The London Festival of Architecture and the Cheapside Business Alliance have announced a design competition to create a new installation on the ‘St Paul’s Plinth’ outside St Paul’s tube station for the London Festival of Architecture in 2020.

‘Lunchbreak’ by KHBT with Ottmar Hörl © Luke O’Donovan

Following the huge success of Lunchbreak – an installation by KHBT with Ottmar Hörl as part of this year’s Festival – the competition once again presents an exceptional opportunity for architects, designers and artists to create a work that makes use of the existing steel frame structure in the heart of the City of London, standing at the gateway to Cheapside and upon London’s Culture Mile route. Like Lunchbreak, the 2020 edition of the St Paul’s Plinth installation will be enjoyed by hundreds of thousands of people as they pass by, and will be admired by many hundreds of thousands more around the world via social media.

The brief for the ‘St Paul’s Plinth’ project is simple: to use the existing structure as a basis for new work that can both resonate with the site’s rich heritage and offer a glimpse into a zero carbon future for the Square Mile. The London Festival of Architecture is exploring the theme of ‘power’ in 2020, while the City has identified energy resilience and the fulfilment of positive environment outcomes as key issues for the area. The winning proposal will therefore be one that addresses these issues, while also encouraging Londoners and visitors to see the city in fresh and exciting ways.

Entries will be judged by an expert panel comprising:

• Richard Coles (former Communard, co-presenter of BBC Radio 4 Saturday Live and Vicar of Finedon)
• Maria Curro (project manager, Department of the Built Environment, City of London Corporation)
• Ruth Duston OBE (executive director, Cheapside Business Alliance)
• Marc Easton (Senior Structural Engineer, Arup)
• Sarah Jane Enson (senior project manager, Public Realm Team, City of London Corporation)
• George Kyriacon (co-founder, Pella Real Estate Partners)
• Tamsie Thomson (director, London Festival of Architecture)
• Alex Scott-Whitby (director, ScottWhitbyStudio)

The total budget available for the project is £12,500 + VAT. The deadline for this one-stage competition is midday on Monday 2 December 2019. The call for entries document containing detailed submission and entry criteria can be found here.

Ruth Duston OBE OC, Executive Director of Cheapside Business Alliance said:

“I am delighted that the St Paul’s Plinth project is back once again for the London Festival of Architecture in 2020. The competition is a terrific way to celebrate Cheapside and the Culture Mile, championing the City of London as a major destination for culture and creativity, where people can experience great architecture and design, as well as an incomparable business, retail and visitor location. I’m really looking forward to seeing what the St Paul’s Plinth competition produces, and to working once again with the London Festival of Architecture.”

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Alastair Moss, Chair of the City of London Corporation’s Planning and Transportation Committee, said:

“This is a fantastic opportunity to showcase an exceptional piece of work in one of London’s most iconic locations. We’re delighted to support the St Paul’s Plinth project as it provides an artistic and architectural platform that will link the area’s long history with our innovative, zero carbon future.”

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