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Architects: acme
- Area: 2275 m²
- Year: 2021
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Photographs:Hufton+Crow
Text description provided by the architects. A new timber-framed building, the Pavilion, which stands at the gateway to Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in Stratford, has opened its doors and is set to become a new landmark meeting place in east London. The Pavilion sits in the heart of Endeavour Square within Stratford City Business District’s (SCBD) mixed use neighbourhood, International Quarter London (IQL).
Enjoying unrivalled views across London and the 560 acres of greenspace at the Park, the Pavilion is located yards from East Bank, where an increasing cluster of world-leading universities, arts and cultural institutions are basing themselves alongside an array of commercial, technology, manufacturing and retail businesses. Stratford is fast transforming into one of London’s most exciting new destinations to visit, work, live and learn.
The Pavilion was designed by award-winning international contemporary architects ACME. Conceived as a ‘vertical piazza’, it has stepped levels arranged on all sides in the form of stairs, balconies and amphitheatres that encourage exploration, providing several look out points and sitting places. The public is invited to enjoy views of the park from the public rooftop terrace. The building houses a visitors’ centre for the Park, and D&D London’s latest hospitality concept, Haugen, a delicatessen, brasserie and café inspired by Alpine dining, with interiors designed by award-winning creative studio Afroditi.
Split over three floors, the Pavilion is an extremely lightweight timber structure that sits on top of a DLR tunnel with limited allowances for additional weight or foundations. Constructed using cross- laminated and glue-laminated timber panels, only shallow concrete foundations were needed. Timber has a much lower carbon footprint than more traditional materials and provides warmth and tactility to the interior. Elsewhere parametrically controlled timber fins have been used to clad the undersides of the projecting slabs to create a continuous soffit that invites and guides visitors to the roof. Native wildflower planting on the rooftop terrace and green spaces enhances the site’s biodiversity, creating a food source for pollinators alongside a nesting box for bird and bat species.
Energy to the building includes a connection to the Stratford district heating and cooling network and external lighting has been designed to minimise light pollution. The Pavilion has achieved an ‘Outstanding’ BREEAM score of 92%. It is the second building at IQL to reach this exceptional standard, which places it in the top 1% of all newly constructed commercial buildings.
The opening of the Pavilion heralds a new era in the development of International Quarter London and the continued transformation of Stratford as a mixed-use destination for London. The Pavilion’s completion will mark a milestone in the way that Endeavour Square is enjoyed by the public and surrounding communities. The site demonstrates Lendlease’s commitment to Mission Zero, the United Nation’s initiative, as a 1.5 degree aligned company, working towards being net zero carbon by 2025, and absolute zero by 2040. Using materials with low embodied carbon is a key step in Lendlease’s journey to eliminate Scope 3 emissions and achieving its 2040 target.
