Giant "Octopus" To Grace Chiswick Roundabout

Dean Nicholas
By Dean Nicholas Last edited 154 months ago
Giant "Octopus" To Grace Chiswick Roundabout
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Chiswick: nice enough place, but it could do with a bit of a spruce-up. Maybe this towering polygonal office block-cum-sky garden-cum-giant billboard next to a local roundabout fits the bill?

That's what developers behind the proposed building are hoping. Known, somewhat incongruously, as the Octopus, the project has landed on Hounslow council's planning desk for a second time, after an earlier proposal was rejected due to concerns over its height and the potentially distracting effect for drivers on the nearby M4.

London's architectural observers won't be surprised to learn that the design comes courtesy of Make Architects, who are also at work on a controversial new building at Broadgate and have previously foisted some questionable (and unrealised) additions to London's built environment, such as this demi-doughnut at the Old Bailey, or this Camden Market scheme. According to Make chief Ken Shuttleworth, who made his name as one of the designers of the Gherkin, the Chiswick Octopus would provide a much-needed "artwork" for this "gateway location".

That may be the case, but we can think of similar boasts being made for The Ark in nearby Hammersmith, a much-lauded landmark when it first opened that has had trouble finding long-term occupants.

Chiswick residents: what do you make of having this "icon" in your manor?

Last Updated 23 May 2011