Each September, Open House Festival turns London into a city-sized architecture exhibition. Over two weeks, buildings, studios and civic spaces across the capital open their doors, inviting people to explore the places that shape everyday life.

As part of the festival, Pollard Thomas Edwards will welcome visitors to Diespeker Wharf, its home since 1992. Set on the Regent's Canal, the former Victorian warehouse has lived several lives: industrial store, terrazzo factory, architects' studio. A 2022 retrofit added a new layer, bringing the building up to contemporary standards while retaining its industrial character.

Visitors can explore the studio and its canal-side setting, including the garden and glazed extension overlooking the water. This year's programme focuses on community-led housing and the ways architecture can support collective living.

Marking ten years of New Ground Cohousing, the UK's first senior cohousing community, PTE will host an exhibition of artwork created by residents. Alongside it, visitors can see This Was Tomorrow, Enrico Policardo's photographic investigation of community-led housing across the UK, and screenings of The Women Who Build, Louisa Rechenbach's documentary offering rare access to a community challenging conventional ideas of ageing.

Part open studio, part exhibition, the day offers a chance to look beyond buildings and consider the social structures that support them. At Diespeker Wharf, architecture provides the backdrop; community takes centre stage.

More details here: https://programme.openhouse.org.uk/listings/1375