Richard Rogers’s iconic Wimbledon House reopens after renovation

After a two-year long renovation process, Richard Rogers’s iconic Wimbledon House in London has reopened to host Harvard Graduate School of Design’s (GSD) Richard Rogers Fellowship program.

British architect Rogers designed the residence, also known as 22 Parkside, for his parents in the 1960s, and in 2015 gifted it to the Harvard GSD to ensure that the landmarked building continue to be used as a residence and as a resource for scholars and professionals working with the built environment.

British architect Philip Gumuchdjian and landscape architect Todd Longstaffe-Gowan helmed the project, hoping to conserve the home’s special qualities while simultaneously adapting it for the use of the fellowship program.

“Parkside is not just an iconic, flexible machine for living, nor simply a historic experimental building that foretold the architect’s future work; it was also a home with a unique memory, patina, and aura,” said Gumuchdjian.

As for the landscape design, Longstaffe-Gowan aimed to restore the balance of the original garden:

Parkside is a total work of art, where the house, gardens, and interiors were conceived in concert to form a unified whole. The alternating rhythm of pavilions and garden courts contribute considerably to the striking theatricality and luminosity of the ensemble; the outdoor rooms are at once boundless and enveloping.

Photographer Iwan Baan has captured the still-surprising space in new photos. Have a look. The next application cycle for the fellowship will open this fall.

Via: Harvard GSD