Cremorne Riverside Centre, London
- Client: Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea
- Principal designer: Sarah Wigglesworth Architects
- Principal engineer: Jane Wernick Associates
- Principal contractor: Gilby Construction
- Contract value: £560,000
About the project
Cremorne Riverside Centre is a low-maintenance but stylish canoeing facility for children and young people which had to negotiate a very low budget but still maintain aspirations for high-quality design and a green focus.
The lottery-backed scheme comprises two buildings, lozenge-shaped in plan but with roofs pitched in different directions, clad in vandal-proof COR-TEN steel. One houses the boat store and offices; the other changing rooms for girls, boys and disabled people. The buildings replace a container and a Portakabin on the corner of a public park close to the World’s End Estate, in one of the borough’s most deprived wards.
The walls are insulated with wool from Cumbria, heating is through a ground source pump, made easier by the high water table. Other sustainable features include using demolition material to furnish rubble required for the brown roof – a grass roof alternative that provides a habitat for spiders and other insects.
Normally, the Environment Agency does not allow buildings to be sited so close to the river’s edge, but in this case it stipulated that the buildings be removable to allow any repairs to be made to the river wall in case of flood. Overall, the project displayed how perseverance, ingenuity, team working and imaginative solutions can overcome obstacles – and lead to a delighted client.
Judges' comment
"The frank use of raw materials will appeal to the rugged enthusiasms of those using the centre."
