The 2018 shortlist includes a fascinating collection of architecture. Cost per m²: £3,225. "border-radius": "5px", This wraps around a central well and is accessed by a new lift and stairs in the entrance space. }, }, Graphically the signage and wayfinding is well thought out using a variety of materials and methods to underline the industrial past of the site: three-dimensional metal signage at the entrance; lettering studded into the paths; and the word ‘wetlands’ picked out in brick on the swift tower making it a local landmark. That kind of thing reminds me how things take time. Tag: Architecture. ] “I just saw a dragonfly and thought about how much time they spend underwater, around seven years, before they emerge and fly. }); It remains the largest fishery in London. Its spareness in detail, restricted palette and marrying of new to old delivers both the plain practical tweaking and bold reimagining that the site required. script.src = scriptURL; "font-family": "Roboto, sans-serif", Prior to 2017, the Wetlands was a collection of 10 Victorian reservoirs in the Lea Valley, built towards the end of the 19th century to meet London’s growing demand for clean water. Due to operational constraints, only a small proportion of this target has been achieved but this idea typifies the kind of ambitious ecological target that in the long term will truly transform the site. "font-weight": "bold" The Forest School and all programmes run by the centre are based in this 'core', absorbing the 415,000 visitors per year, and minimising disturbance on the outlying reservoirs with more sensitive wildlife. "imgWithCarousel": false, “Even though it’s open to the public, there are still spaces where you can go and feel like you're in the middle of nowhere. It makes me feel relaxed coming here. The wildlife conservation and industrial value of Walthamstow Wetlands is truly unique in London and the opening of the site now allows more people to access its natural and architectural heritage. NLA’s core mission is to bring people together to shape a better city. } "margin-left": "-20px" Planting has focused on replacing invasive species such as brambles and nettles with those that mitigate any impact that public access might have on bird numbers. The site has already attracted many more visitors than the original forecasts hopefully giving rise to the possibility of additional enhancements in the future. "googleFonts": [ The client group was clear-eyed about cost and value, but also quite brave. apiKey: '8b4f18957bc2769efb0fef780ddb8b58', This parallels the light touch of the landscape design, focused around limited moves and plantings that maximise effect over time. Hugely popular, it is an intelligent integration of architecture and landscape to create a new public space. "variantTitle": { The collaboration [between Walthamstow Wetlands and the adult learning service] that allowed us to do art here was so different from a stuffy classroom. "compareAt": { These attach, hang and climb all over the building, the fabric of which has been cleaned and patched, touched as minimally as needed; left to show its history. Covering a mammoth 211 hectares, the site. Welcome to the London Architecture Diary, your essential guide to architecture exhibitions and events taking place across the city, brought to you by New London Architecture. So it is both a practical aid to enriching the site’s wildlife and a simple but potent symbol of the shift here back from industry to nature. The city – even the lurid new blocks of student accommodation now crowding the area – falls away. "background-color": "#e00002", }, “It refreshes you and it’s also rewarding. if (window.ShopifyBuy.UI) { As landmarks go, St Saviours Church on Markhouse Road is pretty unmissable. Blackhorse Mills is L&G’s flagship Build to Rent development that regenerates the former Ferry Lane Industrial Estate on the edge of Walthamstow’s reservoirs, a Site of Special Scientific Interest, into an environmentally-sensitive scheme of 479 homes designed specifically for rent. View Walthamstowdiary’s profile on Facebook. "toggle": { 12 February 2018 ":focus": { You can opt out of some cookies by adjusting your browser settings. } This outdoors-y industrial aesthetic extends to a raw steel information and orientation board; the whole blending easily with both the existing willows and old galvanised steel security fencing, evidence of the design team’s stated intention to ‘respond to’ rather than ‘impose’ character on the site. Dan lives on the borders of the Wetlands, having grown up in Walthamstow. "background-color": "#ff0003" "googleFonts": [ Elsewhere, new planting has also been designed to exaggerate seasonal colour changes, animating the landscape over the year, such as spring flowers sown in path verges and gorse for swathes of yellow flowers in May. "styles": { The practice worked closely with Lynn Kinnear to balance the needs of public access, with what it describes as ‘light-touch’ conservation of both buildings and landscape. They have created a unique identity for the site that draws on its wild, post-industrial charm.