December 7 2021

Moxon Architects have completed an environmentally conscious visitor pavilion for the £7bn regeneration of Brent Cross Town Centre, North London.

The low carbon design employs glulam beams and cross-laminated timber prefabricated panels to minimise its environmental footprint, reduce waste and speed construction.

The publicly accessible exhibition and event space incorporates a cafe and open-air viewing terrace from which to observe the development rise on 180 acres of surrounding land.

Sitting within garden grounds designed by Townshend Landscape Architects the pavilion is conceived as a grid of exposed timber resting on a gabion veneered plinth which supports two upper storeys clad in larch and zinc. Glazed walls frame views of a temporary park to the west with natural timber finishes framing the interior.

Moxon director Tim Murray said: “Every aspect of this building has been designed for long term durability and ease of repurposing in the future: whether to enable the adaptation of the structure for alternative uses or to dismantle and reuse valuable materials for new buildings down the line. The principles of the circular economy have governed each stage of the design and specification process, with offsite manufacturing minimising waste and the incorporation of recycled material into the substructure and the building envelope.”

As the first building to be completed following a master plan developed by Argent Related and Brent Council the pavilion stands at the gateway to Claremont Way which will eventually be lined with new shops and restaurants.

Its centrepiece is a large-scale estate model outlining the future form of Brent Cross made from MDF panels overlaid with dense acoustic cork. The experiential design was led by dn&co with Woods Bagot undertaking the fit-out.

Photography by Simon Kennedy and John Sturrock

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