Richard Kim (third from right) participated in the event, while fellow Director Elie Gamburg (far left) organized the series.
Wood Wharf, London, United Kingdom.
The Clearings, London, United Kingdom
The KPF Director participated in the most recent Global Dialogues event, which focused on London projects and collaboration between New York and UK-based firms.
The AIA New York Global Dialogues program comprises events throughout the year. This year’s theme is “Destinations”, with an earlier event in the series addressing Mexico City architecture. Each night, the invited speakers present their own work before participating in a moderated discussion and audience Q&A.
Based in New York, KPF Director Richard Kim presented on two KPF projects in London: 40 Charter Street and The Clearings. The former project is a residential tower that takes cues from Allies and Morrison’s master plan for the Wood Wharf area along the Thames River. Its undulating façade comprises horizontal spandrels and shifting, vertical columns; together, these elements strengthen the building’s formal reading and maintain its individualistic presence while responding to its neighbors. With no corners, the building’s frontage wraps around the site to reveal public plazas and gardens.
A separate residential project, The Clearings will reside in the context of prominent London museums, restaurants, and art galleries at the heart of Kensington and Chelsea. Its design concept employs the timeless quality and historical relevance of the site, with the use of brick highlighting the three buildings’ Victorian surroundings. New street wall frontages with public gardens, as well as an entirely new street pattern, revitalizing an underutilized long-block of the city. In presenting these projects, Richard Kim spoke to working alongside KPF Principal Trent Tesch and liaising with local government in the public approvals process.
Kim spoke alongside Benjamin Gilmartin, Principal at Diller Scofidio + Renfro, Matthew Krissel, Partner at Kieran Timberlake, and Bill Horgan, Partner at Grimshaw. Beatrice Galilee, Curator of Architecture & Design at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, moderated the architects’ discussion.
The AIA New York Chapter and its Global Dialogue Committee are committed to the international exchange of knowledge and expertise on a wide variety of topics concerning architecture, urban design and city planning. The Global Dialogues Committee is the AIA NY’s vehicle to orchestrate exchange of programs, exhibitions and other means of sharing information