Rebuilt Crystal Palace Moves Forward

In October last year we reported on China's ZhongRhong International Group's desire to rebuild Joseph Paxton's Crystal Palace from 1851. With backing from London Mayor Boris Johnson, and working with Arup, ZhongRhong has moved forward with a competition for what will become the third iteration of the iconic building. Six teams have been selected from nearly 40 architects expressing interest in the project:

• David Chipperfield Architects
• Grimshaw
• Haworth Tompkins Architects
• Marks Barfield Architects
• Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners
• Zaha Hadid Architects with Anish Kapoor
   

For those who think the need for such prominent architects to rebuild a19th century icon is unnecessary, it's worth quoting a statement from ZhongRhong about the rebuilding: "[The] intention is to reconstruct the Crystal Palace in a way that is faithful to the original building in its ingenuity, scale and magnificence. The selected architect will determine the final detailed design response with the input of the Advisory Board and in consultation with local people and groups. The new palace will need to meet contemporary safety, security and sustainability standards. For this reason it will not be possible to replicate exactly the original Palace."

The list of six will be narrowed down to a maximum of three, with those then preparing concept designs. The architect that will then work with Arup on the design will be appointed in the summer.