June 12, 2025
Material Matters to move to new venue for 2025
Material Matters, the cross-media platform promoting sustainable material intelligence in architecture and design, returns to the London Design Festival this September with an exciting new venue. Now in its fourth edition, the fair will occupy an entire floor of Space House – one of London’s most iconic modernist buildings – from 17 to 20 September 2025. Set on a one-acre site, its circular tower and block – designed by Seifert & Partners in the 1960s and formerly home to the Civil Aviation Authority – are Grade II listed and have recently undergone a restoration and modernisation programme led by architect Squire & Partners. The building is hyper-connected, with multiple underground and railway stations, including Covent Garden and Holborn, within easy walking distance.
‘We couldn’t be happier with our new venue,’ say Material Matters co-founders Grant Gibson and William Knight. ‘Space House is a wonderfully central location and a beautiful space to show work. While our previous venue, Bargehouse, was all about brick, the dominant material at Space House is concrete, which offers another brilliant backdrop for Material Matters exhibitors.’
Space House will be organised into three distinct zones. The Knowledge zone houses the Material Matters talks space and café, as well as the finalists of the Only Natural Awards and a selection of other installations.
Specification will concentrate on market-ready materials and products from brands such as 3M, Filie Material, and MycoWorks. It also sees the return of the In the Making installation, curated by tp bennett and The Furniture Practice.
Experimental focuses on smaller designers, makers, and micro-manufacturers who are pushing material boundaries. Names to watch for here include Micaella Pedros, Jacob Marks, VTT, Revive Innovations, Wedge, and Tabitha Bargh. There will also be an exciting installation from The Material Way, a collaborative platform for material-based studies led by curator Rita Trindade and creative director Bonnie Hvillum.
‘It’s important to point out that while our building might have changed, the ethos of the fair remains the same,’ continue Gibson and Knight. ‘We want to showcase the importance of material intelligence in architecture and design, illustrating how using the stuff that surround us more wisely could make the world a slightly better place.’
