Lived in Architecture – Becontree at 100

Visit the Architecture Gallery at 66 Portland Place to experience a new RIBA commission with visual artist Verity-Jane Keefe that marks the centenary of the Becontree Estate in East London. Reflecting on the contemporary architectural reality of the estate, once the largest example of social housing in Europe, Keefe has created a new film and a series of spatial and decorative details found during her time spent in the area, capturing the essence of Becontree and its residents today.

The new artwork by Keefe will be presented alongside 33 objects from the RIBA Collections, including works by John Nash, George Devey and Jane Drew. This juxtaposition highlights how adaptions, extensions and home improvements by Becontree residents follow the same trajectory we see throughout history - that architecture is never finished, but ever-evolving as part of post-occupancy and over time reflects broader changes in society.

The exhibition explores the history of the Becontree Estate as a case study through which to consider similar aesthetic and material adaptations in architecture at both a local and national scale, asking if we can ever consider a building or place as truly complete.