Schmidt Hammer Lassen breaks ground on former Shanghai Expo site

News: construction has started on a mixed-use development by Danish studio Schmidt Hammer Lassen on the former site of the 2010 Shanghai Expo.

Green Valley by Schmidt Hammer Lassen

The 50,000-square-metre Green Valley project is located next to the red Chinese pavilion and will feature shops, offices and restaurants.

Two major buildings will be located on each side of a central courtyard of greenery and water, with each featuring hanging gardens in its atrium.

Green Valley by Schmidt Hammer Lassen

“It will be a green, sustainable landmark for the city and for the entire region,” said Kristian Lars Ahlmark, partner at Schmidt Hammer Lassen Architects, which has offices in Shanghai as well as Aarhus and Copenhagen.

Green Valley, which is expected to be completed in 2015, is one of four projects across Shanghai designed by the same architects, all of which are redevelopments of the former industrial sites along the riverfront.

Green Valley by Schmidt Hammer Lassen

Other projects by the architects include a spiralling titanium-clad cathedral in northern Norway and the under-construction International Criminal Court in The Hague – see all architecture by Schmidt Hammer Lassen.

Many of the national pavilions at the Shangai Expo in 2010 were featured on Dezeen, include Thomas Heatherwick’s British pavilion made with 60,000 fibre optic rods and the Danish pavilion by BIG, which featured hundreds of free bikes and a swimming pool – see all coverage of the Shanghai Expo.

Green Valley by Schmidt Hammer Lassen

Here’s some more information from the architects:


On 30 May 2013, Schmidt Hammer Lassen Architects, East China Architecture and Design Institute, and Shanghai Expo Construction Development Company celebrated the ground breaking for, and start of construction of, the new Green Valley project on the site of the former 2010 Shanghai Expo.

Schmidt Hammer Lassen Architects won the international competition in 2012 to design the 50,000-square-metre project located immediately next to the iconic Chinese pavilion. The Green Valley development will become a new central urban development in Shanghai, integrating new sustainable solutions in both the urban design and the individual buildings on the site.

The Shanghai World Expo in 2010 placed emphasis on the future sustainable development of the formal industrial dockyard area of the city. The Expo event itself transformed this area into a new destination for the city. What remains after the Expo event is over and most of the pavilions are torn down is a strong and well-developed infrastructure with green parks, promenades and cultural attractions. The Green Valley project will mark the heart of the new permanent development of the site.

Green Valley by Schmidt Hammer Lassen

“The new Green Valley development, with offices, shops and restaurants, will become a new destination not only for the main users of the area but for people from Shanghai in general,” explained Kristian Lars Ahlmark, partner and project responsible at Schmidt Hammer Lassen Architects. “It will be a green, sustainable landmark for the city and for the entire region. It is a great honour to be part of this development on such a prominent site.”

A central open space composed of greenery, water and a soft landscape runs through the middle of the site. It functions as the spine of the Green Valley. This open space splits the site equally into two, with two major buildings located on each side. The buildings have a large, connected structure, tightly choreographed to set a new scene for urban life. It will act as a guiding element in the development of the entire area.

Green Valley by Schmidt Hammer Lassen

The buildings are designed to offer modern office facilities with a high standard of finish, flexibility, consideration of environmental issues, and low operating costs. The design expresses openness and accessibility, with a strong identity. The green hanging gardens inside the open atriums will be visible from the surrounding areas, and the people working in the buildings will be offered a great view to the greenery and city beyond.

“The project is designed so that, despite the monumental scale of the site, it relates to the human scale in the public spaces, giving a diverse, vibrant and inclusive community,” said Chris Hardie, associate partner and head of Schmidt Hammer Lassen Architects’ Shanghai office.

Green Valley by Schmidt Hammer Lassen

The Green Valley is just one of four major projects currently being designed by Schmidt Hammer Lassen Architects in the centre of Shanghai. All the projects relate to the redevelopment of the former industrial areas along the riverfront, and build on the studio’s celebrated track record in regenerating a number of prominent waterfront sites in major cities throughout Scandinavia. In Shanghai, the studio is designing the new Xuhui Binjiang Performance Arts Centre, is working on a redevelopment of a former coal storage building which will become a new art gallery and museum for an international art dealer, and has recently been appointed to design a pavilion for the West Bund International Biennale of Art and Architecture, alongside architects Atelier Deshaus, Atelier BowWow and Pritzker prize winner Wang Shu.

Green Valley by Schmidt Hammer Lassen

The Green Valley development is expected to be completed in 2015.

Lead design architect: Schmidt Hammer Lassen architects
Local architect: ECADI (East China Architecture and Design Institute)
Client: Shanghai EXPO Construction Development Co. Ltd.
Area: 50,000 m²
Competition: 2012, 1st prize in invited international competition
Status: Construction period 2013 – 2015

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Australian Prime Minister’s house by Jack Davies, Nick Roberts and Henry Stephens

A team of New Zealand architects has won a speculative competition to design a new residence for the Australian Prime Minister.

Australian Prime Minister's house by Jack Davies, Nicholas Roberts and Henry Stephens

The Lodge by the Lake competition was held by the University of Canberra to encourage a discussion about an eventual replacement for the Prime Minister’s current residence in the city, known as The Lodge.

Australian Prime Minister's house by Jack Davies, Nicholas Roberts and Henry Stephens

The winning entry, submitted by architects Jack Davies, Nick Roberts and Henry Stephens, is a lodge split over a number of levels with its front half sunk into the earth as it approaches the lake.

Australian Prime Minister's house by Jack Davies, Nicholas Roberts and Henry Stephens
Boatshed and wharf

“The brief was extensive and complex – especially when coupled with the particularities of the topography,” Roberts told Dezeen, explaining that their lodge combines intimate, private areas with monumental spaces suitable for public events.

Australian Prime Minister's house by Jack Davies, Nicholas Roberts and Henry Stephens
Water garden

“Managing this interface architecturally is not dissimilar to the private/public balance we imagine the Prime Minister must deal with personally on a daily basis,” said Roberts. “As a result the building resists becoming an object on the hill – the building both enfolds the landscape and is subsumed by it.”

Australian Prime Minister's house by Jack Davies, Nicholas Roberts and Henry Stephens
Entrance

The lodge, which would be constructed from concrete, local timber and recycled metal, is proposed for a site at Attunga Point, a landscaped peninsula overlooking Lake Burley Griffin in Canberra.

Australian Prime Minister's house by Jack Davies, Nicholas Roberts and Henry Stephens
Plan – click for larger image

“This design stood out as one that most successfully integrates the built forms with the subtle landscape of Attunga Point,” the judges noted in their remarks. “It responsibly owns the landscape, it is beautifully sited and it celebrates the lake edge location.”

Australian Prime Minister's house by Jack Davies, Nicholas Roberts and Henry Stephens
Site plan – click for larger image

Entries were required to include a private home and study, function spaces, a jetty, a swimming pool and areas for garden parties as well as space to present works of art from the National Gallery of Australia.

Australian Prime Minister's house by Jack Davies, Nicholas Roberts and Henry Stephens
Section – click for larger image

Roberts and Davies are both architecture graduates working in New Zealand and Australia respectively, while Stephens is completing his Master of Architecture degree at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts.

A 388-metre-high tower for Melbourne, which will be the tallest building in the southern hemisphere when completed, was recently approved by planners, while London firm Grimshaw has submitted plans for a 90-storey skyscraper in a suburb of Sydney – see all Australian architecture.

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Roaming Market by Aberrant Architecture

A tiny mobile performance venue based on sixteenth century market stalls and Roman fortune tellers will be appearing around the Lower Marsh area of Waterloo in London this summer.

Roaming Market by Aberrant Architecture
Photograph by Ben Quinton

Designed by London Studio Aberrant Architecture, the bright blue folly incorporates a rooftop platform, a covered seating area and a signpost printed with a chicken.

Roaming Market by Aberrant Architecture
Photograph by Ben Quinton

Constructed from steel and mounted on a trailer chassis, the maneuverable stall is intended to recall the site’s history as a bustling market area renowned for fortune tellers, mystics and peep shows.

Roaming Market by Aberrant Architecture
Photograph by Ben Quinton

As part of the design process, Aberrant Architecture examined Hugh Alley’s sixteenth century text A Caveat for the City of London, which features drawings of market totems around which traders used to gather.

Roaming Market by Aberrant Architecture
Photograph by Ben Quinton

“We really wanted to challenge the idea of how a sign could become a physical experience and weave together the richness of the area’s past with the street’s current character,” explains Kevin Haley, co-founder of Aberrant Architecture. “By reimagining historic market structures to reflect the unique character, noise, and atmosphere of the present day market the new stall marks the next step in Lower Marsh’s story.”

Roaming Market by Aberrant Architecture

The stall features a steel staircase that leads to a rooftop plinth on which installations and events can be held, whilst a cubbyhole beneath combines seating with a built-in chess board.

Roaming Market by Aberrant Architecture

A signpost protrudes from the roof with a graphic chicken mounted to its tip as a reference to Roman times when chickens were used by fortune tellers to predict the future.

Roaming Market by Aberrant Architecture

Collapsable steel balustrades allow the stall the be lowered in height and stored away easily.

Roaming Market by Aberrant Architecture

The Roaming Market was commissioned by Waterloo Quarter Business Improvement District as part of Waterloo’s Portas Pilots project, which aims to regenerate the Lower Marsh and The Cut areas of the district. We previously featured Mary Porta’s review of the future of high streets.

Roaming Market by Aberrant Architecture

The stall’s debut appearance was during the English festival of St George earlier this year with a party involving Morris Dancers, musicians, a fortune teller and a fool.

Roaming Market by Aberrant Architecture

The Roaming Market’s next appearance will be at the Waterloo Quarter Food Festival which runs from June 27 to July 31.

Roaming Market by Aberrant Architecture

This isn’t the first time Aberrant Architecture have designed a travelling folly-like structure. During Clerkenwell Design Week last year the studio unveiled a tiny mobile theatre with chimneys made from coal scuttles.

Roaming Market by Aberrant Architecture
‘A Caveatt for the City of London’ Hugh Alley

See more stories about Aberrant Architecture »

Here’s some more information about the project:


Waterloo Quarter Business Improvement District (BID) has commissioned aberrant architecture to design a new ‘roaming market’ stall for Lower Marsh Market in Waterloo, London. Inspired by ‘totem’ structures found on London’s historic street markets and Lambeth’s rich history of fortune tellers and mystics the new structure will act as a local information point. Once it has arrived at its site it will unfold into a mutli-functional stall incorporating a covered seating area with built-in chess board, a stage on the roof for hosting events and performances and a ‘chicken’ signpost for guiding people around the local area.

It is hoped the new structure will continue the rejuvenation of the Lower Marsh market, which was re-launched in 2011, by acting as a portable anchor around which new satellite markets can be created and as a promotional and signage tool helping to draw people through the local area. The innovative stall is being delivered as part of Waterloo Quarter’s ‘Portas Pilot’ project for Lower Marsh and The Cut, and is supported by the Mayor of London and delivered by Waterloo Quarter BID in collaboration with the London Borough of Lambeth.

The stall is inspired by drawings of ‘totem’ structures found in Hugh Alley’s idiosyncratic 16th century ‘A Caveatt for the City of London’ which were used as markers around which different traders assembled, often representing the part of the country where the produce was from. In addition the stall’s design is influenced by Lambeth’s history as a market area renowned for fortune tellers, mystics and peep shows. The giant chicken sign being used at the top of the structure reflects stories of chickens being used to tell people’s fortunes, a tradition that goes back to Roman times. The sign is also formed of images of livestock, food and household items all sold on the ‘New Cut’ market according to records from 1849.

Talking about plans for the new stall Helen Santer, Chief Executive of Waterloo Quarter BID said: “Once completed the satellite market stall will play an active role in the street market, and at events like the Waterloo Quarter Food Festival. It will complement the existing shops in Lower Marsh and on The Cut by directing people around the area and promoting Waterloo as a vibrant shopping destination. It will also be moved around the wider area to act as a satellite sign-post for our historic London market.”

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Park House by Another Apartment

Japanese studio Another Apartment has completed a house with an asymmetric roof on a narrow site in suburban Tokyo.

Park House by Another Apartment

Constructed across the street from a local park, the three-storey house has a glazed facade intended to offer views out towards the trees.

Park House by Another Apartment

“I started to think about creating a comfortable space where the attraction of park extends in,” says architect Tsuyoshi Kobayashi of Another Apartment.

Park House by Another Apartment

A garage and bathroom take up most of the ground floor of Park House, so the architect located the living room and bedroom on the middle storey then added a mezzanine loft beneath the angled roof.

Park House by Another Apartment

A ladder connects the two upper floors, while wooden staircase treads lead up from the ground floor, beginning with a chunky triangular block.

Park House by Another Apartment

“With a light impression, the stairs look like thin plates appearing from the wall,” says Kobayashi.

Park House by Another Apartment

Galvanised steel panels clad the exterior of the house and fold up over the roof.

Park House by Another Apartment

Other Japanese houses featured on Dezeen recently include a residence where rooms spiral up to a rooftop terrace and a weekend retreat with windows of various shapes and sizes.

Park House by Another Apartment

See more Japanese houses »

Park House by Another Apartment

Photography is by Koichi Torimura.

Park House by Another Apartment

Park House by Another Apartment
Ground floor plan – click for larger image
Park House by Another Apartment
First floor plan – click for larger image
Park House by Another Apartment
Second floor plan – click for larger image
Park House by Another Apartment
Cross section – click for larger image

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New Fire Island Pines Pavilion by HWKN

New York studio HWKN has resurrected the nightclub of New York’s popular gay resort Fire Island Pines inside an asymmetric pavilion with criss-crossing timber braces (+ slideshow).

New Fire Island Pines Pavilion by HWKN

The Fire Island Pines Pavilion had been the main attraction of the Pines community since the 1980s, so when the building was destroyed by fire in 2011 HWKN was asked to rebuild it with an improved design.

New Fire Island Pines Pavilion by HWKN

The new building is a two-storey timber construction with a bar and terrace at ground floor level, plus a dance club and outdoor lounge on the first floor. There’s also a retractable roof so the club can be opened to the sky on warm summer evenings.

New Fire Island Pines Pavilion by HWKN

The corner of the structure appears to have been sliced away, angling the building’s terraces to face the nearby harbour and directing views towards new arrivals.

New Fire Island Pines Pavilion by HWKN
Ground floor plan – Click for larger image

HWKN’s Marc Kushner explains: “When it is empty, [the new pavilion] is a muscular icon for the energy and vitality of the Pines – it visually welcomes every ferry that arrives to the island. As it fills with an afternoon crowd, the architecture fades in importance. The building becomes an armature to display the social spectacle of a weekend in the Pines.”

New Fire Island Pines Pavilion by HWKN
First floor plan – Click for larger image

Bars on both floors feature zig-zagging outlines, intended to encourage more social encounters. Inside the nightclub, bleacher-style seating areas create viewing platforms and a rectangular skylight offers a window to the stars.

New Fire Island Pines Pavilion by HWKN
Longitudinal section – Click for larger image

“We infused every space with a social engine, including the triangular bars that encourage casual meetings, the arena-like bleachers in the nightclub that put the ‘see and be seen’ opportunity into the third dimension and the inviting openness of the triangular facade frames,” comments HWKN’s Matthias Hollwich.

New Fire Island Pines Pavilion by HWKN
Transverse section – Click for larger image

Hollwich and Kushner are the founding partners of HWKN. The studio’s most well-known project to date is Wendy, the giant spiky air-cleaning sculpture installed outside the P.S.1 Contemporary Art Centre last summer.

See more bars and nightclubs on Dezeen, including one with copper pipes stretching across its walls and one with chunky black trees inside.

Here’s some more information from HWKN:


Hollwich Kushner (HWKN) and Blesso Properties announce the near completion of the New Fire Island Pines Pavilion.

Like a phoenix rising from the ashes, so goes the Pavilion. The Fire Island Pines Pavilion, destroyed in 2011 by a devastating fire, is now near completion, once again giving the Pines community a central hub for culture and nightlife. The reincarnation of the legendary dance club is designed by New York-based Hollwich Kushner (HWKN) and developed by Blesso Properties.

New Fire Island Pines Pavilion by HWKN

“The building, located at the intersection of all traffic to and from the island, is shaped to become a part of the everyday way of life for the community by fitting in comfortably with the open, beachy, and modern feel of the Pines,” says Matthias Hollwich, co-founder of HWKN. “Going beyond that, we infused every space with a social engine, including the triangular bars that encourage casual meetings, the arena-like bleachers in the nightclub that put the “see and be seen” opportunity into the 3rd dimension, and the inviting openness of the triangular facade frames.”

New Fire Island Pines Pavilion by HWKN

The building’s form is sheared towards the harbour to visually welcome the over 800,000 visitors who arrive via ferry to Fire Island Pines every summer. The first floor offers a Welcome Bar to serve as a meeting place for all residents and visitors. The dance club encompasses the building’s second level, with a 2,400 square-foot dance floor and a 2,600 square-foot outdoor terrace which will host High Tea in the evenings, and double as an additional lounge at night. The Welcome Bar, the High Tea deck, and the Pavilion club space are all connected by an internal loop of stairs. Inside the club, stadium steps cascade out from one wall, creating an elevated view of the dance floor, with a skylight overhead providing a constant view of the starry night skies.

“The new pavilion is an architectural chameleon,” says Marc Kushner, co-founder of HWKN. “When it is empty, it is a muscular icon for the energy and vitality of the Pines – it visually welcomes every ferry that arrives to the island. As it fills with an afternoon crowd, the architecture fades in importance. The building becomes an armature to display the social spectacle of a weekend in the Pines.”

New Fire Island Pines Pavilion by HWKN

The building is an exercise in sustainability. Many of the design elements that make the space fun, like the massive retractable roof over the dance floor, serve a double purpose by providing passive cooling on hot summer nights. The decision to open half of the building to the outdoors vastly reduces the need for air conditioning, while also re-connecting people to the beauty of the natural environment in Fire Island. Additionally, the choice of finishes on the exterior and interior is calibrated to minimise material usage by exposing the Pavilion’s raw construction.

Hollwich adds, “When we started designing the Pavilion, we came to realise that we were not just reporting to Blesso Properties, but that there are also all of the Fire Island Pines homeowners and visitors who are our clients as well. We knew we needed to listen to all of them – and we believe we did, integrating everything we learned into the design of the new building.”

New Fire Island Pines Pavilion by HWKN

Throughout the entire rebuilding process, the team received hundreds of letters, emails and Facebook messages from Pavilion devotees offering ideas, critiques, and support for the new complex.

“In most of our projects, if I can achieve 90% of our design goals we view it as a triumph. In this case we got 100% as HWKN designed a flawless building,” says Matthew Blesso, Founder & CEO of Blesso Properties. “The design is incredibly bold, appropriately masculine and modern yet rustic. And they achieved this while meeting our diverse and demanding functional goals. The building will be a timeless icon for generations to come and I couldn’t be happier with the end result.”

New Fire Island Pines Pavilion by HWKN

The Pavilion’s reopening is perfectly timed with the 60th anniversary of the Pines, as the club has a long-standing heritage in the community. Originally built in 1985, it instantly changed the social landscape, imbuing it with the type of heartbeat only a nightclub can provide. The legacy of the Pines has been lovingly interwoven into every part of the new Pavilion, from the architecture to the programming.

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APELLE

Apelle is a wooden one family house located in Karjaa – Finland. The house is in the forest as much as the forest is in the house – the architec..

Farrells develops £1 billion Chinese business hub in London docklands

News: British architect Terry Farrell’s firm is onboard to masterplan a £1 billion business hub in London’s docklands for Chinese and Asian businesses.

The Mayor of London’s office has announced its plan to transform a 14 hectare site at the Royal Albert Dock, a stretch of land near London City airport, into a gateway for Far Eastern businesses looking to establish their headquarters in Europe.

Royal Albert Dock masterplan by Farrells

Farrells, which has offices in London, Hong Kong and Shanghai, is creating the masterplan for the £1 billion development, which will comprise around 230,000 square metres of office space as well as shops, apartments and leisure facilities.

The first phase of 55,000 square metres is due to open in 2017, subject to planning permission, with work on the site intended to be completed by 2022.

Royal Albert Dock masterplan by Farrells

The Royal Albert Dock is one of a number of developments currently planned on the banks of the Thames, including three residential towers by Foster + Partners and plans to slot a glazed extension over the brutalist concrete architecture of the Southbank Centre – see all London architecture.

Earlier this year the firm’s head Terry Farrell was selected to lead an independent review of the UK’s architecture policy, working with an 11-strong advisory panel of architects and designers.

Other Farrells projects we’ve featured include the 442-metre Kingkey 100 skyscraper in Shenzhen and a proposal to convert London’s Battersea Power Station into a park – see all architecture by Farrells.

Here’s the press release from the Mayor of London’s office:


Mayor announces £1bn to transform Royal Albert Dock into capital’s next business district

» ABP to create state of the art business port aimed initially at Chinese and Asian business
» Estimated 20,000 jobs to be created
» Development to be worth £6bn to the UK economy when complete

The Mayor, Boris Johnson, has announced details of a £1bn deal to transform London’s historic docklands into the capital’s next business district, forging new trade links with China and other economies in the Asia-Pacific region and securing billions of pounds of inward investment in the UK economy.

Owned by the Greater London Authority and situated in the heart of Royal Docks Enterprise Zone, the 35-acre site at Royal Albert Dock is set to be transformed by ABP China (Holding), a successful commercial developer, into a gateway for Asian and Chinese business seeking to establish headquarters in Europe as well as other businesses wanting to set up in the capital.

Historically the trading heartland of the capital, the deal will re-instate the Royal Docks as a commercial and trading centre for the 21st century, delivering around 20,000 full-time jobs and boosting local employment in Newham by 30 per cent. When complete the site will become London’s third business district and, according to initial projections, be worth £6bn to the UK economy, generating £23m in business rates annually and acting as a catalyst for further development in the area.

The largest development of its kind in the UK, the state-of-the-art business district will act as a platform for financial, high-tech and knowledge driven industries looking establish and drive forward their business in UK and European markets. The deal represents one of the first direct investment by a Chinese developer in London’s property market and will eventually be home to over 3.2 million square feet of high quality work, retail and leisure space, including 2.5 million square feet of prime office space, creating a new, vibrant 24/7 district on London’s waterways.

An experienced developer in China, this is ABP’s first development project in Europe. With a track record of investing in and transforming large areas in need of regeneration, the company specialises in delivering projects of significant scale. ABP have recently completed a large development of around 15 million square feet in Beijing, while their Shenyang project in north-eastern China is even larger, with plans for 75 million square feet when complete.

Working with UK developer Stanhope and architects and masterplanners Farrells, ABP have a commitment to developing a minimum of 600,000 square feet in the first phase, with strong interest for office space already being shown by Chinese companies, including some of the country’s top banks. The first occupiers are due to move in in 2017.

The deal is a key part of the Mayor’s on-going commitment to regenerate London’s docklands, bringing jobs and homes back to the capital’s waterways and builds on the momentum of the development of the Olympic Park and Stratford City. It is the latest in a string of investments in the area including the Siemens Crystal Centre, the Emirates cable car, and new homes at Great Eastern Quay, as well as upcoming developments at Silvertown Quays and the plans to create the UK’s largest floating village at Royal Victoria Dock.

Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said: “For centuries the waterways of east London were the throbbing arteries of UK trade and commerce. This deal symbolises the revival of that great era, continuing the re-invention of this once maligned part of the capital into a 21st century centre of trade and investment. Creating a third financial district in the capital, this development will act as a beacon for eastern investors looking west, bringing with it tens of thousands of jobs and billions of pounds of investment for the UK economy.”

Chairman of ABP, Mr Xu, said: “I am very pleased and very proud that my company ABP has reached this agreement for the Royal Albert Dock with the Greater London Authority. This project will be hugely significant for both the Chinese and UK economies. My vision is to develop a world class international business district which will initially target Asian businesses to help them secure a destination in London, which in China is seen as the gateway to both the United Kingdom and the wider European economy. Our plans aim to strengthen trade between east and west, provide new local jobs and deliver benefits for the wider London and UK economy.”

Communities Secretary Eric Pickles said: “Enterprise Zones are creating new local jobs and stimulating business ventures through significant tax incentives, simplified planning and super fast broadband that will support our economy.

“This is a significant investment deal for London and will boost employment and growth in the capital. I am delighted that the benefits of Enterprise Zone status are attracting foreign investment to the country and strengthening our trade relations with major international players like China.”

Sir Robin Wales, Mayor of Newham said: “The Royal Docks Enterprise Zone offers an unrivalled investment opportunity and this deal further strengthens Newham’s growing reputation as an ideal destination for international business.

“We welcome ABP’s ambitious vision for the Docks which are already home to London City Airport, the University of East London, the Siemens Crystal and the Excel. ABP’s proposals will bring further investment from abroad and unlock future development. It will also create benefits for local people by providing thousands of new jobs and further enhancing the waterfront for people to enjoy.

“Newham will work closely with ABP and their UK development partner, Stanhope, to ensure that as many of these jobs as possible are accessible to local residents. Our successful Workplace jobs brokerage scheme is ideally placed to ensure this happens.”

Situated in the Royal Docks Enterprise Zone, the Albert Dock site, when complete, will have some of the best transport links in the capital, with direct access to central and western London via the new Crossrail station coming in 2018. It also benefits from close proximity to the University of East London and City Airport, providing direct links to Europe’s key business destinations.

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Four architects reimagine New York’s Penn Station

News: SHoP Architects and SOM are among four firms putting forward their visions for the future of New York’s Pennsylvania Station and Madison Square Garden.

Four architects propose Penn Station
SHoP Architects

In an event at the Times Center last night, the Municipal Art Society of New York also unveiled proposals by Diller Scofidio + Renfro and H3 Hardy Collaboration Architecture, each reimagining the rail hub and the indoor arena that sits atop it.

Four architects propose Penn Station
SHoP Architects

SHoP Architects proposes to expand the main hall of Penn Station into a bright and airy space surrounded by new parks and amenities. An extension of the High Line – the New York park built along a section of a former elevated railway – would connect the station to a new Madison Square Garden offsite.

Four architects propose Penn Station
SOM

Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP (SOM) put forward a huge expansion of the station centred around a central, transparent ticket hall. Floating above it would be an inverted dome containing offices, apartments and green spaces staggered over multiple levels.

Four architects propose Penn Station
SOM

The proposal by Diller Scofidio + Renfro suggests moving Madison Square Garden across Eighth Avenue and expanding Penn Station upwards to include new amenities such as a theatre and spa.

Four architects propose Penn Station
SOM

Finally, H3 Hardy Collaboration Architecture proposes shifting Madison Square Garden to a 16-acre platform over the Hudson River at 34th Street, creating cycling and pedestrian promenades and a new 16-acre park.

Four architects propose Penn Station
Diller Scofidio + Renfro

The competition was launched to encourage discussion about the future of the site, which seems increasingly uncertain. While the owners of Madison Square Garden have asked to renew their permit for the site above the station “in perpetuity”, the New York City Planning Commission recently voted to limit it to 15 years, placing a question mark over the arena’s future.

Four architects propose Penn Station
Diller Scofidio + Renfro

Penn Station, which was designed to accommodate around 200,000 passengers a day but now has to deal with around 640,000, is seen by many New Yorkers as inefficient and badly in need of an update.

Four architects propose Penn Station
H3 Hardy Collaboration Architecture

Last year the Municipal Art Society invited architects to suggest improvements to New York’s Grand Central Terminal, with SOM coming up with a floating observation deck that slides up and down and Foster + Partners proposing to increase the station’s capacity.

Four architects propose Penn Station
H3 Hardy Collaboration Architecture

Other railway stations we’ve published include a Spanish station with a faceted aluminium interior and the vaulted concourse by John McAslan + Partners at King’s Cross Station in London – see all stations and transport hubs.

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Mary Rose Museum by Wilkinson Eyre and Pringle Brandon Perkins+Will

A museum housing sixteenth century Tudor warship the Mary Rose opens today in an elliptical timber-clad building designed by London office Wilkinson Eyre Architects (+ slideshow).

Mary Rose Museum by Wilkinson Eyre Architects

Located in the historic dockyard of Portsmouth, England, the Mary Rose Museum displays part of the ship that served the navy of King Henry VIII for 33 years before spending 437 years undiscovered at the bottom of the sea.

Mary Rose Museum by Wilkinson Eyre and Pringle Brandon Perkins+Will

Wilkinson Eyre Architects designed the museum with a stained black exterior, intended to reference traditional English boat sheds, and a disc-shaped metal roof that curves up over its elliptical body.

Mary Rose Museum by Wilkinson Eyre and Pringle Brandon Perkins+Will

The starboard section of the ship’s hull is housed in a temperature-controlled chamber at the heart of the building and can be viewed through internal windows on three different storeys.

Mary Rose Museum by Wilkinson Eyre and Pringle Brandon Perkins+Will

The interiors, by London firm Pringle Brandon Perkins+Will, were designed to recreate the dark and claustrophobic atmosphere found below a ship’s deck.

Mary Rose Museum by Wilkinson Eyre and Pringle Brandon Perkins+Will

“We designed a museum that would recreate the experience of being on board the ship hundreds of years ago and created a context gallery to highlight its precious contents,” said studio principal Chris Brandon.

Mary Rose Museum by Wilkinson Eyre and Pringle Brandon Perkins+Will

Spaces feature low ceilings and are kept deliberately dark, with lighting directed only onto exhibits and handrails so that visitors can find their way through the galleries.

Mary Rose Museum by Wilkinson Eyre and Pringle Brandon Perkins+Will

Two smaller extensions branch out from the sides of the museum. The first accommodates a reception, cafe and shop, while the second contains an education centre.

Mary Rose Museum by Wilkinson Eyre and Pringle Brandon Perkins+Will

Wilkinson Eyre Architects was the recipient of last year’s World Building of the Year prize for its role in the Gardens by the Bay tropical garden in Singapore. The firm also recently won a competition to design a skyscraper on Sydney’s harbourfront.

Mary Rose Museum by Wilkinson Eyre and Pringle Brandon Perkins+Will

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Mary Rose Museum by Wilkinson Eyre and Pringle Brandon Perkins+Will

Photography is by Richard Chivers.

Mary Rose Museum by Wilkinson Eyre and Pringle Brandon Perkins+Will

Here’s some more information from the design team:


Award-winning architects bring the Mary Rose back to life and create a new centrepiece for Portsmouth’s Historic Dockyard

The design of the new £27m Mary Rose Museum – by Wilkinson Eyre Architects (architect and design team leader) and Pringle Brandon Perkins+Will (architect for the interior) – is a story of collaboration, with the project team combining delicate conservation, contemporary architecture and specialist technical expertise. The result is a truly unique design that reveals the secrets of the famous Tudor ship, marking 30 years since the hull of the Mary Rose was raised from the Solent where she lay undiscovered for 437 years.

Mary Rose Museum by Wilkinson Eyre and Pringle Brandon Perkins+Will

Like crafting a jewellery box to house a precious gem, the design team has together created a building and interior that protects and showcases the Mary Rose. Designed from the inside-out, the Museum building takes many of its cues from the historic ship, allowing its hull, artefacts and exhibitions to take centre stage and create a visitor experience befitting this remarkable piece of history.

Mary Rose Museum by Wilkinson Eyre and Pringle Brandon Perkins+Will

At the heart of the project, within a carefully controlled ‘hot box’ environment, is the starboard section of the hull of the Mary Rose. Alongside it, a virtual port-side hull has been created over three levels to view the ship and house the context gallery. Encasing the Mary Rose and the largest collection of Tudor artefacts in the world is an architectural form that alludes to the historic significance of the Museum’s collection and announces the arrival of a major new cultural attraction.

Mary Rose Museum by Wilkinson Eyre and Pringle Brandon Perkins+Will

Chris Wilkinson, Founding Director at Wilkinson Eyre Architects, said: “When you have a treasure like the Mary Rose, which continues to capture the world’s imagination, the architecture of the building takes a supporting role. However, the building has a very significant part to play in projecting the Museum and its remarkable collection to the world, creating intrigue and heightening the visitor experience of this major cultural attraction.”

Chris Brandon, Principal of Pringle Brandon Perkins+Will (PBP+W), said: “This museum is unique – the only one in the world to take its inspiration from the archaeological finds of the Mary Rose and the ship herself. Our role was to create a showcase for The Mary Rose and her artefacts befitting their significance, so we designed a museum that would recreate the experience of being on board the ship hundreds of years ago and created a context gallery to highlight its precious contents. Coming from a marine archaeological background, finally I can unite my two passions in life – architecture and marine archaeology. I hope visitors to the Mary Rose Museum are as excited by the end result as I am.”

Mary Rose Museum by Wilkinson Eyre and Pringle Brandon Perkins+Will

The architecture

When working with such a fascinating artefact like the Mary Rose, the architecture needs to complement rather than distract. In this case, the challenge was finding the right architectural language to help articulate the story being told by the Museum, whilst adding a confident piece of contemporary architecture to Portsmouth Historic Dockyard.

The simple, pure elliptical form of the new building is derived from toroidal geometry echoing the shape of the Mary Rose; its timber is reminiscent of the ship’s historic hull, showcasing the innovative Carvel construction methods of the 16th Century. Further embedding the building in its maritime heritage, the timber has been stained black to reflect England’s vernacular boat shed architecture. ­­

Mary Rose Museum by Wilkinson Eyre and Pringle Brandon Perkins+Will

The challenges of the site’s historic context, adjacent to HMS Victory and the listed Admiralty buildings, are compounded by the nature of the site itself: a late 18th Century Dry Dock that is listed as a Scheduled Ancient Monument. Care has been taken to keep the height of the Museum as low as possible to remain sensitive to the proportions and scale of the surrounding buildings. The low-profile, shell-shaped metal roof follows this logic and reduces the internal volume of space which has to be environmentally controlled to precise standards to ensure the conservation of the hull.

Two rectangular pavilions are attached to each side of the main building, one housing the main entrance reception, café and shop, and the other occupied by the Learning Centre and main plant room. The overall composition is a piece of contemporary architecture, an elegantly simple form with an air of mystery that encourages visitors to enter and explore.

Mary Rose Museum by Wilkinson Eyre and Pringle Brandon Perkins+Will

The interior

The essence of the design of the interior evolved from the frozen moment in time seconds before the Mary Rose capsized and sank on 19th July 1545. Following the painstaking archaeological excavation and recording of the exact location of every find, the project team could see inside the Mary Rose and reunite the original contents – fittings, weaponry, armament and possessions – deck-by-deck.

A virtual hull was constructed to represent the missing port side with all the guns on their original gun carriages, cannonballs, gun furniture, stores, chests, rope and rigging. Visitors to the Museum walk in between the conserved starboard section of the hull and the virtual hull on three levels, seeing all the main shipboard material in context as though they are on board the Mary Rose. The end galleries then interpret the context gallery deck-by-deck in more conventional museum display cases, designed by Land Design Studio.

Mary Rose Museum by Wilkinson Eyre and Pringle Brandon Perkins+Will

The atmosphere of being on the ship is further enhanced by the walkways following the shape of the deck from stern to bow and low ceilings on the lower deck. The Museum spaces are deliberately dark with daylight excluded and the only lighting either focused on the objects or concealed under the walkway handrail, lighting the space and re-creating the dark claustrophobic spaces below decks.

Two museum interiors have been designed – the first for 2013 to 2017/18 and the second for the period after 2018. Initially the Mary Rose will remain in her protective cocoon while she is dried and be seen through windows on the three levels of the context gallery and the lifts. However, on completion of the conservation process, the context gallery walkways will be opened and the Mary Rose and all her contents will be seen together.

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