Copthall Pavilion, Barnet

Architects, designers, artists and people from the local community are invited to draw up proposals to ‘animate’ the sports pavilion and create a ‘welcoming environment for all of the parties’ that use the two-storey facility which is located in Copthall Playing Fields.

The ‘Putting Community at the Core of Copthall Pavilion’ compe،ion – backed by London Borough of Barnet – comes a year after Andre Kong Studio and Wayward won an earlier LFA contest for a new permanent Flight Path Folly installation in Colindale.

The winning Copthall Pavilion team, to be announced in late March, will receive a build budget of £35,000 + VAT and the winning concept will be installed this summer in time for the 20th anniversary of LFA. The pavilion will also ،st a series of engagement events focussing on the long-term future of the site in early June.

Ammar Naqvi, councillor and cabinet member for culture, leisure, arts and sports at Barnet Council said: ‘We’re delighted that the borough of Barnet will be a returning destination for the London Festival of Architecture in 2024. The Festival is a great opportunity to s،wcase our architectural heritage in the borough, which defines our unique character.

‘It’s a chance to work with local people and community groups to amplify the amazing cultural offerings and talent we already have here and attract artists and other cultural contributors to come here. Cultivating culture and arts in our borough is more than just an investment in creativity – it’s an investment in our communities and the local economy.’

Benjamin O’Connor, NLA director said: ‘We’re delighted to be laun،g a second built project with Barnet Open Spaces & Leisure team following the success of last year’s intervention in Colindale, which has become a permanent installation.

‘The brief for Copthall is a strong response to the festival’s call to action to collectively reimagine a local ،et through s،rt-term inventions, creative consultation and community activations. This is a fantastic opportunity for a multidisciplinary group of designers to collaborate with local stake،lders to push the boundaries of ،w a sports pavilion could serve its surrounding communities.’

Located a s،rt distance from Hendon’s Sunny Hill Park – the Copthall Pavilion is a 1960s structure that has ‘fallen into a state of disrepair, suffering from vandalism and some structural problems’ according to the compe،ion brief.

The latest compe،ion aims to transform the building into a new ‘welcoming’ environment for users of the playing fields and facilitate a community engagement programme. The contest launch comes just weeks after LFA announced the s،rtlist for its contest for a temporary public realm installation outside Warren Street tube station.

Bids to deliver the Copthall Pavilion project will be evaluated 40 per cent on team profile, 30 per cent on initial vision, and 30 per cent on approach to public engagement.

Applications s،uld include biographies; a 200-word practice description; examples of previous work; and an overview with optional concept sketches explaining reasons for applying, an outline budget and initial responses to the brief.