The Old Smoke House Tower Hamlets Homes, Roof Terrace and Cafe, Building project, Architecture Images
The Old Smoke House in Tower Hamlets
Apartments and Commercial Development in London design by HWO Architects, UK
9 Nov 2019
Architects: HWO Architects
Location: Tower Hamlets, London, England, UK
Photos by Craig Auckland
The Old Smoke House
A vast proportion of the high-quality homes in The Old Smoke House are family units. A café and outdoor terrace will create a large, new public space. And green roofs will not just generate energy, but boost the local ecology…
Fish Island is located in the London borough of Tower Hamlets, and is one of the key zones earmarked for regeneration post-Olympics. At the moment, the area has an unremarkable assortment of low-grade industrial buildings, yards and vacant sites, and some housing.
There is also a peppering of cafes, bars, clubs and galleries, as artists and other creatives migrate from Shoreditch to more affordable areas. But the landscape is changing fast as the vision of the London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC) takes shape.
Our mixed-use development, which we’ve built with Aitch Group and Mura Estates, is a sustainable addition to a new community, and will help to make Fish Island a unique place to live and work.
The six-storey building delivers 45 high-quality homes: a mix of one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments, number of which will be family-sized units. It will offer 675sqm of employment space for small and medium businesses, and create 350sqm of new public realm.
The design is the result of much consultation with, and input from, stakeholders and the public. It meets all the criteria set by the local authority and the LLDC – for new and affordable housing with a socially balanced mix, high standards of design, and environmental sustainability. It will create new job opportunities, and bring economic growth to the area through new business.
The Old Smoke House integrates well into the environment and local community. It will improve the streetscape, thanks to robust elevations and a simple palette of materials that reflect the area’s architectural heritage. Its wide walkways will encourage pedestrian flow, and its café and terrace will be a large public space that the whole community can enjoy.
The development’s height, massing and design have been carefully considered and refined to work well with its neighbour, Neptune Wharf. This recently approved scheme comprises 522 residential units, 3,000sqm of commercial space, and land for a new primary – which will now have direct access from Monier Road.
Inside our development, 45 apartments are arranged around a central space on the first to fifth floors. Residents can enjoy balconies, terraces and 177sqm of communal space including a rooftop play area.
At ground level, four commercial units offer flexible space, designed to appeal to creative businesses. The development is car-free, pedestrian and cyclist-friendly, with 77 cycle spaces for residents and business tenants.
Green roofs with photovoltaic (PV) cells generate energy on site, and provide natural cooling in the summer and insulation in the winter. These mini wildlife zones will boost the local ecology, adding yet another dimension to this mixed and vibrant community.
The brief was to maximizing the site
The council suggesting a public avenue right through our client’s land. This project nearly didn’t happen.
The solution was a donut-shaped building with a garden in the middle
The project unique because for the scheme to work, the architects had to reinvent the 1970’s deck access.
The Old Smoke House, Tower Hamlets – Building Information
Architects: HWO Architects
HWO Project Team: Nicolas Khalili, Rejane Salgado and João Sá
Client: Aitch Group. They have a unique vision for Hackney Wick.
Project size: 4000 sqm
Site size: 1580 sqm
Completion date: 2019
Building levels: 6
Photography: Craig Auckland
The Old Smoke House in Tower Hamlets images / information received 091119 from HWO Architects
Location: Tower Hamlets, East London, England, United Kingdom
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