In 2012 the British Council curated the International Architecture and Design Showcase in celebration of the London 2012 Olympic Games. Bridging the London Festival of Architecture (LFA) with the London Design Festival (LDF), the programme saw three months of events and exhibitions organised by 49 London embassies and cultural institutes. The projects ranged from Romania’s sculptural installation 'Minimal Complexities' set against the backdrop of the new Central St Martins’ atrium, to hub shows like 'Home' at the Mosaic Rooms which explored contemporary interpretations of the home in Arab architecture.

The Silver Pigeon Award for the Best National Contribution at the LFA was co-commissioned with the 2010 winners, the Embassy of Japan, and designed by London-based Japanese  product and furniture designer Tomoko Azumi. On the 5th of July, 2012 the Silver Pigeon Award was presented to Namibia for its exhibition, Definitions of Space. Projects by Japan and Somalia were also both highly commended.

Growing its scope and participants once again, the International Architecture and Design Showcase 2012 included Australia, Austria, Bahrain, Belgium, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Caribbean, China, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, Finland, Germany, Greece,  Hungary, Iraq, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Latvia, Lebanon, Morocco, Namibia, Netherlands, Norway, Palestine, Peru, Poland, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Somalia, South Africa, Switzerland, Sudan, Tanzania, Taiwan, Turkey, USA, Uzbekistan, Yemen and Zimbabwe.