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 | | |  | | |  | | | | | | Name:
Alex Nair
Building:
The Laban Centre for Movement and Dance
Location:
Deptford, South East London
What is your relationship to this building?:
The Dance School I will shortly attend. A recent winner of the Stirling Architectural Prize, the Laban Centre for movement and dance, is a key example of today thinking and designing in modern contemporary architecture. The architects, Herzog & de Meuron – famous for pioneering the Tate Modern building at Southwark – have been the key designers and visionaries in the creation of this building, encompassing all that is unique with performance.
Why do you love this building?:
The main focal point was to create somewhere that dance could be centred and extended. Purpose-built for dance training, it is now the largest and best equipped contemporary dance school in Europe. The exterior appearance shifts according to the time of day, the weather conditions and the activities going on inside. By day, the semi-reflective, semi-translucent polycarbonate both mirrors the passing weather and allows the regular activity of the Centre - dance classes, rehearsals and workshops - to be semi-visible through the walls. By night, the Centre becomes a coloured lantern or beacon: light and movement will spill out, illuminating the surrounding public gardens along Deptford Creek and providing a vibrant new landmark for the locality.
The building’s semi translucent cladding allows dance and movement to spill out into the broader community and reflects the surrounding environment. The design is emblematic of the Centre's relationship with its local community and wider society - a vibrant inspiring focal point, accessible and welcoming to all, full of movement, colour and life.
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