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Dutch architecture studio MVRDV has blamed London’s Westminster City Council for the disastrous Marble Arch Mound project, revealing that its advice was ignored and design watered down, with the firm adding that “we stand by our initial design”.
| 09 Feb 2022
Dutch architecture studio MVRDV has blamed London’s Westminster City Council for the disastrous Marble Arch Mound project, revealing that its advice was ignored and design watered down, with the firm adding that “we stand by our initial design”.
Erected in central London last summer by Westminster City Council to draw people back to the city following the outbreak of the pandemic, the artificial hill was plagued with problems and widely criticised, with some referring to the construction as a “trash heap”.
“Anyone who visited the Marble Arch Mound installation in London was no doubt severely underwhelmed,” said the MVRDV statement.
“Instead of an inspiring experience offering sweeping views over Hyde Park to provoke contemplation on the value of nature in cities, what visitors actually encountered was disappointing, to say the least.”
The statement continued: “As a practice, we have rarely seen such a loveless execution of our designs.
“Through a mixture of budget constraints and a lack of communication, many details concerning the mound’s construction were decided without our involvement.
“Through a mixture of budget constraints and a lack of communication, many details concerning the mound's construction were decided without our involvement. Over time we were systematically excluded from communication with the executive architect and landscape architect.
"In our thirty years of practice, MVRDV has never before experienced such nonchalance and laxity with our design work."
To see the full statement, click here.
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