Inspired by our imminent departure from 66 Portland Place for upcoming refurbishments, and RIBA Learning’s new adventures on the road, you’re invited to explore all areas of transient, temporary, and moving architecture on this free day of family fun.
Whether you enjoy building models, making dens, painting, collage or singing, we’ve got something for you. So join us in celebrating the end of an era and spend the very last day the RIBA Headquarters is open to the public engaged in brilliant activities for all the family.
Come and say goodbye to the building, and hello to new adventures in architecture.
In partnership with Zaha Hadid Foundation and The Canal Museum.
Programme of Activities
Mobile Cities with Zaha Hadid Foundation
Join artist and educator Wilson Yau, Education Officer at Zaha Hadid Foundation to imagine a world of buildings and cities that can move from place to place! With climate change happening, people across the world may need to prepare to move from where they live and work now. Using Archigram’s ideas of mobile cities and the futuristic designs of architect Zaha Hadid, create a simple digital animation on iPads of moving architecture. Will these buildings walk, swim, crawl or fly? You decide. Suitable for ages 6 upwards, iPads will be provided.
Brilliant Canal Boats with The Canal Museum
Collage, colour, and create your very own paper canal boat to float beside the London Canal Museum!
We’ll show you how to fold your boat from just one piece of paper—then it’s time to get crafty. Decorate it with bright colours, fun patterns, and don’t forget to give it a brilliant boaty name (what wonderfully, watery themed words will you come up with?)
Once it’s shipshape, ‘moor it’ onto our museum picture and take your masterpiece home for more adventures.
Floaty Boaty Buildings
Join architect and educator Joshua Brooks to create your own house on water. Will you use stilts? Will your houseboat float? Use recycled materials to design and make a solution for watery living and then test it out.
Take Away Towers
Make your own Mecanno model to take on the move. Get your engineering hat on to see how tall you can build your portable tower. Can you add wheels? Will it walk away with you?
Mega Collage
What’s happened here? All of the buildings have moved over night. Join artist Lorelle Aboagye to create a giant city of assembled buildings from the RIBA Collections and architectural magazines. Will you add to the scene or make a moving building to take home with you?
Temporary Town
We need a new town and quickly! Get making our temporary town with architect and educator Milly Wood. You will need all your den making skills to assemble your building and make sure we have a town fit for all our families to live together by the end of the day.
Where do we go?
Help us find direction! We don’t know where to go? Our town needs signs and it needs them now. Join artist and signwriter Adam Makowiecki, aka Delicious Signs, to help us find our way through the new town we create throughout the day. We need to know where everything is! Quick!
RIBA Baby Drop-in Room
Take some time out and play in the Aston Webb Room on the 2nd floor.
Get Moving: Songs and Stories
Get moving, get grooving with RIBA Learning favourite Paul Rubenstein. Join Paul to discover more about the history of 66 Portland Place and our next adventures through stories and song.
11:30am – RIBA Baby, aimed at under 3’s
1pm – Fun for all the family, aimed at 3+
Important Event and Ticket Information
This event is free, but please register. If you are no longer able to attend, please return your ticket to make it available to others. This will help us keep these popular events free of charge. Please ensure that you accompany your child at all times during the Family Fun Day.
Venue accessibility
While we want to be as accessible and inclusive as possible, you may need to get in touch if you have any additional accessibility needs. Find out more about the accessibility features currently in place when visiting 66 Portland Place, London and how to contact us about them.
