Architect and designer Thomas Heatherwick designed a newspaper stand for the Kensington and Chelsea City Council. It should replace the usual stalls at metro stations and other crowded places, because these - most often temporary - structures seem sloppy to the authorities.
The Paperhouse is a stable structure weighing 2 tons and a height of 2.5 m. It is designed to sell newspapers and magazines, as well as drinks and cigarettes. Its steel frame is sheathed with sheet steel, covered on the outside with thin sheets of brass, and on the inside with plywood. A downwardly tapering "step" shape is associated with the device at each "step" of the product shelf. On top of the perimeter of the structure, there is a strip of transparent plastic that replaces the window. The roof is made of fiberglass. The doors of the kiosk slide open on wheels and can be used as a showcase for newspapers.
The advantage of the project is that it is a permanent structure, where the seller can leave all the goods overnight and not waste time packing and unpacking them. In the open state, the stall is quite functional, in the closed state it turns into a "sculptural object" decorating the city. While two such structures have been commissioned, two more are being manufactured.
These stalls are not the only new small forms of architecture in London this summer. Tides and Times, an exhibition of the historical, ecological, geographic and social role of the Thames for the city, has seen “exhibition modules” and various signage designed by Will Alsop and Urban Salon, Amenity Space and Scabal workshops on its banks. participation of students from four local schools. "Modules" are located at the Sazark Cathedral, Somerset House and Royal Festival Hall.
This open-air exhibition is organized by the BBC Education Center BBC 21CC and the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA). It will run until September 13, 2009.
