Harley-Davidson Motorcycle Showroom
September 9, 2005 | Elif SUNGUR
An eye-catching red brick drum has gone up just behind the King's Road in Chelsea.
It would have been two storeys taller, had planning permission been forthcoming for the construction of upper floors.
As it is, F W Warr & Sons had to be content with a lower two-storey oval-shaped building as showroom and offices for its flagship Harley-Davidson motorcycle dealership.
It can't be too disappointed however, given the spatial attributes and enlightened mix of materials specified by architect Cullum & Nightingale on a building which is a tremendous improvement on Warr's former accommodation.
Opened in December 2000, the £3 million building comprises a showroom at ground-floor level with office accommodation above.
It is attached to an existing workshop.
The option for extending the building vertically is open, although at present the roof is used for motorcycle storage.
The showroom is expressed on the elevation by full-height glazing, broken intermittently by brick-clad concrete piers, while the office accommodation above enjoys full-height, solid 215mm brick walling punctured by windows.
'The building's dynamic elliptical shape is a result of the architect's desire to maximise the corner site by exploiting the full perimeter and creating a building which is as visible as
more: cullumnightingale.com/ourwork/articles/articles000 (414)
671 impressions - 44,691 clicks
