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Some might spend their birthday with cake and fizz… But one of the architects behind La Frégate decided to spend his 77th taking a stand to protect his iconic creation from being torn down by developers.
According to the Jersey Development Company, the 33-metre cedar-clad “upturned boat” - whose unusual design has received international recognition – cannot stay in place due to flood risk.
As part of their major plans to redevelop the Waterfront and Jardins de la Mer area, the existing cinema building, car parks and La Frégate would make way for new gardens, cycle routes, pavilions and a new slipway onto the beach at West Park.
But Derek Mason (pictured top, third from left), from Mason Design Partnership, thinks a solution should be found that enables La Frégate to remain.
He worked with acclaimed British Architect Will Alsop of Alsop and Stormer on the landmark in the 1990s.
To mark his frustration, Mr Mason went to the café yesterday evening - his 77th birthday - with friends to protest against the proposed demolition of the building.
Pictured: Placards carried by Mr Mason and his supporters during his surprise protest.
They carried placards stating 'no demolition' and 'Listed Grade 2' - the level of protection under the law that Mr Mason believes the building deserves.
Grade 2 listings apply to "buildings and places of special public and heritage interest to Jersey, being important, high quality examples of a particular historical period, architectural style, building type or archaeological site, that are either substantially unaltered or whose alterations contribute to the special interest."
While the application to list the building was put forward several months ago, no decision has been publicly confirmed and the building has not been added to the official Listed Buildings Register. Express has asked Government for updates on the status of the application, but has not been given any reason for the delay.
Meanwhile, previous Environment Minister, Deputy John Young, has also ordered that a public inquiry into the Waterfront development should take place after the elections.
Documents from the Strategic Policy, Planning and Performance Department shared as part of the JDC’s planning application for their Waterfront transformation scheme show the building is currently “under consideration as a potential Grade 2 listed building”, and that, should the status be confirmed, the scheme would not be supported as it would mean the loss of the café.
Pictured: The "upturned boat" has been at Les Jardins de la Mer since 1997.
According to a statement provided by a JDC’s spokesperson to Express last year, a flood risk impact assessment on the section of coastline around the West Park slip and café area, carried out as part of the Waterfront design process, revealed potential flooding in the area of the café.
Following this, the developer concluded the seawall needed to be raised by 1.2m to “future-proof" the area, with ground levels also increased by 1.2m to maintain views over the seawall. Meanwhile, the West Park slipway would have to be relocated further to the west.
Pictured: Mr Mason said the building was not designed to be moved.
Mr Mason believes the café should remain.
“I cannot allow it to be knocked down,” he said, adding that he felt JDC's demolition rationale was “stupid” and “total nonsense”.
He also rejected the suggestion of moving the café to an alternative location, explaining it would fall apart if such an attempt was made.
“You cannot move it, it would collapse,” Mr Mason said. “We didn’t design it to be moved!”
The unusual design for the café was based on a "hastily designed conceptual squiggle" from acclaimed Will Alsop of Alsop and Stormer - the practice behind Le Grand Bleu government complex in Marseilles. While many people know it as the “upturned boat”, it was in fact intended to resemble a large fish or a whale with the seating outside representing little fish.
At the time of its opening, the building received mixed reviews from residents, but it then went on to receive international recognition, selected to feature among a handful of projects in the 2011 Sao Paulo Biennale, alongside the work of architectural stars like Sir Terry Farrell, designer of The Deep in Hull.
Mr Mason is not alone in his view that the building should be protected.
Earlier this year, the Twentieth Century Society (C20), a UK campaign group dedicated to saving buildings “that have shaped the British landscape, put forward an application to save the building.
The group argued the café was noteworthy as a "small-scale experimental structure" alongside the likes of James Stirling's Biennale bookshop (1991), Alsop & Stormer's Visitor Centre at Cardiff Bay (1991), Piers Gough's Notting Hill flower stall (1993) and Michael Hopkins and Partners' Buckingham Palace ticket office (1995).
Lauding La Frégate's "fun, imaginative design", C20 Director Catherine Croft added: "There is a real tradition of letting rip with seaside structures, and we should be embracing it as part of that joyful legacy... We need more of this sort of thing!"
Revealed: Developers plan to remove iconic 'upturned boat' café
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