REAL is a London-based cultural institute and architectural practice founded by Jack Self in 2016.

OUT NOW! Mies in London, the first book on Mies van der Rohe's only UK project has now launched. Available to view and for purchase from www.mies.london

REAL asks the question, “what does it mean to live today?” We promote inclusivity and social equality through the built environment. We specialise in alternative models of housing ownership and the design of project finance.

REAL’s projects include exhibitions, publishing and architecture. Our partners and clients are cultural and financial institutions, developers, housing associations, private companies, and a broad network of architects, artists and designers.

REAL publishes Britain's foremost contemporary culture magazine Real Review, in partnership with OK-RM. Real Review is award-winning, and was featured in the Design Museum's 2017 Design of the Year Awards.

REAL curated the British Pavilion at the 2016 Venice Architecture Biennale with Home Economics, for which we also published the catalogue. Other publications include Three Found Models, Symbolic Exchange and Mies in London, amongst others.

REAL's architectural work includes projects for the 2017 Chicago Biennale and Maxxi in Rome, cohousing schemes in Britain and New Zealand, mortgage products for national banks, and private homes.

REAL understands architecture as a spatial practice, and real estate as a manifestation of complex social, political and economic power relations. REAL is focussed on how property and ownership, forms of labour, and our management of time affect our everyday lives.

REAL is a collaborative organisation, with light bureaucracy and minimal overheads. Wherever possible it seeks to utilise the existing structures of its partners to reduce redundancy, improve productivity, foster inclusivity, and promote collective enquiry. It is above all dedicated to the highest quality of intellectual and creative output.