Alison Brooks is the founding director of Alison Brooks Architects which she set up in 1996. Her practice’s work was originally centred on private houses, but it has enlarged to include social housing and also projects such as a new academic and residential building for Exeter College, Oxford. The practice has won the three major UK architectural prizes – the Stephen Lawrence award, the Manser Medal and the Stirling Prize. Alison Brooks teaches, sits on major juries and was on the advisory panel for the UK government’s Farrell review of architecture. Her practice also carries out research into urban design.

Felix de Pass is a British designer based in London. His studio focuses on the design and development of furniture, product, lighting and interior design projects. Informed by a passion for materials and processes, Felix de Pass’s studio is committed to delivering appropriate and functional solutions with a simple and direct design language. The studio engages in an exploration of cutting edge technologies, rigorous research and a dynamic and creative design process that evolves in dialogue with the client and manufacturer. Felix studied MA Design Products at the Royal College of Art London, graduating in 2009. Alison chose to be paired with him because ‘Felix subtly combines ingenuity and poetic detail with pragmatism and clarity of purpose.  This is an achievement in a world where too much design is trying too hard to be noticed.’ 

For over 25 years the American Hardwood Export Council (AHEC) has been at the forefront of international wood promotion, successfully building a distinctive and creative brand for U.S. hardwoods. AHEC’s global programme of activities secure a future for American hardwoods by demonstrating the performance and aesthetic potential of these sustainable materials, while providing valuable creative inspiration and technical advice.

Benchmark is a leading company of craftspeople and designers, founded 30 years ago by Sir Terence Conran and Sean Sutcliffe. Based in West Berkshire on a converted farm, the team is now 50 strong in over 40,000 sq ft of workshops for timber milling, carpentry, veneering, spraying, specialist metalworking and upholstery, as well as design studio and furniture showroom. Benchmark works extensively on design solutions for hotels, restaurants, public buildings, offices and private residences.

The London Design Festival was conceived by Sir John Sorrell and Ben Evans. Building on London's existing design activity, their concept was to create an annual event that would promote the city's creativity, drawing in the country's greatest thinkers, practitioners, retailers and educators to a deliver an unmissable celebration of design. First staged in 2003, the London Design Festival is now one of the world's most important annual design events. The estival programme is made up of over 300 events and exhibitions staged by hundreds of partner organisations across the design spectrum and from around the world.

The London Design Festival works closely with, and receives financial support directly from, the Mayor’s Office – having transferred support from the London Development Agency. The Festival also receives support from Arts Council England, as a National Portfolio Organisation 2012-15.

The V&A is the world’s leading museum of art and design, housing a permanent collection of over 2.3 million objects that span over 5,000 years of human creativity. The Museum holds many of the UK's national collections and houses some of the greatest resources for the study of architecture, furniture, fashion, textiles, photography, sculpture, painting, jewellery, glass, ceramics, book arts, Asian art and design, theatre and performance.

James Latham

Morgan Timber