Peruvian
Wharf is situated on the north bank of the River Thames overlooking a
stretch of the river known as Bugsby's Reach. It lies at the confluence
of the Thames Gateway, Leaside Regeneration and Olympic masterplan, the
eastern expansion of Canary Wharf, the Royals and the southern part of
the London Borough of Newham's 'Arc of Opportunity'.
Our mixed use masterplan for the 8-hectare site comprises of 1500 residential
units with 30,000 sq.m of office, hotel and leisure uses in addition to
creating a covered working wharf which has an aggregate handling facility
of approximately 500,000 tonnes/year and a separate cement facility alonside
the Aggregate Wharf..
The scheme has been designed to enable the mixed use regeneration of the
site and also deliver a fully working wharf that meets the Port of London
Authority's stated objectives for this particular wharf site.
Technology offers the possibility of genuine mixed use where a working
wharf can operate efficiently and effectively alongside commercial, leisure
and residential uses.
The residential uses could be arranged within a traditional city grid
pattern as a series of neighbourhoods with access to public amenity along
the river frontage. This grid pattern would be adapted in the traditional
fashion to accommodate site constraints and unique characteristics as
required. The familiar typology of block, court, square, street, boulevard,
avenue can be applied. A new major public space is created on the river
front to provide a focus and destination for the scheme.
The employment zone would mediate between the neighbourhood scale of the
residential streets and the larger city scale of the transport corridor.
The employment buildings would relate to and address the city scale and
by being particular to their function would act as a series of markers
along the route.
Within the site the central concept is one of connecting the DLR and the
road frontage to the river and an adjacent riverside public space in a
direct and legible manner.
Historically, and logically, the wharves ran from road to river in a linear
pattern and in incorporating a new working wharf into the scheme we have
sought to reintroduce this pattern. This gives river access at one end
and road access at the other end and allows for the efficient operation
of an essentially linear process.
We have wrapped the wharf in an outer casing or layer of accommodation.
This can usefully provide space for single aspect residential accommodation,
leisure and retail facilities. The roof structure would be utilised to
provide communal open space for the
residents. We have used these principles successfully across the river
at Greenwich Millennium Village.
The jetty would be used for the unloading of aggregates and these would
be transported by an enclosed conveyor belt over a public river walk into
the
working wharf. This is a familiar concept and is in use on a number of
other wharves up and down the river.
The scheme is currently
the subject of a planning enquiry which commenses on 28th February 06
at the Meridian Business Centre, London City Airport.
Client: Colpy & Haworth Ltd.
