This event is for all those that want to hear more on how to be a good ancestor in your projects and how to ensure a resilient future for all generation is worked towards.
When something holds deep sentimental value, we feel compelled to protect it. But what happens when the stories that once inspired care are lost or dismissed by modern systems? Beyond Mythology invites built environment professionals and future-focused thinkers to explore how regenerative design and long-term thinking can offer new narratives of care, connection, and responsibility. It’s a call for a mindset shift—from linear efficiency to adaptive systems that evolve over time.
At the heart of this lies a powerful question: What does it mean to be a good ancestor? To design not just for now, but for seven generations ahead. To embed adaptability, foresight, and care into the decisions we make today—and to imagine lasting legacies.
In this panel discussion, speakers from across generations, disciplines, and cultures will share personal stories and professional insights. Together, we’ll explore how myth-making, memory, and the landscapes of London—past, present, and future—can shape a more just and regenerative built environment.
This event is for designers, planners, policymakers, and anyone shaping place with purpose—those asking how to embed long-term thinking into their work, and how to be a good ancestor in the process.
This event is twinned with Architects Declare’s “Whose cathedrals are we building?” at the Architecture Fringe in Glasgow. Stories and reflections from both events will be shared in a collective output.
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The Agenda:
18:00-18:30 Arrival, Badge-making, and Provocations
18:30-18:40 Introduction by Architects Declare
18:40-19:10 'Fire-side' Story-telling
19:10-19:45 Open Circle
19:45-20:00 Closing Reflections
The Panel:
- David Cheshire (Sustainability Director, AECOM)
- Eva MacNamara (Director, Expedition Engineering)
- Cíaran Malik (Technical Studies course tutor, Architectural Association)
- Mia-Ming Steel (Co-founder & Director, Rooted City Project CIC)
Chair: Alasdair Dixon (Co-founder, Collective Works & Steering Group Member, Architects Declare)
