Tottenham Patchwork Pavilion

By Niklas Thelen

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Connection to Harringay Warehouse District

The Harringay Warehouse District is a diverse and lively neighbourhood with many artists and vibrant history. Therefore, the new Tottenham Patchwork Pavilion has to echo this local spirit!
The new pavilion visually represents the people that live here and express their stories. Walls made from a communal patchwork become a symbol against the aloof gentrification. Openly visible the walls become a physical representation of the true soul of the Warehouse District. Finally, by creating a structure fully driven by reusability and recycling the pavilion displays the local mindset completely.

Proposal Outline

The Harringay Warehouse District is full of stories worth to be told. All it needs is a canvas to express this local essence. The new Tottenham Patchwork Pavilion gives this needed frame for a visual representation of the life and the history of the district.

As a symbol of this multicultural and colourful local scene, the pavilion’s main concept consists of a communally created patchwork which is held by a minimalistic framework.

This key element consisting of patches from donations of volunteers mainly define the new pavilion. They give everyone the right to participate and take part in the creation of this new place. Thereby, the conception of these unique local artworks is supposed to be seen as a performance itself.

The final design will be an open and light structure that invites everyone to participate. A facade which can be opened completely enhances this message. A translucent roof inspired by the industrial character of the district allows daylight to brighten up the flexible patchwork walls.

To host various events the whole structure has to be as flexible as possible. Markets, theatre plays, movie screenings, parties or workshops… they all need different setups! Therefore, the interior and exterior patchwork curtain walls are completely movable. With additional curtains, different spaces can be separated due to the needs of the users. With a few items like extra boards or pillows, full sceneries can be created in a snap.

Three different platforms define the structure. Their arrangement is designed to create different levels of privacy. One should invite the audience, one could stage plays or screenings and one resembles a nest that could be used for more intimate classes. Through the interaction of those three, even more spaces with diverse heights and orientations can be created.
But not only from design aspects but also from efficiency different floors enrich the structure. Storage space underneath the stage and space for cables underneath the main floor make the pavilion more usable.
Besides these three floors, the site’s original ground is integrated with cantilevered roofs on three sides giving the visitors even more diverse areas.

For the Patchwork Pavilion, material choices highly orient on the local mindset: “The less waste the better!”
The actual structure is made completely from standardised scaffolding. This constructional method makes it easy for everyone to construct and deconstruct the pavilion in a short amount of time. All rods and joints are reusable. The translucent roof is generated by PVC film. After deconstruction of the pavilion, this material could be reused likewise.
Finally, the key element is the patchwork walls made from donations. Therefore, all walls of the finished pavilion are made from recycled material, reducing the CO2 footprint of the structure to a minimum.

This is the Tottenham Patchwork Pavilion.
A place for the community of the Warehouse District and everyone who wants to join. An open place to sit between stories and the history of this very piece of London curated by the locals. All welcome!