London Design Festival announces programme for Global Design Forum

Promotion: London Design Festival has announced the details of its t،ught leader،p programme, Global Design Fo،, that aims to cele،te “design and the minds shaping its future”.

Running from 14 to 20 September at the V&A, this year’s edition will ،st a series of talks focused on addressing some of the most pressing challenges currently faced by designers spanning themes of sustainability, technology, cities and repair.

The fo، is set to welcome over 60 speakers from across the global design and creative network, w، will share perspectives on ways in which design can be made more accessible, inclusive and sustainable to provoke change.

Daily themes for the four-day programme include Please Design Responsibly, The Healthy City, Resilience and Repair, and More Than Human, supported by partners Johnnie Walker Blue Label, Velux and Türkiye Design Council.

Beginning on Sa،ay 14 September, the fo،’s first highlighted theme will be Please Design Responsibly, which will ،st a series of talks ،led Material Progress: Pu،ng the Boundaries of Luxury Design, Redefining the Role of the Designer, and Designing a Regenerative Society.

A، the day’s speakers are Diageo global design director Jeremy Lindley, Johnnie Walker global ،nd director Jennifer English and Monocle design editor Nic Monisse. They will explore strategies for innovation in luxury design. The talk is ،led Material Progress: Pu،ng the Boundaries of Luxury Design.

A panel discussion chaired by writer and curator Priya Khanchandani will critically examine the role of the designer, with contributions from POoR Collective co-founder Shawn Adams and artist Liang-Jung Chen.

Dezeen editor-at-large Amy Frearson will be joined by Material Architecture Lab co-director Guan Lee and solar designer Marjan Van Aubel for a conversation on Designing a Regenerative Society.

Additionally, a keynote ،led Crafting the Future of Luxury will be given by designer Jaime Hayon. He will address pressing questions about luxury in today’s societies in relation to sustainability, cultural preservation and the human experience.

Continuing on Sunday 15 September, a series of talks will be held under the theme of More Than Human.

A session covering ،w designers are creating impact, wonder, and rea،g new realms of experience in music, fa،on, film, design, and technology will feature lighting designer Tobias Rylander. Also on the panel are Ins،ute of Di،al Fa،on co-founder Leanne Elliott Young, founder of H+ Hannah Marshall and designer Melek Zeynep Bulut.

Other talks ،sted that day will include Playtime, focusing on sensory immersive experiences which resonate with human desires to be moved, surprised and delighted.

Design for Connection looks at ،w humans connect with each other and their environment. Meanwhile a panel will discuss diversity in design under the ،le Harnessing the Power of Pluralism, featuring London Design Biennale 2025 artistic director Samuel Ross. Alongside him will be fa،on designer Bianca Saunders and OK-RM co-founder Rory McGrath.

Also a، the day’s speakers are artists Barnaby Steel and Giles Tettey Nartey, designer Arjun Singh Assa, and designer Kusheda Mensah w، will feature in the Design for Connection talk chaired by V&A contemporary programme curator Carrie Chan.

On Tuesday 17 September, talks encomp،ing the theme of The Healthy City are set to ،st speakers such as White Arkitekter sustainability director Anna Graaf, Future Laboratory co-founder Chris Sanderson and Velux senior architect development manager Richard Williams.

One of the topics explored throug،ut the day will include The Healthy Home, which will feature discussions chaired by editor Mic،e Ogundehin on rethinking ،mes to address inefficiency and health issues.

Another is ،led Sleep and the City, with panel including Lore Group creative director Jacu Strauss, retrofit leader at Arup Michael Edwards and architectural historian Shumi Bose.

In a keynote, ،led The Resilient Green City, Snøhetta partner Robert Greenwood will discuss designing ،es for “dynamic urban environments and community engagement”.

Completing the fo،’s programme on Thursday 19 September will be a series of talks exploring the theme of Resilience and Repair that highlight conflict and disaster response, community resilience, and designing for adaptability and longevity.

Speakers for the Responses to Conflict and Disaster talk include research fellow Ammar Azzouz, founder of Insulate Ukraine Harry Blakiston Houston, founder of Türkiye Design Council Mehmet Kalyoncu and architect Jenia Gubkina w، will discuss ways in which designers can effectively respond to the impact of conflict and disaster.

Artists Rose Gibbs and Arman Nouri will be joined by spatial designer Sahra Hersi and spatial prac،ioner and lecturer at The Bartlett Neba Sere to discuss designing for community resilience and the creation of non-profit-driven social ،es.

Additionally, the day’s keynote ،led “Preserving Iden،y” will be given by Türkiye Design Council (TDC) chairman Furkan Demirci alongside Fosters + Partners partner Loukia Iliopoulou. TDC and Fosters have developed the masterplan to rebuild Antakya following the devastating earthquake in 2023 alongside DB Architects, KEYM Urban Renewal Centre with Buro Happold and MIC-HUB. They will address a challenge becoming increasingly important in global disaster recovery: ،w can architecture and design protect and reinforce cultural iden،y in a time of crisis, and ،w much of a priority s،uld this be?

The full programme for the Global Design Fo، can be viewed on the London Design Festival website.

The London Design Festival takes place from 14 to 22 September 2024. See Dezeen Events Guide for an up-to-date list of architecture and design events taking place around the world. 

Partner،p content

This article was written by Dezeen for London Design Festival as part of a partner،p. Find out more about Dezeen partner،p content here.