Reimagining Butler’s Wharf London Festival of Architecture 2020 News, LFA Design

Reimagining Butler’s Wharf London Winner

3 Dec 2020

The Tide Line – winning concept for Reimagining Butler’s Wharf competition revealed

3rd of December 2020 – The Tide Line – an evocative landscape designed by Ludwig Willis Architects with Structure Workshop and Howard Miller Landscape and Design – has been revealed as the winning concept in the London Festival of Architecture (LFA) and Butler’s Wharf Riverside Trust’s ‘Reimagining Butler’s Wharf’ competition.

The competition is a key stage towards the long-term transformation of Butler’s Wharf, Shad Thames – one of London’s most popular riverside spaces. The LFA and Butler’s Wharf Riverside Trust invited architects, landscape architects, designers and artists to consider how to unlock the site’s waterfront potential as an imaginative and engaging space for all, bringing visitors, Londoners and the local community back together on this historic jetty.

The Tide Line is inspired by the edge of the River Thames at Butler’s Wharf, where layers of ecology, history and access are revealed and concealed by the daily rhythms of the tide. The team have reimagined the jetty as a riparian landscape tracing along the mean low tide mark: watermen’s stairs become places of vantage and orientation, while masts placed along the length of the jetty recall its heritage and act as armatures for wayfinding and lighting. Along the deck, planters are filled with flora specific to the Thames and irrigated by the river using integrated low-energy solutions.

The Tide Line has been conceived to augment the island character of the Butler’s Wharf jetty, providing a breathing space from the bustling city silhouetted to the west and affording sanctuary for health, well-being and resilience as the river winds east.

The concept will now be developed through an inclusive design process that reviews feedback from stakeholders and the local community, exploring themes of environment and ecology, and responding to questions about maintenance and deliverables.

As a local practice based in Southwark, Ludwig Willis overcame competition from over 50 teams, and impressed the expert jury panel which included Paul Zara (director, Paul Zara Architects), Sarah Gaventa (director of the Illuminated River Foundation), Johanna Gibbons (partner, J & L Gibbons), David Ogunmuyiwa (principal, ArchitectureDoingPlace and Mayor’s Design Advocate), Dr Emma Sanderson-Nash (chair, Butler’s Wharf Riverside Trust), Ruth Slavid (journalist and editor) and Tamsie Thomson (managing director, New London Architecture).

Tamsie Thomson, managing director of New London Architecture, said:

“The Butler’s Wharf jetty is one of my favourite places in London and is somewhere that enchants residents and visitors alike. I’m really looking forward to working with the design team and Butler’s Wharf Residents Trust to engage with everyone who uses the jetty as we work to realise its full potential as one of London’s most unique public spaces. As a local design practice Ludwig Willis have clearly understood what makes the jetty unique, and have brought together a talented team around a very imaginative concept. I’m looking forward to seeing how that concept develops further and working towards its realisation.”

Emma Sanderson-Nash, Chair, Butler’s Wharf Riverside Trust, said:

“We were delighted by the response to our competition which inspired such creative and thoughtful designs. The Tide Line by Ludwig Willis best reflects our aim for better seating, planting and lighting with the needs of businesses and residents uppermost in our minds. We like its minimalist and linear design, which feels like natural evolution rather than radical change and which sits peacefully beside nearby giants of Tower Bridge and Canary Wharf. Materials are drawn from recycled materials and it also has the potential to involve local craftspeople and trades at the delivery phase. We look forward to working closely with Ludwig Willis in the coming months to bring forward the final proposal and costings.”

More Info

Ludwig Willis Architects are based in Southwark and were founded by Anna Ludwig and Rufus Willis in 2016. Together with Howard Miller Landscape and Design, Structure Workshop and River Walks the design team shares a passion for imaginative urban landscapes and creating habitable public places that inspire and delight.

ludwigwillis.com
Twitter: @LudwigWillisA
Instagram: @ludwigwillisarchitects
howardmillerdesign.co.uk
structureworkshop.co.uk
Instagram: @structure.workshop

The London Festival of Architecture (LFA) is the world’s largest annual architecture festival and showcases London as a global architectural hub. The LFA’s mission is to support London’s architectural and design talent, enthuse and engage with the public, and find new ways to look at familiar places. In 2020 the LFA is celebrating innovation and design through a digital events programme in June, and a more traditional programme of public events once it is safe to do so later in the year. The 2019 edition of the LFA inspired over 600 events across the capital, attracting over 800,000 visitors and a global audience of 138 million. A year-round programme of design competitions, design charrettes, campaigns and other activities also champions London as the best place in the world to practice and enjoy architecture.

Twitter: @LFArchitecture
Instagram: @LondonFestivalofArchitecture
www.londonfestivalofarchitecture.org

Butler’s Wharf Riverside Trust (BWRT) began as a sub-committee within STAMP (Shad Thames Area Management Partnership), leading on issues facing the community regarding the site known as ‘the jetty’ at Butler’s Wharf, which was becoming increasingly neglected. In 2017, the sub-committee evolved into a resident-led campaigning group, the Friends of Butlers Wharf Riverside, and the ‘Friends’ became a registered charity in February 2020 (Charity no. 1187952)

The Trustees meet on a regular basis, and report to both STAMP and STRA (Shad Thames Residents Association). The Trust were successful in being awarded £30k from Southwark Council under their ‘Cleaner Greener Safer’ programme to fund this competition.

Twitter: @bwriverside
Instagram: @butlerswharfriverside
www.butlerswharfriverside.org

Previously on e-architect:

25 June 2020

Reimagining Butler’s Wharf London Festival of Architecture 2020

Reimagining Butler’s Wharf

The London Festival of Architecture (LFA) and Butler’s Wharf Riverside Trust (BWRT) have launched a new design competition inviting architects, landscape architects, designers and artists to enhance the riverside promenade at Butler’s Wharf.

Reimagining Butler’s Wharf London

The competition seeks design solutions that will encourage visitors and residents to use and cherish one of London’s most popular riverside spaces. The winning design will be an imaginative response to the site, connecting users to the space, its surrounding river and buildings, and to the site’s rich maritime and industrial heritage.

Butler’s Wharf photos © Steven Ehrlich

Information for entrants is available on the London Festival of Architecture website here.

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Twitter: @bwriverside
Instagram: @butlerswharfriverside
www.butlerswharfriverside.org

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