The Metropol Parasol towers above the city of Seville; photo courtesy of Arup

Completed less than a year ago in a previously derelict area of Seville, the imposing 30-metre-high Metropol Parasol is one of the largest timber structures ever built. Designed by a Berlin-based architect Jürgen Mayer H. and the engineering specialists Arup, the initially-opposed-by-the-public Parasol has since become one of the city’s most famous landmarks. It has also affected the people who live and work around the Plaza de la Encarnacíon. In their recent documentary about the structure, Arup spoke to a number of local residents and business owners who explained why the Parasol plays such an importnat role in the lives of Sevillians. (more…)

Regent's Place Pavilion, London, by Carmody Groarke; photography by Luke Hayes

A new pavilion by UK architectural practice Carmody Groarke has opened in Regent’s Place, London. The structure is the result of a competition that the Architecture Foundation ran in 2007.

Regent's Place Pavilion, London, by Carmody Groarke; photography by Luke Hayes

The competition brief called for a new pavilion at the Osnaburgh Street entrance to Regent’s Place ‘that enriches and activates the public open space at street level’. The winning design consists of a field of 8-metre-high slender columns, supporting a canopy.

Regent's Place Pavilion, London, by Carmody Groarke; photography by Luke Hayes

Created in collaboration with engineers Arup, the pavilion sits in dialogue with the public colonnades that flank each side of the street. Bespoke LED lighting is set into the pattern of the cobbled surface between the columns to uplight the pavilion’s canopy.

Regent's Place Pavilion, London, by Carmody Groarke; photography by Luke Hayes