We wish you all a wonderful start to the Summer and are happy to share with you our latest news from Spring 2021.
 

"Play with(out) Grounds", The British Pavilion
Venice Biennale 2021

vPPR are delighted to be a part of The Garden of Privatised Delights at the British Pavilion for the 17th International Architecture Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia, running from 22 May – 21 November 2021.

vPPR’s interactive installation and soundscape “Play with(out) Grounds” focuses on public space for young people. By making the individual voices of teenagers heard, the project intends to raise awareness, change common held perceptions and act as a call to action to put the interests of young people in the centre of the design process of public spaces.

Too old for the playground, too broke for the cafe, too young for the pub; teenagers are ignored in the design of public spaces. The increasing marginalisation of teenagers has been exacerbated by the pandemic and young people have even fewer places to go: schools and youth centres are closed or highly restricted and the issue of limited space at home has intensified. Can we change the way teenagers experience public space? Can we design new spaces that include young people?

Play with(out) Grounds is a spherical sculpture, simultaneously referencing a playground structure for young children and the adult world of Bosch’s Garden of Earthly Delights, and in doing so alluding to the contradictions of public life faced by this “in-between” age group. There is potential to sit on it, lie over it, climb it or dance at its centre – it is a space for interpretation and appropriation by teenagers.

In parallel, the structure is a framework for a soundscape of interviews with young people from diverse social backgrounds. It seeks to make the ignored voices of teenagers heard.

Purchase tickets HERE for the The Museum of Architecture's special guided walking tour, "The Garden of Privatised Delights Crawl in London on 10 July" with the curators of the British Pavilion at the Venice Biennale including vPPR director Catherine Pease. 

Wembley Olympic Steps

vPPR have successfully completed the transformation of Olympic Way and the construction of the Olympic Steps*.

*And just in time for the UEFA EURO 2020 England v Germany win 2:1.Congratulations England!

Undertaken by Quintain in partnership with the London Borough of Brent , it is the culmination of a decade-long ambition and 5 years’ input over four phases, plus much enabling work to infrastructure. 

The project was initially designed by Dixon Jones and continues their tradition of design excellence. 

Now vPPR are engaged as the completion architects and lead designers of Olympic Way and the Olympic Steps,  with Gross Max responsible for the soft landscaping of Olympic Way.

The new staircase (in front of which events will also be staged), the top-lit open undercroft area and the processional route lined with ‘Avenue of Champions’ trees from all round the world unite to create a strong sense of space for residents and visitors alike. 

The approach to the Stadium was difficult for many people with disabilities, the ascent to the concourse being 12 or more metres in height.  

The arrival experience has been transformed by installing four generous lifts immediately behind the new stairs in addition to the Stadium’s previous lift provision ,  the unloved steeply-ramped concrete Pedway being removed in November 2020. 

Credit: © Chris Winter