join assemble and designboom's LIVE TALK at the architect show

DESIGNBOOM LIVE TALK WITH Assemble at The Architect Show

The Architect Show (tAS) returns to Athens on December 7th and 8th, 2024, bringing together professionals and enthusiasts from the global architecture and design community. Now in its sixth year, the event serves as a key platform for showcasing innovation and exchanging ideas. Alongside the main exhibition, where more than 170 brands and designers will showcase the latest in construction materials and technologies, design and architectural products, this year’s edition presents the tAS_talks. Curated by designboom and Archdaily, the unique sessions aim to highlight all aspects of contemporary design culture and expand the dialogue between leading architects, designers, and industry professionals from Greece and around the world.

On December 7th, designboom hosts a LIVE TALK with Anthony Engi Meacock, founding partner of Assemble, the UK-based multidisciplinary collective working across architecture, design, and art. Known for challenging traditional notions of the architectural practice, the studio’s work emphasizes a socially engaged approach to design that positions the architect as part of an ongoing local conversation. In 2015, Assemble became the first architecture and design studio to receive the Turner Prize, the UK’s most prestigious art award, for their Granby Four Streets regeneration project; while last year, they unveiled Atelier LUMA, a collaborative project with BC architects commissioned by the Luma Foundation Arles, that embodies a new attitude towards materials, promoting and highlighting innovation in ecological and bioregional design practice.

Anthony Engi Meacock will join designboom Editor-in-Chief Sofia Lekka Angelopoulou for an in-depth discussion about the studio’s body of work, ranging from large-scale architectural works to smaller-scale furniture and artistic interventions. Themes such as the potential of architecture to address pressing social and environmental issues, as well as its role as an agent of change in fostering community engagement, craftsmanship, and networks of meaningful mutual support, will take center stage.

Anthony Engi Meacock, founding partner of Assemble | all images courtesy of Assemble

Assemble’s Radical Approach to Architecture and Design

Founded in 2010 to undertake a single self-built project, Assemble has delivered a diverse and award-winning body of work across architecture, design and art. The UK-based collective is celebrated for its democratic and cooperative approach, enabling projects that range from architectural buildings to social and research-based initiatives. Assemble’s philosophy embraces both the act of ‘making things’ and ‘making things happen,’ creating work that resonates at multiple scales—from furniture and installations to urban design and community-driven spaces.

Assemble’s members bring diverse skills to the table, spanning construction, ceramics, carpentry, set design, furniture making, and event programming, among others. This breadth of expertise underpins their commitment to local and participatory design, positioning architecture as a tool for meaningful engagement. ‘As a practice, we have tried to champion a way of working which is local and committed, which positions the architect as part of an on-going local conversation. Economically and organisationally this is often a struggle, and we are most proud of the work where we have been able to use architectural intervention to contribute to the efforts of a community to push forward change themselves,’ the team shares. ‘These include the work in Walthamstow, with Blackhorse Workshop, in Glasgow, with Baltic Street Adventure Playground, and in Liverpool with Granby Workshop. These are all organizations started by Assemble, which now have an independent life of their own, and which continue to be agents of change around which communities can strengthen, and grow networks of meaningful mutual support.’

Anthony Engi Meacock, a trained architect and carpenter, brings a hands-on approach to design, emphasizing the importance of materiality, construction, and the details of a project. Also active in education and research, Engi Meacock has taught as unit leader at prestigious institutions like the Architectural Association School of Architecture (AA), The London School of Architecture, and the University of Westminster, and lectured widely internationally.

To learn more about the studio’s radical approach to architecture and design, join designboom and Assemble’s Anthony Engi Meacock at the Architect Show in Athens, Greece, on Saturday, December 7th, 2024 by signing up here.

The Brutalist Playground (2015) – the Flying Saucer at S1 Artspace

The Architect Show 2024

The Architect Show serves as a vibrant hub for Greece’s architecture and design community, offering a dynamic platform for innovation, collaboration, and inspiration. This two-day event brings together professionals and enthusiasts to explore the latest advancements in materials and technologies shaping the industry. With 6,500+ visitors and over 170 brands showcased, tAS fosters the exchange of knowledge through an engaging lineup of seminars, conferences, and lectures. Now in its sixth edition, the event unveils a fresh new identity, featuring a comprehensive exhibition of cutting-edge construction materials, innovative technologies, and architectural products. This year’s program is further enriched by thought-provoking talks curated by designboom and ArchDaily, cementing its reputation as a must-attend event for the design world.

The Brutalist Playground (2015) – view of The Brutalist Playground at The Edge Bath