Miniature parks appear on the streets for London Festival of Architecture

Three miniature landscape settings have popped up in London, temporarily transforming pockets of pavement into public ‘parklets’. As part of the London Festival of Architecture, in partnership with the City of London Corporation, the three urban interventions have been designed by emerging London-based practitioners.
The parklets respond to a brief, which called competition entrants (of which there were more than 90) to reclaim unused spaces for pedestrians and showcase the potential of city streets as a connected urban park.
Architecture studio PARTI has placed its project, Rocks and Reeds, which takes the form of an undulating bench and reed sprouting sofa, on Billiter street. Construction rubble from demolition works taking place next door has been placed in a Corten steel cage which comprises the reed bed. The parklet helps shelter passers-by from over spilling dust and helps clean the air with the use of grasses that will grow to 1.5m high.
‘We wanted to create something playful, that hinted towards domestic furniture — turning a raw, heavy and austere palette of materials into something playful, welcoming and light,’ says Eleanor Hill, founding director of PARTI. ‘We want to bring back elements from the river and marshes to reconnect the passer-by to the story of London as a marshland.’
RELATED STORY
At Smithfield Market, pollution is also on the agenda. A decommissioned London black cab has been turned into a place for sitting, relaxing and playing by Fatkin architects in The London Cablet. The former diesel guzzling, noxious fume spewing machine now boasts plants that absorb pollution, subsequently providing an unexpected habitat for pollinating insects.
Lastly, artist Patrick McEvoy repurposed the kerb on St Martins le Grand as an open-air artist's studio and gallery. Drawing on the York stone slabs, which are commonly used as a canvas by London’s pavement artists, The Pavement Art Gallery, encourages those wandering by to draw upon York stone slabs that have been placed on three easels. The parklets will remain in London until September.
Pavement Art Gallery by Patrick McEvoy
The London Cablet by Fatkin
INFORMATION
londonfestivalofarchitecture.org
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
-
Samsung and Sony have unleashed new phone flagships, with Nothing snapping at their heels
Do flagship smartphones still have a place in a world of masterful mid-range devices and a general move towards less screen dependence, rather than more? We explore two new entries into the genre
-
Find bubbly, chewy, perfectly crusted pizza at Cosetta, LA’s new Westside Italian gem
Located in a slightly industrial area by the Santa Monica airport, Cosetta, from pizza maestro Zack Pollack, champions the local Italian dining scene with tradition and innovation
-
Oscar Niemeyer: a guide to the Brazilian modernist, from big hits to lesser-known gems
Architecture master Oscar Niemeyer defined 20th-century architecture and is synonymous with Brazilian modernism; our ultimate guide explores his work, from lesser-known schemes to his big hits; and we revisit a check-in with the man himself
-
V&A East Storehouse is a new London museum, but not as you know it
Designed by DS+R, the V&A East Storehouse immerses visitors in history as objects of all scales mesmerise, seemingly ‘floating’ in all directions
-
Timeless yet daring, this Marylebone penthouse 'floats' on top of a grand London building
A Marylebone penthouse near Regent’s Park by design studio Wendover is transformed into a light-filled family home
-
Revamped National Gallery Sainsbury Wing unveiled: Annabelle Selldorf gives us a tour
The National Gallery Sainsbury Wing redesign by Selldorf Architects is ready to open its doors to the public in London; we took the tour
-
Wild sauna, anyone? The ultimate guide to exploring deep heat in the UK outdoors
‘Wild Sauna’, a new book exploring the finest outdoor establishments for the ultimate deep-heat experience in the UK, has hit the shelves; we find out more about the growing trend
-
A new London house delights in robust brutalist detailing and diffused light
London's House in a Walled Garden by Henley Halebrown was designed to dovetail in its historic context
-
A Sussex beach house boldly reimagines its seaside typology
A bold and uncompromising Sussex beach house reconfigures the vernacular to maximise coastal views but maintain privacy
-
This 19th-century Hampstead house has a raw concrete staircase at its heart
This Hampstead house, designed by Pinzauer and titled Maresfield Gardens, is a London home blending new design and traditional details
-
An octogenarian’s north London home is bold with utilitarian authenticity
Woodbury residence is a north London home by Of Architecture, inspired by 20th-century design and rooted in functionality