HOK’s design of the 67-story tower provides 861 high-quality, private and affordable homes in a new landmark development. A separate, linked development will provide 60 more affordable homes in Limehouse.
At 789 feet tall, the building will be Western Europe’s tallest residential tower. The petal-shaped design will create an architecturally unique, visually striking addition to London’s skyline.
Located in Hertsmere Road, adjacent to Canary Wharf and directly fronting onto the 30 acres of water in West India Quay, Spire London is designed by architects Larry Malcic and Christopher Colosimo of multi-award winning architectural practice HoK, and by leading interior designer Nicola Fontanella of Argent Design.
The tower will provide 861 apartments of which 765 are for private sale. The private sale apartments include luxurious suites, one, two and three bedroom apartments, and three bedroom duplex penthouses.
The tower has been designed to provide uninterrupted panoramic views over the whole of London – the highest and most far-reaching ever provided by apartments in the capital – capturing the Thames, Canary Wharf, the City of London, and numerous famous and historic landmarks.
The striking and unique architecture is inspired by the nautical history of the site and by the orchid, a flower cultivated in China for more than 3,000 years. Three petals form the spire, creating faceted glass façades and nautical style ‘prow’ and ‘bow’ contours. The angled roof of the tower allows for outside terraces in the premier and penthouse apartments, whilst feature louvres allow for natural ventilation throughout the building.
Bronze coloured metal detailing on the lower floors and bronze coloured feature fins on the pair of pavilion buildings either side of the tower complement the tan brickwork of the adjacent historic buildings around the dock basin. The dynamic façades and flowing interiors provide a refreshing and appealing contrast to the traditional tower and low-rise architecture of many buildings in Docklands.
“We are delighted that Tower Hamlets have decided to share our ambition to deliver a landmark residential building at West India Quay,” said Setareh Neshati, senior planning manager for Greenland Group, which has built three of the world’s 10 tallest buildings since 2005. “This is Greenland Group’s most important project in Europe. As well as delivering 921 new homes for Londoners, including 156 affordable homes, our scheme will revitalize this part of Canary Wharf and create a new prosperous environment that the whole community can enjoy. The carefully designed public realm will provide the most appropriate and balanced setting for the proposed residential building.”
The London Spire development includes significant public realm and landscaping improvements alongside shops and cafes that will revitalize West India Quay in Canary Wharf. The building will feature communal amenity pavilions including glass winter gardens, landscaped roof terraces, public open spaces, and carefully designed external and internal children’s play areas that have rooms for music, interactive games and graphics.
As part of the proposal, Greenland Group will deliver 30 percent affordable housing, including affordable homes at the London Spire, Dalgleish Street in Limehouse and an additional $27.2 million contribution to the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, ring-fenced for affordable housing. Greenland Group will also make an additional $30.1 million contribution through Community Infrastructure Levy and Section 106 contributions.
Greenland Group aims to start on both sites later this year and to complete the developments by 2020.
