Floating Pond

New Growth on Exhibition Road Competition

Sound Kensington London UK

Competition called by:

London Festival of Architecture

Discover South Kensington

V&A

Project team:

Architectural design: Studio Lux

Habitat, ecosystem creating specialist, supplier & contractor: Salix - Building with Nature www.salixrw.com/stop-press/salix-building-nature/

Engineering consultant: Evolve Consulting Engineers https://www.evolveuk.biz/

Interest and Thought:

Under threat from climate change and rampant development the need to highlight natures role and benefits for cities and people have never been greater.

The competition attracts us to respond to key issues :

• The green space and the lake of Hyde Park in the vicinity offer precious nature. It inspires us to link the competition site to the nearby wetland ecosystem discovering the contextual value for the next generation of Exhibition Road, as a potential corridor of green spaces that ties the urban fabric together.

• To respond to the ‘afterlife’ we take the ‘reversed engineered the process. Starting from the point of the installation being sited in the school as an ongoing science experiment, during the exhibition it’s a seed project to demonstrate to people the transformative power of these ecosystems within the city and people’s lives.

• To create a provoking perspective of skywards and downwards to experience nature from a different perspective and encourage people to pay more attention to nature in the city.

The idea of ‘Floating Pond’ installation emerges to show the ecosystem’s robust power when we care for the environment. The initial thoughts are:

• The installation is designed as a gatehouse/folly at the future school site, suitable for V&A and/or Goethe Institut sites.

• The structure is approximately 2m square and is effectively a tank with windows on the sides and bottom. The ecosystem will be curated by Salix.

• The side and bottom windows invite the public to a secret ecosystem and a new perspective on a world with water, wildlife, plants, insects, fish.

• Timber or recycled material structure that is easily assembled on-site with dry work. The platform element is optional.

• With Salix’s previous floating island on Serpentine and nursery resources, the design will create an exciting and educational experience.

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