A new Landmark for Aldgate

Location: Aldgate, London
Status: Competition entry 2010
Client: The Architecture Foundation on behalf of The Worshipful Company of Chartered Architects and the Cit of London
Contract Value: £300,000

“A ghostly recreation of the original Aldgate floating above the ground, the outlines of its elevation overlaid with text from Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales.”

We wanted to recreate the history of Aldgate as an ephemeral memory of its former self and play on a sense of transience, reflecting the surrounding buildings, exploring how the built environment has changed over the years.

This is a celebration of the history of London and the English language, of how the transition from new to old is constantly in flux, absorbing and displacing each other over time.

We also wanted to provide a functional purpose and propose a new micro-gallery above the arch of the gate as well as a viewing platform at the top of each tower. A place to sit and contemplate within the heart of the City, a place for art, a place for conversation, a place to stop, a place to read.

Explanation of proposals
The outlines of the elevation of the old Aldgate are etched onto clear polycarbonate panels that itself carries an applied film with a gold tinted two way mirrored effect - more reflective by day and more transparent at night.
By day you will see reflections of the surrounding buildings mirrored over the top of the original elevation and overlaid with the Chaucer text; by night you will see through the structure to the buildings beyond, the text now glowing from within.

At night the light from within will project the text onto the ground, so that is now the right way round, allowing passersby to read the tales as they cross the pedestrian crossing.

The micro-gallery is to be twinned with the Whitechapel Art Gallery and The Architecture Foundation and will hopefully be a playful new addition to the City of London Corporation arts and culture strategy.

A viewing platform right at the top of the structure allows visitors to get right up high within the structure and preside over their Aldgate as the customs officials used to do.

Historical references
2010 marks the 250th anniversary of the destruction of the City Gates. The original Aldgate, part of the Roman City Wall, has been rebuilt many times over the ages, and was eventually demolished in 1760.

Geoffrey Chaucer worked as a customs official for the Port of London Authority in the late 1300’s and actually lived in the apartments above the Aldgate. He is considered by many to be the father of English literature and is thought to have written one of his most famous works, ‘The Canterbury Tales’ during his stay at Aldgate.