Developer St James, has joined forces with the Royal College of Art to launch a competition that will award a team of postgraduate students a design commission for the innovative new public realm being created in the regeneration of Albert Embankment.
The Multi-Use Public Space project will be undertaken by students of the RCA MA Architecture programme. Curated by Futurecity, it aims to inspire concepts for an innovative, future-facing design series that will support a range of public uses including socialising, working, dining and play. The competition offers a unique opportunity for the student cohort to help shape the public interface between the new buildings and the wider community, defining new narratives for public realm projects in the 21st Century.
St James has teamed up with the world-leading educational institution for its regeneration of the Albert Embankment where it is creating 433 new homes, offices, cafes and restaurants across three landmark developments. Over half the 1.6 acre riverfront site will be dedicated to open public space.
“At St James, we are committed to creating vibrant places where people want to live, work, play and spend time – now and in the future. High quality and interactive public space is fundamental in creating desirable destinations with a strong identity; they must be meaningful and genuinely engaging for all potential users.” – Sean Ellis, Chairman of St James
The Multi-Use Public Space commission will help to extend the concentrated cultural activity of the South Bank. It aims to create a design icon for Albert Embankment, equal to the landmark architecture that is interactive and suitable for daily use within the public realm.
The successful concept will be accessible to a wide range of audiences from residents and their guests, to office workers, café and restaurant visitors; accommodating uses including rest and relaxation, socialising, work and play.
“The Multi-Use Public Space project at Albert Embankment draws on RCA Architecture’s experience and knowledge of designing for the public realm, following the Helix Studio with St Mary’s Hospital, Paddington and Wembley Windows with Brent Council. We are delighted to receive this ‘Live Project’ student commission from St James and to work with Futurecity and the GLA in designing a new space that is relevant for Londoners.” – Adrian Lahoud, Head of Architecture Programme, RCA
Final designs will be presented on 10 December 2015 to a panel of judges including representatives from RCA, St James, Futurecity and the GLA, with the winner announced during a public exhibition early 2016.
“It’s becoming increasingly important that new public realm spaces in London should be designed with purpose. It’s time to take an original approach to the design, use and ownership of the public realm whether it’s through a partnership with the community, a green strategy, bespoke street furniture or public art – this is one of many original approaches to placemaking adopted by St James.” – Mark Davy, Founder and Director of Futurecity
St James first established a partnership with the RCA in 2013, creating the dedicated StudioRCA exhibition and performance space at its 813-home Riverlight development, which was the first riverside scheme to be completed in the Nine Elms opportunity area. The partnership between St James and the RCA has been developed and managed by Futurecity.
St James started work on the Albert Embankment regeneration in 2013 and all three developments are due for completion in 2019.