Join us as we revisit the first ever exhibition held in the NLA galleries when we launched in 2005 with a major new exhibition and publication exploring the drastic changes that have transformed vast areas of London over the last 15 years.

The exhibition features ‘before and after’ aerial shots of the key areas of change in London by renowned aerial photographer Jason Hawkes, with the ‘after’ photographs captured in the past six months.

The Changing Face of London in 2005 looked at a number of opportunity areas and what was planned for them. Since that time London has experienced an astonishing level of change. Revisit the sites shown in the 2005 exhibition to see how their promise has been fulfilled. We will also look at more recent opportunity areas with proposals still to be delivered. The accompanying report — a unique document for tomorrow — will discuss the drivers for development, as well as the obstacles and the future challenges.

This is a historic moment in the life of Londoners and the way we shape our city together. After the pandemic, imagining, designing and planning London will never be the same. It is precisely these unprecedented times that makes it the more relevant to understand the achievements and the lessons we can learn from the past 15 years, as we look ahead to how our city may need to adapt over the next 15 years.

Join the conversation: #changingfaceofLDN

You can visit us between 09:00 – 16:00, Monday to Friday (closed on Saturdays).

Closure dates for Christmas: Thursday 24th December 2020 to Sunday 3rd January 2020 inclusive.

If you aren’t able to visit visit The Building Centre you can still enjoy the virtual tour of the  exhibition.

Customer safety is our priority. The exhibition is open to all with Covid-19 health precautions in place including a separate entrance and exit, one-way direction flow, mandatory use of masks indoors and signs reinforcing 2m social distancing, enabling visitors to keep safely apart.

The accompanying digital publication will be downloadable here.

An events programme taking place throughout 2021 will include conversations with key figures who have played an important role in shaping London over the last 15 years, presentations of the areas of transformation and debates, including the next generation of leaders, about the future challenges.

View all events here.