Frieze art fair in London features sculptural entrance made of waste aluminium

The venue for the Frieze art fair in London this week features a sculpted entrance with walls of pleated and folded aluminium which is recycled from waste.

Designed by Universal Design Studio, an architecture and interiors firm from London, the venue for this year's Frieze London is designed to spread the message of sustainability to its visitors – through the thoughtful use of recycled and reused materials.

The aluminium entrance to the Regent's Park venue was formed using 400 tonnes of aluminium supplied by aluminium extrusion manufacturer SAPA. These sheets were rejected by the company as waste products due to "micro tolerances". The material that would have otherwise gone unused, have been aesthetically utilized in erecting the beautiful structure.

The entrance to the tent consists of tall pieces of pleated aluminium. The formation also includes aluminium sheets that have been folded into a concertina framing a secluded courtyard. The aluminium sheets would be further recycled after the fair as it is a material that can be reused indefinitely without compromising on quality.

"We have designed the entrance installation from materials that directly reference the structures which house these important artworks, whilst drawing attention back to the beauty of Regent's Park," said Richard McConkey, associate director at Universal Design Studio.

"We were interested in using a material that is in a state of change, which seems fitting for a temporary global art fair," he added.

According to the designers, their objective was to balance moments of activity in the fair with moments of pause and reflection and allowing the art to speak for itself and pass on the message of sustainability to the visitors.