In this session, Tania Sengupta and Stuart King will discuss how, as architects, we might respond to the often problematic and difficult inheritances of colonial built environment and material culture today. The talk draws from their recently book Reclaiming Colonial Architecture (2024), published by RIBA. Many buildings, cities, landscapes and artefacts across the world are the products of colonial histories. So too today’s economic, social, cultural and (geo)political structures derive from yesterday’s colonial and imperial relationships. New forms and physical manifestations of colonialism also continue to emerge. Questions of how to approach these material legacies of colonialism are crucial in both former colonised and colonising nations. The recent racially motivated police-killing of George Floyd in the United States re-ignited questions around colonial legacies of the slave trade and violence inflicted on indigenous worlds, with calls for restorative justice or ‘decolonisation’. Furthermore, given colonialism/imperialism’s deep entanglements with environmental histories and the present-day climate crisis, decolonisation and decarbonisation, many argue, cannot be dissociated. In this session, Tania and Stuart distil out some of the underpinning histories, key issues and concepts, and notions of restorative justice in relation to colonial architecture and material culture today. They will discuss examples of sites of demand and contestation that affected communities are grappling with, and associated projects and practices happening on the ground. This session will help you Navigate a seemingly daunting terrain of information, debates, events, practices and projects seeking just responses within this realm. Gain insights into built environment’s relationship with colonial processes historically and now, the types of justice being demanded of them today, and certain categories to make sense of this realm of thinking and practice. Learn about real-world case studies from across the world that offer a variety of design and other creative and critical approaches to colonial built and material legacies. Get a clearer sense of how to engage in responsible and responsive practice in relation to colonial architecture, cities, landscapes and material culture. SpeakersDr Tania Sengupta Tania is associate professor and is presently the co-director of PhD Research in Architectural History and Theory at the Bartlett School of Architecture, University College London. She worked as an architect and urban designer as well as taught in architecture schools earlier in India. Her present research explores histories of built environment in colonial South Asia and global postcolonial contexts, and the inequities stemming from these inheritances today. She received the RIBA President’s Medal for Research 2019, is co-editor in chief of the journal Architecture Beyond Europe and co-curator of the curricular resource (2020) Race and Space: What is ‘Race’ Doing in a Nice Field Like the Built Environment? Dr Stuart King Stuart is a senior lecturer in architectural design and history in the Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning at the University of Melbourne, Australia. He coordinates a Master of Urban and Cultural Heritage. His research focuses on Australian architectural history since colonisation, historiography and heritage. He is a past president of the Society of Architectural Historians Australia and New Zealand (2011-13) and editor of the society's journal Fabrications: JSAHANZ (2014-2017). Stuart’s academic work is backed by 10 years in architectural professional practice and, since 2012, he has maintained a role in statutory heritage management, representing interests in heritage conservation on the Tasmanian Heritage Council. Please note Each recording will expire 12 months after enrolling onto the module. This session was recorded from the live webinar on 7 May 2025. For more information on this course, please email us, or call +44 (0)20 7307 5355 to talk to a member of the team. Please view the Terms and Conditions for more information.
