Ben Stringer

I was born in London and studied Architecture at the Polytechnic of Central London to BA and Diploma levels, In my final year I studied design with David Greene and History of Architecture with Robin Evans I was nominated that year for the RIBA dissertation prize. I then studied for an M.Sc in Advanced Architectural Studies at the Bartlett UCL where I obtained a distinction. I worked with numerous architectural practices, mostly in London but also for a time in New York, where I lived briefly. Practices I have worked for include Lunquist and Stonehill and Wayne Berg Architects in New York and Alsop and Lyall and Peter Barber Architects in London. 

I joined the Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment as a Principal Lecturer in 2006. Since then I have taught at various levels within the Department of Architecture from helping to teach Ph.D by design students to running the introducing history and theory courses to first year Architecture students. I run an undergraduate BA Architecture design studio and I also tutor 3rd year dissertations. I am also course leader for the BA Architecture and Urban Design modules. 

Previously I was Course Leader for the Diploma in Architecture and the MA in Architecture and Cultural Studies at Oxford Brookes University. Before that I taught design studio at University College London with my current studio teaching partner Peter Barber, amongst other things. I have given lectures at universities and conferences internationally and I have run design and drawing workshops in Taiwan, Switzerland and Spain. 

For many years I have enjoyed quite a heavy teaching workload, but now I am trying to expand my practice / research profile. Recently I have published some interdisciplinary and collaborative projects and papers, often in collaboration with Jane McAllister with whom I share a fledgling practice called 'flying hut'. I intend that this practice will be the subject of a Ph.D by practice with RMIT. Our current project is to design a city farm in Oxford for a registered charity for whom I am also a trustee.

My research output is multidisciplinary. It combines writing, design, architecture, photography, drawing and other media. 

I am currently working on two papers; one is part of an ongoing collaboration with Jane McAllister which is focussed on tourist cultures in Mallorcan urban spaces. The other is about the radical roots of city farming in the UK. Both are with the editors of refereed journals and I hope they will be published later this year. 

I am also beginning to work on a lecture about changes in the cultural logics of architects field trips for an upcoming AHRA conference about 'Transgression' at the University of the West of England. 

My most recent publications have been two papers (both co-authored with Jane McAllister): 'Angels of Suburbia' published in ARQ in 2008 and a chapter of the book 'The Politics of Making' called 'Souvenirs of the architectural tourist: Ahmedabad framed' also published in 2008. 

I am a contributor to the 'Global Itineries' research group recently set up by Lindsay Bremner, for which I gave a talk called 'Guided by the Lights in Palma and Magaluf' in May 2013. 

Last year we gave a talk and workshop at the 'Intercultural Studio' conference at LMU about Field Trips. 

Earlier this year I gave a talk and a Masters design workshop at the first EAAE (European Association of Agricultural Economists) conference about 'Rurality', held in Fribourg in Switzerland. These focussed on portrayals of 'rurality' in relation to radical architecture in the UK. I am hoping to develop a proposal to hold the second Rurality network conference here in London. 

I have been a contributor to numerous Architecture conferences, but I have also given talks at tourism conferences too. 

I am a member of the RIBA schools validation panel and I am a trustee of the Oxford City Farm charity.

For details of all my research outputs, visit my WestminsterResearch profile.