Rathbone Market is the third phase of a significant regeneration project in London’s Canning Town, for English Cities Fund. The development provides 216 new homes of which the tenure is 25% affordable, 25% private sale, and 50% PRS. Canning Town is an area of East London and part of the London Borough of Newham situated in a former docklands backland area to the north side of the River Thames. The building is bounded to the south by the busy A13 and to the north and east by existing housing backing onto the High Street. A new pedestrian square to the west links the building to phases 1 and 2.

We felt the challenge was to design a building that has a sense of place, that is approachable and is somewhere to call home. The strategy called out for three linked blocks that sit in a ‘C’ configuration, open to the southerly aspect with all residential cores accessed from a garden. All ground floor apartments are two-storey, with generous four metre tall ceilings, their own front doors and back gardens onto the courtyard garden contributing to the lively neighbourhood experience.

We collaborated with Churchman Landscape Architects to design the landscape which we saw more as a relaxed pocket park than a formal piece of urbanism. A mature oak tree sits at the heart of the design, from which paths branch out to each entrance from an axial route that terminates in a planted moon gate incorporating a vertical playspace. Rainwater is captured through blue and green roofs and slowly drained into rills laced through the courtyard garden, reducing the requirement for below ground attenuation tanks and use of potable water for irrigation. There is also a community allotment on the lowest roof.

The massing of the project is of a completely different scale to the neighbouring traditional housing; it is urban, massive and robust. In order to give scale and detail to the building we sought to erode the form creating an informal profile at roof level. The façade is a cascading composition of windows, balconies and panel elements that allow for a multitude of conditions and expressions. The inner façades of the courtyard are clad in a collage of pale bricks and bronze metal panels that reflect the light, while the outer skin is of textured grey brick offering a more rugged surface to the external faces of the building. The building therefore is a collection of materials and motifs in a patchwork that is vibrant, colourful and dynamic. We believe that such well planned and innovative architecture will assist in making Canning Town a thriving community.