A new art deco Wimbledon Chase

[whole diary]

[stuving]

This design (recently approved) takes its "design inspiration from the early 20th century 'art deco' architecture of the existing station and the other nearby buildings", according to the architects CZWG. That choice looks unusual - while "neo-deco" is said to be a thing nowadays, the examples on Dezeen are mostly original art deco buildings, and all of the new builds is abroad.

Do you think it has that "old friend" feeling that retro trades on? CZWG project page here.

[eightonedee]

I do hope that they have factored in on-going maintenance provision and cost into the design. The problem with art deco is that it can look particularly shabby if it is neglected - see what happened to the Midland Hotel at Morecambe or the De La Warr at Bexhill.

Of course, not everyone's a fan - here's Spike Milligan's take on the style-

De La Warr Pavilion ... a fine modern building with absolutely no architectural merit at all. It was opened just in time to be bombed. The plane that dropped it was said to have been chartered by the Royal Institute of Architects, piloted by Sir Hugh Casson with John Betjeman as bomb aimer.

[Bmblbzzz]

It looks as if someone involved might once have read the introduction of a Wikipedia article on Art Deco.

[RichardB]

It looks as if someone involved might once have read the introduction of a Wikipedia article on Art Deco.

I'd say it looks like a friend of someone involved once read that opening paragraph and the two of them had a brief conversation about it in a noisy pub.

[paul7575]

I hope it doesn’t come with colourful Thameslink signage locked in, or a station name sign which doesn’t meet proposed future GBR^▸ (Great British Railways) colour schemes and NR^» (Network Rail - home page) rules…

Paul

[JayMac]

Fairly inoffensive. Although 'Art-Deco' is stretching it a bit.

[Red Squirrel]

My only issue is that if it's anything like most of the stuff they're putting up in Bristol at the moment, it'll be made of cardboard. Starts to look tatty when it goes soggy.

[Electric train]

Not sure it fully meets Artdeco?

Certainly looks a lot better than the hideous monstrosities currently being builds in Maidenhead