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Video: imagine the future of Custom House
Sometimes, in order to build the future, we need to imagine it. This was the thinking behind the LFA Royal Docks Design Charrette, a collaborative day-long workshop that brought community representatives and business stakeholders together with teams of professional architects. The brief? Design ways to improve connectivity to the north and south of Custom House DLR station without budgets, deadlines, or constraints.
Five fascinating outcomes emerged from the event. You can see them below or read more in our report of the day:
Ash Sakula Architects
Farrells
The Klassnik Corporation and the London School of Architecture
LYN Atelier and Urban Narrative
Sarah Wigglesworth Architects, Fluid, and Kinnear Landscape
This animation by Ash Sakula Architects was commended by the judges for its meaningful engagement with local communities, context, and identity. It also gained the hearts of the audience, winning the popular vote by a landslide.
Headphones on for this delightful exploration of what Freemasons Road and the dockside at Royal Victoria Dock might look like one day.
Also commended was the entry from LYN Atelier and Urban Narrative, for a strategic invention furthering the Mayor's Good Growth agenda. The judges praised this team's clear-eyed strategy and use of the ExCeL centre as “an untapped piece of public realm”.
Finally, the team commended for a game-changing intervention were The Klassnik Corporation and the London School of Architecture. This group's bold ideas altered the alignment of the Freemasons Road shopping parade, and then sculpted its roof into a sloping public space.
To see the winning designs and more, have a look at the full report.
Landed, Les Johnson
This sculpture dedicated to dockworkers of the past stands outside the ExCeL centre.
