakfast talk at the Developing City exhibition and then on to the design charrette organised by Lee Mallett, Roger Zogolovitch and Alan Baxter. This is one of the stalwart events of the Festival which has been going since the start. The topic is Ovaltown ‘Zone of Tolerance’, eight architects and four developers will come up with ideas for the future development of The Oval in Tower Hamlets and will be assessed by Paul Finch, Peter Bishop, Kathryn Firth and Simon Allford. After that I’ll be judging the 3DReid Festival project, giving a tour of the Developing City show to the City Architecture Forum before sneaking down to the river to watch the laser show on the Shard.