18 NEWFOUNDLAND, CANARY WHARF
that this tower would be residential, being the most financially viable option, making the best use of the footprint, and having the benefit of introducing housing to the area.“ He tells ADF this idea was well received: “Everyone was keen to deliver homes in the heart of Canary Wharf to make it a more socially sustainable community.” He says the London Planning Authority “warmly welcomed” the proposal.
Challenges & opportunities Besides the potential to design a tall building, Lee explains that the site offered significant opportunities, including the “naturally generous” public realm around it, its north-south site orientation for optimising daylighting, and open views to the east and west. “Of course,” adds the architect, “it had its landmark location next to the river, and its high visibility.” The site did however also come with a number of constraints, including being next to the listed dock, its compact size, irregular shape, and the fact that its western position leaves it exposed to the elements. Lastly, and “most importantly, there are two London Underground tunnels running directly below it.”
These Jubilee Line tunnels were the key design issue to contend with from the get go, and ultimately prevented the structure rising as high as initially desired. “As they converge towards the station,” Lee explains, “they create a V-shape directly under the site, limiting options for ground piling in the narrow space between the tunnels.” He says that while a standard central core plan would have been “the most efficient building layout” for a high-rise building, this would have meant the core would be placed directly over these tunnels. In order to work out how to tackle this conundrum, the team established the maximum piling capacity possible – including the prospect of working into the exclusion zones around the tunnels. An agreement was struck to work within restricted areas but also certain times – and, with commitments to Transport for London to carefully monitor the effects of the works, they were given the go ahead to begin.
Braced tubes
Lee explains that with the limited ground bearing capacity around the tunnels, “it was clear that the construction would not only have to be relatively lightweight, but that a solution was needed to accommodate the necessary building loads.”
WWW.ARCHITECTSDATAFILE.CO.UK ADF OCTOBER 2021
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