Image courtesy of Bakoko

Cutty Sark Pavilion by Bakoko

BAKOKO Director, Alastair Townsend designed and oversaw construction of the Cutty Sark Pavilion whilst working at Youmeheshe Architects and Designers, London. The cutting edge visitor center was built within a restricted budget and met a tight construction program of only 6 months from design to completion. The fast-track structure was the first building in the world to be designed using Bentley’s Generative Components parametric computational design software. Cutty Sark is one of the world’s most famous sailing vessels. After being decommissioned, the historic clipper ship has rested in a dry dock in the centre of historic maritime Greenwich where it served as public museum. 

Image courtesy of Bakoko

Grimshaw Architects in association with Youmeheshe Architects and Designers were commissioned to design a cutting-edge visitor centre within and beneath the ship as part of a 27 million pound conservation programme that required closing the attraction for a complete restoration overhaul. The Cutty Sark Pavilion was built to provide an exciting and memorable temporary exhibition venue. It is dedicated to telling the story of the ship and the ambitious project underway to save her whilst she undergoes restoration and construction works. Originally, it was designed to remain on site during the Cutty Sark’s restoration and the construction of a Permanent Visitors’ Centre (taking 2-3 years). 

Image courtesy of Bakoko

After serving its role in Greenwich, the structure will be disassembled and re-erected elsewhere; possibly serving as a remote classroom, museum, or exhibition space dedicated to telling the tale of Cutty Sark to audiences abroad. The Pavilion’s role as a public face of the ambitious restoration project became all the more important when a devastating fire ravaged the ship in the early hours of May 21st 2007. The design aim was to achieve an experience evocative of walking amongst the sails, masts, and rigging of a majestic sailing ship like Cutty Sark.

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