Our main priority is helping clients make great architecture that serves their needs and responds in a vital way to its context and cultural surroundings. In order to do this and to further the studios own knowledge base we invest in a wide programme of research which enables us to be inventive and to find new and sometimes unexpected solutions to the problems that we are posed.
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We work in collaboration with like-minded consultants in order to further our thinking and skill level and since our inception, we have always looked to develope concepts grounded by good research that have a light touch on the planet, are low in carbon and energy-use. We look to our research to help us and our clients mitigate the impact of climate change.
park pivot
Park Pivot is a new 1000 Sqm mixed use building located at the heart of Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and forms part of the developing residential district of East Wick and Sweetwater. The design solution required a sensitive urban approach given its close proximity to the prominent Copper Box Arena building and the emerging residential blocks of East Wick and Sweetwater phase I.
The new building is inspired by the Market Hall typology found in many historical towns across the UK. These relatively small structures sit confidently in their context defining public space and routes around them while providing active frontages and civic presence.
In a similar manner the new building aims to create a ‘new place’ in between existing distinctive buildings while providing a singular gesture, that acknowledges the continuity of the emerging residential urban grain.
The brief called for a building that could be transformed in time with minimum investment for adaptation. This bold move from the East Wick and Sweetwater JV embraces their long term view and firm commitment to minimize waste by planning the reuse of a building from its inception. This requirement meant that the facade design needed to be adaptable to a range of types of uses over its lifetime. To enable this our team developed a number of facade options to test the viability, whilst paying close attention to the overall rhythm and composition of the elevational treatments.
The BREEAM excellent building features column free floor plates for maximum adaptability, natural ventilation via a combination of automated and manually openable windows and a roof terrace offering views over Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and the residential legacy project.
Planning approval was granted in the summer of 2019.
The consultant team includes: Waterman, Quod, Fabrik and Stace
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