Season 10 · Episode 120 · 28 Jan 2026
120 - Vanessa Norwood
With Vanessa Norwood
“"The built environment is responsible for almost 40% of the Earth's carbon emissions, so it's a really interesting and important time to be part of this journey"”
Reflections
Q1: Place
If we could do a flypast on any part of the world that is significant to you, which place, city or country would it be and why?
Tirana in Albania
Q2: Life
Give us a glimpse into your life story so far with an emphasis on what you are doing currently?
I've got a background as an architecture curator, which has allowed me to get some really amazing cultural projects off the ground. I started off studying fine art in Brighton, and ended up working at the architectural Association in London, which is a really a very famous and quite experimental school of architecture in the heart of London. I've always been interested in amplifying the voices of people working in the built environment. I then worked at the Building Centre as the Creative Director and recently I set up my own business as a curator and cultural strategist focusing on projects in the built environment.
Q3: Reset
Where on earth is your place or reset or re-charge?
The West Pier in Brighton
Q4: Wonder
What wonder of the natural world excites you the most?
The power of water that is able to carve through the hardest of stone.
Q5: Hopefulness
What is your story of hopefulness (not your own) about a person, business or non-profit who are doing amazing things for the world?
Neil Pinder who founded the organisation Homegrown Plus. He's a teacher in South London, and he set up the organisation as a way of getting young people involved in architecture in a really productive way. He's making a real change to people's lives in a way that isn't just about talking about it or creating platforms that are intellectual, he's actually doing it.
Location
Flyover
Tirana in Albania
Guest
🇦🇱 Brighton (UK)