`2005 UK Award Part 2`
The Royal Victoria Colourworks

Johan Berglund’s interests lie in the experience of light and the poetic and psychological dimensions of architecture. He proposes a paint laboratory, artists’ studios, and accommodation for the Royal Victoria Dock, a site strongly linked with the history of material refinement in East London. Pigment, color, darkness, and weather are his main materials. Each courtyard, passage, and chamber of his building has a distinct presence, but one space folds into another, creating a rich architectural sequence with a chiaroscuro atmosphere.

Johan BerglundUniversity College London Bartlett School of Architecture

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Section through wet lab, sky studio, and canvas roof studio. © Johan Berglund.

JuryGuy Battle Roger Kallman Amanda Levete Jane Wernick Ross Wimer

The project deals with the point where ground meets water, metaphorically as well as physically, and the psychological power of the void. The site is a former docking bay next to the Royal Victoria Docks in East London, now turned into a Paintworks. The laboratory is complemented with studios and accommodation for three resident artist painters, who become a vital part of the testing and evaluation of the oil and watercolors produced. Sitting below ground level in an empty dry dock, acting as a sunken courtyard, the studios utilize different ways of bringing down light into the dark space.

Conceptual work: Narcissus and the seductive power of water. Site specific model for the Royal Victoria Dock. © Johan Berglund.

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The sunken courtyard and the laboratory building cantilevering above. © Johan Berglund.

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The artists’ houses: view and component drawing of the counterweighted canopy. © Johan Berglund.

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Grinding tower: components and view from the courtyard. © Johan Berglund.

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Johan Berglund
University College London
Bartlett School of Architecture

Johan Berglund

is an architect, urbanist, educator, and founding partner at CAMPUS architects. He graduated as the highest achieving diploma student of his year at the Bartlett School of Architecture in 2005. Berglund’s previous professional experience includes several years as an associate at Mangera Yvars Architects, where he led the design of several key projects, including the $250 million Qatar Faculty of Islamic Studies in Doha, Qatar. He also worked as a senior architect with the team of Martha Schwartz Partners, where he was instrumental in the design of the 4 km long Abu Dhabi Corniche project. Along with his professional work, he has also established a successful academic career, previously running the BSc Unit 8 at the Bartlett School of Architecture, and more recently the MArch Unit 16 with Josep Mias. He is a visiting tutor and critic at several schools in the UK and Europe, and previously held a position as Associate Lecturer at Chelsea College of Art and Design.

2005 UK Award Part 2 The Royal Victoria Colourworks

`2005 UK Award Part 2`
The Royal Victoria Colourworks