At the inaugural AAO conference, we were so lucky to have Peter Murray, Chairman of Wordsearch and New London Architecture, and the Director of the London Festival of Architecture as a presenter. 

In his session, presented on November 5, 2009, Peter discussed the gulf that separates architects, who are intent on process and internalized professional concerns, from the communities they serve and how to bridge that divide.  The democratization of the planning process in Britain, the interventions of Prince Charles, and 15 years of booming construction have led to an interested, but not always well informed, public.  Peter's presentation focused on the role played by architecture centers, events and festivals, publications, and the internet in helping communicate change in the built environment and promoting better design.

Check out Peter's presentation, and the New London Architecture and London Festival of Architecture brochures he shared with the group.  Be sure to check out the MP3 of Peter's session at the bottom of this post!

Peter Murray, Hon. FRIBA, Chairman, Wordsearch, New London Architecture; Director, London Festival of Architecture

Peter Murray, Hon. FRIBA, trained as an architect but has spent his career in the communication of architecture. He was formerly technical editor of Architectural Design (AD) and then Editor of the weekly newspaper Building Design. He then moved to be Editor and Publisher of the RIBA Journal.  In 1983 he started Blueprint Magazine, the first of the new wave of design and architecture magazines that charted the rise of the creative industries. He has curated a number of major architectural exhibitions including New Architecture - the work of Foster Rogers Stirling at the Royal Academy in 1986, Living Bridges at the Royal Academy in 1996.

He is Chairman of the design and communications consultancy Wordsearch, founder and Exhibitions Director of New London Architecture (NLA), Founder/Director of the London Festival of Architecture and editor in chief of London Property Review magazine. He is author of various architectural books including Contemporary British Architects, New Urban Environments, Living Bridges, The Saga of Sydney Opera House and Architecture and Commerce. He is deputy chairman and honorary secretary of the Bedford Park Society and was made an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects in 2000.