Hasta La Ideas

London’s Battersea Power Station is transformed into a museum of architecture and surrounded by a giant roller coaster in these competition-winning proposals by French studio Atelier Zündel Cristea (+ slideshow).

The conceptual plans were awarded first prize in the international competition coordinated by ArchTriumph, which invited applicants to suggest how the crumbling brick landmark could be used as an exhibition centre dedicated to architecture.

“Our aim was to imagine a new cathedral to architecture, a building that will challenge its sister structure, the Tate Modern, for international acclaim,” said Atelier Zündel Cristea, explaining how they looked to Herzog & de Meuron’s renovation of the Bankside Power Station for inspiration.

A curved scaffolding structure would weave in and around the building, creating a network of pathways between the exhibition spaces and providing the tracks for the roller coaster running along on top.

“We conceived of a double-faceted project,” said the architects. “On one hand, a calm and contemplative interior, dedicated to the collection’s display; on the other, an exterior opening upon the surrounding landscape and providing breathtaking views.

Designed by architect Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, Battersea Power Station was constructed in the 1930s and spent over 50 years generating electricity for London. Over the years since its decommissioning, the building and its surrounds have invited dozens of development proposals and the site is currently earmarked for a mixed-use complex of apartments, shops, offices and a theatre.

Past proposals for Battersea Power Station include Rafael Viñoly’s plans for a 300-metre tower and an “Eco-Dome” and Terry Farrell’s idea to convert the building into a park. There was also an offer to convert it into a football stadium. Read more about Battersea Power Station.

Another extreme proposal for an iconic building released recently was a plan to extend the Guggenheim Museum in New York by continuing the spiral upwards.

Here’s a detailed description from Atelier Zündel Cristea:

Battersea Power Station London

The Site

London stands on the River Thames, its primary geographical feature, a navigable river which traverses the city from the southwest to the east. The city is home to numerous museums, galleries, libraries, sporting events and such cultural institutions as the British Museum, National Gallery, Tate Modern, British Library, Wimbledon, as well as over 40 major theatres.

The Battersea Power Station, which was built between 1930 and 1955, is situated a few miles south of Marble Arch on the south bank of the Thames, facing the borough of Chelsea. The decommissioned station is one of the best known landmarks in London and an excellent example of Victorian architecture. It is also the largest brick building in Europe, notable for its original Art Deco interiors and decor.

The area surrounding the site is characterised by a mix of residential, commercial, and industrial uses, with the presence of warehouses as well as rail infrastructure. Battersea Park, situated on the banks of the Thames towards the west, is an important element in the makeup of the neighbourhood. Like the power station, Battersea Park has its own fascinating history, from the Fun Fair which began as the Pleasure Gardens of the 1951 Festival of Britain, to the new century’s Millennium Arena.

A Temple of Power

The Battersea Power Station was built, due to the proximity of the cooling presence of water, on a 61,000m² plot of land situated on the south banks. From its inception, the station was very popular. It symbolised progress, industry, and a new type of power: the Power of the People.

The structure is made of a steel frame with brick cladding, similar to the skyscrapers built in the United States around the same time. The building’s large dimensions measure 160 metres by 170 metres, with the roof of the boiler house extending to over 50 metres high. The four chimneys are made of concrete and reach a height of 103 metres.

After being in operation for 40 years, the two wings have both ceased generating electricity, A station in 1975, B station in 1983. Over its seventy year history, the station has taken on iconic status, having been represented in many forms of popular culture, from films to music videos to video games.

A New Site for Architectural Pleasures

Our project envisions the regeneration of the Battersea site within a new park combining leisure and architecture, in creating a popular spot welcoming to all, dedicated to the pleasures of mind and body, replete with unique experiences. A space for learning, relaxation, and discussion; an architectural and cultural village in the heart of the city.

A museum of architecture, based on the Parisian Cité de l’Architecture model, will through a series of galleries present a panorama of architecture and cultural heritage from the Middle Ages to today. A highly varied collection of materials will illustrate the major changes that have taken place in international and British architecture throughout the centuries. Abbeys, cathedrals, historic city mansions display the wealth of their sculpted and painted decor, as well as the complexity of their structures. Train stations and skyscrapers attest to the technological and formal innovations of the modern era. Public and residential buildings bear witness to the changes in society and lifestyles.

The originality of the collections stems as much from the monumental scales of the displayed volumes as from the remarkable variety of supporting materials: stained glass, scale models, drawings, books, films, and prototypes… The discovery of which invites visitors on an architectural journey through time and space.

We tried to keep in mind the principal reasons for why people would visit the new Battersea Museum of Architecture: the opportunity to see and experience architecture while learning about it as a profession and discussing it with others; people watching and mingling amongst fellow visitors; exploring the architectural setting of the power station; revisiting familiar works of art and architecture. Our aim was to imagine a new Cathedral to Architecture, a building that will challenge its sister structure, the Tate Modern, for international acclaim, and establish a new visual reference point for the city.

A Playground for the Mind and for the Body

The development of culture is one of the highest possible human ideals. Therefore, in every museum it is not the exhibition of works that has meaning, but the presence of visitors and their wandering through and exposure to displays of works that stimulate meaning.

We have introduced the foreign element of a rail into the space of the power station, which will function above all in animating the empty space. It will offer visitors entering the structure a primary pathway, allowing them to take in the essential layout of the building with a minimum of effort. With the pathway determined by the presence of the rail, the simple fact of moving through the exterior and interior spaces of the station begins to make sense.

In its spatial ambition, our project encourages play and fun, categories largely devalued in the traditional world of art. Conceived in this way, cultural spaces are liable to attract new types of visitors. Our project puts the power station on centre stage, the structure itself enhancing the site through its impressive scale, its architecture, and its unique brick material. Our created pathway links together a number of spaces for discovery: the square in front of the museum, clearings, footpaths outside and above and inside, footpaths traversing courtyards and exhibition rooms.

The angles and perspectives created by the rail’s pathway, through the movement within and outside of the structure, place visitors in a position where they can perceive simultaneously the container and its contents, the work and nature. They come to participate in several simultaneous experiences: enjoying the displayed works, being moved by the beauty of the structure and the city: river, park, buildings.

The project has the strength of evoking the dimension and scale of man in the contemporary era, putting into question our relationship to the structure. It is not only a matter of showing, but also of suggesting post-industrial poetry. We conceived of a double-facetted project: on one hand, a calm and contemplative interior, dedicated to the collection’s display; on the other, an exterior opening upon the surrounding landscape, providing breathtaking views.

Museums are NOT FUN! Museums are FUN!

Can we design a museum in which new design ideas are explored, architectural experimentation is encouraged, and the profession challenged, while attracting large numbers of visitors? Alongside certain serious and important topics, the element of fun in museums is important!

For some people, “fun” is a loaded word. Some people would consider words like enjoyable, pleasant, worthwhile and so on, better terms of evaluation for the experience of visiting a museum. For a certain proportion of regular museum goers, “fun” is simply not a word they would consider using in describing the museum experience, implying as it might for them dumbing down, simplification, or out of place hands-on activities, commotion and even noise. Unsurprisingly, almost all of these respondents are over the age of 50. When it comes to younger respondents however, “fun” is a word often used to describe the museum experience, and in very positive terms. But the use of the word “fun” in describing the museum experience should no longer be limited to a particular generational or social category.

We believe that museums can make learning “fun”, therefore museums can be “fun”. As young adult architects with children, we often seek out experiences that combine fun and culture. Museums can provide artistically qualitative but fun activities for the entire family. And this is a trend we are delighted to see taking shape, the positive connotation of “fun” for many people with regard to museum going. Generally, museums are indeed fun, and we hope that increasing numbers of people come to view them as such, regardless of age.

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Power Station by Atelier Zündel Cristea appeared first on Dezeen.

A mysterious dark tunnel leads into the boardroom of these offices in London by architects Studio Octopi (+ slideshow).

As the UK headquarters for advertising agency 18 Feet & Rising, the offices were designed with a utilitarian aesthetic that can easily be replaced in a few years as the company grows.

Studio Octopi were asked to incorporate four qualities into the space; emergence, vortex, action and illusion. “Inspired by the client’s four words, the project took on a theatrical approach,” architect Chris Romer-Lee told Dezeen. “Surprise, anticipation, unease, fear and relief were all discussed in connection to the client’s journey from arriving in the agency to getting into the boardroom.”

The architects divided the office into three zones – designated for working, socialising and pitching – and differentiated them using low plywood screens and woven flooring with different patterns.

The dark-stained plywood tunnel is the largest installation in the space. With a tapered volume, it sticks out like a large funnel to announce the zone where client presentations take place.

“The tunnel acts as a cleansing device. All preconceptions of the agency are wiped before entering the boardroom,” explained Romer-Lee.

Outside the boardroom, the workspaces are arranged in a curved strip that stretches from the entrance to the far wall. The steel-framed desks were designed by Studio Octopi last year and each one integrates power sockets and a lamp.

A kitchen and cafe area for staff is positioned at the centre of the curve, while informal areas for meetings or relaxing wrap around the perimeter as a series of window seats.

Romer-Lee runs Studio Octopi alongside co-director James Lowe. They also recently completed a courtyard house in the south-west of England. See more design by Studio Octopi.

Dezeen columnist Sam Jacob discussed offices designed for creative agencies in this week’s Opinion piece, saying that “offices designed as fun palaces are fundamentally sinister”. See more creative office interiors on Dezeen.

Photography is by Petr Krejčí.

Here’s a project description from Studio Octopi:

After designing 18 Feet & Rising’s work desks, Studio Octopi were commissioned to work on the fit-out of their new 5,300sqft offices in central London.

Appointment to completion of the fit-out was only a period of two months which was quicker than the time it took to design and build the 18 Feet & Rising work desks. To achieve this timeframe the client transferred full creative control to Studio Octopi. Only a brief four words were issued by the client; emergence, vortex, action and illusion.

CEO, Jonathan Trimble stated that all final approval decisions were granted to Studio Octopi. 18 Feet would collaborate as equal creative partner but not as client. It was agreed that the project would emerge on site.

We identified three principle zones within the agency: work, socialise and pitch. Each zone was then supported by a secondary tier of: read, make and plan. The zones were defined by black stained plywood walls and woven vinyl flooring. These act as theatrical devices in function and appearance. As with theatre the design enhances the presence and immediacy of the experience.

The work desks were arranged within a cog form. On entering the agency, the end of the cog disappears out of view. It is difficult to perceive the space denoted as a work zone, there is an illusionary aspect to the design. Power and data was taken off the existing overhead supply and distributed to the desks throughout the low plywood walls. Break out spaces are scattered to the perimeter provide views across neighbouring buildings. To the inside of the cog, the kitchen opens onto a central café seating area. There is no reception; the café area fulfils this role.

Above: floor plan – click for larger image

Joining the two units is a small opening. Views through the opening reveal the tunnel, the entrance to the boardroom. Approaching the entrance to the tunnel reveals more theatrics. The tunnel walls and sloping soffit are lined in ply however the supporting timber structure is visible on the other side. The tunnel reduces in height and width over its 7m length. The strong light at the end of the tunnel picks out the plywood grain and woven vinyl flooring. Within the boardroom the plywood stained walls form a backdrop for the imposing views of the Post Office Tower.

The client embraced the temporary appearance of utilitarian construction materials. As London’s fastest growing independent ad agency, it’s likely the design will be replaced within a few years. On this basis the fit-out is surprising, a little unnerving, and in places whimsical.

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by Studio Octopi appeared first on Dezeen.

Whether it’s in search of unknown design talent at Milan Design Week or visiting London to learn about the latest in car culture, it seems we find ourselves working out of hotel rooms or on airplanes nearly as much as we do behind our desks at CH HQ, so…

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Hackney-based Studio Weave has constructed a network of listening pipes in a back courtyard of London’s Great Ormond Street Hospital to create a secret factory of lullabies for children (+ slideshow).

The enclosed space was created by the construction of a new building at the historic children’s hospital and will remain until its neighbour is eventually demolished. Studio Weave designed the installation to occupy the space in the interim and has named it the Lullaby Factory.

The architects were inspired by the messy pipes and drainage systems that already cover the surface of the brick walls. Instead of covering them up, they chose to add to them with a wide-spanning framework of pipes and horns.

“We have designed a fantasy landscape reaching 10 storeys in height and 32 metres in length, which can engage the imagination of everyone, from patients and parents to hospital staff, by providing an interesting and curious world to peer out onto,” explain architects Je Ahn and Maria Smith.

Different types of metal create pipes of silver, gold and bronze, and some of the taps and gauges were recycled from a decommissioned hospital boilerhouse.

Sound artist Jessica Curry composed the soundtrack of lullabies, which are played out through each of the pipes. To listen in, patients and staff can place an ear over one of the listening pipes beside the canteen.

The music is also transmitted via a radio frequency, so patients on the wards can tune in too.

Studio Weave previously designed a set of pipes to amplify the sounds of the countryside. Other projects by the architects include a latticed timber hut on stilts and a 324-metre-long bench.

See more architecture by Studio Weave, including an interview we filmed with the architects at our Designed in Hackney day.

Here’s a project description from Studio Weave:

Lullaby Factory, Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children
Studio Weave with Structure Workshop, AB3 Workshops and Jessica Curry

Studio Weave has transformed an awkward exterior space landlocked by buildings into the Lullaby Factory – a secret world that cannot be seen except from inside the hospital and cannot be heard by the naked ear, only by tuning in to its radio frequency or from a few special listening pipes.

The multi-phased redevelopment of Great Ormond Street Hospital, in London’s Bloomsbury area, means that the recently completed Morgan Stanley Clinical Building and the 1930s Southwood Building currently sit very close together. The latter is due to be demolished in 15 years, but in the intervening period large windows in the west elevation of the MSCB look directly onto a pipe-ridden brickwork facade, with the gap between the two less than one metre in places.

In our competition entry we proposed that the Southwood Building, with its oodles of mysterious pipes and plant is not really the Southwood Building, but the Lullaby Factory, manufacturing and releasing gentle, beautiful lullabies to create a calming and uplifting environment for the young patients to recover in.

Our aim for this project was to re-imagine the Southwood façade as the best version of itself, accepting and celebrating its qualities and oddities; and rather than hiding what is difficult, creating something unique and site specific.

We have designed a fantasy landscape reaching 10 storeys in height and 32 metres in length, which can engage the imagination of everyone, from patients and parents to hospital staff, by providing an interesting and curious world to peer out onto. Aesthetically the Lullaby Factory is a mix of an exciting and romantic vision of industry, and the highly crafted beauty and complexity of musical instruments.

The Lullaby Factory consists of two complimentary elements: the physical factory that appears to carry out the processes of making lullabies and the soundscape. Composer and sound artist Jessica Curry has composed a brand new lullaby especially for the project, which children can engage with through listening pipes next to the canteen or from the wards by tuning into a special radio station.

Our design is mindful of the fact that the space between the two buildings is very tight and any attempt to tidy it up too much would have resulted in significantly reducing the sense of space and the amount of daylight reaching inside the surrounding buildings.

Above: concept sketch

We hope the project will inspire engagement in a variety of ways from children’s paintings to a resource for play specialists to a generator for future commissions.

Our design incorporates old tap and gauges reclaimed from a hospital boilerhouse that was in the process of being decommissioned.

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Studio Weave appeared first on Dezeen.

News: relaxing planning restrictions on the green belt would destroy London’s vitality “even more surely than it would despoil the countryside,” architect Richard Rogers has warned.

“I do not say this as a rural nimby, though I treasure England’s natural landscape, but as a defender of cities,” writes Rogers in the London’s Evening Standard newspaper, arguing that the city’s mix of jobs, shops, restaurants, parks and nightlife acts as “a magnet to people from across the globe.”

“Letting the city sprawl would undermine this mix and intensity, reversing the rebirth of city-centre living,” he warns, saying suburban sprawl not only leads to “social atomisation” but becomes “environmentally disastrous” as car journeys displace public transport.

To solve the UK’s housing crisis, architects, planners and developers “need to show ingenuity” by redeveloping thousands of hectares of brownfield land as well as empty offices and houses across the country – but simply converting buildings is not enough, he argues.

“It will not create homes or communities unless intelligent urban design and planning also create the schools, shops and public transport hubs civilised life demands.

“And why should we rush to convert office blocks when we already have three-quarters of a million homes in England lying empty, and sites with planning permission for 400,000 more?”

According to homeless charity Shelter, the government’s plan to build 150,000 “affordable” homes – priced below market rates – over four years will provide less than a third of what is needed, with over 1.7 million households currently on local authority housing waiting lists.

UK planning minister Nick Boles recently called for an area of countryside twice the size of Greater London to be built on in order to solve the growing housing crisis.

In the US, New York mayor Michael Bloomberg last year announced plans for “micro-unit” apartments to help solve the shortage of small homes in Manhattan, while San Francisco city chiefs have voted to allow the development of apartments as small as 20 square metres.

Rogers’ firm recently completed a set of six-sided apartment blocks beside the Tate Modern art gallery in central London – see all projects by Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners.

Photograph by Andrew Zuckerman.

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“wreck” London – Richard Rogers appeared first on Dezeen.