21st Century Architecture: MILLENNIUM ARCHITECTURE with Rowan Moore (The Observer)
21st Century Architecture: MILLENNIUM ARCHITECTURE with Rowan Moore (The Observer)
Thursday 29 October 2026 at 6:30pm—7:45pm
(doors open at 6pm for a 6.30pm sharp start)
The Gallery, 70 Cowcross Street, London, EC1M 6EJ
(follow the staircase in the far corner of the courtyard)
Learn more about some of the best 21st-century architecture from the people who made it happen. We’ve paired leading architects and academics for themed lectures where they will present their work, before sitting down to discuss their individual approaches to similar projects.
Leading architecture critic Rowan Moore will give us a lecture on Millennium Architecture. Think Tate Modern, Eden Project or National Centre for Popular Music in Sheffield. These breath-taking feats of design and engineering provided new public spaces, vantage points and emblems for our country. But how have the landmarks of the new millennium stood the test of time?
We’ll explore the vision and commitment behind their creation, the intense media coverage and public debate that followed, and discuss their burgeoning legacy a quarter of a century on.
Rowan Moore is architecture critic of the Observer and was named Critic of the Year at the UK press awards. He is the author of Slow Burn City: London in the Twenty-First Century (2016, Picador) and Property: The myth that built the world (2023, Faber&Faber).
The series coincides with the new C20 book 100 21st Century Buildings (2026, Batsfords).
To book an online ticket for this lecture, click here.
C20 Society Member £11;
Non-Member £16;
Young C20 member + guest Free*;
Student + guest £5 **
Buy the whole lecture series and save.
The ticket price includes a glass of wine and a contribution to our casework and campaigns.
*For Young C20 members, please email lukas@c20society.org.uk to secure a place.
**For student pricing please select from the dropdown option next to ‘membership number’ on the booking form below.
Click here for our latest cancellation policy.
Note: This event is hybrid and is being run both in-person at Cowcross Street Gallery and online via Zoom. The event will be recorded and offered as a catch-up lecture for those who have booked and will be available for two weeks.
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Looking to support our campaigning? Donate to our casework Here.
The Twentieth Century Society is an IHBC (Institute of Historic Building conservation) recognised CPD provider and is a registered charity, no 1110244
Image above: The Eden Project (2001) by Grimshaw Architects; Ólafur Elíasson's Weather Project at Tate Modern (2000) by Herzog & de Meuron. Photos courtesy of Grimshaw and Tate.