An Art Student Designed a 10,000-Year Plan for London

For the recently-sold Mount Pleasant site in Farringdon, London, once the home to one of the largest mail sorting offices in the world, the development of 700 Mayor Boris Johnson-approved apartments comes much to the dismay of nearby residents. In response to Johnson's decision to turn the site into one of the biggest developments in the city, British arts student Alice Theodorou has designed a 10,000-year masterplan, The Future Will Just Have to Wait, which explores an alternative scenario for Mount Pleasant.

"By anticipating the challenges that London will face over the next 10,000 years (including population growth and then decline, rising sea levels, stricter energy targets, future space exploration and language obsolescence) the building addresses generational-scale questions and sets the agenda for the sustainable growth," Theodorou says in her project's description. "To ensure its own longevity, the building utilizes a series of caryatids and atlantes as its structural support, exhibiting the evolution of the human form as a constant reminder of our own temporality."

Prior to designing The Future Will Just Have to Wait, Theodorou wrote the "Longterm Design Manifesto," an attempt to "define the parameters and ambitions of the scheme, as well as determine its success through time." After stumbling upon a 40,000-year-old figurine of a woman carved from mammoth ivory, Theodorou's aim became ensuring her structure's relevance over the course of centuries. The result is that the concept favors "the endurance of the human form over the feeting nature of architectural style," featuring lead statues of humans in its nuclear fallout shelter, paying "homage to the depletion of this resource, as well as represent[ing] solidarity, uniformity and protection in the face of danger."

More on Alice Theodorou’s masterplan will be published on her upcoming website. For now, stay tuned to Alice Theodorou on Twitter.

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