Clemency Gibbs

Facadism in London: 1970– present

Supervisors: Dr Clare Melhuish (primary), Prof Ben Campkin (secondary)

This research investigates what practices of ‘facadism’ in architectural practice in London since 1970 tell us about the values we assign to the historic built environment, and how they affect our relationship with the past as formed by interactions with the built environment.  Looking to identify the reasons behind the introduction and ongoing evolution of modern facadism practices this research examines the principles that inform the decision-making process at a policy level and their impact on the discursive potential of built urban heritage.

Biography

Clemency is a PhD researcher on the Architectural & Urban History & Theory programme. Her research is funded by the London Arts & Humanities Partnership. 

Having studied Classics at undergraduate, Clemency completed a Masters in Cultural Heritage Studies at the Institute of Archaeology, UCL, in 2017, where her thesis focused on the role of the historic built environment within the Kings Cross Central development. Prior to starting her PhD, Clemency worked as a Heritage Consultant at Alan Baxter and as the Research Assistant at Foster + Partners."

Image: The retained facade of the Grade II listed Whiteleys shopping centre, Bayswater