Planners have panned a rocket-shaped tower proposed for a site in Southwark by Russian practice Studio 44, saying it would be a ‘wilfully insensitive insertion on the skyline’ — Architects Journal UK
Studio 44's Russian-investment-backed apartment scheme, which was based on Yuri Gagarin's 1961 space flight, has been scathingly rejected by Southwark planners. The developer and designers behind the proposed 30-flat development (which made no provisions for affordable housing, despite having enough units to do so) apparently did not heed the warnings of planners during the 2011 pre-application submission, when planners indicated that the design likely wouldn't fly.
Images via architectsjournal.co.uk.
2 Comments
The development company is called The Libertarian. The carved entablature on the main facade reads "Gagarin Theater - sapiens fortunam fingit sibi".
The Latin translates to "A wise man carves his own fortune".
We only know the name Yuri Gagarin due to the enormous backing of the Russian government's space program.
Irony? Or embarrassing lack of self-awareness?
kind of fun as a silly pomo-like design. maybe dump the russian space rocket thing and explain it as something about the v2 rockets and the blitz? aimed back at ____?
I would be fascinated to hear the developer's POV on this. Why is he silent about such a strange and attention-seeking design? It's like a joke he won't let us in on.
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