Hasta La Ideas

The 2012 Olympic games begin today and this latticed timber hut on stilts by Hackney architects Studio Weave now marks the direct route from the City of London to the Olympic Park.

The temporary installation is positioned at the start of High Street 2012, a ribbon of streets that lead directly from Aldgate, east London, to the main site of the games in Stratford.

Named Paleys upon Pilers, or palace on pillars, the wooden folly was inspired by the dream-like temples described in two poems written by historic Aldgate resident Geoffrey Chaucer.

The structure will remain in place throughout the summer.

Studio Weave’s project was constructed in place of the 100 metre-tall glass elevator that won a competition for the site back in 2010 but was abandoned when funding couldn’t be raised.

See more stories about Studio Weave »
See more stories about London 2012 »

Photography is by Studio Weave.

Here’s some information from the architects:

Paleys upon Pilers celebrates Aldgate’s distinguished resident Geoffrey Chaucer

To mark the location of the historic Aldgate – where Chaucer lived from 1374-1386 – an intricate timber ‘paleys upon pilers’ (palace on pillars) has been commissioned by the Worshipful Company of Chartered Architects as its contribution to the games celebrations.

The installation secured temporary Planning Permission on Friday May 4th, will officially open on Friday the 27th July 2012 and will remain in place throughout the summer.

Created by the young, award-winning architects, Studio Weave, the construction will also mark the start of High Street 2012, the direct route from the City of London to the games site at Stratford.


The New Aldgate is supported by the City Property Advisory Team (CPAT) and eight other Worshipful livery Companies and will be built from sustainable British Larch supplied by BSW Timber and is sponsored by 4C Hotels Ltd.

Sir Michael Bear, former Lord Mayor of London and President of the London Festival of Architecture says “As a ward member for the area I am delighted that this elegant structure will provide a focus and identity for this area which is undergoing major regeneration.”

Peter Murray, founder director of the London Festival of Architecture and Court assistant to the Worshipful company of Chartered Architects says “This is a delightfully evocative design that brings a contemporary clarity to the eastern fringe of the Square Mile. The old Aldgate was designed to keep people out; Studio Weave’s design welcomes visitors from around the world who will be visiting London this summer.”

Studio Weave: Project description

A gate stood at Aldgate from the Roman Period until 1761. From 1374 to 1386 Chaucer (1343-1400) lived in the rooms above the Aldgate.

Our design is inspired by the two dream poems written by Chaucer while resident in the rooms above the gate from 1374 to 1386. ‘The House of Fame’ and ‘The Parliament of Fowls’ both include images of fantastic dream-like temples of impossible materials and scale, elevated on precarious, precious structures above vast, bizarre landscapes conceivable as analogies for the City.

Paleys upon Pilers is an abstraction of the uppermost room of the old gate and an invocation of Chaucer’s luxurious dreamed temples. The structure consists of a kind of timber embroidery and will sit in the air above the busy Aldgate High Street, supported on pillars decorated with images from Chaucer’s illuminated manuscripts.

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