London, United Kingdom
“The Pavilion’s sculptural form is inclusive, inviting access and exploration from all sides,” states Friedrich Ludewig, founding director, ACME.
“The highly sustainable building integrates landscape, is sensitive to the environment, and maximizes the use of timber to get us closer to achieving net-zero carbon.”
Friedrich Ludewig, and his team at ACME, together with landscape architects Gustafson Porter + Bowman, conceived of the new multi-story timber pavilion at Olympic Park as a “vertical piazza” with its stepped levels arranged on all sides in the form of stairs, balconies, and amphitheaters that encourage exploration, providing several lookout points and sitting places.
The public is invited to enjoy views of the park from the public rooftop terrace.
The new 930m² “gateway” pavilion houses a visitors’ center for the Park, and D&D London’s latest hospitality concept, Haugen, a delicatessen, brasserie, and café inspired by Alpine dining, with interiors designed by creative studio Afroditi.
Commissioned by joint venture development partners Lendlease and London and Continental Railways, the BREEAM Outstanding terraced structure aims to become an extension of the public realm, with its “amphitheater” appearance encouraging visitors to pause and watch ongoing activities in Endeavour Square.
Enjoying unrivaled views across London and the 560 acres of green space at the Park, the Pavilion is located yards from East Bank, where an increasing cluster of world-leading universities, arts, and cultural institutions are basing themselves alongside an array of commercial, technology, manufacturing, and retail businesses. Stratford is fast transforming into one of London’s most exciting new destinations to visit, work, live, and learn.
Split over three floors, the Pavilion is an extremely lightweight timber structure that sits on top of a DLR tunnel with limited allowances for additional weight or foundations.
Constructed using cross-laminated and glue-laminated timber panels, only shallow concrete foundations were needed.
Timber has a much lower carbon footprint than more traditional materials and provides warmth and tactility to the interior.
Elsewhere parametrically controlled timber fins have been used to clad the undersides of the projecting slabs to create a continuous soffit that invites and guides visitors to the roof.
Native wildflower planting on the rooftop terrace and green spaces enhances the site’s biodiversity, creating a food source for pollinators alongside a nesting box for bird and bat species.
Energy to the building includes a connection to the Stratford district heating and cooling network and external lighting has been designed to minimize light pollution.
The Pavilion has achieved an ‘Outstanding’ BREEAM score of 92%. It is the second building at IQL to reach this exceptional standard, which places it in the top 1% of all newly constructed commercial buildings.
The opening of the Pavilion heralds a new era in the development of International Quarter London and the continued transformation of Stratford as a mixed-use destination for London.
The Pavilion’s completion marks a milestone in the way that Endeavour Square is enjoyed by the public and surrounding communities.
The site demonstrates Lendlease’s commitment to Mission Zero, the United Nation’s initiative, as a 1.5 degree aligned company, working towards being net-zero carbon by 2025, and absolute zero by 2040.
Using materials with low embodied carbon is a key step in Lendlease’s journey to eliminate Scope 3 emissions and achieve its 2040 target.
Project: The Pavilion at Endeavour Square
Architects: ACME
Landscape Architects: Gustafson Porter + Bowman
Construction Management: Lendlease Construction/ MEP consultant Norman Disney & Young
Sustainability Consultants: Norman Disney & Young
Civil Engineers: Buro Happold
Façade Consultant: Meinhardt
Access Consultants: Lord Consultants
Planning Consultants: QUOD
Ecology Consultants: Green Infrastructure
Public Artwork: Troika
Client: Stratford City Business District (Joint Venture between Lendlease/London Continental Railways)
Photographers: Hufton + Crow
