A new London riverside experience from Gillespies
A new London riverside walkway and residential development will deliver tranquil spaces for residents and unprecedented public access to the Thames...
Riverlight: Landscape design by Gillespies, buildings by RSHP Click on image to view gallery
Construction has began on the former site of the Tideway Wharf in London’s Nine Elms regeneration area, which will be transformed into an attractive riverside walk alongside outdoor spaces to be enjoyed by future residents of the new residential development at Riverlight.
Public realm designers Gillespies, developers St. James and architects Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners have collaborated to create a permeable open-space that will transpose the historical elements of the 19th century dock site into a contemporary style.
The placing of water features is designed to encourage the public to pause and relax, and trees encourage wildlife, provide shade and provide human scale by contrasting with the proximity of the buildings.
Gillespies partner Stephen Richards said: “Water is a recurrent theme in our designs for Riverlight. It provides a visual connection with the Thames, and reinforces the site’s place as an interface between land and river. The use of water also echoes the historical context of the site, as water was originally present in the form of historic millponds.”
The transformation of the Riverlight site forms part of a major series of redevelopment proposals in Wandsworth and Lambeth, stretching from Vauxhall Station in the east to Battersea Power Station in west London. The area, known as the ‘Nine Elms Opportunity Area’ is the largest regeneration project in central London. The overall strategy allows for the possibility of a more continuous public riverside walkway in the future.
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Please spare us the claptrap about the banks of the Thames being the interface between land and river, and water designs helping us to make the connection that there is a large body of water just next to the site. Reminds me of the time I heard trees referred to as vertical statements. Whatever next - bring on those blue remembered topographical features.
Why so harsh Alan, the text is for the client, press and public. Maybe what we do is not so obvious and could do with a stimulating lexicon.