Architecture Foundation

The Architecture Foundation is a wellestablished London institution but it has lacked a permanent home since its foundation in the early 1990s. DP9 has been a supporter of the Foundation from the beginning and has also had a long involvement in the Bankside project. A competition was held for a new building, containing gallery and offices for the Foundation, on the south-east corner of the Bankside site. Zaha Hadid was the winner.

The development of the project, funded by Land Securities, included extensive consultation with local residents as well as the local authority before planning consent was obtained. Hadid's building has a crystalline form, highly sculptural and contrasting with the solid presence of the nearby office buildings designed by Allies & Morrison. Whilst it is no longer expected to be constructed, the proposal stands as a testament to bold architecture.