1 Park Place

location  

Canary Wharf

year  

2009-2012

client  

Grattan Property

design  

Horden Cherry Lee Architects

1 Park Place: Building on the waterfront

Docklands is essentially a natural wetland, formed by the bend in the estuary of the River Thames.

Before we design we look at nature ...the reed is an inhabitant of these wetlands and tells us a lot about how to live on the waterside both in function and aesthetics, after all it has evolved and existed in that environment for a very long time...we have only existed on the river for a few thousand years!
The reed is a slim vertical form, which enables the water to rise and fall with the tide, or with waves without undue force on the reed...this creates its elegant form.
The vertical tapering shape and hollow tubular cross section gives structural stiffness to the reed and the capillaries within help draw the water and nutrients from the wetland to feed the seeds and flowers at its head.
The reed field has a dynamic, asymmetric and aesthetic beauty because of the tilt and crossover of the reeds. This helps the reed bed sustain its structural integrity against the wind and helps to form a shelter and filter from the hot sun.

The building for Park Place is an assembly and interpretation of this natural 'information'. The outer 'reeded' facade is multi functional and is composed of mullions which are carefully spaced to optimise views and also provide shade minimising solar penetration into the depth of the office space, a 'hot place' with heat emitting people, computers and communication. The inclined elements on the facade, like tilting reeds, also form arches and act as transfer structures to provide wider spans over entrances and loading areas and like the reed bed they cross brace the entire structure against wind loads and carry the majority of the vertical floor loads.
The reeded character of the structure also communicates in a visual way that, like a reed, the building is cooled through its structural piles making use of the natural, deep, moist ambient ground conditions.

In some respects there are helpful parallels between Docklands and Venice both having been built on tidal river estuaries. Much of the beauty of Venice comes from its finely spaced vertical architecture, reflecting in the canals, a product of the clustered timber piles that support the city. A vertical architecture is waterfront architecture.

The simple lightness and elegance of the reed field is re established at a larger scale in this new nature informed architecture at Park Place.