Archinect
Tom Walker

Tom Walker

New York, NY, US

anchor

Balfron Tower Tea Factory

Extensive retrofit of Balfron Tower, a 28-story tower block in central London, to become fully devoted to production and consumption of tea, the most quintessential of British activities,  while still increasing the population density. The retrofit is divided into four interventions:

  1. The ground plane - re-activated through landscaping of original site and the introduction of an animal farm and the Balfron Tower Gentleman's Club, an initial, but related, side project.
  2. Production - four bamboo structures project out of either side of the existing facade where the camellia sinesis, the tea plant, is grown in an environment that mimics that of Darjeeling, India, where the British used to import their tea from.
  3. Consumption - three tea rooms - elevenses (11:00-11:15), afternoon (16:00-17:00) and high (18:00-20:00) - are engraved within the existing facade, capturing and controlling light at their specific times of use to encourage the different physical forms of posture required.
  4. Re-organised living - through studies of Kowloon's Walled City, the loss of existing living space for the production and consumption of tea is more than compensated for. A new minimum standard for dwelling size is set in which social interaction and quality of life are increases hand in hand.
 
Read more

Status: School Project
Location: London, UK