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Our shortlisted and awarded entry to an international architectural competition "A Room for London" commissioned by Living Architecture.
CONCEPT
Visibility and exposure are major character traits of the location on the roof of Queen Elizabeth Hall. Aim of the design is to predefine and expose the position of the inhabitants of the hotelroom without grossly unveliling their private sphere. They become actors on this extraordinary stage. Londoners passing by arise insigths into other people's every day life. Which is, despite it's ordinaryness usually of great interest. You compare and find out common habits. And despite physical separateness forms a contact akin to that between an actor on stage who puts part of himself into the role and the audience.
At night, when the real inhabitants of the hotel room retire to privacy and become invisible to the outside world, another group of protagonists takes over the occupancy of the room. Ghostly light outlines, invisible in daylight, start to wander around the house when it gets dark. These ghostly silhouettes, created by actually recorded LED projections of the real inhabitants, can be observed by Londoners in large distances.
Private spaces to retire can be created by the inhabitants of the hotel room by means of textile blinds, pulled up from floor level.
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DESCRIPTION OF THE BUILDING
The building is entered via a disabled ramp to the main entrance at the backside of the building. The building therefore is first taken in by its backward construction that resembles of classic large rooftop billboards. Entering the hall, the new inhabitant for the first time gets aware of the great view over London the apartment offers to him. All the area is to the north glazed from floor to ceiling and therefore offers a great panoramic view of the city.
CONSTRUCTION
The proposed volume could be abstracted into a box of the basic dimensions 20.00 x 6.66 x 2.50 meters. The paramount construction is considered as an outdoor temporary aluminium truss system. Such method; generally known from temporary roofing, rigging towers, stages roof and floor trusses and retail displays; would implement its purpose without sacrificing strength and stability. The essential structure is being articulated by the ten truss frames of Æ shape. The proposed framework seating reflects entirely the Queen Elizabeth Hall’s reinforced concrete structure that bears the whole roof.
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