A Room for London: Roi des Belges
Date uploaded: August 24, 2011
A Room for London
There can be few places to stay a night in London quite as unusual, poetic and life-enhancing as Living Architecture's newest project: a 'boat' perched, as if by retreating floodwaters, on the very edge of the Queen Elizabeth Hall.
A Room for London: Roi des Belges, a temporary one-bedroom installation, is being commissioned by Living Architecture and Artangel, two of Britain's leading cultural organisations. It will sit on the roof of Southbank Centre’s Queen Elizabeth Hall and be part of the London 2012 Festival.
The building, designed by David Kohn Architects and artist Fiona Banner, is intended to offer guests a place of refuge and reflection amidst the flow of traffic at this iconic location in the capital. The lower and upper decks offer extraordinary views, by day and night, of a London panorama that stretches from Big Ben to St Paul's cathedral. Inside, the boat is a beautifully crafted timber object, full of nooks and crannies to explore. On arrival 'aboard', a nautical flag will be raised to signal occupation, with the visitors invited to fill in a logbook on the 'bridge' of the boat, detailing what they have experienced during their stay, out of the window as much as within themselves. This is contemporary architecture at its most playful, beguiling and thought-provoking.
The first stage of bookings for a night at A Room for London will start from 8th September 2011 (for nights January-June 2012). The second stage of bookings (for nights July-Dec 2012) will start from January 2012.
For more background on the project click here. And to receive updates on A Room for London and other Living Architecture projects click here.
Visit www.living-architecture.co.uk/the-houses/aroomforlondon/overview/
