London Dock Housing

London, England
Concept Design

This competition winning design for London’s East End strategically places a 200,000 square foot mixed use building on an extremely complex historic site.  Pinched between a derelict public plaza and a faltering Grade-I listed historic warehouse-turned-retail facility, the project seeks so revitalize the surrounding neighborhood.  A linkage between all adjacent sites, the lowest level acts as a social manifold, re-routing circulation through entertainment, retail and cultural paths, which attaches directly to both the retail area and plaza by means of a new glass roofed atrium.  Above, as the project’s form is limited by zoning requirements and height restrictions, its symbolic and iconic nature is derived from pattern and color rather than form and scale.  Reflecting a warm glow into the units, the gold anodized bris-soleil becomes a luxurious warm addition to London’s characteristic gray skies.  The tower folds gently to direct upper units to breathtaking views, while the iconic volume of a residents’ spa punctuates the upper levels of the 18 story structure.