Architecture Groups London

May Property + Construction Sector Networking Reception At The Gherkin

PLEASE NOTE YOU MUST book and pay for your ticket in advance at http://www.londonbuiltenvironment.com/ The London Built Environment committee would like to extend you an invitation to our May 2026 City Of London après-work Networking Reception to be held at the famous Gherkin - and hope you can join us for pre-work delicious breakfast and productive business networking to make new contacts and deals for the Rest Of The Year. We now have over 20,000 diverse and relevant London members so it’s the perfect opportunity for making new business connections. See photos from our latest events at http://www.londonbuiltenvironment.com/ PLEASE NOTE YOU MUST book and pay for your ticket in advance at http://www.londonbuiltenvironment.com/ ALSO PLEASE NOTE we take most of our event bookings through our website and EventBrite so the numbers booked is much larger than displayed on this Meetup page (normally about 70-100 guests).

Bites & Bytes

**Bites & Bytes #1 - DevOps Talks, Networking & Snacks** Join us for the first **Bites & Bytes**, a casual DevOps-focused community evening in central London. This event brings together engineers, tech leads, and anyone interested in DevOps to share knowledge, exchange ideas, and connect with others in the space. **What to expect** * Practical technical talks * Real-world DevOps experiences and demos * Opportunity to network with other engineers * Food and relaxed atmosphere **Confirmed speakers** 1\. Moustafa Mneimneih \- Shift Down to Speed Up 2\. Daz Ahern \- Louis Theroux\, Twitter and why Observability should not be an afterthought 3\. TBA **Who should attend** * Engineers working with DevOps, cloud or platform engineering * Tech leads and engineering managers * Anyone interested in modern software delivery practices.

Architecture Kata at Zopa Bank

We're delighted to announce an exciting LSCC event on Wednesday 13th May, in partnership with our friends at Zopa Bank! Join us at the Zopa Canary Wharf office in London for this session and get the chance to flex your architectural design muscles! "So how are we supposed to get great architects, if they only get the chance to architect fewer than a half-dozen times in their career?" — Ted Neward. This quote highlights the need for practice, which is what our LSCC architecture katas provide: a safe, repeatable way to hone your software architecture design skills by simulating architectural challenges. **What's the format?** You'll be split into groups and have a business problem to solve. You'll be tasked with designing a technical architecture to meet that problem context. As with real-life you'll have to manage various trade-offs in your design and interact with a Product Owner to clarify your questions. At the end of the task each team will showcase their architecture and technology choices back to the wider group as part of a group discussion. Whether you're a seasoned coder, software architect or new to the scene, you're invited to share insights, discuss best practices, and learn from fellow participants. No prior session attendance or architecture knowledge is required – just bring your enthusiasm. No laptop is required for this session, we'll provide each group with paper, pens and sticky notes to support the activity. Thank you to the Codurance team that will run the event at Zopa Bank's office. Find out more at https://www.codurance.com/ Food and drinks will be provided with vegetarian, vegan and non-alcoholic options available - thanks to Zopa Bank for sponsoring refreshments and hosting in their great office. **About Zopa** Founded in 2020 with a full banking licence and backed by some of Silicon Valley’s most iconic investors, digital bank Zopa is building the Home of Money. This is a place where financial products deliver good value and managing money is made effortless; deep and long-lasting relationships mean customers are left confident about their choices. One of the UK’s highest rated and most celebrated financial brands, Zopa has been recognised with over 10 British Bank Awards, holds a Trustpilot rating of 4.6/5, and has one of the highest customer satisfaction scores in the industry. Zopa Bank Limited is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority. https://www.zopa.com/ We look forward to seeing you soon!

Heatherwick Studio - A Private Tour

AWS London Well-Architected User Group May Meetup!

Hi Architects, Welcome to our the Fourth AWS London Well-Architected User Group Meetup!!! 🥳🥳🥳 Dragon Hall Trust, 17 Stukeley Street, London WC2B 5LT The AWS London Well-Architected Meetup is the latest chapter in the most popular AWS Meetup group globally. At each meetup we cover off various pillars of AWS best-practice in detail including insights from industry leaders that specialise in the Well-Architected Framework. We’ll be updating throughout the month with more speakers and our speakers so far this month include: * **Well-Architected IoT** **James Harding - Technical CSM - Green Custard** James will dive deep into how to leverage Well-Architected in IoT in practice and reveal what good looks like. So come join us at 6.30pm for a 7.00pm start, including drinks, snacks and friendly networking after our talks :-)

ICONIC STATEMENTS: Luxe Photoshoot & Catwalk at L’arch

**PLEASE PURCHASE YOUR TICKET VIA THIS LINK ONLY:** **[TICKETS](https://fatso.ma/3foN).** Step into a bold new creative playground at **L’arch** — a 1,200 sq ft converted railway arch launching this spring as a striking photoshoot space designed for powerful visual storytelling. This immersive urban venue blends industrial edge with theatrical elegance, offering a dynamic backdrop for high-impact content, fashion editorials, and artistic collaborations. **Theme: “Iconic Statements”** Inspired by underground culture, high fashion, and futuristic fantasy, this shoot fuses burlesque drama,, and urban-core aesthetics — all elevated with elegance and class. It’s about reclaiming space, pushing boundaries, and creating visuals that feel iconic, rebellious, and unforgettable. Whether you’re shooting, modeling, styling, or showcasing your work — this space is built to transform creative visions into standout content. **WHAT TO EXPECT** ✨ 4-Hour Collaborative Photoshoot 👠 Live Catwalk Runway Moments throughout the session 🤝 Network While Shooting — connect, collaborate, and create in real time 🎥 High-Volume Content Opportunities • Behind-the-scenes • Backstage footage ⚡ Relaxed but High-Energy Creative Vibe Designed to maximise output while keeping it fun and supportive. **VENUE HIGHLIGHTS – L’ARCH SHOOTING LOCATION** 🎹 Baby Grand Piano 👗 Plush Dressing & Prep Area 👑 Statement Throne with Wings 💡 Neon Runway Catwalk 🎨 Graffiti Walls & Industrial Textures 🛋 Semi-Circle Sofa for Editorial Setups 🔆 Iconic Illuminated Signage 🏢 Expansive 1,200 sq ft Open-Plan Layout \!\[img\]\(https://cdn2\.fatsoma\.com/media/W1siZiIsInB1YmxpYy8yMDI2LzIvMi8yLzQxLzU1Lzk5Ni9SYWNrTXVsdGlwYXJ0MjAyNjAyMDItNjAtM2E1aTluLmpwZWciXV0\) **Who’s this for?** ✔ Photographers & Content Creators (All skill levels welcome) ✔ Models & Performers (No experience required) ✔ Designers, Stylists, MUAs & Visual Artists ✔ Anyone looking to collaborate, create, and elevate their portfolio DRESS CODE – MODELS Models should arrive with 1–3 of their own looks prepared before the shoot. If designers are joining, they will be present to provide additional outfit changes on the day. STYLE DIRECTION Think editorial, bold, and expressive. ✨ Burlesque glamour, class & elegance ✨ Futuristic silhouettes ✨ Elevated urban looks ENCOURAGED ELEMENTS Corsetry • Leather • Metallics • Tailoring Dramatic accessories • Statement makeup Bring pieces that tell a story — this is a space to go all in. **Collaboration Disclaimer:** This is a collaborative shoot. • No additional charges should apply for models to receive photos. • All imagery created must be shared without logos or watermarks. • Everyone involved will be encouraged to collaborate via Instagram & credit all creatives appropriately. We’ll ensure all participants are informed and aligned to keep the collaboration fair, respectful, and transparent. **Want in?** Once you grab your ticket, email [welove.socialise@gmail.com](mailto:welove.socialise@gmail.com) with your WhatsApp number and Instagram handle. You’ll be added to the WhatsApp group chat at least 2 weeks (if not before) before the event where all final details will be shared. 📍 Exact location revealed to ticket holders only 📸 Follow us on IG **@welove_shoots** for updates and previews

May Mayfair 2026 Property + Construction Sector Networking Breakfast

PLEASE NOTE YOU MUST book and pay for your ticket in advance at http://www.londonbuiltenvironment.com/ The London Built Environment committee would like to extend you an invitation to our May 2026 Mayfair Networking Breakfast to be held at the famous Bonds of Mayfair - and hope you can join us for pre-work delicious breakfast and productive business networking to make new contacts and deals for 2026. We now have over 20,000 diverse and relevant London members so it’s the perfect opportunity for making new business connections. See photos from our latest events at http://www.londonbuiltenvironment.com/ PLEASE NOTE YOU MUST book and pay for your ticket in advance at http://www.londonbuiltenvironment.com/ ALSO PLEASE NOTE we take most of our event bookings through our website and EventBrite so the numbers booked is much larger than displayed on this Meetup page (normally about 70-100 guests).

We will shortly be arriving at...

…Platform 37\* (pictured: the east elevation from York Way) More than 20 years ago, the celebrated ‘blue veil’ in Allies + Morrison’s Masterplan drawings defined a long, imperforate block here, literally following the paths the railways had made, entering and spreading out across the site. An initial proposal, by AHMM, was abandoned in 2016, after joint Google founder Larry Page described it as ‘too boring’. Danish metamodernist Bjarte Ingels and critic-of-the-UK-architectural-profession Thomas Heatherwick were appointed to collaboratively re-design Google’s new ‘groundscraper’, 3rd largest office building in the UK\*\*, intended to accommodate all 7000 London 'Googlers’. It is almost finished, expected to open this autumn, and is the final piece in the King’s Cross Central puzzle. We're going to meet outside Thomas Heatherwick’s new Studio in Argyle Street, then see AHMM’s 10-storey Belgrove House, the London Discovery Research Centre\*\*\* intended for research into diseases of ageing and human biology, and then the site in Midland Road, where Richard Rogers’ British Library Extension, including tunnels and passageways for Crossrail 2, will soon be taking shape. It requires the demolition of Long & Kentish’s Centre for Conservation, which was only completed in 2007! Adjacent is HOK/PLP’s Francis Crick Institute, and then, passing through St Pancras International Station we emerge in Pancras Square, to see Google’s current building at No 6. Cutting through the station forecourt, we enter the casbah-like ‘Regent Quarter’, the first area around King’s Cross Station to be regenerated. Its small-scale offices, retail and leisure businesses are in a mixture of refurbished and new buildings arranged around an informal network of passageways and back courts, which leads us to York Way and the stunning, extraordinary east elevation of Platform 37, superbly juxtaposed with the glazed north gables of Lewis Cubitt’s 1852 twin train-sheds. At this point in the walk, it’s too early to make up your mind about the design, but it’s obviously without precedent\*\*\*\*, and, possibly, is not the work of a human hand! From the towpath of the Regent’s Canal, we can see the north elevation, rearing up from the end of the 330m long building, equivalent to a 80-storey skyscraper on its side. Finally, King’s Boulevard! Here it is the backdrop to the busiest desire-line in London! Anticipation, excitement, car-free of course, safe and secure, and bike-free, thanks to the wardens. We’ll probably never get to see inside, but I can describe the structural system, hanging the floors from intermediate trusses leaving continuous, and single-, double- and triple-height workspaces in open accommodation, producing continuously cascading work environments, running from one end of the building to the other, very much like open-gangway railway carriages. On the ground floor will be retail, plus Google’s own *AI Exchange*, a public venue ‘designed to demystify artificial intelligence through free educational programming, interactive exhibitions, and cultural events’. It’s dedicated to exploring AI's impact on society and increasing public understanding. But this building's contribution is to the public realm: like a geological feature: an escarpment, an endless cliff, meandering along a human coast of footfall. Not as sophisticated as Foster's Bloomberg, not as pure as Piano's Paddington Square. A flag waving in a breeze will never conform to a geometric pattern: it’s a dashed-off sketch, not a thesis! But even so, unique, different, memorable and like many of Google’s products, ‘free’ to Londoners! By the way, if AI is half as good as they say, why does Google need so many staff? And such a big building? And what do all those staff do? I will explain. Hope you can come! Andy \* Google’s new, recently announced, official name for their London HQ. \*\*only Nos 22 and 100 Bishopsgate are larger. \*\*\*Developed by Precis Advisory for US pharmaceutical giant Merck, who terminated their involvement last September, but the shell is now topped out and nearing completion. \*\*\*\* perhaps echoes of the London Bloomberg Building, the Centre Pompidou and the Chips Building by Will Alsop?

Composition Fun : The British Library

A visit to John Keats House then coffee and cake 🍰

🖌️ Join us as we explore the home of Romantic poet John Keats, wandering through the very rooms where creativity, love, and inspiration lived. A gentle escape for daydreamers, writers, and curious minds - come immerse yourself into a slower, poetic world! 🎫 **Tickets cost £10. There is no need to pre-book your admission ticket. Tickets can be purchased when we visit the house. Payment is by card only. We will meet at the museum’s entrance.** 
Please update your RSVP if you can’t make it. **Included in admission** There’s a new Keats House 100 exhibition and special displays showing how the house looked when it opened to the public in May 1925. [More info on the museum’s page here.](https://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/things-to-do/attractions-museums-entertainment/keats-house/visit-keats-house) ☕️ We will take about an hour to go through the exhibit then we will go for coffee somewhere nearby.

Everyone welcome 😊

Important to note:

1. We typically socialise at cafés after the exhibit, nice, independent ones, not chains and not at pubs. If the event is late on a Saturday we go to a nice bar/pub for drinks after. This meetup is inclusive and everyone is welcome to join.
2. If you get there before everyone and you're not sure what to do or where we are, post a comment on here and I will let you know our whereabouts.
3. Once we go in we may separate, feel free to explore the exhibit by yourself, we don't have to be together. Some people like chatting to others while exploring and other people prefer to be with their own thoughts. You are welcome to express yourself and do whatever helps you feel free. The coffee part afterwards is all about socialising so don’t miss it!

4. If you are late or if you’ve booked for an earlier or later time don’t worry just go in and you’ll find us inside. Keep an eye on the event comments as I’ll be posting updates.

IN OTHER WORLDS immersive exhibition then coffee and cake 🍰

🔮 **Join us as we explore Barbican’s new immersive exhibition, a major work by Liam Young, blending film, sound, design and storytelling.** Please book your ticket on the link below for the 23rd May at 2.45pm (we will meet at 2.30 and will wait 15mins for everyone to arrive) 🎫 ** [Book your ticket here.](https://tickets.barbican.org.uk/choose-seats/3431214)** About: The show presents immersive, imagined futures shaped by real-world technology and climate challenges. Rather than dystopia, it invites us to explore the possibilities ahead, offering a thought-provoking glimpse into how today’s choices might shape tomorrow’s world. **We will meet by the information desk, near the entrance and will wait 10-15mins for everyone to arrive.** ☕️ We will take about 1 hour to go through the exhibit then we will go for coffee somewhere inside the Barbican.

Everyone welcome 😊

Important to note:

1. We typically socialise at cafés after the exhibit, nice, independent ones, not chains and not at pubs. If the event is late on a Saturday we go to a nice bar/pub for drinks after. This meetup is inclusive and everyone is welcome to join.
2. If you get there before everyone and you're not sure what to do or where we are, post a comment on here and I will let you know our whereabouts.
3. Once we go in we may separate, feel free to explore the exhibit by yourself, we don't have to be together. Some people like chatting to others while exploring and other people prefer to be with their own thoughts. You are welcome to express yourself and do whatever helps you feel free.

4. If you are late or if you’ve booked for an earlier or later time don’t worry just go in and you’ll find us inside. Keep an eye on the comments as I’ll be posting updates.

Scala Talks: Functional Programming in Rust & Caching using Ref

🎉 Come along to the London Scala Talks! 🎉 In this event you'll hear from Caroline Morton and Katrina Petrevice. **Agenda** 6:00pm - 🥤 Doors open. Come along and grab a drink! 6:35pm - 🗣️ Introduction 6:40pm - 🗣️ Katrina Petrevice: Caching in Scala using Ref 7:20pm - 🍕 Intermission: Join us for some free food and drinks! Vegan and vegetarian options are provided. Let us know if you'd like something special - we'd be happy to accommodate. 7:50pm - 🗣️ Caroline Morton: Accidental Functional Programming in Rust (From an Epidemiologist's Perspective) 8:30pm - 🥤 Socialising: Grab a drink and let's discuss the talks. 9:00pm - 🍻 Join us in a pub to discuss the talks! 🌐 **This event may have a live stream** Watch this space for more details. **🗣️ Katrina Petrevice: Caching in Scala using Ref** Caching in memory is often one of the first strategies used to improve system performances. However, implementing caching in a purely functional way introduces unique challenges, specifically around state management and testability. In this talk, we will look at how to utilise functional programming principles with [Ref](https://typelevel.org/cats-effect/docs/std/ref), while maintaining clarity and composability. We will also deep dive into some common pitfalls and look into practical ways to test Ref effectively. ⭐ Katrina Petrevice ⭐ Katrina comes from a non–computer science background and was first introduced to Scala while working at JPMorgan. She credits much of her Scala knowledge to hands-on experience within her team, where she works on building and maintaining data pipelines and managing data systems. Since then, she has developed a strong interest in functional programming and now co-leads the Functional Programming Group at JPMorgan, where she helps share knowledge and foster a community around these ideas. **🗣️ Caroline Morton: Accidental Functional Programming in Rust (From an Epidemiologist's Perspective)** I don't have a background in functional programming - and I never set out to write it. But somewhere between writing trait-based epidemiological pipelines, composing data transformations, and leaning hard on Result, enums, and pattern matching, I started hearing from others: “That's pretty functional.” In this talk, I'll explore what it means to write “functional-ish” Rust as someone solving real-world scientific problems. I'll walk through the patterns I reach for - like chaining iterators, avoiding shared state, and embracing expressive types - and reflect on which functional programming ideas emerge naturally in Rust, even if you're not trying. I'll also share how designing for epidemiologists - most of whom are used to chaining functions in Python (like Pandas) or R - has pushed me toward creating ergonomic Rust APIs with Python and R bindings. These tools aim to feel familiar to scientists while leveraging Rust's power and safety under the hood. This is a talk for functional programmers curious about Rust, and for Rustaceans wondering if they've been functional all along. No formal theory required - just real code, real use cases, and a pragmatic perspective from someone building public health tools in Rust. ⭐ Caroline Morton ⭐ Dr. Caroline Morton is a medical doctor, epidemiologist, software engineer, and PhD candidate specialising in synthetic data, epidemiology, and Rust. With 60 peer-reviewed papers and two books on software, she combines deep technical expertise with a commitment to improving scientific workflows. Caroline co-founded the first [Women in Rust](https://www.meetup.com/women-in-rust/) group, fostering diversity and encouraging more women to explore opportunities in systems programming. She leads an open-source project improving codelist management in epidemiology using Rust, creating efficient, reliable tools for health data research. Her PhD focuses on synthetic data methods for epidemiology, particularly using Rust to generate large, realistic datasets. A strong advocate for open science and reproducibility, she contributes extensively to improving software practices through publications, workshops, and open-source projects. ———————————————————— 🗣️ Would you like to present, but are not sure how to start? Give a talk with us and you'll receive mentorship from a trained toastmaster! Get in touch through [this form](https://forms.gle/zv5i9eeto1BsnSwe8) and we'll get you started 🏡 Interested in hosting or supporting us? Please get in touch through [this form](https://forms.gle/3SX3Bm6zHqVodBaMA) and we can discuss how you can get involved. 📜 All London Scala User Group events operate under the [Scala Community Code of Conduct](https://www.scala-lang.org/conduct/). We encourage each of you to report the breach of the conduct, either anonymously through [this form](https://forms.gle/9PMMorUWgBnbk1mm6) or by contacting one of our team members. We guarantee privacy and confidentiality, as well as that we will take your report seriously and react quickly.