Marco Polo House
| Marco Polo House | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| General information | |
| Status | Demolished |
| Architectural style | Postmodernist |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Coordinates | 51°28′48″N 0°08′55″W / 51.4801°N 0.1485°W |
| Construction started | 1987-8 |
| Completed | 1989 |
| Demolished | March 2014 |
| Owner | Now owned by Berkeley Homes (West London), Apartments & Penthouses launching 2014 www.vistachelseabridge.co.uk |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Ian Pollard |
Marco Polo House (originally stylised as "Marcopolo") was a large marble-effect, glass-clad office building and TV studio at 346 Queenstown Road, facing Battersea Park in the London Borough of Wandsworth. It was built in 1987-8 and completed in 1989 by Peter Argyrou Associates, to a design by postmodernist architect and developer Ian Pollard through his property development company, Flaxyard.
Demolition of the building began in March 2014.
In the early 1990s, the building was described as "a high-tech glass cathedral", "palatial" and "architecturally magnificent" by the press, while traditionalists mocked its playfulness and 'PoMo' opulence. Since Postmodernism fell out of fashion, the building, like many of the style, began to divide opinion and be mocked by some critics.
The grey and white theme was echoed in silver birch trees which were planted in the forecourt of the Chelsea Bridge Business Centre/Observer offices side (the shorter side of the building). The two blocks were linked by a large, central glass atrium which featured iconic designer lifts and sanitation services.
The building is sometimes mistakenly described as "marble clad", but the white-and-grey cladding is Neoparium, a luxury Japanese crystallised glass-ceramic material. Pollard favoured Neoparium over marble due to its hard wearing qualities in extreme weather conditions. When Pollard discovered the material, he was added late in the project at a great expense, but as the building was marketed as a luxury, high-specification development, this was justified. The dark tinted glass panels were customised Pilkington glass.
It was originally home to British Satellite Broadcasting (BSB) television and is believed to have taken its name from its first owner's Marcopolo satellites, although there is a suggestion that the name was a playful reference to the broken pediment roof detailing, which Pollard supposedly said was similar to the "Mark of the Polo", referencing the sweet.
It is believed by many architecture critics that if the building had been allowed to stand for much longer, it would have been eligible for (and possibly have been granted) listed status by the 20th Century Society and this would limit redevelopment options for developers capitalising on the Battersea Power Station and Nine Elms area regeneration in the late 2010s.
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