A Room for London 

A new perspective on the River Thames

There can be few places to stay a night in London quite as unusual, poetic and life-enhancing as Living Architecture's newest building: a 'boat' perched, as if by retreating floodwaters, on the very edge of the Queen Elizabeth hall at the Southbank Centre.

The one-bedroom installation, designed by David Kohn Architects in collaboration with Fiona Banner, will stay on top of the roof throughout 2012 and is intended to offer guests a place of refuge and reflection amidst the flow of traffic at this iconic location in the capital. The lower and upper decks offer extraordinary views, by day and night, of a London panorama that stretches from Big Ben to St Paul's cathedral. Inside, the boat is a beautifully crafted timber object, full of nooks and crannies to explore – and all the creature comforts that one would expect in a good hotel.

On arrival 'aboard', guests will be invited to fill in a logbook detailing what they have experienced during their stay, out of the window as much as within themselves. This is contemporary architecture at its most playful, beguiling and thought-provoking.

In future years, we hope that the boat will resume its journey and find itself perched in other vital parts of the capital.

Read architectural reviews of A Room for London: The Observer, The Sunday Times The Guardian and The Financial Times..

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For press enquiries about A Room for London and Living Architecture, please contact Pauline Stobbs at Theresa Simon & Partners. For images please visit Theresa Simon & Partners' press page.

A Room for London is a collaboration between Living Architecture and Artangel, in association with Southbank Centre and the London 2012 Festival.  Read more about A Room for London's artistic programme here.