Architect Evgeny Didorenko has released his conceptual proposal, Thames River Museum, which aims to improve connectivity on the North Bank of the Thames River and create an exciting museum space in London.
The Thames Museum is currently a museum concept without permanent accommodation. Though not officially connected to the Thames Museum, Didorenko’s work suggests a location and design for the project that would not only work with the museum’s context, but that would also solve existing issues on the riverbank.
Therefore, the proposal’s site is an underused portion of London’s North Bank—Queen’s Quay. Historically, Queen’s Quay served as a transportation hub to deliver goods to city residents from the sea, but now lies abandoned, and stays dry during periods of low tide, when water levels drop up to eight meters.
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Furthermore, the existing pedestrian route along the embankment in this area is essentially nonexistent, with no access to the waterfront, and no direct pathways, which forces pedestrians to walk inland for several blocks before returning to the river.
The proposal features three main components: a continuous, pedestrian-friendly waterfront, the Thames River Museum, and a public lido on top of the museum, in order to transform the space back into a public attraction.
The focal point of the project, however, would be the “Thames Screen,” a large, “inverse fish bowl” window that shows the River’s changing elevation throughout the day, allowing visitors “to explore the river from the inside, reflecting the living pulse of the city of London.”
Concurrent with the Thames River Museum’s dedication to the archaeology and history of the River, the proposal additionally features a display of subterranean archaeological layers, in order to present the Thames as “the oldest ancient monument of the city.”
Correction update: This article was amended on January 16th to clarify that Evgeny Didorenko has no official connection to the Thames Museum and that his proposal is speculative, and not part of the museum's future plans.
News via Evgeny Didorenko.
