Taking London’s largest subterranean river the River Fleet as a starting point, students explore the rise, fall and revitalisation of the city as part and parcel of urban life. In Roman times, the Fleet was a major river meeting the Thames just to the east of Somerset House and as London grew, it became a sewer and a magnet for poor-quality housing, industry and prisons. Finally, it was hidden entirely and largely forgotten. Today as the city looks for new opportunities to grow and develop, these talented emerging architects illustrate ideas for reinventing many of the buildings along its route through the form of models, prototypes, drawings and manifestos.
Channel is Somerset House’s new curated online space for art, ideas and the artistic process.