Work starts on cultural centre in London by Mangera Yvars Architects
by Katie Buckley | 03 Feb 2015
Rendering of how the new community centre will look once complete / Mangera Yvars Architects
Work has started on a £25m (US$37m, €33m) community and leisure centre in Harrow, North London.
Planning was granted back in 2010 for the project, which seeks to create a 5,000sq m (53,820sq ft) centre, acting as a ‘cultural embassy’ for Harrow’s community.
London and Barcelona-based Mangera Yvars Architects is the firm behind the project. The practice originally set out to provide a space where people of any faith could come together as one in an informal environment.
Once complete, the centre will house restaurants, a library, an underground sports hall, children’s play areas, exhibition spaces, lecture rooms and areas for prayer and meditation.
The building is being constructed effectively in two halves due to a culverted river flowing across the site. The structure will be blended into the surrounding landscape with the creation of a ‘contemplation garden’ running along the back of the site, and an open public space will be provided in the form of a courtyard.
Design details, such as the intricate exterior cladding, will have patterns relating to William Morris, Isfagan and the Maasai Mara, while harking back to an overarching theme of suburban Harrow.
Work has started on a £25m (US$37m, €33m) community and leisure centre in Harrow, North London. Planning was granted back in 2010 for the project, which seeks to create a 5,000sq m (53,820sq ft) centre, acting as a ‘cultural embassy’ for Harrow’s community. London and Barcelona-based Mangera Yvars Architects is the firm behind the project. The practice originally set out to provide a space where people of any faith could
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