Commonwealth Institute London : Architecture

The Parabola - Design Museum News - 13 Nov 2009 The Parabola - Design Museum News 18 Sep 2009 PLANS FOR THE NEW DESIGN MUSEUM ON THE FORMER COMMONWEALTH INSTITUTE SITE GIVEN THE GO AHEAD Plans for a new headquarters for the Design Museum on the site of the former Commonwealth Institute in Kensington High Street were approved by the Planning Committee of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea last night. The Parabola, Sep 2009: photo : Luke Hayes The scheme by Rem Koolhaas's award-winning Office for Metropolitan Architecture was submitted by Chelsfield Partners and the Ilchester Estate in April 2009 and revised in August 2009. The move will give the Design Museum three times more space and enable the organisation to create one of the world's leading design museums in London. Deyan Sudjic, Director of the Design Museum comments "We are thrilled with the outcome which now opens the way for the Design Museum to realise its vision of becoming a world leading creative centre for design and architecture". The Parabola (the new name for the former Commonwealth Institute building) has been practically unoccupied since 2001. The building's refurbishment and new use will give a neglected London icon a new life and purpose and reinvigorate this important area of Kensington. The design team has been assisted by Lord Cunliffe, a leading member of the original architectural team for the Commonwealth Institute in 1958, and by James Sutherland the original structural engineer. The Parabola: photos : Luke Hayes The Design Museum's future use of the building will be part-financed by the developers, with a contribution of £20 million toward the cost of the restoration, and the donation of a long-term lease at a peppercorn rental. The Parabola Design Museum images / information received 180909 Commonwealth Institute - Design Museum News 18 Aug 2009 Update on Planning Submission for new Design Museum on former Commonwealth Institute Site Revisions have been made to the planning application and submitted last week for the new home for the Design Museum and associated residential development on the site of the former Commonwealth Institute in Kensington High Street. The revisions, made in response to comments by the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, local residents and English Heritage, include a number of changes to the Parabola, a 1962 listed building, a revised landscape scheme, a number of height reductions to the residential development and enhanced views of the Parabola building from Kensington High Street. The original planning application was submitted in April 2009. Summary of changes: The sequence of arrival and space disposition has now been changed to more closely resemble the existing arrangement with arrival over a bridge on top of a water feature into the building with a platform giving access by stairs throughout the building. This sequence will be detailed in a further submission by the Design Museum later and retains one of the principal design features of the building. Other changes in the building include open floors at all levels and the new openings in the floors have been enlarged. Stairs and lifts have been deferred to the Design Museum's later fit-out applications. There have been major revisions to the landscape designs which now provide a park setting and incorporate a water feature and access route which is similar to the original concept. The height of the Park, Garden and High Street residential buildings has been significantly reduced and views from the street and park enhanced. The site and buildings (Grade II Listed) have had a chequered history since the decline of the Commonwealth Institute. From 1996 onwards, the country exhibits were removed and the building was used for exhibition and conference facilities. It finally closed in 2004 as these uses failed. There have been six failed attempts to obtain lottery funding and other grants and there have been proposals for a wide range of uses which have all failed because of the difficult nature of the design of the original building which was constructed for a very specific purpose on a very limited budget. The Design Museum's future use of the building will be part-financed by the developers, with a contribution of £20 million toward the cost of the restoration, and the donation of a long term lease at a peppercorn rental.