The NLA is set to begin its temporary residency and events programme at Coal Drops Yards on Thursday 1 July, activating its new spaces with an extended London model, an exhibition telling the story of London’s development and Don’t Move, Improve! The spaces, which will also include a café serving refreshments and light bites, will play host to ‘summer socials’ – networking sessions every week for NLA members, with model talks open to all also happening every other week.

The famous NLA model has been extended to include Wembley – which normally only gets seen at MIPIM – underpinning the CDY space’s role as a place to visit. More information on further NLA events planned to run over the summer will be released once government details on the lifting of lockdown restrictions are finalised. 

But helping to launch NLA’s new pop-up space at Coal Drops Yard, the popular Don’t Move, Improve!  exhibition is back to inspire and celebrate London’s best-designed and most innovative home extensions. Focusing on the celebration of Home it reflects on our time spent at home over the past year and features the nine winning schemes from this year’s competition. The show does this through a number of media including photography, videos, models and product samples, showcasing the best interventions to Londoners’ homes completed in the last two years, at a range of budgets – extending outwards, upwards, or downwards. The free exhibition also displays a wealth of inspiration for those looking to embark on their own home improvements.

The New London Model, meanwhile, offers an opportunity to explore London from new perspectives– including a new Wembley extension. The 12.5-metre-long model covers over 195 km2 of the capital, across 19 boroughs and featuring 240,000 buildings from King’s Cross in the north to Peckham in the south and the Royal Docks in the east to Wembley in the west.

And finally, the main exhibition, The London Story, is an opportunity for visitors to learn about London’s development history and NLA’s role in shaping the future of the capital.