Mercury House is a very special project for Studio Ageli and one close to our hearts. It was our first foray into the Seychelles and a significant commission for a fledgling practice. We rose to the occassion and several years on the design still feels fresh and vibrant and the scheme a great achievement particularly given the state of the original building and time/ budget constraints.
- There are very few projects like this in the Seychelles – the materials and build techniques and the feel of the space are more akin to a London hospitality venue than a tropical one; nonetheless it retains all the character and charm of the Creole vernacular which so heavily influenced the architecture. The main challenges during tender and construction were ensuring the local crafts-people understood what was being asked of them which meant that everything had to be bench-marked and samples made and approved (you can see some of this in our build record page HERE).
- Having said that, the flow was not all one way and the project was an education and a journey of exploration for the studio – we learnt a lot from the skilled artisans working with us, many of whom originate from Gujarat in India bringing a wealth of knowledge with them, and who remained friends long after completion, working in collaboration with us on several of our other projects.
- It was this dialogue which bore fruit and made the project a one-off. Many thanks to the journalists/ publishers and to our client who gave us the opportunity as a young practice to prove ourselves and demonstrate what can be achieved with the confidence and freedom only a patron can afford. Mercury House remains, 6 or so years later, a truly memorable, remarkable and beautiful project.
