Curious Places for Conversation – sixteen3 Salon #1
3/12/25 | Hawkins Brown, Jestico & Whiles and Emma O'Kelly discuss with host David Taylor how settings of all scales can foster dialogue and debate
Wednesday 3rd December | 18:30 – 20:30
Curious Places for Conversation is the inaugural event in the sixteen3 Salon series – a new programme that throws architects, designers and thinkers into conversations on how we create, experience and think about the built environment. The series is designed as a platform for shared wisdom, varied perspectives and the craft and creativity that shape better places.
In this opening event, we will look at the history and the now of designing for discussion: from the ancient Middle East and Africa, via the steam room, to contemporary cities, exploring how environments – public, private, and everything in between – can invite dialogue, debate and exchange.
The series will be led by writer and podcaster David Taylor. For this session, he will be joined by Jennifer de Vere Hopkins, Associate Director Jestico + Whiles; Emma O’Kelly, design writer and sauna specialist; and Russell Brown, co-founding partner of Hawkins Brown, to consider what makes a space truly conversational and how design can impact dialogue and foster communication
The event will run Wednesday 3rd December, 18:30 – 20:30 at the sixteen3 showroom, 25 Bastwick street, EC1V 3PS. Drinks will be served, with the actual talk starting at 19:00.
About Our Speakers
Jennifer de Vere-Hopkins has been an associate director at
Jestico + Whiles since 2018. She has developed her experience in the hospitality sector over more than a decade, more recently bringing this knowledge to workspace and residential projects. Although trained as an architect, Jennifer has an equally strong affinity for interiors. She has worked at a range of scales, from landmark projects to curios, and is passionate about integrating architecture and interiors into cohesive experiences.
Russell Brown co-founded
Hawkins Brown with Roger Hawkins in 1988. The firm brings a collaborative approach to projects across a range of types and scale in five main sectors: Civic, community & culture; education; workplace; transport & infrastructure and residential. Russell draws on rich experiences as an architect, writer, architectural critic and lecturer.
Emma O’Kelly is an author and journalist based in London. She has written two books about sauna and heat therapy and has lost count of how many saunas she’s now visited all over the world. She has spent more than two decades in editorial roles at Wallpaper and freelances for a range of national newspapers and magazines.
The sixteen3 Salon series hosts free talks to make design and architecture events easily available. Sometimes events get busy, so while RSVPs are essential to help us plan, entry is on a first-come, first-served basis for those who’ve registered
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