|
|
Poultry Market Charterhouse Street, Smithfield, London EC1 Built after the original poultry market burnt down in 1958, the new building by Bennett and Arup forms the modern extension to one of London’s most remarkable industrial ensembles – Smithfield Market. The 1860s buildings by Horace Jones comprise the meat market and are complemented by the Poultry Market which is one of the most outstanding examples of European post-war engineering. Relatively modest from the outside, the building reveals its structural beauty and aesthetics from within. A rectangular shell, built around a reinforced concrete frame and covered by dark blue brick, embraces the main hall, a double height open space that is covered by an enormous vaulted ceiling. The dome, an elliptical paraboloid, spans 225 feet by 125 feet and was said to be the largest shell concrete structure in Europe. It is supported by prestressed concrete edge beams, then a novelty in construction that allows for minimal points of contact and lets the ceiling appear to be extremely light. Elegantly curved, the concave ceiling is pierced by circular roof lights that show the thinness of the concrete: only three inches thick at the centre and six and three quarter inches at the perimeter, the ceiling seems to almost float, and with its small roof lights it is reminiscent of a clear sky at night. At the moment, the building is only partially in use for wholesale trade, while some of it is being occupied by the Corporation of London, for staff offices and storage purposes. Even though the tenants, mostly poultry merchants, still hold leases up until 2009, the Corporation of London has developed ideas to replace the existing market buildings with a more dense development of office blocks. Plans are developed by Thornfield Properties PLC who currently hold the lease and are backed by Lehman Brothers and Halifax / Bank of Scotland. The greatest danger is the status of the Horace Jones buildings: they are not listed, which makes their demolition legally simple. Once these buildings are gone the Poultry Market is under immediate threat. Cordula Zeidler
Further reading Contacts Image credits |
