Herzog & de Meuron
Competition
2012
Project
2013–2019
Realization
2017-2022

Identity

The project for a residential tower at London’s expanding Canary Wharf Estate will form part of the new district of Canary Wharf. The building will help to shape the identity of the redevelopment of one of docklands’ last large remaining undeveloped sites. It is a tower simultaneously iconic in form and human in scale that embodies the aspirations of its new context, an extension of a dynamic global community and the start of a new vibrant neighbourhood.

Tower Geometry

Set against the backdrop of the existing Canary Wharf buildings, the circular form of the new tower clearly distinguishes itself from its orthogonal neighbours. The form is a statement of the tower’s difference. It is a residential tower adding a new dimension to an area dominated by commercial space. Anchoring the western end of the new district, the circular tower is viewed from all sides. It is seen equally from the streets of Canary Wharf, the new promenade and the waterways surrounding it. The tower addresses both existing and future context with no one elevation privileged over the other. The plan grid is rotated 45 degrees from true North to optimize sun light exposure to each unit. An orthogonal stepped unit plan protects units from cross views while offering multiple vistas.

Residential Scale

The exterior of the new residential tower is the outward expression of the residential units that constitute the majority of the program. Aggregated together, these units form a tower facade that offers a clear distinction between the human scale of the residential development and the unifying mass of the office towers behind it. Varying scales of balconies and terraces bring life to the facade. The stepped elevation and changing relationship between slab, demising wall and glass is a clearly identifiable manifestation of the unit typologies distributed through the project. Individual units will be as recognizable as the overall elevation.

Unit Mix

The building contains 483 apartments arranged over 58 storeys. Characterised by their distinct relationship to the exterior, the apartments are separated into residential typologies appropriate to their scale and relative height. Large loft type units with high ceilings and generous outdoor areas take advantage of their proximity to the water and the wind shelter afforded by their lower elevation. Smaller apartments make up the majority of units in the central section of the tower and express their mass and scale through the aggregated projection of rooms offset from the cylindrical form above and below. Alternating stepped floor plans provide sheltered balconies for each unit.

The upper levels of the building are predominantly made up of larger two- and three-bedroom units, each apartment benefitting from generous set back terraces carved from the cylindrical volume of the building. The resulting geometry creates a distinct spiral of large bay windows which offer each apartment generous views over the surrounding docklands and across London

The top two floors of the building are arranged into a series of 7 duplex penthouse apartments of varying size. These units share the essential characteristics of the bay windows and external terraces of the lower floors, with the added element of individual walled courtyards carved into the plan arrangement. These internal gardens provide a sense of double aspect and a sheltered external space unusual for this elevated position.

The different apartment typologies create spaces that are at the same time unique and related – homes that are designed to maximize the potential of their own particular scale and elevation, yet are clearly tied together by their overall architectural expression.

Public Space

The new tower is a visual gateway to the new district at Canary Wharf. It is the focal point of a new dock edge promenade and the anchor of the new park proposed to line the southern edge of the master plan. At the base two distinct levels offset from the main tower clearly identify the public components of the project. Amenities offering services for the public and tower residents activate the waterfront, park and residential gardens that surround the building.

City and Tower

Our proposal for the new residential tower at Canary Wharf is a singular form expressive of its residential programme, the existing and future context, and its role as both a symbol and heart of the new urban development. It is a tower that mediates between the city and the individual, public and private.

Herzog & de Meuron, 2022

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Drawings

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Team

Project Team
John O’Mara (Associate, Project Director)
Tobias Schaffrin (Project Manager)
Iva Smrke (Project Manager Competition Phase)
Daniel FernĂĄndez Florez (Associate)
Roman Aebi (Workshop)
Eduardo Salgado Mordt
GĂŒnter Schwob (Workshop)
Colin Jeffrey
Benjamin Duckworth
Stefan Goeddertz (Associate)
Yasmin Kherad (Associate)
Mehmet Noyan
MĂČnica Ors Romagosa (Associate)
Liliana Filipa Amorim Rocha
Caetano Braga da Costa de Bragança
Dave Edwards
Elizabeth Ferguson
Giuseppe Giacoppo
Adriana HernĂĄndez Arteaga
Shusuke Inoue (Design Technologies)
Carmo MontalvĂŁo
Alexandros Mykoniatis
Dominik NĂŒssen (Design Technologies)
Rebecca Roberts
Arrate Abaigar Villota
Farhad Ahmad
Bruno de Almeida Martins (Visualizations)
Michal Baurycza (Visualizations)
Mikolaj Bazaczek (Visualizations)
Blanca Bravo Reyes
Massimo Corradi (Design Technologies)
Duarte De Azevedo Coutinho Lobo Antunes
James Grainger
Vasileios Kalisperakis (Visualizations)
Maria Krasteva
Lap Chi Kwong
Dan Ladyman
Johnny Lui
Luke Lupton
Craig Nener
Raneen Nosh
JoĂŁo Nunes
Cristian Oprea
Martina Palocci
Svetlin Peev
Pedro Peña Jurado
Francisco Ramos Ordóñez
Martin Schulte (Design Technologies)
Nuria Tejerina
Francesco Valente-Gorjup
Tommaso Villa
Toru Wada
Hajdin Dragusha
Nour Hamade
Isabel Labrador
Victor Lefebvre
Kristine Ć ulca
Philip Turner
Jean-Paul Willemse
Sara JimĂ©nez NĂșñez
Áron LƑrincz (Visualizations)
RaĂșl Torres MartĂ­n (Visualizations)
Tahreem Amjad
ZaĂŻra Pourier
Man Siu
Teodor-Octavian Cuciureanu
Kanto Maeda
David Pfister
Ebanie Powell
Jason Frantzen (Associate)
Steffen Riegas (Design Technologies)

Facts

Client
Canary Wharf Group, London, UK
Planning
Masterplanning: Allies & Morrison, London, UK
Design Architect: Herzog & de Meuron Ltd., London, UK
Executive Architect : Adamson Associates [International] Ltd, London, UK
Landscape Design: Wirtz International, Schoten, Belgium
MEP Engineering: Sweco, GB, Windsor and Maidenhead, UK
Structural Engineering: AKT II, London, UK
Cost Consulting (Schematic Design): Gleeds, London, UK
Cost Consulting (Design Development-Construction Services): CWCL, London, UK
Interior Design, L00-01: GA-Design, London, UK
Interior Design, L02-09 & L32: Bowler James, London, UK
Interior Design, L10-31 & L33-55: Goddard Littlefair, London, UK
Interior Design, L56-57: Herzog & de Meuron (UK) Ltd., London, UK
Specialist / Consulting
Planning Consulting: Bilfinger GVA, London, UK
Acoustic Consulting: Sandy Brown, London, UK
Accessibility Consulting: David Bonnett Associates, London, UK
Fire Protection Consulting: Arup Fire Engineering, London, UK
Facade Consulting: FMDC, London, UK
Facade Access: WSP, London, UK
Lighting Consulting: Studio Fractal, Gatwick, UK
Security Consulting: QCIC, London, UK
Gym & Spa Consulting: RCH, London, UK
Pool Consulting: Devin, North Shields, UK
Wind Studies: BMT Fluid Mechanics, Teddington, UK
Building Data
Gross floor area (GFA): 620'162 sqft, 57'615 sqm
GFA above ground: 620'162 sqft, 57'615 sqm
Number of levels: 58
Footprint: 12'163 sqft, 1'130 sqm
Height: 672 ft, 205 m
Gross volume (GV): 7'401'254 cbft, 209'580 cbm
Facade surface: 328'406 sqft, 30'510 sqm
Links
www.canarywharf.com

Bibliography

Edwin Heathcote: “A deliberately domestic cylinder in London.” In: Financial Times. London, The Financial Times Ltd, 06.04.17

Luis FernĂĄndez-Galiano (Ed.): “Arquitectura Viva Monografias. Herzog & de Meuron 2013-2017.” Vol. No. 191-192, Madrid, Arquitectura Viva SL, 12.2016.

Location