Add To Collection
Add to Collection
A Room for London
A Room for London
London, United Kingdom
View Original
Add To Collection
Add to Collection
View Original
Add To Collection
Add to Collection
View Original
Add To Collection
Add to Collection
View Original
Add To Collection
Add to Collection
A Room for London
London, United Kingdom
A Room for London
Shortlisted entry for Alain de Botton's Living Architecture competition, 2010/11
Perched atop the tough concrete landscape of the Queen Elizabeth Hall, this temporary hotel room for two guests offers a plant-like interior for reflection and contemplation, in stark and almost surreal contrast to the frenetic rhythms of the metropolis outside.
The Room – architecturally a ring of vaults supporting a spherical dome above – combines the archetypal models of Christopher Wren's multi-layer cupola for St Paul’s Cathedral (1673) and Étienne-Louis Boullée's visionary idea for a Newton Cenotaph (1784) and transforms them into a new type of translucent dome.
When seen from the city beyond, the proposal performs, like an urban Fabergé Egg, as a small ornament with a contemporary and highly distinctive presence amongst some of London's most prestigious landmarks - St Paul’s Cathedral, Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament and London Eye.
The oval structure with a central oculus is made of laminated timber with a green coating, and enveloped in two layers of semi-clear foil tightened by negative air pressure in between. Using the same technology as for inflated cushion facades, this innovative idea of simply reversing the air pump drastically reduces the number of foil penetrations and the risk of leaks.
The outer skin of the twin-layer construction forms the waterproofing roof and withstands the potentially strong Thames winds. The inner layer shapes the dome and the vaults, and functions as thermal separation and buffer space between inside and outside. The latter gives the guest the feeling of security and separation from the outer world which is of particular importance given the exposed placement on top of the 1960s flat roof.
Views through the semi-clear foils are refracted due to their biconcave shapes. This ensures privacy and creates unprecedented visual phenomena: the play of reflections and sunlight, the refracted image of adjacent high-rise buildings, the distorted firmament at night etc. Six arched windows offer an unforgettable panorama of London's skyline and its daily life.
A six-petal flower in plan, the Room divides the single space into seven areas: one central hall surrounded by six circular areas for sleeping, eating, relaxing, bathing, hygiene and reception. Three of those areas are enclosed by textile, Physalis-like ‘pods’ with foldable openings. Soft, shaggy rugs mark the round areas reserved for the table and the sofa.
The oval geometry of the Room is, in section, composed of a semicircle and a semi-ellipse. Its diameter is 7m, its height 7.75m and the floor is 1.375m above roof level. The projected footprint is 38.5m2, the floor area 32m2 and the seven sixfoil circles are 2.25m across.
The idea is to place six polished plaster statues by artist Hilary Koob-Sassen in the interstitial voids between the circles along the façade, and to sell them, as part of the funding, to the highest bidding guest before being dismantled again. Those voids also hold wardrobes, and foliage-like tables fixed to the bent columns could be used for small items like toiletries, alarm clock, mobile phone etc.
The central hall is unoccupied by default. It is meant to be a flexible space that can be used for contemplation or observation. A mobile telescope would, for example, be a nice tool to enable views into the night sky and over the city. Other ideas for activities within the space include a Jacuzzi, a trampoline, an umpire’s chair allowing contemplation inside the dome, or stage props borrowed from the Southbank Centre of which the Queen Elizabeth Hall is a part.
The white interior provides a clean and light atmosphere. Fixed furniture such as the circular sofa and the bed are designed especially for the Room and could be made in the workshops at the Southbank Centre. Those bespoke, yet simple designs are supplemented by carefully selected off-the-shelf furniture and sanitary objects.
The Room provides a low carbon, sustainable and recyclable contribution to contemporary architecture which can easily be assembled and disassembled, and re-connected to services in other locations. Domestic servicing works in a similar manner to floating homes or house boats, with flexible connections to on-site facilities.
In the sense of Francis Picabia’s idea that ‘our heads are round so our thoughts can change direction’, the iconic urban sculpture offers a spherical space of tranquillity and pure aesthetic, ideal for reflection and contemplation.
The project was one of four proposals shortlisted out of over 500 international entries.
Shortlisted entry for Alain de Botton's Living Architecture competition, 2010/11
Perched atop the tough concrete landscape of the Queen Elizabeth Hall, this temporary hotel room for two guests offers a plant-like interior for reflection and contemplation, in stark and almost surreal contrast to the frenetic rhythms of the metropolis outside.
The Room – architecturally a ring of vaults supporting a spherical dome above – combines the archetypal models of Christopher Wren's multi-layer cupola for St Paul’s Cathedral (1673) and Étienne-Louis Boullée's visionary idea for a Newton Cenotaph (1784) and transforms them into a new type of translucent dome.
When seen from the city beyond, the proposal performs, like an urban Fabergé Egg, as a small ornament with a contemporary and highly distinctive presence amongst some of London's most prestigious landmarks - St Paul’s Cathedral, Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament and London Eye.
The oval structure with a central oculus is made of laminated timber with a green coating, and enveloped in two layers of semi-clear foil tightened by negative air pressure in between. Using the same technology as for inflated cushion facades, this innovative idea of simply reversing the air pump drastically reduces the number of foil penetrations and the risk of leaks.
The outer skin of the twin-layer construction forms the waterproofing roof and withstands the potentially strong Thames winds. The inner layer shapes the dome and the vaults, and functions as thermal separation and buffer space between inside and outside. The latter gives the guest the feeling of security and separation from the outer world which is of particular importance given the exposed placement on top of the 1960s flat roof.
Views through the semi-clear foils are refracted due to their biconcave shapes. This ensures privacy and creates unprecedented visual phenomena: the play of reflections and sunlight, the refracted image of adjacent high-rise buildings, the distorted firmament at night etc. Six arched windows offer an unforgettable panorama of London's skyline and its daily life.
A six-petal flower in plan, the Room divides the single space into seven areas: one central hall surrounded by six circular areas for sleeping, eating, relaxing, bathing, hygiene and reception. Three of those areas are enclosed by textile, Physalis-like ‘pods’ with foldable openings. Soft, shaggy rugs mark the round areas reserved for the table and the sofa.
The oval geometry of the Room is, in section, composed of a semicircle and a semi-ellipse. Its diameter is 7m, its height 7.75m and the floor is 1.375m above roof level. The projected footprint is 38.5m2, the floor area 32m2 and the seven sixfoil circles are 2.25m across.
The idea is to place six polished plaster statues by artist Hilary Koob-Sassen in the interstitial voids between the circles along the façade, and to sell them, as part of the funding, to the highest bidding guest before being dismantled again. Those voids also hold wardrobes, and foliage-like tables fixed to the bent columns could be used for small items like toiletries, alarm clock, mobile phone etc.
The central hall is unoccupied by default. It is meant to be a flexible space that can be used for contemplation or observation. A mobile telescope would, for example, be a nice tool to enable views into the night sky and over the city. Other ideas for activities within the space include a Jacuzzi, a trampoline, an umpire’s chair allowing contemplation inside the dome, or stage props borrowed from the Southbank Centre of which the Queen Elizabeth Hall is a part.
The white interior provides a clean and light atmosphere. Fixed furniture such as the circular sofa and the bed are designed especially for the Room and could be made in the workshops at the Southbank Centre. Those bespoke, yet simple designs are supplemented by carefully selected off-the-shelf furniture and sanitary objects.
The Room provides a low carbon, sustainable and recyclable contribution to contemporary architecture which can easily be assembled and disassembled, and re-connected to services in other locations. Domestic servicing works in a similar manner to floating homes or house boats, with flexible connections to on-site facilities.
In the sense of Francis Picabia’s idea that ‘our heads are round so our thoughts can change direction’, the iconic urban sculpture offers a spherical space of tranquillity and pure aesthetic, ideal for reflection and contemplation.
The project was one of four proposals shortlisted out of over 500 international entries.
Product Spec Sheet
Were your products used?
Join as a manufacturer to add your products.