Southend Pier

Southend-on-Sea, Grande-Bretagne
Photo © Luke Hayes
Photo © Luke Hayes
Photo © Luke Hayes
Photo © Luke Hayes
Photo © Luke Hayes
Photo © Luke Hayes
Photo © Luke Hayes
Photo © Luke Hayes
Architectes
White Arkitekter
Lieu
Southend-on-Sea, Grande-Bretagne
Année
2012
Client

Southend-on-Sea Borough Council

Buiding
about 1 100 m² GTA

Landscape
about 3 000 m² GTA

Southend Pier Cultural Centre by White arkitekter and Sprunt is now complete. The new Cultural Centre is sited at the head of Southend Pier, the world’s longest pleasure pier.

 

The sweeping geometric form and harmonising palette of materials of the building celebrates the topography of the windswept site integrating it into the scenic landscape. The dynamic roof shape, which measures up to 9 metres from floor level, houses a large multi-purpose events space with floor to ceiling glazed elevations. Orientated South facing, the entrance façade is set back beneath the roof forming a sheltered entrance and café terrace from which to enjoy views out onto the water.

 

The centre has sloping walls and a twisting hyperbolic paraboloid roof form designed in partnership with structural engineers Price & Myers. Due to the challenging conditions of the site, contractors Kier fabricated the building off site at Tilbury Docks and craned it into place in one piece. Durable materials have been specified throughout to help achieve a long lifespan.

 

During the day the cultural centre's GRP cladding has a translucent quality which changes tone, appearing white in bright sunlight and greenish grey when the sky is overcast. At night luminaires delineate the building’s sculptural profile.

 

Southend Pier is a landmark structure closely associated with the town and particularly to the typology of Southend’s shoreline. The Cultural Centre brings new life to the promenade and reclaims the pier as the town’s main attraction for both the town’s residents and tourists.

Film - The Big Lift

Projets liés

  • Wellness Bogn Sedrun
    Walter Bieler AG
  • Dreifachturnhalle Gipf Oberfrick
    Walter Bieler AG
  • Shanghai Suhe MixC World
    KOKAISTUDIOS
  • Welcome to the Stage!
    Kjellander Sjöberg
  • Hovering Kan-Too – Great Bay Area Center Showroom
    Wutopia Lab

Magazine

Autres projets de White Arkitekter

Kastrup Sea Bath
Kastrup, Danmark
Umeå Architecture School
Umeå, Suède
Stockholm Waterfront
Stockholm, Suède
Forumtorget
Uppsala, Suède
Skellefteå Cultural Centre
Skellefteå, Suède