The residential buildings are located at the northern end of the masterplan for the Cultural and Education District.They signal the confluence of the Rivers and create a destination and an arrival point for the Cultural and Education District. The site is at the transition point between the urban, built up height of IQL and Westfield Shopping Centre to the north east, and the landscaped edge of the Olympic Park with the residential scale of the housing beyond the River Lea to the south west.
The Prow tower sits in a unique position within the residential masterplan, at the narrow tapered prow of the site with commanding views of the Olympic Park in all directions.
- East Bank: Creating a Cultural Quarter
London, United Kingdom, 21 November 2023 - June 2024
The Prow is a landmark tower concept, sitting in a prominent position within the East Bank Masterplan at the landscaped edge of the riverbank. It has a strong monolithic presence, a point of arrival to East Bank. The symmetrical form fills the tapered Northern end of the site and rises to 24-storeys, taking advantage of 360-degree views throughout the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.
The relationship of each apartment to the park is critical to the architecture of the building. A hexagonal plan allows all 130 apartments to enjoy dual aspect views, each with a sheltered recessed balcony and floor-to-ceiling bay windows. Angled walls allow daylight deep into the building. The apartments share from a common list of ingredients, arranged around a hexagonal core, but each with a different outlook.
The façade is constructed from precast concrete, rough textured and pigmented sandstone-red. This triple-storey order brings measure and scale to the tower. Large openings are introduced at strategic positions in relation to the neighbouring buildings and open spaces of the park. These balconies and open roof terraces enjoy long-range views in all directions, enabling each apartment to have a unique relationship to the wider landscape.
Publications:
- AV, 117 2023, AV Proyectos, O'Donnell + Tuomey ↗︎
- More Space for Architecture, 2022
- Metro News, 27.01. 2020, Money in the East Bank, Jo Knowsley ↗︎
- Building Magazine, 13.06. 2019, Mayor's office OK's £1bn Stratford Waterfront scheme, Jordan Marshall ↗︎