‘MARBLE ARCH MOUND (MAM), DESIGNED BY MVRDV, WAS EMERGED IN LINE WITH THE VISION OF THE WESTMINSTER COUNCIL THAT PLANS TO CREATE MORE NATURAL SPACE IN THE CITY. HOWEVER, TO SOME LONDONERS, THIS ARTIFICIAL MOUNTAIN MAY NOT BE A SOLUTION
TEXT: PARK LERTCHANYAKUL
PHOTO: PARK LERTCHANYAKUL EXCEPT AS NOTED
(For Thai, press here)
In late July this year, London opened up its new public space named Marble Arch Mound (MAM). MVRDV, the architects behind the structure designed it to appear like a naturally conceived mountain. The design utilizes the elements of landscape architecture to introduce a new and different perspective to the city, particularly to the location where Marble Arch is located, which is considered a historical site situated right at a corner of Hyde Park. The piece’s purpose however, isn’t only intended to connect the capital city’s green space into a more expansive fabric. It’s also realized to reflect the visions of Westminster Council, the local administrative organization whose plan is to convert more public spaces in the neighborhood to be more nature-oriented in the future.
MAM is a temporary project that will remain up until January 2022. The Westminster Council also aims for the space to be another tourist destination; a check-in spot on Oxford Street, which is one of London’s most prominent and bustling downtown shopping districts. It’s built in the hopes of stimulating economic activities in the neighborhood after the devastating effects the area has faced from lockdown, which has forced over 20% of the shops to close down. With a staggering budget of two million pounds and ideal location and timing as the city has finally turned to normalcy after lockdown, MAM was a highly interesting topic among the public, especially the Londoners who have a pretty high expectations for the project.
MAM’s online registration was available for a month-long soft opening before the official launch date. With an 8 pound fee, the interest from visitors has been overwhelming. But merely after two days since its commencement, MAM received baffling negative feedback since the real structure was far from the promoted pictures of the landscape presented by the design team. The luscious mountain with trees growing turned out to be a dry and treeless mountain, which, as expected, became a great disappointment for the visitors who spent their money to see the projects and the passerby. The incident caused the Council to return all the fees to the registered viewers, and the venue was open with no entrance fee throughout August (recently has expanded its showing period indefinitely). But it didn’t stop there. Two weeks after the opening, the negative criticism continued to pour in mainly because of the project’s failing outcome and the news about the actual budget, which went up from two to six million pounds. Following the revelation, the Deputy Council Leader responsible for the project resigned from the position to show his responsibility, and the Council made an official public statement that they will improve MAM and make it look like what the presentation had promised by September 2021.
Nevertheless, architecturally speaking, apart from the underwhelming appearance and vibe, other aspects of the work are pretty spectacular, especially the structure’s orientation to physically complement and blend in with the location, which is neighbored by many buildings from the Marble Arch to the tube station. The view from the top of the mountain is quite impressive, considering the fact that it isn’t a common occurrence for the public to see Hyde Park from such a level since the area is occupied by upscale hotels and residential buildings. Underneath the mountain is a functional program, which includes an exhibition space and a restaurant. Meanwhile, the entire structural design demonstrates an impressive use of a scaffolding system, which can be disassembled later, a straightforward solution to the functional aspect of the project.
The project hasn’t exactly reached the success it intended to achieve, and feedback hasn’t really been at the same level as New York’s Little Island, which opened less than a month apart. While the two projects are incomparable in terms of budget and permanency, MAM is still highly expected to show its fullest potential in the remaining time of its schedule. The first wish for the project has to be for the plants to endure London’s summer heat without withering away. Otherwise, the Londoners would definitely be celebrating Christmas on this (fake) treeless mountain.