Concert Platform
Crystal Palace Park
Thicket Road
Sydenham Hill
London SE20 8DT
Ian Ritchie Architects 1997
The concert platform is located
in the park that was laid out by Joseph Paxton in 1864 to accommodate the
Crystal Palace, originally created for the Great Exhibition of 1851.
The concert platform and stage
are positioned within a small lake overlooking a large bowl in the
landscape that is capable of holding 8000 people. Concerts take place
throughout the summer and the platform has the world's first outdoor
active acoustic system controlled by computer - this enables the stage
acoustics to be tuned as required by the performers. The platform contains
a total of 46 speakers; two columns either side of the platform contain
more speakers and the amplification system.
According to the
architects,
'Our concept for the concert
platform was developed from an understanding and recognition of the
primary importance of the Paxton landscape. We considered that the
setting was both rich and complex and that a simple structure was more
appropriate, not as a contrast, but to be seen as a minimal
intervention. Its simplicity belies the complex performance required of
it, and also denies its appearance as a conventional building.'
The architects identify four
principles that embody the design:
Natural color - the oxidization
of the surface of the corten steel structure creates an organic,
natural relationship to the landscape;
Gravitas - permanence
expressed through the perceived mass of the material;
Levitas - as a statement of
the way we can build sensitively in and with the landscape, and is
expressed by a composition in equilibrium touching the ground along a
fine line; and
Simplicity - expressed
through a single construction material.
The entire platform is
constructed from corten steel which through continuous oxidization slowly
changes; initially from a gray slate shiny surface to a matt brown one,
sealing and preserving the material. Further natural changes occur on the
surface of the material and neither the texture or the color is uniform
throughout.
The rate of permanent change
depends on the weather conditions, especially wind direction, rainfall and
humidity - like the park around it, the concert platform is gradually
changing its appearance according to natural climatic conditions. Sunlight
effects transitory change - the play of light through the trees and clouds
can almost dissolve the large plates that form the structure, and direct
sunlight illuminates the rich color of the self-weathering steel.
The platform is a truly
contemporary, dynamic and practical structure, working with the landscape
to offer a considerable acoustic and architectural experience.
The project has received an RIBA
National Award, a Design Council Millennium Product Award, a Civic Trust
Award, the RFAC Arts Building of the Year 1998, CCA Commendation 2000 and
the 'Excellence in Design' award from the American Institute of
Architects.
John
Perrin 2003
Updated 2007
How to visit
The concert platform is located
in the north-east corner of Crystal Palace Park, Sydenham Hill, London
SE20.
