Argent Related | Brent Cross, London 2019 - 2021

Highly Commended Wood Awards 2022

The first building to be constructed in Argent Related’s 180-acre Brent Cross South development, this 8,000 square foot multi-functional visitor pavilion will bring to life, through its design and exhibitions, Argent Related and Barnet Council’s vision for the new town centre development – its homes, workspaces, leisure and community spaces.

Designed to positively activate a largely undeveloped area of Brent Cross, The Pavilion acts as a welcoming gateway to the upcoming development by creating both public and private spaces for working, hosting events and exhibitions - all supported by a public café. It also provides a dedicated place where local residents and the wider public can engage with and learn about the Brent Cross Town masterplan. The building’s role will change as the redevelopment progresses. As such the building has been designed to offer maximum flexibility to its users throughout its lifetime.

The Pavilion also acts as a beacon of sustainability providing an important milestone for the larger development which pledges to achieve net zero carbon before 2030. The predominant use of timber as a structural, finishing and weathering material contributes to the sequestration of carbon in the building fabric and defines the building’s appearance. 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.