The winning entry of Living architecture's competition 'A Room for London', asking participants to create a room on one of the most visible sites in the British capital, the one bedroom accommodation's position makes it appear as if it is retreating floodwaters along the Thames.
A Room for London pays homage to the Roi des Belges, the riverboat captained by the writer Joseph Conrad in the Congo in 1890, which is reflected in his most well-known literary work, Heart of Darkness. Yet the project manages to live up to this highly rich literary reference, from the theatrical setting perched above the Queen Elizabeth Hall at London's Southbank Centre, one of the city’s most iconic modernist buildings, to its pyramidal steel mast makes reference to one of London's architectural highlights the spires of Hawksmoor’s Christ Church and borrowing the structural language of the Hungerford Bridge nearby, overlooking the River Thames.
A Room for London was designed by David Kohn Architects in collaboration with the artist Fiona Banner for a brief set by Artangel and Living Architecture. It offers guests a place of refuge and reflection amidst the flow of traffic surrounding its iconic location. Fiona Banner explained that they hoped to convey “a notion of transience”, which felt “so utterly different” to its immediate environment. Within the boat's interior is a timber object, a simple interior invites you to explore - accompanied by all the comforts that one would expect from a good hotel. A simple interior composed down to the smallest details, such as the play between the circular shaving mirror, the porthole window, and the London Eye beyond.
The vessel's lower and upper decks offer panoramic views of London by day and night, stretching from the Big Ben to St. Paul's Cathedral.
Not only can people apply to sleep there for a night, Artangel have curated a programme of events bringing together writers, musicians and artists to use A Room for London as a place to harness creativity – a microcosm of the capital’s cultural landscape.
A Room for London is currently open for bookings throughout 2012. For more information about reserving a night, please read here. See METALOCUS's previous article about David Kohn and Fiona Banner's proposal phase.
A ROOM FOR LONDON TEAM · Client - Living Architecture · Design and concept — David Kohn Architects in collaboration with Fiona Banner · Project manager - McLennan · Main contractor and fabricator - Millimetre Ltd · Lift design & supply - Alimak Hek · Quantity surveyor - Boyden Group · Structural engineers - Price & Myers · M & E - Max Fordham LLP · Appliances – Miele
