Siemens Pavilion can ‘unlock the potential’ of Royal Docks

The Siemens Pavilion, which will feature an exhibition and education facility and aims to be a showcase for sustainable design and construction, has an exterior design by Wilkinson Eyre Architects, which is based on two interlocking parallelogram forms with multiple triangular facets. Landscape design is by Townshend.

The building plans were submitted for planning permission last month, and it is hoped that if consent is granted it will be completed by 2012.
Pringle Brandon says the building, which will sit in London’s Green Enterprise District, will have a 7000m2 interior featuring an exhibition hall, a 300-seat auditorium, conference facilities, meeting rooms and office space.

Chris Brandon, partner at Pringle Brandon, says, ’The centre will be an iconic building atthe heart of London’s Green Enterprise District, showcasing and explaining Green technology, how it impacts on people’s lives in the present day and the potential we have to create more sustainable living over the next ten to 20 years.’

London Mayor Johnson and Sir Robin Wales, Mayor of Newham, the London borough in which the Royal Docks are situated, have published plans to develop the Royal Docks into an international business centre and ’a vibrant place to live’. They say a joint development team has been put together to drive the plan, which will be based on ’high-quality, imaginative proposals’.

Johnson says, ’The time has never been better to unlock the Royal Docks’ potential on the back of the 2012 [Olympic] games, which are already transforming the area before our eyes.’

He adds, ’There is no reason why, like the fantastic Olympic Park, the Royal Docks should not become a major new economic hub in our capital and a top-class destination to live and work.’

It is hoped that plans for a cable-car system that will straddle the River Thames, linking the Greenwich Peninsula and the Royal Docks, will also help the area’s regeneration.

A planning application for the cable car is set to be submitted in September, and it is hoped that work on the system will start on site in May 2011, and that it will be operational by July 2012, subject to consent.

The plans for the cable car were revealed last month, when a Transport for London spokesman told Design Week that no consultancies had yet been appointed to the project. He said, ’We’re in the early stages of development, but will provide further information to the architectural and design community in due course.’

Image credit Wilkinson Eyre