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design
mag
With the 2012 Olympics around the corner, London has turned
up the heat on architectural dazzlers.A number of important
projects that have recently been built, commissioned or are
subject to design competitions. Interestingly, these projects
often focus on adapting existing industrial or infrastructure
‘cathedrals’ to new contemporary uses.
Durable materials and sustainable building performance are key
considerations for many of these projects.
Herzog and de Meuron’s Tate Modern is a wonderful example of
a recent project where repurposing infrastructure of a different
age has breathed new life into a part of the city that needed it.
Originally built in two phases between 1947 and 1963, Bankside
Power Station was designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott who also
designed Battersea Power Station, Liverpool Anglican Cathedral,
Waterloo Bridge, university libraries in Oxford and Cambridge, and
the famous British red telephone box.
Between 1981 and 1994 when the Tate Gallery acquired an
option on the site, the building remained unoccupied, apart from
a London Electricity sub-station that still remains.
The redundant power station proved an astonishing discovery; a
building of enormous size and architectural distinction, superbly
sited opposite St Paul’s Cathedral and in a fascinating and
historic if neglected area next to the new Globe Theatre.An
international architectural competition was held, attracting over
seventy entries.
The final choice was a young Swiss practice founded in 1988 by
Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron.They have received
international acclaim and awards for their innovative work,
including the Pritzker Prize in 2001, the RIBA Stirling Prize in 2003
and the RIBA Gold Medal in 2007.
Art and redundant infrastructure are reshaping London,
reports Gerry McLoughlin, architect and urban designer.
In with the
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