Phoenix Garden Community Building by Office Sian Architecture + Design
13/11/2017.
[LON] UK
metalocus, ANDRÉS TERRAIN
metalocus, ANDRÉS TERRAIN
Located in one of the London’s hidden gardens, Office Sian Architecture + Design has designed a wooden and brick community building that provides a venue for a multitude of uses.
Phoenix Garden Community Building by Office Sian Architecture + Design. Photograph © Richard Chivers
Phoenix Garden Community Building by Office Sian Architecture + Design. Photograph © Richard Chivers
Phoenix Garden Community Building by Office Sian Architecture + Design. Photograph © Richard Chivers
Phoenix Garden Community Building by Office Sian Architecture + Design. Photograph © Richard Chivers
Phoenix Garden Community Building by Office Sian Architecture + Design. Photograph © Richard Chivers
Phoenix Garden Community Building by Office Sian Architecture + Design. Photograph © Richard Chivers
Phoenix Garden Community Building by Office Sian Architecture + Design. Photograph © Richard Chivers
Phoenix Garden Community Building by Office Sian Architecture + Design. Photograph © Richard Chivers
Phoenix Garden Community Building by Office Sian Architecture + Design. Photograph © Richard Chivers
Phoenix Garden Community Building by Office Sian Architecture + Design. Photograph © Richard Chivers
Phoenix Garden Community Building by Office Sian Architecture + Design. Photograph © Richard Chivers
Phoenix Garden Community Building by Office Sian Architecture + Design. Photograph © Richard Chivers
Phoenix Garden Community Building by Office Sian Architecture + Design. Photograph © Richard Chivers
Phoenix Garden Community Building by Office Sian Architecture + Design. Photograph © Richard Chivers
Phoenix Garden Community Building by Office Sian Architecture + Design. Photograph © Richard Chivers
Phoenix Garden Community Building by Office Sian Architecture + Design. Photograph © Richard Chivers
Phoenix Garden Community Building by Office Sian Architecture + Design. Photograph © Richard Chivers
Phoenix Garden Community Building by Office Sian Architecture + Design. Photograph © Richard Chivers
Phoenix Garden Community Building by Office Sian Architecture + Design. Photograph © Richard Chivers
Phoenix Garden Community Building by Office Sian Architecture + Design. Photograph © Richard Chivers
Phoenix Garden Community Building by Office Sian Architecture + Design. Photograph © Richard Chivers
Phoenix Garden Community Building by Office Sian Architecture + Design. Photograph © Richard Chivers
Phoenix Garden Community Building by Office Sian Architecture + Design. Photograph © Richard Chivers
Phoenix Garden Community Building by Office Sian Architecture + Design. Photograph © Richard Chivers
Phoenix Garden Community Building by Office Sian Architecture + Design. Photograph © Richard Chivers
Ground floor plan. Phoenix Garden Community Building by Office Sian Architecture + Design. Photograph © Richard Chivers
The building, designed by Office Sian Architecture + Design, is located in the heart of Covent Garden. The main door is an arched opening in the brick wall leads to a to hidden gardens. The Phoenix Garden Community Building is one of the only purpose-built community buildings in Camden, and replaces old storage sheds and concrete hard-standing.
Description of project by Office Sian Architecture + Design
Hidden gardens and London arches provided the inspiration for a new community building by Office Sian Architecture + Design, located in the heart of Covent Garden, London.
The Phoenix Garden Community Building is one of the only purpose-built community buildings in Camden, and replaces storage sheds and concrete hard-standing.
The client, the Phoenix Garden Trust, wished for a new building to facilitate further enjoyment of the adjoining Phoenix Gardens. This new building succeeds in providing a venue for a multitude of uses; from providing WC facilities for guests to the park, to allowing space for school visits and community parties, to education events and weddings.
The Client also required the new building to act as a beacon of what the garden itself stands for: sustainability, community, and of course, the promotion of free-to-access green spaces in the city.
High quality materials were proposed to create a robust building, suited to the nature of a busy inner-city location, and also to the needs of a client who maintains a garden throughout the year. Brickwork to match the existing low-garden walls is the primary material used for the external walls, with an archway to suggest not only an entrance, but also of a garden behind. The main facade is celebrated with white limestone lettering which references the nearby St Giles Church.
The green roof of the structure increases the planting area of the Garden by 90sqm. A lower green roof area brings an element of the foliage of the garden to the front of the building, and provides a warm introduction to the visitor. Over the years, the planting in this area of the roof will become more intense. With super-insulated walls and sustainable features such as air-source heat pumps and rainwater harvesting, the new community building was designed with sustainability as a key feature.
For the internal floor, brickwork to blend with the garden pathways is laid in intricate patterns, and when doors leading to the garden area fully open, lends to a blurring of the boundary between inside and outside space.
The ‘Phoenix’ stone lettering allowed for the opportunity to use natural materials, as well as providing a landmark feature to aid the promotion of the building and facilities for the client.
More information
Architects
Office Sian Architecture + Design.
Consultans
Structural Engineer.- Carter Clack.
Client
Phoenix Garden Trust.
Area
90 sqm.
Dates
Completion.- 2017.
Gurmeet Sian Office Sian Architecture + Design
Office Sian Architecture + Design. Office Sian is an RIBA Chartered Architecture and Design Studio based in London. Established by Architect Gurmeet Sian, the studio is involved in a number of domestic, corporate and arts projects, for both private and developer clients in the UK and abroad. Office Sian also works with various charity organisations in and around London.
Office Sian's completed commissions have been shortlisted for international, national and local architecture and arts awards. The 'Hackney Shed' Project was shortlisted by the Architect's Journal as one of the 24 best small projects in the UK, and the 'East End' Project was chosen by New London Architecture as one of the 50 Best Home Improvement Refurbishments in 2010.
Gurmeet Sian read architecture at the University of Liverpool between 1996 and 2002, and undertook a year's architectural experience in Goa, India, in 1999. Whilst at Liverpool, Gurmeet was nominated for the RIBA President's Silver Medal, and was awarded the Sir Charles Reilly Medal for the best thesis project at Diploma level. He was also published in Building Design's 'Class of 2002', identifying him as one of that year's best architectural graduates.
