LONDON INTERNET MUSEUM - CHAT! - HONORABLE MENTION
North Woolwich, situated on the edge of the inner London Borough of Newham is rapidly being excluded from London’s evolving socio-economic landscape. Enclosure by water and large transport and industrial infrastructure threatens to turn the space into a void. Since the closure of the docs in 1981, the link between North Woolwich and its industrial sites has diminished and the social fabric of the area has changed. Now, North Wollwich has a diverse population - a significant part of which is constituted by recent arrivals and a fragmented sense of community.
There is lack of public areas and local landmarks, which causes more divisions in North Woolwich multicultural community. The following is a proposal to rearange and expand the old raillway station to an Internet Museum - a city landmark and multi-purpose meeting point where local people and outside visitors could come, play and chat with others to take part in North Woolwich social life.
Flooding is a significant problem of North Woolwich area. Instead of trying to tame the river and controll the environment, people should try to use it in proper way. By making special construction, the building is not only resistant for flooding but also reacts on it. Each building is placed in special hub, creating box-in-the box precast foundations. When the Thames overflows, the self-regulating system based on system of communicating vessels is pushing up the building which starts to float on the river. Building and site height is dependent of the Thames level.
To make the structure energy efficient and at the same time bring to exhibition areas recommended light amount, the building has no windows. The daylight is transported to the building in the same way as internet - by the fiver-optic cables. Specjal instalation located on the roof gathers the sunlight during the day and brings it directly to the building interior.
Each part of the building has its own color identification in order to help visitors to locate desired area even from outside:
Red - site entrance
Green - communication
Blue - Education facilitiesż
Orange - Presentation facilities
Yellow - Food and beverages.