East India Dock Road

London

The original wall of East India Dock, a reminder of its loss through infill, lies to the east of this difficult post-industrial site near the mouth of the River Lea between Canary Wharf and Canning Town. However the wall triggered the urban design concept of two tall inhabited walls oriented north-south either side of a pedestrian street, tallest and most dramatic in tower form at the book-ends, and containing between them a composition of lower-scaled towers and medium-rise elements. The high density scheme reaches for a better environment above this heavily trafficked world and has residential gardens on the roofs with public uses at street level where shops, restaurants, indoor gym and play centre with community space create the social hub. Almost half the 800 dwellings will be affordable in a variety of tenures. Being visible London-wide, the scheme needed a convincing skyline of its own. As the plans of the upper floors change, so the metal-clad walls ‘delaminate’ in an expressionist manner showing variations of bronze, silver and gold surfaces as the planes shift.