CLIENT: NAVIGATION PROPERTY MARKETING SUITE SERVICES

COLLABORATORS: NU LIVING, SWAN HOUSING

DATE COMPLETED: JULY 2018

LOCATION: BLACKWALL, LONDON

Located within a busy urban estate of London, this two-storey marketing suite is situated within the Blackwall Reach redevelopment scheme in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets over the Northern section of Blackwall Tunnel.

The brief from our client was to design a marketing suite with a dedicated sales area to the ground floor with a first-floor area capable of housing two show apartment layouts relevant to the current and future construction phases of the main development. The floor had to have an adaptable space so that the show apartments can be updated as the construction phase is completed.

The genus loci of the building was the Robin Hood Gardens Estate in close by Poplar, which can be seen from the site; sympathetic signs of this brutalist architecture can be seen reflected in the marketing suite architecture reflecting its strong vertical linear projections.

The most appropriate structural solution was steel frame with a lightweight metal section infill system and over-clad with a smooth insulated composite panel system at ground floor level. The upper floor is partially clad on the principle elevations in a diffused glass panel system, which appears as a light box at night time.

The structure is built off an R.C slab foundation which required partial cantilevering over part of the site; Blackwall Tunnel runs directly within the boundaries of the site which raised significant issues within the TFL controlled and prohibited zones. Therefore, a cantilevered foundation solution was the only way forward to keep the building loads away from the tunnel below.

The finished building form provides a strong contemporary piece of architecture that has created an identifiable landmark building, providing the site with a fresh identity and cohesion with the whole townscape.