In true parametric fashion, Patrik Schumacher and the team at ZHA have designed a striking new look for the lobby of the Southbank Tower in London. Considered to be "one of the UK's most ambitious renovation projects," the office building was completed in 1972 by Richard Seifert and then converted by Kohn Penderson Fox Associates (KPF) from a 30-story office tower to a 41-story mixed-use complex in 2015.

According to a press statement by ZHA, the overall lobby design pulls inspiration of flower petals. Using these organic forms the design team took this concept to create a series of overlapping petals to conceal the lighting infrastructure within the lobby. Fluid in nature, the lobby's new look is shaped using class fibre reinforced gypsum and features furniture created using 3D digital fabrication techniques. According to ZHA, "This process minimizes the duration of works in the lobby and disturbance to residents, while also creating original pieces at an architectural scale to a level of detail otherwise associated with intricate, hand-crafted design works." 

The 2,153-square-foot lobby will be completed during the summer of 2020. The team at ZHA adds the tower project is to mark the first of several future projects partnered with Southbank Tower.