5 Churchill Place Plaza is located in Canary Wharf, one of London’s two financial districts, on a site adjacent to an HOK designed 15 storey office tower built on an irregular shaped site.
The design of the project was made more challenging by its position over existing underground parking structures and plant rooms and the integration of numerous services within the construction. These issues were managed through the integrated design team and by use of detailed 3D Revit models of the design as it evolved. The design team developed the project with an integrated approach to Building Information Modelling and sustainability. It became the first scheme undertaken by HOK London to be conceived, designed, project managed and constructed with the aid of Revit and BIM. A BREEAM rating of ‘Excellent’ was awarded to the scheme.
HOK worked closely with the client to produce a design which responds to the need for public use and continues the high quality contemporary design of the Canary Wharf Estate. HOK’s response has been to craft an elegant and restrained pocket park/plaza which provides a small oasis for staff to use at lunch time and as a pleasant prospect from the surrounding office buildings.
The plaza consists of a series of raised platforms and terraces connecting a 1.6m height difference between two existing slabs. These terraces are connected by steps and a ramp that runs along the waterfront of the site. The plaza occupies an area of approximately 2000m2 and is located on a podium, on top an existing slab, and above the building’s plant room. All planting areas had to be raised above the existing level and carefully waterproofed to avoid leakages. The design language of the plaza is contemporary and elegant responding not only to the adjacent building, but also to the existing context and wider public realm of Canary Wharf.
IMAGE CREDITS | HOK and Tim Soar
