Southend winner announced
The LI-run competition attracted 74 entries, which were then whittled down to a shortlist of five.
Tom Lonsdale, who chaired the judging process for the Landscape Institute says: “The final decision was never going to be easy with such a diverse range of high quality approaches but White arkitekter impressed the most because of their exceptional sensitivity to the location and a very polished design. We could see the potential for a memorable landmark and destination to which visitors would be drawn again and again.”
The main feature of the new Pier Head design will be an open air theatre with a terraced platform that will create lee, view point and seating for the audience.
The outdoor theatre, with the Southend coastline as backdrop, has the capacity for 500 spectators. New buildings, a culture centre and a restaurant, will be built offshore next to the existing Pier Head, creating a balanced enclosure and populated edges around the theatre space.
”A key element of our proposal is to make sure that the people of Southend use the Pier and take it into their heart, said architect Fredrik Pettersson,
Landscape architect Niels de Bruin added: ”The dramatic curving shapes of the buildings are derived from the wind and the waves themselves. This public, yet enclosed, space will be perfectly integrated into the scenery. It will be sculpted by wind and wave.”
