What Goes Around

With Charles Holland Architects for Merton Council

Raskl Art + Architectural collaborated with Charles Holland Architects to create a joyful new performance pavilion for Mitcham Fair Green in the London Borough of Merton. This demountable bandstand brings music and events back to the historic green, standing close to the site of a previous bandstand that once animated the community.

Mitcham Fair Green takes its name from the annual summer fair that took place on the site from the early 18th century until 1924. Our design, titled What Goes Around, evokes this rich history of colourful, exuberant structures including the former bandstand, fairground rides and tents, while utilising contemporary construction techniques and sustainable materials.

The structure features a sixteen-sided, colourfully patterned roof supported on a network of timber beams connected by jade green metal flitch plates. This complex but elegant roof structure sits on a circle of eight glulam columns that define the stage area below.

The stage doubles as the foundation for the structure and is painted in patterns of green and yellow shades. The floor pattern evokes an array of leaves while the roof takes on the character of flower petals. Together, these elements allude to peppermint, lavender, liquorice and other medicinal plants that were historically grown in the area. The faceted circular form recalls both the earlier bandstand – installed one hundred years ago and removed in the 1950s – and the huts once used for drying lavender.

Together with Charles Holland we undertook an extensive public engagement programme to inform the design. CHA engagement lead Sarah Dimech ran printmaking workshops at Mitcham Saturday Market, developing ideas for pattern and colour that were integrated into the final design's celebration of pattern, colour and decoration.

Working with engineers eHRW, we developed the flitch beam detail which enables repeated assembly and disassembly – a key requirement of the brief and the main engineering challenge of the project. The design allows the pavilion to be installed each summer, taken down in autumn, and stored easily over winter. The timber structure will age gracefully while the metal connections provide robust junctions that will withstand multiple installations.

Raskl and Charles Holland Architects were selected following an open design competition run by the London Borough of Merton. This project continues our successful collaboration, building on previous works including Polly, a summer pavilion for the National Trust at Fountains Abbey in Yorkshire, and the Tooley Street Triangle wayfinding scheme in Southwark for Team London Bridge.

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