Future Observatory Journal

A new online journal from the UK’s ‘Future Observatory’, the national design research programme for the green transition

You don’t really expect the UK to produce something like Future Observatory, at this point—but it has, and credit where it’s due. Since 2021, Future Observatory has been a “national research programme for the green transition” oriented around “cutting-edge design research”, coordinated by the Design Museum, via a decently-funded partnership with the Arts and Humanities Research Council, which is part of UK Research and Innovation. It’s well-led too, by the sharp intelligence of Justin McGuirk and his colleagues.

With that provenance, you will see that the emphasis on culture is what sets Future Observatory apart from other ‘green transition’ research programmes. In that sense, it has been pursuing a similar path to the EU’s New European Bauhaus perhaps, but has done so with rather more imagination and impact. (That’s not a criticism of the latter, which might still deliver on its original promise if it can evade ‘legacy-industry’ capture. Rather, take it as a compliment to Future Observatory.)

I visited their How to Build a Low-Carbon Home exhibition in January 2024, which complemented accessible and evocative exhibits organised by material—produced by leading practices Material Cultures (on straw), Waugh Thistleton (on wood) and Groupwork (on stone)—with thoughtful descriptions of the systemic challenges and…