David Adjaye: Bringing
African Design Home
by Michelle Linden
For generations, architecture in the
UK, and indeed the world, has been
dominated by older white men, with
little room for women, minorities,
and representatives of other cul-
tures. Slowly but surely, this commu-
nity is being infiltrated by architects
that better represent the British pub-
lic and its imperialist past. Among
these architects is rising star David
Adjaye. Born in Tanzania to Ghana-
ian diplomat parents, David spent
his early formative years traveling
throughout Africa before settling in
the UK to complete his education
and begin his architectural career.
As Mr. Adjaye’s fame rises, becom-
ing known not only in the UK, but
throughout the world, it becomes
easy to typecast him as an African
architect. Indeed, many of his ide-
as are borne of African architectur-
al, planning, and design ideals, but
these concepts have become design
informants rather than dictators of
left: adjaye associates, museum of contempo-
rary art/denver. photo by ed reeve. courtesy
of adjaye associates.
Metropolis: City and Architecture /
particular typologies.
While impossible to distill the en-
tire African continent’s design aes-
thetic into an all encompassing ideal,
there are a few artistic themes that
are consistent throughout. Highly
abstracted and rhythmic designs are
more prominent than representa-
tive art. The organization of these
abstracted forms and patterns lends
itself to be understood as much
through the imagination as through
immediate visual impact. This cere-
bral view of art is furthered through
the abundance of sculpture. Across
the continent, three dimensional
experiential artwork has historical-
ly taken precedence over 2d works.
Sculpture, architecture, and even
two dimensional artwork such as
textile designs are generally intend-
ed to be experienced in the round,
where the space created, contained,
or interrupted by the artwork is just
as important as the art itself. This
concept of positive-negative space
has directly affected the design and
use of African public space. In cit-
ies, public life takes place in the
41
markets and streets, with citizens
occupying the 3d network created by
the absence of buildings. The rela-
tionship between experiencing the
three dimensionality of the city and
the experience of sculpture and its
surrounding white space is clear.
Influenced by his early life
traveling throughout Africa, as well
as his more recent documentation
of African cities, David Adjaye has
begun to include some of these Af-
rican design principles into his west-
ern architectural projects. Three
such projects successfully incorpo-
rating these concepts are the Muse-
um of Contemporary Art in Denver,
The Nobel Peace Center in Oslo, and
Rivington Place in Shoreditch.
The Museum of Contemporary
Art is an interesting investigation
into public and private space whose
influence of African planning and
design on its form may not be im-
mediately apparent. The building,
42 / Metropolis: City and architecture
standing solemnly amid the large
plaza, functions as a collection of
spaces organized as a mini city. The
co-mingling space created in-be-
tween the various rooms is crucial to
the experience. The energy of these
informal networks is reminiscent of
the energy found in the daily mar-
kets of African cities.
The 3d and urban qualities of Af-
rican design are also evident in the
design of the Nobel Peace Center,
a collaboration with Chris Ofili (an
African born UK artist). Because
Adjaye was not permitted to make
significant changes to the existing
structure, he opted to create a pa-
vilion space that is equal parts three
dimensional sculpture and building.
The tube-like pavilion interrupts the
path of travel for dignitaries and
above: adjaye associates, nobel peace centre.
photos by tim soar. courtesy of adjaye asso-
ciates.
the public visiting the Peace Cent-
er, engaging them in ideas of urban
space. Once inside the building, visi-
tors pass through a series of simi-
larly designed spaces, reflecting the
exterior architectural insertion. The
sculptural qualities of the building
and public space are at once Afri-
can, and yet completely modern in
their application.
Rivington Place has a particular-
ly evident African graphic historic-
ity. Designed to house the Institute
of International Visual Arts and
the photographic agency Autograph
ABP, the rhythm of the interior in-
forms the materiality and volume
of the exterior. That volume is en-
closed in a skin whose perforations
and lattice pattern were directly in-
spired by a Sowei mask from Sierra
Leone. This element of public ex-
terior sculpture and pattern mak-
ing becomes a focus for the building
without sacrificing any functional-
Metropolis: City and architecture /
ity, enhancing the African concept
of 3d space in art.
Adjaye’s work uniquely incorpo-
rates many of these African con-
cepts of space and form into a mod-
ern western application, rather than
providing simplified reiterations of
African designs. The resulting works
are truly modern structures with a
subconscious memory of Britain
and Africa’s joint past. Whether in-
spired by the graphic nature of a
piece of African art or craft, or in-
spired by the energetic use of public
spaces, Adjaye succeeds in develop-
ing this unique ethnic and architec-
tural blend, helping to invigorate an
architectural and cultural attitude
that has long ignored its imperialist
history.
Michelle Linden is an architect based in Seattle
(USA) and author of the blog Atelier A+D.
43
David Adjaye: Acercando
el diseño africano a casa
por Michelle Linden
Durante generaciones, la arquitectu-
ra en el Reino Unido y por extensión
en el resto del mundo, ha estado do-
minada por viejos hombres blancos,
dejando poco espacio para las muje-
res, las minorías y los representantes
de otras culturas. Lentamente pero
sin pausa, esta comunidad ha sido
infiltrada por arquitectos que repre-
sentan mejor el público británico y
su pasado imperialista. Entre estos
arquitectos hay una estrella en alza,
David Adjaye. Nacido en Tanzania
de padres diplomáticos originarios
de Ghana, David ha dedicado sus
primeros años de formación a viajar
a través de África antes de asentarse
en el Reino Unido para completar su
educación y comenzar su carrera en
el campo de la arquitectura. Según
va creciendo la fama de Adjaye, por
lo cual comienza a ser conocido no
sólo en el Reino Unido sino también
en el resto del mundo, éste resulta
más fácil de considerar como un ar-
quitecto africano. De hecho, muchas
de sus ideas nacen de las premisas
del diseño, la planificación y la ar-
quitectura africana, pero estos con-
ceptos tienden a ser guías de diseño,
pero no imposiciones de determina-
das líneas particulares.
Aunque es imposible encontrar
una única estética para los todos es-
tilos existentes en el conjunto del
44 / Metrópolis: Ciudad y arquitectura
continente africano, hay algunos po-
cos temas que están constantemente
presentes en diversos lugares. Dise-
ños altamente abstractos y rítmicos
son más habituales que las formas
representativas. La organización de
estas formas y patrones se presta
más a la imaginación que al impac-
to visual inmediato. Esta visión ce-
rebral del arte va un poco más lejos
con la omnipresencia de la escultura.
A lo largo de todo el continente, el
arte en tres dimensiones ha predo-
minado históricamente sobre el pro-
pio de las dos dimensiones. Escul-
tura, arquitectura e incluso formas
en dos dimensiones como el diseño
textil están generalmente orientadas
para ser experimentadas a su alrede-
dor, donde el espacio creado, conte-
nido o invadido por la obra de arte
es tan importante como la obra de
arte en sí. Este concepto del espacio
positivo y negativo ha afectado di-
rectamente al diseño y al uso del es-
pacio público en África. En las ciu-
dades, la vida pública tiene lugar en
los mercados y en las calles, donde
los ciudadanos ocupan redes tridi-
mensionales creadas por la ausencia
de edificios. Es evidente la relación
entre la experiencia de lo tridimen-
derecha: david adjaye. photo by steven hel-
ler. courtesy of adjaye associates.
/ Título 45
h edge, 2006, rumlig geometic installation. photo: cecil balmond. design: cecil balmond / agu © arup
sional en la ciudad y la experiencia
de la escultura junto al vacio de su
espacio próximo.
Influenciado por lo primeros años
de su vida en los que viajó por toda
África, así como por un trabajo de
documentación más reciente sobre
las ciudades de este continente, Da-
vid Adjaye ha comenzado a incluir
algunos de los principios del dise-
ño africano en sus proyectos de ar-
quitectura occidental. Tres de estos
proyectos han incorporado exitosa-
mente dichos conceptos: el Museo
de Arte Contemporáneo de Denver,
el Centro Premio Nobel de Oslo y el
Rivington Place en Shoredith (Lon-
dres).
El Museo de Arte Contemporáneo
es una investigación interesante so-
bre los espacios públicos y privados,
en cuya planificación y diseño no
es inmediatamente aparente la in-
fluencia africana. El edificio se eri-
ge solemnemente en medio de una
46 / Metrópolis: Ciudad y arquitectura
gran plaza, actúa como una colec-
ción de espacios organizados como
pequeñas ciudades. El espacio mixto
creado en medio de varias habitacio-
nes es fundamental para esta expe-
riencia. La energía de estas redes in-
formales es una reminiscencia de la
energía encontrada en los mercados
de las ciudades africanas.
Lo tridimensional y las cualidades
urbanas del diseño africano son tam-
bién evidentes en el diseño del Cen-
tro Premio Nobel, una colaboración
con Chris Ofili (un artista africano
nacido en el Reino Unido). Debido
a que Adjaye no tuvo permiso para
hacer cambios significativos en la es-
tructura existente, optó por crear un
pabellón que es a partes iguales una
escultura y un edificio. La estructu-
ra tubular del pabellón interrumpe
arriba: adjaye associates, rivington place.
photos by ed reeve. courtesy of adjaye asso-
ciates.
el camino de los dignatarios y el pú-
blico que visita el Centro de la Paz,
infundiendo en el visitante ideas so-
bre el espacio urbano. Una vez en
el interior del edificio, se atraviesan
una serie de espacios idénticos, re-
flejando la incursión arquitectónica
exterior. Las cualidades escultóricas
del edificio y del espacio público son
ambas africanas, y completamente
modernas en su aplicación.
Rivington Place tiene una histo-
ricidad gráfica típicamente africana.
Diseñado para albergar el Instituto
Internacional de Artes Visuales y la
agencia fotográfica Autograph ABP,
el ritmo del interior aporta materia-
lidad y volumen al exterior. Este vo-
lumen está introducido bajo una piel
con perforaciones y un entramado
inspirado en las máscaras Sowei de
Sierra Leona. Este elemento escultó-
rico exterior y el patrón de las más-
caras se convierte en clave para el
edificio, sin sacrificar ninguna fun-
Metrópolis: Ciudad y arquitectura /
cionalidad y abundando en el con-
cepto africano de tridimensionali-
dad en el arte.
Los trabajos de Adjaye incorpo-
ran con carácter en modernas ela-
boraciones occidentales, muchos de
estos conceptos africanos de espacio
y forma, en lugar de realizar sim-
plificaciones reiterativas del diseño
africano. Las obras resultantes son
modernas estructuras, que implícita-
mente recuerdan el pasado conjunto
entre el Imperio Británico y África.
Ya sea bajo la inspiración gráfica de
una pieza de arte africano, o en el
uso intenso del espacio público, Ad-
jaye desarrolla con éxito esta com-
binación única entre arquitectura y
etnicidad, ayudando a impulsar una
actitud cultural y arquitectónica que
ha sido largamente ignorada por la
historia imperialista.
Michelle Linden es arquitecta, vive en Seattle
(EE.UU.) y es autora del blog Atelier A+D.
47
 Progetti

Adjaye Associates
128 Rivington Place
Projects

text by Fabio Cutroni

Località Location Rivington Street, London, United Kingdom

Progettisti Architects Adjaye Associates

Committente Client Sense of place Autograph ABP and (Iniva) Institute of International Visual Arts

Finanziamenti Supporters Arts Council England, Barclays Bank plc, London Development Agency,
City Fringe Partnership, European Regional Development Fund, Hackney Council,
Bridge House Trust, Clifford Chance

Project Manager Project manager Bucknall Austin, Geoff Mayling, John Burgess

Ingegneria impiantistica Michael Popper Associates

Service engineer

Controllo computi Bucknall Austin

Planning and quantity supervisor

Ingegneria strutture Techniker

Structural engineer

Consulente accessibilità Earnscliffe Davies Associates

Access consultant

Consulente facciate Conell Mott MacDonald

Façade consultant

Consulente acustica Hann Tucker

Acoustic consultant

Impresa edile Contractor Blenheim House Construction

Progetto Project time 2003 – 2007

Superficie complessiva Total floor area 1445m2

128-139 ADJAYE.indd 128 30-07-2008 11:25:50

 Ed Reeve

128-139 ADJAYE.indd 129 30-07-2008 11:25:52

 Progetti Rivington Place “La mia architettura si basa su una concreta
comprensione del contesto londinese. I miei pro-
getti sono molto diretti ed esprimono estrema
chiarezza, sono un’interpretazione di Londra”.
David Adjaye, giovane progettista emergente – di
origine africana, ma inglese d’adozione – sem-
bra aver assimilato la lezione appresa negli studi
di Chipperfield e Souto de Moura. Una lezione
di rigore, semplicità, misura. Tuttavia, la sua
spiccata sensibilità artistica, coltivata attraver-
so gli studi al Royal College of Art e, in seguito,
attraverso le amicizie e le collaborazioni con
artisti quali Henna Nadeem, Olafur Eliasson e
Chris Ofili, lo induce a considerare l’architettura
come opera d’arte concettuale, capace di espri-
mere un’idea e, nello stesso tempo, di suscitare
un’emozione, di stimolare una reazione in chi la
osserva, di influenzare il comportamento di chi
la vive. Così, anche nel caso di Rivington Place –
uno dei suoi primi incarichi pubblici – l’impatto
emotivo dell’immagine prevale sulla possibilità
di una lettura immediata.
Un lotto rettangolare dalle proporzioni allunga-
te; incastrato, quasi soffocato tra le fitte maglie
del tessuto urbano di Shoreditch – quartiere pe-
riferico a nord-est di Londra – viene saturato da
un blocco compatto che impone la sua presenza 1
L’atrio a tripla altezza
attraverso l’enigmatica trama a scacchiera esi- è illuminato attraverso
bita dalle coriacee facciate principali. L’edificio, bucature vetrate e pannelli
inaugurato nell’ottobre del 2007, ospita le sedi luminosi
amministrative dell’Institute of International 2
Pianta del piano terra:
Visual Art e dell’Autograph ABP (Association of 1. caffetteria; 2. atrio;
Black Photographers), due organizzazioni che 3. galleria espositiva
da circa vent’anni si interessano al lavoro di 3
artisti provenienti da ambiti culturali differenti, Pianta del primo piano:
4. spazio didattico;
promuovendo lo sviluppo e la diffusione di spe- 5. uffici; 6. servizi
rimentazioni nel campo delle arti visive. 4
Il massiccio volume prismatico marca l’ango- Pianta del secondo piano:
lo tra Rivington Street, su cui si allinea il fronte 7. auditorium; 8. biblioteca
5
sud – largo poco più di 11 metri – e Rivington L’edificio visto da Rivington
Place, un’angusta strada chiusa lungo la qua- Street. In primo piano la
le si dispiega l’imponente fronte est – lungo 35 vetrata a doppia altezza
metri – su cui si apre l’atrio d’ingresso, appena della galleria espositiva
principale
segnalato da un pannello metallico ruotante a
bandiera. Le due facciate principali – essendo
quella ad ovest cieca e quella a nord, verso un
piccolo parcheggio di servizio, semplicemente
intonacata – sono caratterizzate dall’ambigua
tessitura geometrica di un reticolo a maglie ret-
tangolari che ne traccia il pattern superficiale;
questo reticolo, oltretutto, si deforma attraverso
il progressivo dilatarsi dei campi verticali, man

130
3 2 1

A A

0 1 3m

6 6

5 4

1
The triple-height hall is
3 lit by glazed openings and
illuminated panels
2
Plan of the ground floor:
Projects Rivington Place

1. cafe; 2. hall;
.

3. exhibition gallery
3
6 6 Plan of the first floor:
4. didactic area;
5. offices; 6. bathrooms
4
Plan of the second floor:
7. auditorium; 8. library
8 2 7 5
The building seen from
Rivington Street. The
double-height glazing of
the main exhibition gallery
4 is visible in the foreground

128-139 ADJAYE.indd 130 30-07-2008 11:25:56

 Ed Reeve

128-139 ADJAYE.indd 131 30-07-2008 11:25:57

 132
Projects Rivington Place Progetti Rivington Place

6
Ed Reeve

128-139 ADJAYE.indd 132

30-07-2008 11:26:03
 6 mano che ci si addentra in Rivington Place, in
Vista dell’angolo
nord-ovest dal piccolo
parcheggio di servizio, in
corrispondenza delle scale
di sicurezza
7
Sezione longitudinale.
In evidenza la galleria
espositiva a doppia altezza,
l’atrio a tripla altezza e
la copertura a “denti di
sega” degli uffici all’ultimo
piano: 1. caffetteria;
2. atrio; 3. galleria
espositiva; 4. spazio
didattico; 5. uffici;
6. servizi; 7. auditorium;
8. biblioteca; 9. studio
7 0
6 “My architecture is based on a concrete under-
View of the north-western
corner with the small
service parking area, near
the emergency stairs
7 David Adjaye, a young emergent architect – of
Longitudinal cutaway,
showing the double-height
exhibition gallery, the
triple-height hall and the
saw-tooth roof of the offices
on the top floor: 1. cafe;
2. hall; 3. exhibition gallery;
4. didactic area; 5. offices;
6. bathrooms;
7. auditorium; 8. library;
9. study
128-139 ADJAYE.indd 133
modo da contrastare l’effetto prospettico della
visuale angolata da Rivington Street, facendo
così apparire l’edificio più corto di quanto non
sia in realtà. Al contrario, l’altezza delle fasce
orizzontali si riduce procedendo dal basso ver-
so l’alto, producendo un’accelerazione prospet-
tica che genera l’impressione di uno sviluppo
verticale maggiore di quello effettivo. Tale ma-
cro–orditura delle facciate, quindi, definisce le
proporzioni e le dimensioni dei pannelli prefab-
bricati in calcestruzzo color antracite – spessi
10cm – che realizzano la scacchiera dei pieni;
su questa s’innesta l’imprevedibile alternarsi
dei pannelli in alluminio nero lucido – montati
a filo esterno – e degli infissi vetrati, montati a
filo esterno su Rivington Street e a filo interno
su Rivington Place – con un arretramento di
5 5
8
5 2
3 1
standing of London. My projects are very direct
and express great clarity, they are an interpre-
tation of London”.
African origin but British by choice – appears
to have assimilated the lessons learnt in the
firms of Chipperfield and Souto de Moura. A
lesson of rigor, simplicity and measure. But his
marked artistic sensibility, cultivated through
his studies at the Royal College of Art and later
his friendship and collaborations with artists
as Henna Nadeem, Olafur Eliasson and Chris
Ofili, have made him consider architecture as
a work of conceptual art, capable of express-
ing an idea and, at the same time, to elicit an
emotion, to trigger a reaction in the observer,
influence the behavior of those who live in it.
Thus, also in the case of Rivington Place – one
of his first public assignments – the emotional
impact of the image prevails on any possible
immediate reading.
An elongated rectangular plot, wedged into
circa 50cm che conferisce plasticità scultorea
all’intero fronte. Gli otto ricorsi orizzontali del-
le bucature non coincidono con i cinque livelli
funzionali, in quanto ad ogni piano – ad ecce-
zione dei primi due – corrispondono due file di
finestre; se è vero che tale contrazione scalare
nel trattamento delle facciate rende illeggibile la
reale distribuzione degli spazi interni e la stra-
tificazione dei piani, d’altra parte la diversa al-
tezza di quei ricorsi sembra ancora alludere alla
sovrapposizione degli elementi canonici degli
spartiti classici e rinascimentali. In effetti, il pro-
filo a “denti di sega” della copertura – chiara ci-
tazione delle architetture industriali della zona,
seppure anch’esso impostato sul ritmo variabile
delle scansioni verticali del prospetto – realizza
un vero e proprio coronamento che punta la sua
sagoma tagliente verso il cielo.
7
4
1 3m
and almost suffocated by the dense urban tis-
sue of Shoreditch – a neighborhood on the
north–eastern outskirts of London – is saturat-
ed by a compact block that makes its presence
felt through the enigmatic chessboard pattern
flaunted by the harsh main facades. The build-
ing, which was opened in October 2007, hosts
the administrative headquarters of the Institute
of International Visual Art and the Autograph
ABP (Association of Black Photographers),
two organizations that have, for about twenty
years, dedicated themselves to the work of art-
ists from different cultural contexts, promoting
the development and diffusion of experimenta-
tion in the field of visual arts.
The massive prismatic volume dominates the
corner between Rivington Street, on which the
southern façade – not much more than 11 me-
ters wide – is aligned, and Rivington Place, a
narrow closed street along which the impos-
ing 35 meters long eastern façade develops;
the entrance hall, discreetly indicated by a piv-
oting sign, is accessible from this side of the
30-07-2008 11:26:09
 Progetti Rivington Place 8
La scala dell’atrio a tripla
altezza. Il corrimano e
ricavato in un “ritaglio”
illuminato del muro
9
Pianta del terzo piano:
5. uffici; 6. servizi
10
Pianta del quarto piano:
5. uffici
11
Gli uffici al terzo piano,
in corrispondenza
dell’angolo tra Rivington
Street e Rivington Place.
In evidenza la disposizione
a scacchiera delle
bucature, ora a filo del
pavimento, ora a filo del
soffitto

134
Ed Reeve

building. The two main facades – the western
one is blind and the northern, which faces a
small parking area for service use, is simply
plastered – are characterized by the ambiguous
geometric plot of a grid formed by rectangu-
lar modules; the grid is moreover defined by
a progressive expansion of the vertical fields,
towards the interior of Rivington Place, that
contrasts with the perspective effect of the an-
gular view from Rivington street, something
Projects Rivington Place
the façade on Rivington street and recessed by 8
about 50cm on Rivington Place; the overall im- The stairs in the triple-
height hall. The handrail
pression is one of sculptural plasticity.
is housed by a lit “cut” in
The eight horizontal rows of openings and pan- the wall
els do not correspond to the five floors, since 9
each of them – except the first two – has two Plan of the third floor:
5. offices; 6. bathrooms
rows of openings; while this gradual reduction
10
in scale makes it impossible to perceive the Plan of the fourth floor:
actual distribution of the interiors and the po- 5. offices
sition of the floors, on the other hand the differ- 11

The offices on the third

which makes the building appear shorter than
it really is. On the other hand, the horizontal
bands become narrower towards the top; the
result is a perspective acceleration that gives
an impression of greater height. The façade
grid therefore determines the proportions and
dimensions of the 10cm thick prefabricated
panels in anthracite gray concrete which form
the enormous chessboard: this arrangement
features an unpredictable alternation of pan-
els in glossy black aluminium – flush with the
concrete plates – and the windows, flush with
ent heights of these rows also seem to suggest
floor, by the corner
the superimposition of the canonical elements between Rivington Street
that determine the proportions of classical and and Rivington Place.
Renaissance buildings. Indeed, the sawtooth Notice the chessboard
arrangement of the
profile of the roof – a clear reference to the
openings, some on floor
industrial architectures in the neighborhood, level and some flush with
even if also this is based on the variable verti- the ceiling
cal rhythm determined by the facades – forms
a true crown, pointing its cutting outline to-
wards the sky. The cryptic and gloomy sullen-
ness of the exterior is belied by the surpris-
ing luminosity and welcoming atmosphere

128-139 ADJAYE.indd 134 30-07-2008 11:26:11

 5 5 6 6

5 5 5 5

0 1 3m

5 5 5

10
Ed Reeve

11

128-139 ADJAYE.indd 135 30-07-2008 11:26:19

 Progetti Rivington Place All’ermetica e cupa scontrosità dell’esterno si
contrappone la sorprendente luminosità ed
accoglienza degli interni. I quasi 1500mq della
pianta sono distribuiti da un atrio a tripla altez-
za attorno al quale gravitano gli spazi aperti al
pubblico e si attestano i collegamenti verticali.
Al piano terra, mentre la galleria espositiva prin-
cipale si proietta su Rivington Street attraverso
un’ampia vetrata a doppia altezza, il caffè si af-
faccia in fondo a Rivington Place con un’aper-
tura orizzontale che taglia il prospetto fino alla
hall d’ingresso. Al primo piano sono ricavati un
laboratorio didattico ed una sala per riunioni.
Al secondo piano trovano posto un’altra gal-
leria espositiva, che – grazie ad un sistema di
pedane telescopiche – può essere trasformata
in piccolo auditorio, ed una biblioteca. In que-
136
Projects Rivington Place
Ed Reeve
12
128-139 ADJAYE.indd 136
sta, di sicuro tra gli ambienti più suggestivi del
complesso, l’effetto di smaterializzazione del-
le pareti esterne – ricercato mediante il gioco
delle bucature disposte casualmente, ora a filo
del calpestio, ora a filo del soffitto – è moltipli-
cato dalle scaffalature in compensato di betul-
la che ne foderano interamente il lato interno.
La serie degli ambiti funzionali si conclude con
gli uffici amministrativi agli ultimi due livelli,
serviti unicamente dagli ascensori e dalle scale
di sicurezza. Al quarto piano, in particolare, la
compressione verticale dello spazio è bilanciata
dagli scatti acuminati della copertura a “shed”,
con le pareti verticali inaspettatamente chiuse e,
viceversa, magicamente illuminate da sporadici
lucernari rettangolari scavati nelle estese super-
fici inclinate verso nord.
30-07-2008 11:26:26
 12
Gli uffici all’ultimo piano.
La copertura a “shed”
presenta le pareti verticali
cieche e quelle inclinate
“scavate” da sporadici
lucernari
13
Sezione trasversale 2
sull’atrio a tripla altezza e
sulla scala di sicurezza:
2. uffici; 5. atrio
14
La biblioteca al secondo
piano, in corrispondenza
dell’angolo tra Rivington
Street e Rivington Place. 2
Le pareti sono interamente
foderate da una “boiserie”
in compensato di betulla

13 0 1 3m
Ed Reeve

14

128-139 ADJAYE.indd 137 30-07-2008 11:26:33

 Progetti Rivington Place 15
1
Dettaglio della parete
7
esterna, in corrispondenza
degli infissi vetrati arretrati
di 50cm:
1. pannello prefabbricato
2
in calcestruzzo; 2. pannello
isolante H42/482; 3. infisso;
4. impermeabilizzazione;
5. lamiera d’alluminio;
6. barriera al vapore;
7. pannello in cartongesso;
8. pavimento
16
Gli uffici all’ultimo livello.
In primo piano uno dei
lucernari “scavati” nelle
superfici inclinate della
copertura a “shed”
17
Scorcio dell’atrio a
tripla altezza dalla scala
principale

4 5
8

138
1
12
The offices on the top
floor. The “shed” roof has 3
blind vertical walls, while
the inclined ones are
“excavated” by a scattering
of skylights
13
Transversal cutaway of the
triple-height hall and the 6
emergency stairs:
2. offices; 5. hall
14
The library on the second
floor, by the corner
between Rivington Street
and Rivington Place.
15
The walls are lined by
a “wainscot” in beech
plywood
15
Detail of the external wall,
by the windows recessed
by 50cm: 1. prefabricated of the interior. The almost 1500m2 of the plan casual arrangement of the windows, some of
concrete panel; are distributed by a triple-height atrium on which are on floor level while others reach
2. insulating panel type which the public areas center, and which pro- the ceiling, an effect which is accentuated by
Projects Rivington Place

H42/482; 3. casing;
4. waterproofing; 5. sheet
aluminium; 6. insulating
panel type H42/482;
7. plasterboard; 8. floor
16
The offices on the top
floor. One of the skylights
“excavated” in the inclined
surfaces of the shed
roof are visible in the
foreground
17
View of the triple-height
hall from the main stairs
vides access to stairs and elevators. While the
main exhibition gallery faces Rivington Street
through an ample double-height glazed front,
the café overlooks the end of Rivington Place
from a horizontal window that cuts the per-
spective all the way to the entrance hall. The
second floor features another exhibition gal-
lery – a system of telescopic platforms makes
it possible to transform it into a small audito-
rium – and a library. In the latter, definitely one
of the most fascinating rooms in the building,
the walls appear dematerialized thanks to the
the shelves in birch plywood which cover the
entire inner wall. The sequence of functional
rooms is concluded with the administrative of-
fices on the last two floors, only accessible by
the elevators and the emergency stairs. On the
fourth floor, in particular, the vertical compres-
sion of the space is offset by the sequence of
higher points formed by the shed roof and the
unexpectedly closed vertical walls, while the
skylights opened here and there in the large
sloping surfaces facing north create a magical
illumination.

128-139 ADJAYE.indd 138 5-08-2008 15:33:48

 Ed Reeve

16

Informazioni
Information

Illuminazione ALC Architectural

Lighting Lighting & Controls Ltd

Cemento HIBEX
Concrete

Ceramica Firezone
Glazing (Specialist Glazing Ltd)
Ed Reeve

17

128-139 ADJAYE.indd 139 30-07-2008 11:26:45