A miniature rainforest would probably be one of the last things one would expect to see in the heart of central London, but that is exactly what visitors will encounter when walking past Bedford Square for the next two months.
Commissioned by the Architectural Association School of Architecture and designed by Chile-based Gun Architects, the Rainforest pavilion is one of the very first events of the month-long London Festival of Architecture (which officially runs from the 1 until 30 June) and was inaugurated this weekend, marking an unofficial, early start to the capital's architectural festivities.
Developed by the Chilean-German architecture firm, helmed by founders Jorge Godoy and Lene Nettelbeck, the new pavilion is based on the pair's 2011 project in Santiago, entitled Water Cathedral (part of the MoMA PS1 Young Architects Program). Maintaining the project's basic elements - the stalactite formation, the slow water trickling and its open-air, public nature - the team revisited the original design, reworking it for the needs of Bedford Square. 'We wanted to see how the "stalactites" can be translated into a different typology, here in London,' says Godoy, who doesn't rule out resuming the theme for different projects in the future.
The public structure, sitting directly across from the school's main entrance, is designed to recreate an abstract rainforest environment. The pavilion's five-metre high tree-like structures hold groups of fabric stalactites, which gently drip water to the rocky ground, plant and pond landscaping below. Visitors are invited to sit underneath the dripping canopy and experience the serene microclimate of sounds, smells and touch.
An exhibition in the main AA gallery complements the installation, exploring further the architects' fascination with natural dynamics and water circulation and accumulation, while explaining their latest project's structural and conceptual evolution.
The new pavilion is based on Gun Architects' 2011 project in Santiago, entitled Water Cathedral. Maintaining the project's basic elements - the stalactite formation, the slow water trickling and its open-air, public nature - the team revisited the original design, reworking it for the needs of Bedford Square
The pavilion's five-metre high tree-like structures hold groups of fabric stalactites…
…which gently drip water to the rocky ground, plant and pond landscaping below
Visitors are invited to sit underneath the dripping canopy and experience the serene microclimate of sounds, smells and touch
ADDRESS
AA Gallery
36 Bedford Square
London WC1B 3ES
-
Reuters presents the 500 most impactful photographs of the last 40 years in a new book'In the Moment: 40 Years of Reuters Photojournalism,' published by Thames & Hudson', celebrates an era of iconic photography
-
At La Fondation hotel in Paris, minimalism has irresistible warmthOnce a parking lot, this 17th-arrondissement stay now offers rooftop city views, cocooning suites, and interiors by Roman & Williams
-
How LA's Terremoto brings 'historic architecture into its next era through revitalising the landscapes around them'Terremoto, the Los Angeles and San Francisco collective landscape architecture studio, shakes up the industry through openness and design passion
-
Meet Studio Knight Stokoe, the landscape architects guided by ‘resilience, regeneration and empathy’Boutique and agile, Studio Knight Stokoe crafts elegant landscapes from its base in the southwest of England – including a revived brutalist garden
-
Tour this compact Kent Coast jewel of a cabin with StudiomamaJack Mama and Nina Tolstrup take us on a tour of their latest project – a small but perfectly formed Kent Coast cabin in Seasalter, UK
-
Boutique London rental development celebrates European courtyard livingLondon design and development studio Wendover unveils its newest residential project, 20 Newcourt Street, comprising nine apartments; we toured with co-founder Gabriel Chipperfield
-
A refreshed Fulham house balances its history with a series of 21st-century interventionsA Fulham house project by Bureau de Change creates a 21st-century domestic haven through a series of contemporary interventions and a deep connection to the property's historical fabric
-
The Monthly Architecture Edit: Wallpaper’s favourite July housesFrom geometric Japanese cottages to restored modernist masterpieces, these are the best residential projects to have crossed the architecture desk this month
-
Visiting an experimental UK home: welcome to HousesteadThis experimental UK home, Housestead by Sanei + Hopkins, brings together architectural explorations and daily life in these architects’ own home
-
A house in Leamington Spa is a domestic oasis infused with contemporary sensibilitiesThis house in Leamington Spa, by John Pardey Architects, brings together flood risk considerations, a conservation area's historic character, and contemporary sensibilities
-
A garden explaining carbon capture in nature? Head to Kew in LondonKew unveils 'Carbon Garden', a new offering at London's Royal Botanic Gardens that's all about carbon capture within nature; and how plants and soil can be leveraged to help us battle climate change
