Ken opens Design for London

London’s new architecture and urban design unit Design for London was officially opened yesterday by London Mayor Ken Livingstone.

‘Design for London will become the catalyst for change by promoting good design among our public and private sector partners and will have a real impact on the future of our city,’ he says.

Design for London sees the convening of three existing urban design teams for the capital: the Greater London Authority’s Architecture and Urbanism Unit, the London Development Agency’s design team and the urban design team from Transport for London. It will also work closely with the design team at the Olympic Delivery Authority.

DFL is housed at the Will Alsop-designed Palestra building in Southwark, the new home of the LDA. It has a remit ‘to support the delivery of world-class architecture and sustainable and accessible design across London’s built environment.’
The unit is led by director Peter Bishop and counts ‘design champions’ such as Lord Rogers and, most recently, Angela Brady among its number.