Heron Quays

This is the first major building proposed for the Heron Quays site – adjacent and south of Canary Wharf . We were commissioned by Olympia and York in 1988 and the design seeks to establish guiding principles for the future development of two million sq. ft. along the quay.  The ground floor areas provide retail space and seek to link the development with both Canary Wharf, the existing DLR railway station, and the future Jubilee Line Extension, expected to be given the go-ahead by the UK Government in 1989.
The single building project consists of 250,000 sq ft of offices and retail.
The two floor plates are organised along a central atrium which is open ended to the south, allowing lateral light to penetrate into the 8 storey high space as well as from the vaulted skylight above.  The floor areas are mechanically serviced floor by floor with DX units in vertical cores to the north face.  Parking is located below ground level. The design of the bridge and escape stair to the south provides solar screening to the adjacent offices.
The proposed external skin of the building consists of glass and stone, with metal solar shading screens to the offices and metal screens to the northern service area.
The building was to be coherent with the master plan prepared by Erenkrantz & Partners, New York. However, this master plan did not address the potential impact on the infrastructure organisation from the future Jubilee Line. Consequently, we reconfigured the master plan, drawing attention to this and to the disproportionate infrastructure costs of building out into the existing dock.
This new master plan, explaining the financial risks of proceeding with the original master plan, was sent to the senior personnel of O&Y in Canada and London in 1989. Along with new designs for the first few buildings.