London's Art Fund Pavilion Competition Has American Winner

Tent London and The Lightbox today announced that The Art Fund Pavilion 2009 will be designed by Brooklyn-based Tina Manis Associates. To see all shortlisted competition entries, click here.

It was agreed that Tina Manis Associates’ bold yet elegant proposal best accommodates the intended use of the pavilion as a gallery and is most sensitive to The Lightbox’s site, which will be its home each summer. In the words of the Turner-Prize nominated artist Richard Wilson, there was a “unanimous vote for a striking design that carefully and seriously answered the brief. A clever, clean and witty conundrum of angles guides us in, around, through and eventually to the entrance of the museum”.

According to the judges, the winning design’s sinuous form perfectly suits its courtyard site, with expanses of windows offering views over the canal and channeling visitors through the space. “The intent of our pavilion design was to use the ramp typology as both a circulation strategy and means to demystify the open plan of the traditional ‘white art box’” Tina Manis explains. The design functions excellently as a space for viewing art and is itself sculptural thanks to the cantilevered sections.

The structure is made of two identical halves which reflect each other.  “Inspired by the inherent beauty of structures and systemized processes found in nature” Tina Manis “developed a strategy for construction based on the simple tools of creation - mirroring, reflection and symmetry.”

More Quotes from the Judges

“We felt that the winning entry was architecturally very well considered making the most of the space in front of The Lightbox and the views over the water. The profile in plan deals with the tapering site particularly well, which many entries struggled with. The step changes internally and the angled centre line creates a small and complex series of spaces through a structure that is for the most part orthogonal, making it inherently buildable.”  Bruce Bell, Research & Development Director, Facit

“The shortlisted entries were all very strong and the decision was a tough one, but the Tina Manis Associates design stood out above the others for its elegance and versatility. The pavilion will work both as a great exhibition space and dynamic venue for events and is sympathetic to its destined waterside location. I’m looking forward very much to seeing it on display later in the year here in the capital during the London Design Festival.” David Barrie, Director, The Art Fund

“What so impressed me with the Tina Manis Associates design was the absolute compliance to the brief we set, whilst still delivering a very forward-thinking design which pushed our chosen construction technique to its limit; this surely is the essence of real architectural prowess.” Jimmy MacDonald, Director, Tent London

“The winning entry is an elegant response to the canal side site and the brief; creating as it does, an original, unique pavilion form that promises to be a delight to experience.”  Julia Barfield, Director, Marks Barfield Architects

“The winning design does everything that we wanted – it is striking and also completely fulfills the brief – we are eagerly looking forward to the launch in September.”  Marilyn Scott, Director, The Lightbox

“A unanimous vote for a striking design that carefully and seriously answered the brief. A clever, clean and witty conundrum of angles guide us in, around, through and eventually to the entrance way of the museum. One more asset to this creative quarter of Woking.”  Richard Wilson, Artist

“I was most impressed by the way in which Tina Manis Associates developed their proposal for the pavilion in the context of this remarkable site; exploring the relationship to the canal, the street and to the existing Lightbox building. Their winning entry exemplifies a graceful and intelligent approach to contemporary architecture that we at The Architecture Foundation are delighted to support.”  Sarah Ichioka, Director, The Architecture Foundation

Images: Tent London/Tina Manis Associates