ArchShowcase Sumit Singhal
Sumit Singhal loves modern architecture. He comes from a family of builders who have built more than 20 projects in the last ten years near Delhi in India. He has recently started writing about the architectural projects that catch his imagination. Waltham Forest College in London, UK by Platform 5 Architects LLP & Richard Hopkinson ArchitectsAugust 1st, 2014 by Sumit Singhal
Article source: Platform 5 Architects LLP & Richard Hopkinson Architects Phase1 The £3 million project opens up the existing landmark 1930s building to create a new series of formal and informal education and meeting areas, which work as set of interacting horizontal and vertical layered spaces. The intervention of a suspended glazed seminar box within the central learning space, accessed by a slender oak-lined staircase, is the project’s most striking feature. Our team have transformed the previously austere and run-down main spaces in the college to create a welcoming, inclusive and contemporary environment for students, staff and other building users. This project marks the first phase in the delivery of a strategic masterplan. The success of the project has led to a further commission to carry out the second stage of the masterplan with a £4.9M project.
Phase 2 This £4.9 million development, which marks the second phase of our work for Waltham Forest College in collaboration with Richard Hopkinson Architects, continues to upgrade routes and maximise the use of previously underused or redundant spaces. Above the entrance lobby a new student zone offers a place for relaxation and extracurricular activities alongside a mezzanine floor dedicated to the Students Union. On the ground floor, the large unused area beneath the main entrance steps has been refurbished to create a 70-seater lecture theatre and an innovative Market Place incorporating a butchery, a bakery, a reprographics and stationary centre and a start-up business incubator. The 1970s Lowery Centre has been re-clad and the fashion department’s workshops renovated to produce bright modern workspaces. The scheme also includes a Young Persons Learning Centre incorporating a workshop, a life skills classroom, a light craft room and flexible teaching space. The Centre will have direct access to a landscaped courtyard. Platform 5 Architects was founded in 2006 and is an award-winning architectural practice led by Patrick Michell and Peter Allen with a diverse portfolio of projects in the residential, commercial, educational and cultural sectors. Since our inception in 2006, we have built a reputation on the quality of our design and level of service to our clients. Wallpaper* magazine’s Architects Directory 2009 featured Platform 5 in their selection of 30 of the world’s most talented young architectural practices and we were also nominated for Young Architect of the Year in 2008. Our work has been widely published both in the UK and internationally, covering our residential projects such as the award winning extension at Mapledene Road, Shoffice, Book Tower House and new build country house Meadowview. Having proven our ability to design and deliver crafted bespoke houses, we have now completed larger scale public and commercial projects such as the £3million “Heart of the Campus” project at Waltham Forest College and are on site with the £35million Waterloo Campus redevelopment for LeSoCo. Richard Hopkinson has recently founded Richard Hopkinson Architects, he has over twenty years of experience of working with schools, colleges and universities. He is an RIBA Client Design Advisor, a BREEAM Accredited Professional and an experienced Project Manager. Contact Platform 5 Architects LLP
Category: College |