Av Peter Nilsson
Publicerad Wednesday 16 September, 2009.
The competition attracted 74 entries and 5 were shortlisted. Southend Pier was in 2007 voted Pier of the Year and is the longest pleasure pier in the world. An iconic pier with its own distinctive character, history and people. One of the main attractions of the Pier is the view of the sea, and in particular, the feeling of being on the sea.
”A key element of our proposal is to make sure that the people of Southend use the Pier and take it into their heart. The Pier Head should be a vibrant place filled with activities”, says Fredrik Pettersson, architect in charge together with landscape architect Niels de Bruin. We envision a walkable and bikeable street with attractive destinations located every 500 metres.
The Pier should be an extension of the High Street’s urban fabric onto the sea. We have proposed a series of destinations starting at Priory Park and ending at the Pier Head, transforming the pleasure pier into an urban pier. We imagine The Pier Head designed as a public space functioning like a modern agora, part theatre, part art space, acting as a vibrant meeting place for both the people of Southend-on-Sea and visitors.
The main feature of the new Pier Head design will be an open air theatre with a terraced platform that will create lee, view point and seating for the audience. The outdoor theatre, with the Southend coastline as backdrop, has the capacity of 500 spectators. New buildings, a Culture Centre and a Restaurant, will be built offshore next to the existing Pier Head, creating a balanced enclosure and populated edges around the theatre space.
”The dramatic curving shapes of the buildings are derived from the wind and the waves themselves. This public,yet enclosed, space will be perfectly integrated into the scenery. It will be sculpted by wind and wave”, says landscape architect Niels de Bruin.