Winning ideas for better 24-hour cities revealed:
- Farrells' proposal to transform London’s waterways for 24-hour use wins top prize
- Montréal-based interactive musical swings voted most inspirational light-based entry
- Air filtrating night-shutters, eco-friendly composting urinal, transformational venues and night-time industrial spaces among the finalist entries on show in a major exhibition and event programme at The Building Centre from 1 June
Winners of an international competition to find ideas for 24-hour cities have been announced today. Night Time is the Right Time competition was launched by The Built Environment Trust and supported by the Mayor of London, it sought small-scale interventions and imaginative solutions to help cities work better at night. Amy Lamé, Night Czar for London joined high profile designers and developers to judge the competition.
The top prize has been awarded to ‘myKanaal’ an app-based proposal by a team of designers at Farrells. Inspired by successful international night markets, myKanaal would transform London’s waterways with a network of flexible and mobile boat markets operating around the clock. Towpaths which are traditionally intimidating at night become animated with flexible infrastructure to encourage late-night use. The associated app offers a two-way platform that directs boat traders to available mooring spots and alerts Londoners to shops and services near them. It is a project that could be replicated nationwide making public spaces safer and giving city dwellers the flexibility they seek.
Two ideas ‘Uritrottoir’ and ‘Musical Swings’ are announced as the runners up.
The Uritrottoir by design firm Faltazi is a flowering compost urinal currently being trialled in Paris. The eco-friendly system funnels waste into a closed box below filled with straw and sawdust. The system tackles the odour and creates compost that can be used in parks and gardens. The urinals are fitted with electronic monitoring sensors which alert a remote toilet attendant when they are full.
Musical Swings is a playful interactive light and music installation by Daily tous les jours. The swings play different notes depending on the position of participants and creates melodies when they are synchronised. At night, the back-lit swing seats put passers-by at the heart of an ongoing light and sound performance. The resulting giant human-powered musical instrument has become a symbol of Montréal’s entertainment district. It has toured in five cities so far and a permanent version is planned in Montréal for 2018.
The competition’s jury comprises industry leaders, policy makers, designers and developers including Carl Turner of Carl Turner Architects, Dan Batterton of Legal & General Investment Management, Dipa Joshi of Assael Architecture, Amy Lamé Night Czar, Ulla Hornsyld of Bjarke Ingels Group and Jenny Watt of The Building Centre. Lewis Blackwell of The Built Environment Trust chaired the judging.
'Making bold interactions for modest investments in how our cities work at night is a relatively low-risk and highly efficient way of driving more performance from the urban environment,' says Lewis Blackwell, chair of the jury. 'The results of this competition show that, with both innovative new thinking and fully trialled projects among the finalists. We called for big joined-up ideas in how culture and infrastructure can better work together and we are delighted that many competitors rose to the challenge.'
Blackwell adds: 'Looking at all the finalists together is like seeing an alternative kind of city mapped out, one that is more exciting, efficient, with more opportunity, and safer. These projects typically don't call for rebuilding but just using what is there more smartly, with mostly ingenious small-scale interventions that have the potential for great impact.'
Dan Batterton of Legal and General said: “Legal and General are building high quality rental apartments in major cities throughout the UK. We have several canal-side developments which are popular for their cycling routes and easy access to the city. Many of the areas we are investing in would benefit from a scheme such as the winning project myKanaal. It is an exciting possibility for the UK’s waterways”.
London’s Night Czar, Amy Lamé, said: “London is the culture capital of the world, and a key part of our city’s success is the amazing diversity of its night-time economy. To become a truly 24-hour metropolis, we need bright ideas about how we can fulfil the city’s potential at night in a way that works for everyone. From night markets on the river to light and music installations, and innovative ways to keep our city’s streets clean, the concepts developed through the Night Time is the Right Time competition have been truly inspiring and give us a glimpse of just how much opportunity there is for London, 24 hours a day. I can’t wait to see these ideas being explored at The Building Centre’s exhibition.”
Night Time is the Right Time exhibition opens on 1 June at The Building Centre. It explores the changing face of night time citizenship and examines how our cities can adapt and improve after dark. The ideas competition attracted entries from across ten countries. The winners will be on show alongside finalist entries by Hoare Lea engineers, HCMA Architecture, Battle McCarthy sustainability designers, the Royal College of Art, DP Architects Pte and individual artists and designers. The exhibition and event programme will highlight international projects that can inform and inspire 24-hour cities of the future.
The exhibition is free to visit from 1 June at The Building Centre, 26 Store Street, London, WC1E 7BT
All shortlisted entries and other noteworthy ideas can be viewed online from 1 June.
See further exhibition info here
#NightTimeRightTime @buildingcentre Buildingcentre.co.uk
Media Enquires: Jenny Watt jwatt@buildingcentre.co.uk
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