Located on the historical London Docklands and designed by award winning architecture practice, Foster + Partners, South Quay Plaza is a striking development by Berkeley Homes South East London.
With community at the forefront, the design has been carefully considered, replacing an old office block and transforming the site into a mixed-use scheme of 888 apartments including affordable homes, restaurants, shops, and 2.6 acres of much needed public realm and greenery.
Comprising two glass buildings rising to 68 and 36 storeys, respectively, South Quay Plaza will be one of the tallest residential buildings in the UK once complete in 2022. It will total more than one million square feet and boast a mixture of contemporary studios, one, two and three-bedroom apartments and penthouses.
This year South Quay Plaza reached four significant milestones. At the beginning of the year a spectacular three-bedroom penthouse launched which was followed by the unveiling of the first on-site dressed apartment, the incorporation of the first phase of landscaping and the development topping out in Autumn. The development is the tallest ever building to be constructed by The Berkeley Group.
The iconic stepped tower structure will be built at a 45-degree rotation to maximise water views and dual aspects and each apartment within the scheme will have floor to ceiling glazing, which will offer an uninterrupted panorama of the cityās skyline.
Inside, the apartments offer a range of different palettes. The interior dressing of the three-bedroom penthouse has been designed by Design Haus Liberty. It features the use of organic shapes and curved furniture creating a juxtaposition to the straight lines of the buildingās architecture. In contrast a unique Midnight Collection of just five apartments offers a dark and more masculine colour palette which would appeal to a professional working in the City. Residents also have a range of lighter colour schemes to complement the nautical surroundings.
With South Quay Plaza set to be home to around 2,000 people, there is a need to cultivate a sense of community and the amenities on-site are designed to bring them together. Residents at South Quay Plaza benefit from exclusive membership to The Quay Club which includes access to the residentsā club lounge on the 56th floor, with a large bar and expansive terrace boasting stunning views of Londonās skyline. Residents will also have use of a screening room and conference room addition to a Health Club, boasting a magnificent 20m swimming pool set in a double height space overlooking South Dock. A vitality pool, thermal suite with hot pool, sauna, steam room complete the wellness facilities.
A community facilitator will be hired to organise events aimed at creating a strong community within the buildings, ensuring the indoor and outdoor space is best utilised through special events and initiatives. This is just one of the 753 full time employment roles the development has the capacity to offer. Additionally, over 450 construction jobs have been created of which 20 per cent have been designated for locals.
Environmentally, South Quay Plaza will change the immediate landscape by opening up a large corridor running adjacent to the dock, providing locals with a scenic walkway from South Quay to Canary Wharf.
Over 70 per cent of the site will be green space. The public realm includes 1,520 square metres of green space dedicated to children. Communal gardens have been positioned near to residential entrances to facilitate play amongst children while there are other spaces for residents to sit and talk. The wider green realm includes an outdoor exercise area, informal dining spaces, landscaped lawns with undulations and mounds interspersed with balancing beams as well as stepping and jumping logs.
Designed by landscape architects, HTA Design, hundreds of trees will also be planted including the developmentās signature tree, Dawn Redwood, alongside shrubs and herbaceous planting. Different plant species will be selected to ensure flowers are constantly in bloom changing in colour in relation to the seasons.
The development is a 2-minute walk from South Quay DLR station while Canary Wharf underground station is a 5-minute walk away providing quick access to the City of London and Bond Street. Canary Wharf will be further enhanced with the arrival of Crossrail connecting Heathrow in less than 40 minutes. City Airport is a 15-minute drive away from South Quay Plaza, providing excellent business links to New York, Paris and Zurich.
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