WATG and Wimberly Interior’s celebrated the Great Architectural Bake Off – GABO 2017 – as it made an exciting return during the London Festival of Architecture, (Europe’s biggest annual architectural festival ) on Saturday June 10th 2017.
Renowned names in architecture came to recreate the world’s most iconic buildings out of cake.
Competing teams were asked to explore the London Festival of Architecture’s theme of ‘memory’ in their edible architectural creations.
In two weeks time, The Great Architectural Bake Off 'GABO' will make a triumphant return to Fitzroy Square. We will have 15 of London's most renowned architecture and design firms competing to recreate the world's most iconic building out of cake! Over the next two weeks we will be sharing the participants, judges and a sneak peek of the culinary creations on our Instagram @WATGdesigns For more information go to: https://www.greatarchitecturalbakeoff.com
Posted by WATG on Saturday, 27 May 2017
The event saw architecture and design royalty descend on London’s Fitzroy Square Gardens to compete to recreate the world’s most iconic buildings, entirely out of cake.
Guests enjoyed prosecco and tasters of the winning entries over the course of the afternoon.
Marks were awarded for innovative use of materials, creativity, realistic representation and of course – taste.
Judges:
Alice Rawsthorn, New York Times Design critic
Rose Carrarini, Rose Bakery
Tamsie Thompson, Director, LFA
Harriet Thorpe, Wallpaper*
Daniela Puga, Architecture Curator at the Barbican
GABO 2017 WINNER – Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners
Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners claimed the coveted title of 2017 architectural baking champion with a gingerbread interpretation of their design for the former bullring Arenas de Barcelona.
“ Year-on-year the competitors have delighted us with their imagination and skill and we feel that this year’s entries have been exceptional. It’s been a fantastic day for both spectators and competitors, as we watched the design elite construct their masterpieces in-front of our eyes. We were impressed with the bakers’ innovative technique and attention to detail and we expect next year to raise the bar even higher.” …………… Ashley Fauguel, organiser of WATG’s Great Architectural Bake Off
Due to the high-standard of entries this year, runners-up prizes were awarded for two distinct categories
SOM (2017 Tastiest Bake) was awarded ‘ Tastiest Bake ’ for their hazelnut infused Bienecke Library.
WATG and Wimberly Interiors (2017 honourable mention) received an honourable mention for their edible Cathédrale de Brasilia, constructed with marbled sugar glass
Foster + Partners a molded chocolate nylon Millennium Bridge with gummy bears crossing it.
AVR London – a chocolate Guinness cake Olympic Stadium topped with berries and complete with medals in white, milk, and dark chocolate.
Wilkinson Eyre a Battersea Power Station decked out in chocolate and surrounded by lollipops.
David Collins Studio prepared a gray frosted Stonehenge.
AL_A Architects realized Newton’s Cenotaph.
Make Architects team prepared a cake inspired to the London Wall Place
Squire + Partners baked and constructed a St. Paul’s Cathedral inspired cake.
The cake consisted of three tiers, victoria sponge, lemon drizzle and coffee cake, a 3D printed cast chocolate turret and dome and a gingerbread facade.
Zaha Hadid Architects baked the Galaxy Soho cake.
About the Great Architectural Bake-Off , London 2017 Judges
Tamsie Thompson
Director, London Festival of Architecture
Tamsie Thomson is director of the London Festival of Architecture and was previously director of RIBA London following positions at the Civic Trust and Shelter.
She studied architecture and housing at Edinburgh University and city design and social science at the LSE.
The London Festival of Architecture runs from 1-30 June 2017 with over 450 events across London exploring the theme ‘memory’.
Alice Rawsthorn
New York Times Design critic
Alice Rawsthorn is an award-winning design critic whose columns for the New York Times are syndicated worldwide.
She is the author of several books on design, including the critically acclaimed Hello World: Where Design Meets Life. Her next book, A Field Guide to Design, is to be published in spring 2018.
Alice speaks regularly on design at important events including TED and the World Economic Forum’s annual meetings in Davos.
She is chair of the board of trustees of Chisenhale Gallery and the contemporary dance group Michael Clark Company, and a trustee of the Whitechapel Gallery. A founding member of Writers for Liberty, Alice was awarded an OBE for services to design and the arts.
Rose Carrarini
Rose Bakery
Born in South Africa, Rose Carrarini grew up enjoying mangoes, passion fruit and fresh corn.
Aged 10, she moved to London and discovered a passion for crafting delicious creations.
In 2002, she established the original Rose Bakery on Paris’s Rue des Martyrs, and has since gone on to open three more Paris bakeries’, five bakeries in Tokyo, two in Seoul and one in London.
She has published two books: ‘Breakfast, Lunch, Tea’, and ‘How to Boil an Egg’, and writes a monthly baking column for Financial Times Weekend Magazine.
Harriet Thorpe
Architectural Journalist at Wallpaper*
Harriet Thorpe is an arts and architecture journalist, working at Wallpaper* magazine covering architecture.
She has contributed to publications such as the Guardian, Monocle, Porter and Garage.
She studied History of Art at SOAS in London and began her career working for leading arts organisations such as Frieze and the ICA.
Daniela Puga
Architecture Curator at the Barbican
Daniela Puga is an architect and an Architecture Curator at the Barbican. Daniela is curating the fifth Barbican exhibition of a series that explores the history of the controversial development and design of the Barbican Estate and Arts Centre.
She previously collaborated with emerging Dyvik Kahlen Architects in the design for an exhibition at Somerset House London and residential projects in Europe and award-winning Chilean practices Beals & Lyon and Amunátegui Valdés Architects.
Daniela graduated as an architect with distinction from the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile and holds a Master in History and Critical Thinking from the Architectural Association School of Architecture in London.
About London Festival of Architecture:
The London Festival of Architecture was founded in 2004, and is now firmly established as Europe’s biggest annual architecture festival.
The London Festival of Architecture celebrates London as a global hub of architectural experimentation, practice and debate, provoking questions about the contemporary and future life of the city, and promoting positive change to its public realm.
The London-wide programme is delivered by a diverse mix of architecture and design practices and practitioners, cultural and academic institutions, artists and many others.
The London Festival of Architecture 2017 will feature events across the capital from 1-30 June, and this year will explore the theme ‘memory’.
About WATG
WATG is one of the world’s leading integrated design firms and ranked as 2nd in the world among hotel architectural firms. WATG’s interior design firm, Wimberly Interiors, was ranked 10th by Interior Design Magazine in their 2016 Hospitality Giants survey.
In 2016, WATG and Wimberly Interiors designed over 200 projects in 46 countries on six continents on behalf of distinguished brands such as Disney, St Regis, Rosewood, Fairmont, Belmond, W Hotels, Nobu, Viceroy, Atlantis, Hard Rock, Ritz-Carlton and Four Seasons.
Since the firm’s inception in Hawaii in 1945, WATG has grown to offer integrated design services comprising strategy, planning, architecture, landscape, and interiors for urban, tourism and resort destinations.
WATG and Wimberly Interiors have offices in Irvine, Beverly Hills, Seattle, Chicago, New York, London, Miami, Istanbul, Dubai, Singapore, Shanghai and Honolulu, and are best known for creating internationally acclaimed destinations in 160 countries across six continents.
WATG’s projects are renowned not only for their design and sense of place but also for their bottom-line success.