british land – DesignApplause

please be seated by paul cocksedge for london design festival 2019.

Sep 14, 2019

british designer paul cocksedge is transforming finsbury avenue square with please be seated. located in the heart of broadgate, the landmark project will be the most ambitious of british land’s commissions to date.

the large-scale installation fuses innovation and technology, and responds to the changing rhythm of the community: its design features curves for people to sit on and walk under, further enhancing london’s largest pedestrianized neighborhood. the work is made from scaffolding planks, and cocksedge has collaborated with essex-based high-end interiors company white & white to re-imagine and re-use the building wood.

“every single aspect of the installation is tailored to its environment as well as the function it serves,” says cocksedge. “the curves raise up to create backrests and places to sit, as well as space for people to walk under, or pause and find some shade. it walks the line between a craft object and a design solution. it occupies the square without blocking it.”

broadgate’s the space | 3fa will be home to an exhibition of paul cocksedge’s work, including his journey from inception to creation of please be seated. as part of shoreditch design triangle’s design night, paul will be in conversation with a panel of experts discussing meaningful design for the public realm.

chief executive of british land, chris grigg said: “design is integral to everything we do at british land so we’re delighted to continue our partnership with london design festival for the fourth consecutive year. we truly believe good design has the power to create places where people want to be and where people want to spend time.”

snøhetta designs rotating book pavilion for london design festival 2018.

Sep 15, 2018

to mark paddington central’s first year as a design route at the london design festival, british land is celebrating the arrival of the innovative and thought-provoking snøhetta book pavilion.

snøhetta are a pioneering architectural and design firm based in oslo and new york with high-profile buildings including the alexandria library in egypt and the only cultural building on the world trade center memorial site. for this special project, snøhetta were inspired to create a contemporary visual form which adhered to the traditional principles of a library; snøhetta then created a mechanical, rotating pavilion of oversized books that flip to create a variety of spaces, ranging from quiet and reflective to extrovert and public. the spaces allow visitors to immerse themselves into a world of books when standing inside the structure.

located in kingdom street, the installation highlights british land’s commitment to creating places people prefer. delivering spaces that make a positive difference to people’s lives is integral to british land’s design ethos, as is its dedication to creating environments where people can work, relax and socialise. equally, snøhetta’s work also strives to enhance a sense of place, identity and relationship to others and the physical spaces we inhabit
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all visitors to the snøhetta book pavilion are encouraged to explore, interact and reflect on the build and revel in an installation that has been built with a very specific purpose in mind. it’s an essential stop on this year’s design route.