Half way to rebuilding London's glass palace
Apr 11 2006
http://icsouthlondon.icnetwork.co.uk/0100news/0200southlondonheadlines/tm_objectid=16928767%26method=full%26siteid=50100%26headline=half%2dway%2dto%2drebuilding%2dlondon%2ds%2dglass%2dpalace-name_page.html

A HISTORIC glass palace could reappear on the capital's skyline by the end of the decade.

An architect who has dreamed of putting the crystal palace back into Crystal Palace Park for the past nine years says his vision is moving closer to becoming a reality.

Ray Hall says he has secured £30million from an anonymous private donor, which is half the cost of the £60m project.

His aim is to have the palace built by 2010 to coincide with the opening of the planned extension of the East London line from New Cross Gate to Crystal Palace.

If it is completed by the deadline it would also be ready two years before London hosts the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

What a fantastic idea!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Crystal_Palace


http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f0/Crystal_Palace.PNG


http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/04/Crystal_palace_1851.JPG

Great Idea, i'd love to see it be rebuilt

but what could such a vast space be used for?...would it be economically Viable???

Very interesting idea, good find.

Yesterday, I just so happened to be reading about the proposals for redevelopment at Crystal Palace Park(click here to read) (http://www.lda.gov.uk/server/show/ConWebDoc.1287) and this replica would indeed be a stunning centrepiece. I think costs are a major consideration with the proposals, but if private investors are happy to contribute then this might well be a catalyst to the regeneration.
Thinking of moving to this area so might get in quick before prices rocket!!

I agree it is a great idea, beautiful looking struture and I hope if it's built the new structure would be quite similar to the original. Any ideas if the local council are behind this idea?

Fantastic very good news.

No no no! Build the Wilkinson Eyre proposal!!! Now that would REALLY put South London on the map.

http://www.virtualnorwood.com/images/localinfo/cpparkglass/P5360X009t.jpg

http://www.virtualnorwood.com/localinfo/cpparkglass.shtml

surely they would have to make the rebuilt crystal palace safer and less likely to burn down than the old one!

i think it would be an excellent idea and one that would gain international attention. another good idea might be to have a london branch of the Eden Project next to the old Crystal Palace, now that would be truly amazing.

the wilkinson eyre proposal on the other hand - bleh.

Oh yes please! Been gutted since a child that it burned down before my time. Wish theyd rebuild the Tate Tower in Glasgow that was dismantled during the war as it was such an obvious landmark.

Crystal Palace was the milenium dome of the victorian era. The second fire burnt down a delapidated unused stucture that had already lost its eastern wing in a previous fire. The wilkinson eyre one is much better.

I think they could use it as a centre for botany... like Kew Gardens. I'm sure it'd make money... everyone would love to go and visit it.

The UK seems to have quiet a few lost iconic buildings, either due to lack of forsight or economics...

http://www.skyscrapernews.com/lost_wonders.htm

, very sad really as if people had the courage and money alot could be rebuilt and i'm sure would be as popular today as they were then.
I agree with the rebuilding of the crystal palace and yes a huge greenhouse / botanical garden would make alot of sense in this area.
That with the new sports centre in the park it would be a great place to visit.

If there is £60m to be spent on a botanical garden I'd rather have a modern 'Eden Project' style one. Also raising £30m for building it so far is impressive, but who will pay for the far less sexy running costs of a few million per year? Who will buy back the land that the crystal palace transmitters sit on? Where does the bus station go? The Victorians tried to think up stuff to put in it for about 80 years. There were botanical gardens, a concert hall, an aquarium....loads of stuff and none made money. It's the same as the Dome, what do you put in the thing!

I have this awful feeling it'll end up looking like a really cheap pastiche.

you could be right....Ray hall should produce better images of this scheme if he wants any public opinion to sway in his favour. And this does not mean a wishy washy watercolour.

It should certainly be rebuilt authentically. This building is one of the wonders of the modern world! It had the same stature as the Eiffel Tower for goodness sake and we just let it disappear after the fire. It wouldnt take that much effort to rebuild it, it didnt take the Victorians that long and this was a new building method for them! You could fill it with anything, botanical gardens, innovative open office space/retail,

From the full story:

"This crystal palace would be a quarter of the size of the original one with the same proportions.

Doesn't fill me with confidence. At a quarter of the size of the original, it's gonig to have none of the impact the 1854 palace did.

I agree we need to see a render of the project before final judegment is passed as those images at the top of the thread are of the original, unless men on horseback are part of the deal. ;) :)

^^^^^^
ewwwugh. That sounds like rubbish with a capitol c, r, a and p. What kind of nut would waste £30m of their own money on such an embarrasement?

Just what is the point in that! A quarter size, ha ha. Why don't we have a quarter sized tower bridge too while we're at it! The Wilkinson Eyre one is so much better. It would be achingly fashionable architecturally, offer superb views enhance the park area and add a cultural icon to South London visible from miles around.

This has to be a joke.

Hold on... £60m for a dinky-toy version of the Palace?! The WE project was priced at £45m in 2003. 3 years on, with inflation and all wouldn't it be somewhere around the £60m figure maybe?...

http://www.virtualnorwood.com/images/localinfo/cpparkglass/P5360X019t.jpg
Surely much better value for money!

:cheers:

How about rebuilding it in its original site in Hyde Park? Would certainly be a visitor draw

This idea is such a load of shite...

We with our superior technology and construction methods cannot build a crystal palace its original size ......a fucking joke..

lets rebuild it but wait....a quarter of its size lol what a joke

fuck off

^^^^^^
ewwwugh. That sounds like rubbish with a capitol c, r, a and p. What kind of nut would waste £30m of their own money on such an embarrasement?

Just what is the point in that! A quarter size, ha ha. Why don't we have a quarter sized tower bridge too while we're at it! ..... This has to be a joke.


yay Vegas here we come

Crystal Palace was the milenium dome of the victorian era. The second fire burnt down a delapidated unused stucture that had already lost its eastern wing in a previous fire. The wilkinson eyre one is much better.

It's yet another shapeless glass bob. There is no imagination in such things at all, they are a tired cliche of crap modern architecture.

There is no imagination in such things at all, they are a tired cliche of crap modern architecture.

EXACTLY the same words said about every piece of architecture in every era.

To be honest the original Crystal Palace does nothing for me. An example of Victorian ego over substance. Perfect example of a white elephant and one which will be again if they rebuilt it.

The Wilkinson Eyre project is daring and pushing a boundary of glass engineering, plus it has a purpose of giving a viewing platform over south London.

I know which one I'd support the building of.

If you favour the glass blob over the original crystal palace thats your perogative but I still think your mad !

Anyway I think we should build a factory there that makes minature versions of factories. It would be just as plausable and relevant as building a crystal palace 1/4 original size...

where is the man who wants to build it, so I can kick him in the shins..

Man on the moon, capable of moving faster than sound, world wide communication a second but yet we cannot rebuild Crystal Palace? has London sunk so low we will even dare settle for 1/4 size of what once use to be a glorious building.

:(

EXACTLY the same words said about every piece of architecture in every era.

To be honest the original Crystal Palace does nothing for me. An example of Victorian ego over substance. Perfect example of a white elephant and one which will be again if they rebuilt it.



The building wasnt a white elephant! It changed its contents over time but the actual building was the symbol of the dawn of the modern world in which we still live and it was hugely popular (sounds like the dome lol)

I personally dont see what is wrong with just having it rebuilt as a monument as that is what it was: a homage to the modern world. Why not stick in examples of all the things that went in their originally, all that technology and art from around the world. It was an exhibition space, why not have it as an exhibit hall too? Or just leave it as a cathedral to our age for people to understand where we have come from.

I'd take the original Crystal Palace over 89 Millenium Domes anyday.

crystal palace WAS used when it burned down. my grandmothers brother was the conductor of the band that would play there every single tuesday. it was a massive nightclub venue in the 30s.

This story... does it have any substance really? Every year someone comes out to say they will rebuild the crystal palace, each time nothing happens...Why does it take so long to even get something like the Wilkinson Eyre scheme to go ahead?
Obviously its money, so why doesnt the GLA get behind this scheme so it has some real backing as it will obviously be a success no matter what goes on inside the damn thing.
The emphasis is on the sports centre at crystal palace, a worthy cause, but not everyone likes sport and we do need some more cultural buildings in the south of London too.

Found this on ThisIsLocalLondon:

Crystal clear dreams
By Adrian Kajumba

http://www.thisislocallondon.co.uk/_images/db/20/89/16_crystalpalace_01.208995.full.jpg

An architect's dream to rebuild what was once one of south London's most famous landmarks has been boosted by a multi-million pound donation.

Architect Ray Hall said he has been handed £30million towards the cost of rebuilding a crystal palace in Crystal Palace Park.

Mr Hall said an anonymous donor who "is a big fan of everything Crystal Palace stands for" gave him the cash.

The donation is half of the £60million required for the rebuild.

If his plans receive the go-ahead Mr Hall hopes the stunning glass palace's opening will coincide with that of the East London Line Tube extension, which will connect New Cross Gate to Crystal Palace from 2010.

He also said rebuilding the palace would be a massive boost for local business and could create as many as 2,000 jobs. Profits from the rebuilt landmark could be pumped into improving the park.

Mr Hall, who has been working on the project for nine years, said: "The name Crystal Palace is known but whenever people go to Crystal Palace, they think where actually is it? With the new palace we can help put the area back on the map.

"The way to put it back on the map is to enable the new palace so it has a new identity that everyone can understand and enable business communities and south London to become a destination."

The first Crystal Palace was built in Hyde Park for the Great Exhibition in 1851. It was then dismantled, relocated to Crystal Palace Park and reopened in 1854. The palace was destroyed by fire in 1936.

Lewisham-based architect Mr Hall said if his plans for a third crystal palace are given the go-ahead it will be a quarter of the size of Joseph Paxton's original, but will be designed with the original features using up-to-date materials and technology.

One of those, he said, would be photovoltaic glass that can convert energy from the sun into enough electricity to serve 10,000 homes.

As well as being an attraction the palace will be a venue for exhibitions, cultural and social events.

Mr Hall said he hopes to work with the London Development Agency (LDA) to supplement the park's existing facilities.

The LDA took over responsibility for the National Sports Centre in the park in March. It also has the option to take over the day-to-day running of the park in 2009.

Sue Nagle, part of a group called Rebuild Crystal Palace, said: "This is fantastic news and we are thrilled to bits. It would bring people up here, it would give us jobs and entertainment up here for the young kids things we desperately need.

"Financially there is nothing that would work better. The minute the palace goes up it becomes a tourist attraction and people will be coming from all over the world to look at it. It would be administered by a charitable trust which would give half the money to a backer and half towards running the park."

An LDA spokesman said: "We have not included a development for the top site of Crystal Palace Park in our proposals.

"Any proposals for a crystal palace would need to take account of some pretty significant obstacles, including traffic issues.

"There is a lot of passion and support for the idea, which is fantastic, but it would need to be financially viable and acceptable to local people."

Although we shouldn't take too much from this grainy little render, my initial feeling that this idea of recreating CP with "modern materials" would have to be something of the highest quality to even come close to the spectacle the original must have been.

I mean, the above image looks like something from More London with a semicircular dome stuck on top. At a quarter of the size, it can't match the sheer scale of the original and, if it's built merely as a glass-clad box in the vague shape of the Palace it will lose the grandeur too through lack of detailing.

Definitely not convinced this is what we need to be doing here.

Its harking back to the past- The original was a grand iron structure but was essentially a huge greenhouse & glass & iron shell. If they rebuild this it will be totally unsuited for todays times. It woulD need all the modern mod cons, kitchens, conference rooms, modern bathrooms with disabled access, modern H&S issues, fire exits etc & you would end up with a mess of a building in which case it would more likEly end up as a kistche version of the orIginal.

The wilkinson Eyre proposal is much more realisitic for the site- A smaller 21st century take on the original crystal palace.

http://www.wilkinsoneyre.com/main.htm

Agreed.

hmmm, as mentioned, we cant really go by that render, but if its only quater of the size of the original and uses 'modern' materials, i have a feeling it may end up looking like a giant, cheap, plasticy conservatory extension that you find on every suburban semi.

A grainy and what looks like a fly through image is just not convincing enough. It does not show how big this building will be? I think another view apart from the main entrance will shed some light on this mysterious scheme to access how good this new Crystal Palace will be.

This story... does it have any substance really? Every year someone comes out to say they will rebuild the crystal palace, each time nothing happens...Why does it take so long to even get something like the Wilkinson Eyre scheme to go ahead?
Obviously its money, so why doesnt the GLA get behind this scheme so it has some real backing as it will obviously be a success no matter what goes on inside the damn thing.
The emphasis is on the sports centre at crystal palace, a worthy cause, but not everyone likes sport and we do need some more cultural buildings in the south of London too.
I believe it is the LDA who are now in charge of Crystal Palace Park regeneration. Control is passing from Bromley Brorough Council. The LDA support the idea of new development at the top of the site. However this is out of scope in the first phase of the project. Phase one is rebuilding the sports centre. This is a priority as the building is in a poor state of repair and needs either a major overhall soon or replacement. Otherwise it will have to be closed. They have opted for replacement. To pay for it flats will be built on land currently owned by the park, but land which is not currently park, if that makes sense?? A car park will be built on, a shed nocked down and the campsite converted to a mix of new residential and new parkland. This is under negotiation at the moment. Nimbies hate the idea of the park selling land. I think realistically in 18 months construction could begin on the residential and sports projects for completion in 2009/10. It is only then that work on an arts centre such as the wilkinsoneyre one at the top of the site is likely to be considered. I think it has a good chance, but we'll have to wait quite a long while. 2012 could happen.

There's no point rebuilding it a quarter of the original size. They should rebuild it full size or not at all.

I think in some ways if it’s a success, like the Eden project for example, you could build the crystal palace in stages. The building originally was very repetitive in its design and any expansion could be done purely by adding wings to either side of the scheme. That way the building can grow according to whever it is plausible or not.
I do think bringing something back from the ashes is a strange idea, but it seems there was such love for this building that maybe it should be rebuilt.