Southbank Tower announces partnership with Zaha Hadid Architects (ZHA) to transform the tower’s lobby in London, UK.
ZHA’s first refurbishment of an apartment building interior introduces a new mezzanine and lift, concierge desk and lighting scheme for the lobby of the repurposed Southbank Tower. One of the UK’s most ambitious renovation projects, the 30-story office building completed by Richard Seifert in 1972 was converted by KPF in 2015 into a 41-story mixed-use tower that incorporates two and three bedroom apartments.
The lobby’s design by ZHA draws inspiration from the organic forms of flower petals that overlap to conceal the lobby’s lighting scheme. The fluid curves of the structure house the tower’s concierge on the ground floor, before peeling back at the top to reveal a new mezzanine level which serves as an additional lounge for residents and guests.
Rendering credit: Arch018 srl, @ Zaha Hadid Architects
The sculptural petals in glass fiber reinforced gypsum and marble furniture pieces within the lobby are formed to precision in an off-site studio using 3D digital fabrication. This process minimizes the duration of works in the lobby and disturbance to residents, while also creating original pieces at an architectural scale to a level of detail otherwise associated with intricate, hand-crafted design works.
Incorporating a color palette and materials informed by the existing building, the lobby marries polished marble and concrete with walnut and leather.
Rendering credit: Arch018 srl, @ Zaha Hadid Architects
Helmut Kinzler, ZHA project director explains, “The design has evolved from our work reinventing the spaces of art museums and galleries around the world; creating immersive spatial experiences for the Southbank Tower’s lobby that enhance the materiality and volumes of the original structure.”
Rendering credit: Arch018 srl, @ Zaha Hadid Architects
Construction of the 200 square meter lobby will commence in early 2020 and is due for completion in summer 2020.
This collaboration with ZHA marks the first in a series of brand partnerships for Southbank Tower on behalf of the investment firm which acquired 37 apartments within the building in early 2018.
Project Team
Architect: Zaha Hadid Architects (ZHA)
Design: Patrik Schumacher
ZHA Project Director: Helmut Kinzler
ZHA Project Associate: Zetta Kotsioni
ZHA Project Team: Amittai Antoine, Torsten Broeder, Iliana Capsali, Aleksandra Mnich-Spraiter, Regina Ng, Marco Pavoni, Hendrik Rupp, Risa Tadauchi
Project Management: NASH Worldwide Ltd
Planning Consultant: Montagu Evans LLP
Quantity Surveyor: MEA
Structural Engineer: AKT II Ltd
MEP Engineer / Fire Safety Consultants: SWECO UK Ltd
Light Consultant: Inverse Lighting Design Ltd
Marketing PR: Jackyl UK Investment Ltd
Rendering: Arch018 srl
Others: Moritz Haeker
