Alexandra Kalinowski attends The Great Architectural Bake Off with designs on admiring (and devouring) the edible architectural marvels on display.
If I had to pinpoint two things I’ve got from my dad, it’s how to stuff massive amounts of sugar in my gob, and a love of architecture mixed with urban planning. So when I caught wind of The Great Architectural Bake Off, I nearly galloped to Fitzroy Square.
There was a massive tent set up with 14 different architectural firms going head to head with their edible creations. The stress continued to build across the two and a half hours as many teams struggled to complete their structure. Upon entering the tent I was in awe of the first creation but continued to find myself even more impressed as I walked along each table. Some firms used gingerbread, (a safe building material), while others experimented with chocolate moulds, jelly, fondant and glaze. The winner of this year’s competition hosted by WATG, was Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners with their gingerbread Arenas de Barcelona. It was the first creation I saw where my jaw went slack. A board explaining each component of the cake structure accompanied the former bullring arena. It was fascinating to get a glimpse of what a real architectural design would amount to, but in sugar form.
I have to say my favourite was probably The River’s Tale as Foster + Partners not only created the Tate Modern, but Millennium Bridge and St. Paul’s Cathedral. But who am I to compete with a panel of renowned judges including Alice Rawsthorn, Rose Carrini, Harriet Thorpe, Tamise Thompson, and Daniela Puga?
It’s all part of The London Festival of Architecture 2017, which features events throughout the month of June in celebration of this city being a global hub of experimentation and innovation. If this fun afternoon is any indication of what the rest of the festival is like, I’d nab some tickets stat.
Find out more at londonfestivalofarchitecture.org.
