Shortlist announced for London Festival of Architecture Thessaly Road competition

The London Festival of Architecture (LFA) has announced six shortlisted practices to develop proposals to improve the appearance and feel of Thessaly Road Railway Bridge, a focus of local residents’ aspirations for an improved public realm, and an important gateway to the redevelopment taking place around Nine Elms Vauxhall.

The competition, which was open to architects, designers, artists and students, attracted 108 entries – one of the largest responses to a LFA design competition to date – and the shortlist offers an exceptional and diverse showcase of architectural and design talent.

The six shortlisted teams are:

1. ArchitectureDoingPlace, West Port & Co, Mary Evans, WriteTalkListen
www.architecturedoingplace.com

2. De Rosee Sa
www.deroseesa.com
@deroseesa

3. Farrer Huxley Associates
www.fha.co.uk
@FarrerHuxley

4. Jan Kattein Architects
www.jankattein.com
@janketteinarch

5. Mesh, BIGG Design and Matthew McGuinness
www.meshworkshop.co.uk
www.biggdesign.co.uk
@BiggDesign
www.matthewmcguinness.com

6. Yinka Ilori
www.yinkailori.com
@YinkaIlori_

The design competition has been conceived by the LFA and Wandsworth Council to improve the user experience for existing communities, pedestrians and cyclists on a key route between Battersea Park Road and Wandsworth Road. The competition is being judged by an expert panel including:

Pam Alexander (chair, Covent Garden Market Authority)
Amy Frearson (editorial director, Dezeen)
Anne Mullins (head of culture, Nine Elms Vauxhall Partnership)
Morag Myerscough (founder, Studio Myerscough)
Clare Richards (founder, Footwork)
Tamsie Thomson (director, London Festival of Architecture)

Shortlisted teams are currently preparing a series of consultation meetings with local communities, and a public exhibition of the shortlisted designs will be held during the London Festival of Architecture in June.

The winning team will be revealed in May and awarded £20,000 to develop a design that will be eligible to be constructed and installed beneath the Thessaly Road Railway Bridge as part of the London Festival of Architecture in 2019, subject to planning consent and consultation with local residents. The overall budget for the project is £200,000.

Tamsie Thomson, director of the London Festival of Architecture said:

“We are delighted with the large and very enthusiastic response to our Thessaly Road Railway Bridge design competition. The shortlist offers a snapshot of the brilliance and diversity of London’s architecture and design talent, and we cannot wait to see their ideas as they develop. We’re proud to be harnessing the best of London’s design talent for the benefit of local people and communities, and looking forward to the next stage.”