A pair of residential towers by GRID Architects recall the former use of the site for the Festival of Britain
Designed by GRID Architects for developer Braeburn Estates, Belvedere Gardens in Waterloo, central London, arranges 98 apartments across two ‘towers’, with retail units on the ground floor. It sits within the 5.25-hectare Southbank Place masterplan, next to the remaining tower of the 1950s Shell Centre.
The two towers step up from 11 storeys to 21 storeys in height and feature a palette of reconstituted stone, bronze profiled metal, and glass. The design of the facades is based on the star motif developed by graphic designer Abram Games for the 1951 Festival of Britain, which drew millions of visitors to the site before the construction of the Shell Centre.
This is most evident in the metal panels inserted within the elevational grid, which interpret the star motif in two and three dimensions. MHVR facade ventilation systems are concealed behind perforated panels. Operable windows are also positioned behind perforated screens, so that only areas of fixed glazing – with narrower frame profiles – are visible externally.
“We’ve worked hard to ensure quality at all scales, with floor plans responding to specific key views and responding to the broader context, facades are composed of a regular grid of reconstituted stone”, says Laurence Osborn, director at GRID Architects.
The buildings’ bases are defined by double-storey stone frames intended to generate “a sense of civic grandeur”, says the architect.
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