It's the London Festival of Architecture 2012

We’re excited to hear that the UK’s largest celebration of buildings and the city will be making a welcome return this June.

The London Festival of Architecture (LFA) is something that’s been on the A&D calendar since its inception in 2004 and only helps to reinforce London’s reputation as an international creative hive of activity.

As per usual, a range of exciting events is set to take place all over the city. And with the Olympics on everyone’s radar, this year’s theme is naturally going to be the ‘Playful City’. This means the festival will propose ways in which both Londoners and visitors can use the city and its buildings in a more creative, interactive and healthy way.

Sounds like a real treat is in store as you can imagine there’ll be lots to enjoy and explore. Particularly as the festival organizers say that there’ll be everything from ‘reinterpreting familiar places through new installations and animations and redesigning public spaces to encourage physical fitness, to testing new ways of planning future urban development’. Whatever’s on the cards, festival-goers will be encouraged to play in, and play with the city around them.

So who’s behind this important event? Well, it’s organized by four leading architectural and cultural institutions – none other than The Architecture Foundation, the British Council, New London Architecture and RIBA London.

The city-wide festival will focus on three London areas over three weekends: City and Southwark (23-24 June), Fitzrovia and Bloomsbury (30 June-1 July), and King’s Cross and Hoxton (7-8 July).

Throughout the festival the Royal Docks in East London will also be transformed into ‘London's Pleasure Gardens’, next to the Olympic venue at ExCel, with other events such as architects’ open studios and special exhibitions taking place across the city.

If this sounds like something you’d love to attend, visit the London Festival of Architecture 2012 website where you can find out more and keep in touch with any news and updates.