Greenwich Peninsula Upper Riverside

London, UK

Project details
Client

Knight Dragon Developments

Architect

Skidmore, Owings & Merrill

Duration

2014–2020

Services provided by Buro Happold

Building Services Engineering (MEP), Lighting design, Sustainability

Greenwich Peninsula is London’s largest single regeneration project. Occupying 150 acres, the former industrial site is becoming a modern urban village that offers expansive green space along with 1.6 miles of scenic Thames frontage.

From start to finish, this ambitious masterplan will take 20 years and £8.4 billion of investment to execute, creating 12,000 jobs along the way.

Anchored by the iconic white dome of the O2 arena, Greenwich Peninsula is fast becoming the capital’s most boldly modern landscape. Image: Buro Happold.

Located at the Peninsula’s north-eastern edge – adjacent to The O2 – Upper Riverside is a landmark development of 1,100 mixed tenancy apartments contained within five high-rise buildings. These glass towers are unified by a crisp aesthetic motif conceived by the architectural firm behind One World Trade Centre and Dubai’s Burj Khalifa. Interiors equipped by leading designers provide each block with a nuanced identity; amenities include a swimming pool, fitness facilities, cinemas and sun decks.

Together, these properties form one of the seven neighbourhoods that will constitute an entirely new community of 17,000 homes.

The project was delivered with a high focus on sustainability and utilising the latest in modular construction technology. This Design for Manufacture and Assembly (DfMA) approach helped to ensure both the factory-grade quality standards for every individual element as well as helping to empower a swift and efficient construction process.

An entirely new community comprising 17,000 new homes will emerge over the coming years, offering luxury riverside living with spectacular views across the Thames. Image: Buro Happold.

Challenge

Buro Happold was appointed to deliver detailed building services design for all five buildings. We also took responsibility for the project’s sustainability aspects, which included a fully detailed overheating and daylight analysis for the apartments.

The project had ambitious sustainability aspirations with a commitment to exceeding current mandatory requirements – all apartments have been designed to, and achieve Code for Sustainable Homes Level 4, providing ultra-efficient accommodation and sustainable urban living.

The Peninsula is home to a variety of projects that Buro Happold has supported, including The O2, ICON Outlet and the Emirates Air Line cable car. Image: Buro Happold.

Solution

Working closely with the architect and structural engineer, Buro Happold used the latest digital engineering technology to develop building services designs that met an exacting and challenging programme; this also allowed the team to take a Design for Manufacture and Assembly (DfMA) approach to building elements such as bathroom pods, service cupboards, drainage stacks, corridor modules and pre-fabricated plant skids, which were prefabricated offsite.

Applying DfMA to these key components of the MEP design enabled the contractor to provide more efficient building solutions and to therefore enhance the construction programme; it also reduced the risk of onsite accidents and ensured the high quality of the installed systems. Buro Happold attended benchmarking exercises ahead of delivery to ensure that all requirements were met. This avoided costly revisits to otherwise completed work.

Interiors equipped by leading designers provide each block with a nuanced identity; amenities include a swimming pool, fitness facilities, cinemas and sun decks. Image: Buro Happold.

Sustainability was at the forefront of the design process. The development connects to the Greenwich Peninsular district energy centre, which maximises the efficiency of space heating and hot water production. This has enabled a demonstrable average of 62% improvement on CO2 emissions against the building regulations minimum. Buro Happold’s overheating and daylight analysis informed the facade design and reduced solar gains in apartments. This improved occupant comfort and decreased energy consumption across the site. As an additional measure, approximately one fifth of the units are provided with comfort cooling via a high-efficiency, centralised chiller system.

We employed a design for manufacture and assembly (DfMA) design approach, which seeks to make the manufacturing and assembly process as efficient and cost effective as possible. Image: Buro Happold.

Value

The project benefited from Buro Happold’s expertise in DfMA, which supported safe and efficient project delivery. Our team’s contribution was also integral in meeting a broad range of sustainability goals.

Greenwich Peninsula Upper Riverside provides hundreds of high-grade homes fit for a diverse world city. As a global hub, London is responsible for 23% of the UK economy – these apartments, which incorporate affordable housing, put residents within easy reach of the capital’s myriad opportunities. Such accessibility is, crucially, afforded without compromising quality of life. Carefully planned with long-term viability in mind, The Peninsula promises to be a leafy, vibrant place to live that will, in time, become established as a quarter of unique character.