Assemble with Material Matters
Conversations that matter
20 November 2025 | Bank of England
This year, Material Matters is launching its first conference: Assemble. Taking place at the Bank of England in November, the one day event will bookend a busy year of activities in the UK and abroad. Assemble aims to investigate how material intelligence and regenerative design can reshape our economies through a series of keynote lectures, interviews and panel discussions.
Staging the event at the Bank of England underscores the vital role the creative industries play in the UK economy - contributing around £124 billion in GVA in 2023 - and creates a symbolic space to bridge the longstanding gap between the creative and financial sectors. It’s a chance to bring material intelligence into the heart of economic thinking, and to spark dialogue between those shaping culture and those shaping capital.
Assemble with Material Matters will explore the ideas, technologies and tensions shaping design and material culture today. Across talks, panels and live demonstrations, the programme will tackle urgent questions about sustainability, wellbeing, education and the role of material intelligence in a rapidly shifting world.
With fresh thinking on topics like the intersection of creativity and business and the challenge of scaling up responsibly, the conference brings together leading voices including Caroline Till, Peter Apps, Professor Rebecca Earley, Jonathan Smales (Human Nature), Daniel Clucas (Studio ID), Tim Minshall, Amin Taha (Groupwork), and Glenn Adamson.
Looking ahead to 2026, Assemble aims to move beyond short-term fixes, offering long-view perspectives, bold ideas and practical tools to help reimagine the systems we work within.
Alongside the talks and panels, attendees will have opportunities to connect with a diverse community of designers, strategists, academics and industry leaders. In the evening, the day culminates with a special event at the Bank of England Museum, featuring a reception in the galleries and live presentations from five pioneering designers and makers: SolidWool (furniture from wool and bio-resin composites), Sanne Visser (circular design with human hair), Zena Holloway (root-grown textiles merging science and craft), Lulu Harrison (glass from seashell and brewery by-products), and Alkesh Parmar (playful material innovation with citrus peel).
A unique setting to celebrate ingenuity, sustainability and creativity in contemporary design. Stay tuned for the full programme.
LOCATION
Our inaugural conference takes place at the Bank of England Conference Centre in London’s city centre.
Who is it for?
Assemble with Material Matters is for people who work with materials—creatively, strategically, and critically.
We welcome designers, architects, academics and policy-makers, as well as those in large consultancies, innovation teams, and corporate design departments: people tackling sustainability at scale and rethinking how materials shape products, systems, and lives.
Whether you’re advising global clients on climate strategy, developing next-generation packaging in a lab, or experimenting with circular design in a studio, this conference is a space to share knowledge, make connections, and explore the bigger picture.
If you’re interested in how materials can help us build more intelligent, resilient, and responsible futures—this is for you.
Key Information
Date 20 November 2025Time 9am-6pm conference, 6-8pm evening reception
Venue Bank of England, Moorgate Auditorium, 20 Moorgate, London EC2R 6DA
Nearest stations Bank, Cannon Street
Entry Conference passes are available at an early bird rate of £135 +VAT until 9 October. Full price passes will then be available for £175 +VAT. Tickets are non-transferable. Valid photo ID will be required to enter the venue. View our admissions policy here.
The venue is fully accessible.
David