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Five
architects shortlisted to design ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½'s new Music Centre in London
The
ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ has announced the names of the five architects who will compete
to design its new Music Centre at White City in London.
They
are:
Foreign
Office Architects (London)
Future Systems (London)
MVRDV (Netherlands)
Ushida Findlay Architects (London/Tokyo)
Zaha Hadid (London)
The
Music Centre will house the ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Symphony Orchestra, the ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Symphony
Chorus, the ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Concert Orchestra and the ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Singers, allowing
the ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ to consolidate the activities of its musical ensembles in
London and vacate existing inefficient and unsuitable accommodation
in Maida Vale.
Due
for completion in mid 2006, the centre will provide state-of-the-art
facilities for performances and recordings for use by the ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ and
outside musical ensembles.
The
two studios will be conceived as workplaces into which audiences
will be invited to enjoy rehearsals and recordings, rather than
as concert halls or theatres.
The
ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ is looking for a dramatic and highly visible building which
will mark the entrance to the whole White City site, acting as a
magnet in a previously culturally deprived area.
The
creation of the new ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ media village, with Broadcast Centre, Music Centre and offices for both the ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ and other media organisations,
as well as public facilities serving the wider community, will completely
transform a previously neglected area of West London.
The
brief asks for generic office space so that the ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ and its property
partner Land Securities Trillium can let the offices on the commercial
market, should the ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ decide not to occupy the whole space.
The
new media village complex, and the adjacent ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Television Centre,
will play an increasingly central role in the regeneration of the
wider urban area.
The five invited
architects were briefed on the project on 26 March 2003 and the
selected architectural practice will be announced in June 2003.
John
Smith, the ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½'s Director of Finance, Property & Business Affairs
who chairs the Competition Jury, said: "We are looking for
an iconic building which makes a statement and creates a buzz both
inside and outside the ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½.
"We
are not afraid to champion a potentially controversial design; indeed
we relish the opportunity to rise to this challenge. We already
attract the very best broadcasters, writers, actors and technicians.
We want to add architects to that list."
Jenny
Abramsky, ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Director Radio and Music said: "Our performing
ensembles underpin the whole of musical life at the ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½, but in
London they have always been somewhat hidden from view because of
their poor accommodation.
"By
giving them an exciting new home in this part of London, not only
are we bringing them right to the physical heart of the ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ and
the wider community, but they will also have an inspiring home worthy
of their world-class reputation."
Notes
to Editors
Information
on the finalists
Foreign
Office Architects, London
Foreign
Office Architects are a London-based international practice best
known for their highly acclaimed designs for the Yokohama Ferry
Terminal, which was the subject of an exhibition in the British
Pavilion at the 2002 Venice Architecture Biennale.
The
name of the practice refers to fact that its principals, Alejandro
Zaera Polo (38) and Farshid Moussavi (37) are Spanish and Iranian,
and its office has projects in Japan, the US, the Netherlands and
Spain.
Their
only built project in London is Belgo Zuid in Ladbroke Grove, and
they also designed Belgo's Bristol branch as well as Belgo New York.
They
were one of two firms, with Rafael Vignoly, who were short-listed
in the international competition for Jubilee Gardens, a vacant site
next to London's South Bank Centre.
Other
proposed projects include Torrevieja Municipal Theatre & Auditorium,
Spain (2004) and Porto Antico, Genoa (competition 2001).
They
were one of the architectural practices to be shortlisted for the
design of the new World Trade Center in New York.
Future
Systems, London
Future
Systems, founded in 1979 by Jan Kaplicky and Amanda Levete, is established
as one of the UK's most innovative architectural practices.
Winners
of the Stirling Prize for Building of the Year for the NatWest Media
Centre at Lord's Cricket Ground, their international work includes
cutting edge designs for Comme des Garçons and Marni in New
York, Tokyo and Paris.
Selfridges
will open its new 260,000 sq ft landmark store in the centre of
Birmingham designed by Future Systems this autumn.
MVRDV,
Rotterdam
MVRDV
was set up in Rotterdam in 1991 by Winy Maas, Jacob van Rijs and
Nathalie de Vries after they won the first prize in the Berlin European
Competition.
Early
projects include the Light Urbanism study for the Municipality of
Rotterdam, the new headquarters for the Dutch broadcasting company
VPRO in Hilversum, and the Wozoco Elderly Housing Project in Amsterdam,
which brought the practice international acclaim.
They
are best known for their outstanding designs for the Dutch Pavilion
at Expo 2000 in Hanover.
Ushida
Findlay Architects (London/Tokyo)
The
Ushida Findlay Partnership was established in 1987 in Tokyo, a collaboration
between the Scottish architect Kathryn Findlay and her Japanese
partner, Eisaku Ushida.
Both
were former associates of Arata Isozaki between 1976 and 1982. In
1977 they opened a studio in London.
The
practice have built a series of extraordinary houses in Tokyo including
Echo Chamber (1988-89), Triuss Wall House (1990-93), Soft and Hairy
House (1992-93) and Polyphony (1995-97).
Their
first commission in the UK in 1999 was to design the key landmark
building for the ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½s for the Future in Glasgow as part of the
Year of Architecture programme.
Recent
successes have included offices for Claydon Heeley Jones Mason in
London.
In
2002 Ushida Findlay won the RIBA award with a design for an ultra-modern
25,000 sqare feet country houses to the west of the original site
of Grafton Hall, Chester.
Zaha
Hadid
Born
in Baghdad in 1950, Zaha Hadid studied architecture at the Architectural
Association from 1972, where she was awarded the Diploma Prize in
1977.
She
then became a member of the Office for Metropolitan Architecture;
began teaching at the AA with Rem Koolhaas and Elia Zenghelis; and
later lead her own studio at the AA until 1987.
During
1994 she held the Kenzo Tange chair at the Graduate School of Design,
Harvard University.
Winning
designs include The Peak, Hong Kong (1983), Kurfürstendamm,
Berlin (1986), Düsseldorf Art and Media Centre (1992/93), Cardiff
Bay Opera House, Wales (1994), Thames Water/Royal Academy Habitable
Bridge Competition (1996), the Contemporary Arts Center, Cincinnati
(1998), University of North London Holloway Road Bridge (1998),
the Centre for Contemporary Arts, Rome (1999) and the Bergisel Ski-jump
in Innsbruck, Austria (1999).
Competition
Jury
John
Smith (Chair), ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Director Finance Property & Business
Affairs
Gavyn
Davies, Chairman of Governors, ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½
Greg Dyke, Director-General, ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½
Alan Yentob, ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Director Drama, Entertainment
and CÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½
Roly Keating, Controller, ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Four
Jenny Abramsky, ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Director Radio & Music
Roger Wright, Controller ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Radio 3
Sir Stuart Lipton, Chairman CABE
Ricky Burdett, Director, Cities Programme, LSE
Ian Robertson, ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Director Property
John Anderson, Construction Director, Land Securities
Bob Allies, Allies & Morrison Architects
David Chipperfield, David Chipperfield Architects
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