Today, the quality of the incomplete, green shell (which stands 25m tall) has been likened to that of an early 90s video game, and is a far cry from the plans and renders developed by the Dutch architecture firm, MVRDV. The Rotterdam based company produced luscious renders and architect plans which showed a lavish green landscape, which was beautifully lit by Marble Arch. Unfortunately, the reality didn’t quite meet the expectation, prompting critics to brand the development as the worst tourist attraction in London.
“It’s always disappointing when expectation doesn’t meet reality. We’re always very aware when we’re pitching work for clients that we don’t over-promise, or perhaps more importantly, that we don’t under-deliver.
At Powell, we always work as closely as possible with our clients to understand the brief, and more holistically, the company and ethos. We’ll present a detailed proposal which includes all your requirements, but of course, we strive to push the design boundaries, and challenge clients to ensure they’re getting the best of their space, and getting the best from their budget. We offer expert advice and recommendations taken from research, trends and experience to deliver an exceptional environment for your people.
Instinctively, you may think that this sounds like a lot of work, but #MoundZero may serve as the perfect example as to why detailed and comprehensive planning is vital. We do all of this to ensure that we take our clients on a journey with us, and we do whatever we can to maintain a clear vision of what success will look like. Added to this, by conducting a clear set of review periods – where our designers and installation team are held to account by our project manager to ensure everything is on-time, on-spec and in budget. These reviews are always open to the client, and we actively encourage their involvement to ensure that their voice is heard throughout the process.
Perhaps if the local authority, and more importantly , the tax payers and visitors to this project had a little more involvement throughout, the paid-for attraction wouldn’t now be offering refunds of up to eight-pounds, after so many poked fun at what has been described as some scaffolding covered in B&Q turf and worse.
Image credit: @EM_TravelFreak
