The coming of Crossrail to Hanover Sq. has changed the character of the Square from through route to destination. An invited competition required artists to propose a new surface treatment to integrate with the two facades of a new corner building on the opposite of the Square. Colour is used in the overall composition to add richness and mystery. Inspiration was the bark of the magnificent towering London plane trees that inhabit the central square with their variegated colours and the lichen which are the stone’s natural bedfellows.

The setting out of the design is based on the markings of one of the artists’s paintings which are then abstracted further and repeated to form a matrix that inhabits the two facades of the host building. The composition is carved by water jet into the sacrificial layer of the Portland Stone panels. Laser cut panels of laminated clear glass with coloured interlayers are then bonded to the carvings using high performance epoxy adhesive.

At certain times of the day, the tracery and subtle use of colour appear mute, but these are animated when exposed to sunlight. It is a timeless signature for the building through engagement and contemplation of its surface and composition.

Hanover Square, London.

Unrealised, 2021.

In Collaboration with Shirazeh Houshiary.