There can be few better ways to introduce designers to the benefits of a material than by giving them the experience of trying it for themselves. This was the idea behind a design masterclass organised by Architecture Today magazine and wood. for good to highlight the architectural potential of timber.

Six of the UK’s most exciting architecture practices took part in the event and each was given six hours in which to design a new pavilion building for a high profile regeneration site in London, using timber as the primary structural material.

The masterclass took place at King’s Cross Central, a 29ha site being redeveloped by Argent St George and the largest inner city redevelopment in Europe. All the architects were taken to see where their creation would be located. The challenge was to design a building to flank the development’s main public space, Granary Square, which was outlined in the brief as a “pedestrian and public transport interchange” at the heart of the redevelopment.

Challenging preconceptions

“The event was designed to challenge preconceptions the architects might have had about designing with wood,” said wood. for good managing director Charles Trevor. “The six practices involved represented some of the most exciting and adventurous designers currently working in the UK, and their responses to the challenge reflected this.”

The solutions that the architects presented varied considerably – from a 70m-high ‘people’s tower’ to a building on wheels – but all used the opportunity to explore a wide range of timber’s properties and design potential and advantages.

Studio Mark Pimlott proposed that one elevation should be constructed from monolithic bundles of timber “reminiscent of the stones forming the Giant’s Causeway in Northern Ireland”.

De Rijke Marsh Morgan wanted to use the lightweight properties of timber to construct a “media facility” that could be wheeled along the site’s canal basin on a track. Both the front and back facades would be clad in digital tv screens, with a bar and viewing platform on the top floor.

Several of the designers wanted to change the relationship the site currently has with the canal, and designed new crossings or changed ground levels to “bring the water into the site”. Haworth Tompkins designed a broad timber deck over the canal to connect the north and south sides of the development, with a public building on the top of the deck and a reflective material underneath to add interest for people passing below.

Deborah Saunt David Hills Architects also designed a bridge deck, but topped with a linear garden extending to the new building in Granary Square.

Variety of uses

The designers suggested a variety of uses for the buildings, including cafés, children’s play areas, cinema and billboards.

Some of the plans were for more than one building. Sergison Bates, for example, wanted to build a low building close to the road, towpath and canal and a five-storey structure on the eastern side. The larger building had an exposed timber frame structure “to tie in with the industrial nature of the site and surroundings”.

The ‘people’s tower’ plan from Pierre D’Avoine Architects envisaged a 70m-high timber structure in the form of a cantilevered double helix with a base diameter of 14m. The practice also proposed a curving loggia along the canal.

Developer Argent St George’s chief executive Roger Madelin described the masterclass as “an interesting and thought provoking event”. He also confirmed that the designs would be given serious consideration, saying he would discuss any promising ideas with the individual architects.

“I was impressed with what the architects achieved in such a short time,” he said. “They produced some truly inspired ideas interpreting exactly what we are trying to do with this project in terms of opening up the space, creating exciting buildings and providing the public with a wide range of new facilities, while bringing a real cutting edge to the design.”

Charles Trevor also expressed delight at the success of the event: “These architects brought considerable imagination to the exercise, and proved how exciting it can be to design in wood.”