East Oxford Street

2012

Short term interventions is a proposal put forward as an initiative of BuildUp programme at University of Westminster and Westminster City Council. This initiative channels the energy of Oxford Street’s rebuilding process by recasting construction sites as canvasses for innovative public art and architecture. Our aim is to use standard construction barriers and blank building elevations that look onto Oxford Street as backdrops to embrace the ongoing nature of its redevelopment with original and uplifting design, with the help of public and private developers/sponsors to produce this giant installation.

We intend to alter the public’s perception of the ubiquitous construction site, drawing the viewer in, and offering a view into an unexpected world. Bringing nature as abundance contained and organised by repetition and structure. The hope is that a balance between the man-made and nature is achieved.

We would also like to work with QR-code patterns to give people the chance through this latest technology to learn more about the different activities and events offered during the Olympics. We envision re-building barriers out of plywood and aluminium, choosing traditional construction materials and transforming them into a public art piece that challenges the conventional experience of navigating a construction site.