Venice Takeaway Debate

For Venice Takeaway, aberrant architecture went to Brazil and discovered that Oscar Niemeyer led a radical, experimental school-building programme in Rio de Janeiro in the 1980s. The programme completed 508 prefabricated primary schools known as CIEPs (Integrated Centres of Public Education).

As the UK embraces standardisation, but stands accused of lacking ambition, can we take inspiration from Brazil and this pioneering programme? Does it show the way for embedding great design as standard? 

Discussion chaired by Oliver Wainwright - Architecture critic, The Guardian with: 

• Washington Fajardo - President, Rio World Heritage Institute

• David Chambers – Director & co-founder, aberrant architecture

• Mairi Johnson - Deputy Design Director, Education Funding Agency

• Janie Chesterton - Education Sector Director, Willmott Dixon

• Sunand Prasad - Founding Partner, Penoyre & Prasad