from 16 june 2010, for a 3 week period, just 2000 guests will get to visit carmody groarke’s pop-up pavilion as it hosts studio east dining by bistrotheque, built within a live construction site, 35m atop westfield stratford city’s 1.9 million sq ft development – the pavilion provides the first views across london’s olympic stadium, and zaha hadid’s 2012 aquatics centre, forming a commanding presence on the city’s skyline

a fast build with a life span of just 3 weeks, the primary structure, weighing 70 tons, is constructed from hired materials borrowed from the existing construction site, including: 2000 scaffolding boards, 3500 scaffolding poles, and reclaimed timber, used to create the walls and floors of the 800 square metre dining space – the cladding material which encases the roof, is a semi-translucent membrane, using industrial grade heat retractable polyethylene which is 100% recycled after use; as with the other materials, all will be returned to the site afterwards and recycled without any waste – by night, the whole structure will glow, forming shadows and silhouettes of the events held within, creating a compelling jewel on london’s skyline at sunset

established by kevin carmody and andy groarke in 2006, recipients of uk young architect of the year award 2007, and completed projects such as carsten höller’s double club, and 7 july memorial in hyde park, for which they were recently awarded a riba for architectural excellence

“one of the uk’s most exciting young architecture practices” world architecture news

“when westfield stratford city approached us to do something on their roof, we instinctively felt carmody groarke would be the obvious people to partner with, and that the structure should be built from everyday materials found around the site, be very design led and to match up to the stunning views, making it truly iconic – this is the rolls royce of pop-ups” pablo flack, co-owner, bistrotheque

through close collaboration with bistrotheque, carmody groarke have evolved a form and internal arrangement that works for both the experience of front of house and the pragmatic requirements of running a kitchen and service back of house – the large dining room, capable of seating 120 guests, is broken into a cluster of timber rooms lined in scaffolding planks, proportioned to the scale of each of the dining room tables, allowing everyone to connect in a communal dining experience

as the structure is seen from all sides, and as such has been conceived as a pavilion without front or back – just like a solitaire – external balconies frame breathtaking panoramic views of the metropolis that is london, and its far-reaching landscape

“we have had to concieve the design of the pavilion taking into account the very short construction time, the short life span of the restaurant and the need for it to return to a construction site shortly after the event – all of this has been executed within one of the largest working building sites in london” carmody groarke

the royal institute of british architects (riba) recently announced the winners of the 2010 riba awards, for which carmody groarke won 2 riba awards for architectural excellence; one for their 7 july memorial, and the other for their regent’s place pavilion

studio east dining by bistrotheque 16 june – 4 july 2010

http://studioeastdining.com/
http://www.carmodygroarke.com/
http://www.bistrotheque.com/

mandix
mandi’s basement