Palestra | Southwark, London | 56m

[wjfox]

Went for a wander around Southwark today. Here are some pics of Will Alsop's Palestra, which is virtually completed externally.

I think it's turned out well - certainly better than I expected. The cladding is nice, very shiny and colourful, and has brightened up this rather drab area of Southwark. Architecturally, I think it's better than Bankside 123 and More London.

[gothicform]

my gf and i thought the cladding was cheap. if you look at the yellows in it for example, they do look like cheapo plastic. we both agreed it had something but it was let down by the mothercare style plastics.

[delores]

the design has been watered down substantially, as someone who used to work at alsops i have seen the facade change radically, there was to be a second glass skirt around the upper levels...this was taken out for cost reasons and really in my eyes has never really recovered aesthetically. But i think its a welcome addition to the area all the same and anythings better than what it replaced. Its ashame nothing has happened above southwark station. Are there any plans? Does anyone know?? a tower would be very appropriate here.

[DarJoLe]

Interesting that people found the original Alsop design too wacky and asked for it to be toned down, only for the complaints to still exist that it is now watered down.

It's almost like Alsop did a bit fuck you to the detractors.

I think the effect has been lost on this building. It promised quite a lot but hasn't really lived up to the potential. I think the main reason is the lack of anything kind of 'softening' into the surrounding area. I seem to remember an original rendering which showed the cladding style applied to the railway bridge, a few painted squares on the pavement that went up Blackfriars Road, and the odd random yellow tile scatted around the surrounding area that became more of a cluster the closer you got to the building.

A real shame. It will look great in the summer what with the heavily reflective facade, but the building just fails for me - firstly by the hideous machinery ducts that grace the top level (which seem to be something the architects fail on on every new build (except, suprisingly, at Canary Wharf), the dullness of the final look from the original plan, and that the building in terms of pedestrian flows is still as bad as what graced the site before.

That's not to say I don't like it. I'm just not sure I like what it turned out to be.

[pricemazda]

To me it reminds me of the mistakes of the past. Monolithic structures built for the architects ego rather than on improving the built environment. It does look cheap much like the cladding on City Hall, my bet for city hall is in 20-30 years it will have a complete reclad.

[DarJoLe]

I honestly think More London will be gone in thirty years and City Hall along with it. It reeks of being a 21st century mistake akin to a 1960s mistake today.

[hellolazyness]

It doesnt really strike me as being as extrordinary as it is meant to be. At least it doesn't look like a teddy bear. Perhaps its the context of the building. I mildly dislike it.

[mulattokid]

Originally Posted by delores

the design has been watered down substantially, as someone who used to work at alsops i have seen the facade change radically, there was to be a second glass skirt around the upper levels...this was taken out for cost reasons and really in my eyes has never really recovered aesthetically. But i think its a welcome addition to the area all the same and anythings better than what it replaced. Its ashame nothing has happened above southwark station. Are there any plans? Does anyone know?? a tower would be very appropriate here.

Yes...well if you come out of southwark Station an turn left, you come to a number of sites that are mentioned on here (can anyone else recall the names), ultimately, the Beetham tower at the foot of the bridge, but that is much further down...about 1/2 km.

I note people are generally disappointed with this project, but I remember what was there before ( I was up in court there.....on jury service). It really was an ugly concrete shitebox!

[mulattokid]

BTW excellent pics yet again!

[Cabman]

This is, toned down for an Alsop, but despite many of the faults that many of you have pointed out and by the way I pretty much agree with most of the criticisms, I still think this building has turned out pretty well. The wackiness has gone from the design and anythings odd left are now just subtle.

p.s good pics will

[jef]

Nice pics. But I don't like Palestra. The LDA made a pre-let

[JDRS]

Certainly quite interesting and a sure improvement on what was there, however why they chose yellow I'll never understand? I don't particularly like the cladding and it doesn't live up to the renders but still I don't think it's awful and the shape is quite good.

[Munch]

what did the original wacky renders look like? I dont remember....

[eXSBass]

I'm not sure what people are on about but cladding is not finished yet. Theirs another coating thats going on.
However as for updates last time I visited in Dec at the site the lift shafts were being fitted ready for the lifts.
The balcony needs doing and the roof needs covering too, however I think they've already done this because all the motors are in.

I'm going to visit it again in Feb so we'll see how far they've gotton.

I have seen the inside and its vast. The office space is huge. And right at the top is a brilliant vantage point to take a alot of snapshots of London. The photos came out brilliant.

[Londonconstructionwo]

The inside of this building is better than the outside once the enterance lobby is complete it will be a much better building, rumorur has it ken livinstone is going to let this building. The interior is of a high standard and although this is a nothing building it is the start of the redevelopment of this area once the hotel is built behind we may see more and more built around here. I Know its not earth shattering stuff but these small jobs pave the way to get the right type of enviroment to coax the bigger jobs into the area.

[JDRS]

Originally Posted by Munch

what did the original wacky renders look like? I dont remember....

Larger ones can be found on the website











Thanks to ImageShack for Free Image Hosting

[Fragmentor]

I think it looks rather nice. Certainly nothing like the renderings (but what is) the colour is not quite as prominent in the cladding as I'd hoped it would be, saying that though, it's not bad, shame it wasnt 50 stories higher

[DarJoLe]

Oh the original was far more wacky than that - painted clouds on the top half and crosses down the sides.

[delores]

all in all though i have to say it beats the awful buildings around that area.
Across the road lifschutz davidson are building a tower but i'm not sure thats going ahead now.
The beetham tower should be built above the station in my eyes , not so close to the water as proposed now.

[johnnypd]

i dont especially like how it looks at the mo, and i knew this would happen as soon as i saw the deceptive renderings and said as much in the original thread.