Project description

“We worked with Studioshaw following their appointment through a design competition led by London Legacy Development Corporation and O’Shea for Bridge House, part of the wider Wickside development in Hackney Wick. From the outset, they combined a strong civic vision – expressed through the building’s distinctive concrete frame and confident response to its canal and bridge setting – with a collaborative and open working style, engaging positively and constructively as the design evolved. Their professionalism and clarity of purpose ensured the integrity of the original concept was maintained, resulting in generous, dual-aspect homes that exceed space standards and make a distinctive, high-quality addition to the neighbourhood.”

Paul Taylor, Design Principal – London Legacy Development Corporation

We won this project in an invited competition – the LLDC has a policy of encouraging design competitions for complex sites and the brief called for;

‘A practice who can act as design leaders for this special but complex project and who really understand the client’s desire for excellence. A practice who understand buildability and can generate new, yet achievable ideas that will set pioneering standards for this type of development for years to come.’

We cycle past the site a lot – an old waste management plant facing the canal towpath in Hackney Wick. The plot is a fragment of the Wickside masterplan and is called ‘Bridge House’ – It abuts a new pedestrian bridge that will cross the Hertford Union Canal, connecting the site to Fish Island Village to the south. The development is part of the 2012 London Olympic Games legacy.

Our design creates 40 new apartments that all have access to a shared rooftop garden. All apartments are dual-aspect, with large balconies overlooking the canal and new public square. There is a gallery, workshop and community space on the ground and lower ground floors.

The building is surrounded on all sides by a new public realm, designed in collaboration with Adams & Sutherland Architects. There is a colonnade on two sides, one that faces the canal towpath and one the new town-square. The facade is made from concrete elements, setting itself apart from the brick buildings that surround it.

Our client CJ O’Shea said:‘In working with Studioshaw they have shown great enthusiasm and ideas and this has really helped to push the building development to a successful conclusion. If asked were they the right Architect for the project the answer would be a resounding yes’.