Neiheiser Argyros

North Greenwich Sculptural Screen

North Greenwich Sculptural Screen
© Lorenzo Zandri

NORTH GREENWICH SCULPTURAL SCREEN

Neiheiser Argyros

CLIENT
London Underground, Knight Dragon

AREA
140 m²

PHOTOGRAPHS
Lorenzo Zandri

LANDSCAPE DESIGNERS
Gross. Max., Gross Max

CONTRACTOR
Mace

STRUCTURAL ENGINEERS
AKT II

MEP, LIGHTING
Aecom

STEEL FABRICATOR
Cimolai

DESIGN TEAM
Ryan Neiheiser, Xristina Argyros, Eleni Vagianou, Nikolas von Schwabe, Danae Haratsis, Giorgio Piscitelli, Chris Yuan, Kevin Larson

CATEGORY
Transportation

LOCATION
London, United Kingdom

YEAR
2020

Text description provided by architect.

North Greenwich Sculptural Screen is a 14-metre tall perforated metal sculptural screen that wraps around a London Underground exhaust vent and fire escape.

North Greenwich Sculptural Screen
© Lorenzo Zandri
North Greenwich Sculptural Screen
© Lorenzo Zandri
North Greenwich Sculptural Screen
© Lorenzo Zandri

The enclosure folds and thickens to contain a large digital media screen, a small cafe, and public restrooms.

The corrugated metal skin both obscures and reveals the infrastructure contained within, creating a subtly dynamic veil that changes expression throughout the day.

The project is designed to be in dialogue with the adjacent Tide elevated linear park, designed by Neiheiser Argyros in collaboration with Diller Scofidio + Renfro and opened last summer.

North Greenwich Sculptural Screen
© Lorenzo Zandri
North Greenwich Sculptural Screen
© Lorenzo Zandri
North Greenwich Sculptural Screen
© Lorenzo Zandri

The two works of architecture are geometrically twisting past one another – almost dancing – though they never touch and are expressed with intentionally contrasting visual languages.

While the Tide is curved and solid, the screen enclosure is angular and translucent. The two designs are opposites in dialogue.

The project is both present and absent. On the one hand, its location adjacent to the O2 Arena and the North Greenwich Tube Station means that it will be seen by thousands of visitors daily, demanding a strong visual identity.

North Greenwich Sculptural Screen
© Lorenzo Zandri
North Greenwich Sculptural Screen
© Lorenzo Zandri
North Greenwich Sculptural Screen
© Lorenzo Zandri

On the other hand, it fades into the background, as a moment of visual quiet compared to the eclectic geometries and patterns that surround it.

The perforated metal will at times catch the light and snap into a crisp view. At other times the figure will blur slightly, refracting and distorting the light that passes through, hovering just out of visual comprehension.


North Greenwich Sculptural Screen
© Lorenzo Zandri
North Greenwich Sculptural Screen
© Lorenzo Zandri
North Greenwich Sculptural Screen
© Lorenzo Zandri
North Greenwich Sculptural Screen
© Lorenzo Zandri
North Greenwich Sculptural Screen
© Lorenzo Zandri
North Greenwich Sculptural Screen
© Lorenzo Zandri
North Greenwich Sculptural Screen
© Lorenzo Zandri
North Greenwich Sculptural Screen
© Lorenzo Zandri


North Greenwich Sculptural Screen
Axonometric
North Greenwich Sculptural Screen
Floor plan


North Greenwich Sculptural Screen
Elevations
North Greenwich Sculptural Screen
Section


North Greenwich Sculptural Screen
Diagram

Neiheiser Argyros
T +44 20 32040288
Neiheiser Argyros
59 Lonsdale Rd, London NW6 6RA, United Kingdom