SPACEHUB – April 2023 Newsletter

“Spring is nature’s way of saying, ‘let’s party.’” Robin Williams

We love this time of year as our new and existing delivered schemes show spring growth! Another busy month here at Spacehub and as sharing is caring, see below a summary of April news.

Planning News

Naval Row planning permission

We are delighted to announce that Naval Row, Blackwall has been granted planning permission.

Working on behalf of client Criterion Capital and in close collaboration with CJCT Architects, the project aims to deliver a new ApartHotel in the London Docklands complemented by landscape roof terraces and at ground a new publicly accessible boulevard, plaza and multi-functional park.

Naval Row will deliver 169 new homes in a 30-storey tower, 8 creative workspaces, new public green space, and a new bus loop interchange for TFL at Blackwall DLR Station.

The character of the Naval Row Conservation Area is defined by the surviving structures associated with the historic port and shipbuilding activities of the 19th century. The strong tones and textures of the materiality of the conservation area, provide a design narrative from which the landscape proposals emerge.

The Boulevard provides the main east west connection from the DLR to the Aparthotel and beyond.  At the centre, The Plaza provides for functions linked to the Aparthotel – such as cafe spill out, pop ups and outdoor events. The Playground utilises the existing topography which includes a steep bank, rising to a flat plateau and provides informal sports pitches including a half basketball court, table tennis tables and a badminton court. A strong planted structure envelops the playground, providing relief to the noisy and polluted corridor.

UEL submitted for planning

Spacehub have submitted landscape and public realm proposals for the redevelopment of University of East London (UEL), Stratford Campus. The redevelopment forms part of the UEL Vision 2028, focusing on reshaping the University. The proposals in collaboration with Metropolitan Workshop include Teaching, learning and ancillary space expanding on UEL’s School of Health, Sport and Bioscience facilities, a wellness centre and student accommodation for 650 bed spaces.

The Site sits within an area deficient in publicly accessible and quality green space, play and recreation. Renaturing and nature connectedness is a key component to the Site’s landscape concept, providing space for people and nature. Spacehub have proposed improvements to the adjacent streetscape, new pedestrian connections, a new active pedestrian street, a large naturalistic garden, nursery play space, multi-level roofscape amenity terraces and biodiverse roof to all buildings.

Key facts:

  • Net uplift of 50+ trees
  • Exceeds 10% Biodiversity Net Gain (44% habitat gain)
  • Urban Greening Factor 0.46
  • 3200m² fully accessible new public realm
  • 75m² grow garden space

Saxon Court Stage 4 begins

Spacehub have started works on Stage 4 of Saxon Court, Milton Keynes. Working in partnership with Roger Stirk Harbour Partners, Spacehub had previously developed a new a mixed-use scheme, combining residential living, workspace, shops, and an enhanced public realm at the centre of Milton Keynes. We are excited to get started on the technical design!

Construction Updates

Folkestone Seafront Masterplan

The Folkestone Seafront Masterplan continues to progress on site with the construction of Shoreline (Plot B1) nearing completion.

Railway sleepers form a meandering pathway through the shingle garden with seaside views.

 

A bird’s eye view of Plot B progression.

Studio Updates

It is with a heavy heart that way goodbye to two of the Spacehub family in Gea and Hannah.

Gea has been at Spacehub for 4 years working on a range on projects from Canada Water Plot G, Embassy Gardens A1 through to being an instrumental team member on the delivery of the Millharbour Forest. We hope to have Gea check in from time to time as a freelancer with Spacehub while she explores work in Architecture back in her native Italy.

Hannah joined Spacehub in November 2022, soon making an impact bringing life to our projects with visually captivating illustrations. We wish Hannah the best in her further studies in Ohio, USA.

While we say see you for now to Gea and Hannah, we welcome Erica Wong to our practice as a Landscape Architect. Erica joins us from Hong Kong where she has a diverse portfolio of experience delivering mid to large scale urban renewal & mixed-use projects for Earthasia Design Group. Welcome, Erica!

Awards

We are extremely excited to announce that a Spacehub project:  No 1. Creekside in Deptford Bridge has been shortlisted for the Building London Planning Awards 2023 Best New Place to Live Category. After Goodluck Hope won in 2022, we are delighted to be involved in a contending project for the second year in a row. Congratulations to client Bluecroft Property Development, Metropolitan Workshop (architect), CMA Planning (planning), XC02 (M&E) and Conisbee (structures).

Source: Metropolitan Workshop

Friday Fun Day

As per tradition, we head out every now and again as an office checking out new and existing projects. This month we travelled south, heading to the reimagined Strand Aldwych by LDA Design to check out some simple and colourful landscape interventions, then floated the River Thames to Greenwich to appreciate the symmetry of the Old Royal Naval College, the domes of which are Christopher Wren’s precursor to St. Paul’s Cathedral.

Plants of the Month

We are always trying to increase our planting knowledge as a studio and share our wealth of knowledge that we already have. Here are 4 plants we particularly like that have been discussed by members of our team at our weekly staff meetings.

  • Saxifraga urbium (London Pride) – An evergreen perennial growing to 30m in height, forming wide mats of rosettes of spoon-shaped, long-stalked leaves with scalloped margins. Small, pink-flushed white flowers are borne in lax panicles from early summer.

 

  • Soleirolia soleirolii (Mind-your-own-business) – Creeping, mat-forming, fast growing evergreen shrubs. A very low maintenance plant that prefers cool, shady and moist environments, but can tolerate sun too. Great for green walls.

  • Euphorbia characias (Mediterranean spurge) – Drought tolerant evergreen perennial. A great structural plant that appreciates full sun. Flowering in the Spring and Summer, this plant has a cool texture and green shades – great for gravel gardens.

 

  • Libertia grandiflora (mikoikoi) – A clump-forming, evergreen perennial native to New Zealand, it has upright grass-like foliage and white flowers. A solid drought tolerant plant – Perfect for growing in a prairie-style, gravel garden.

In Bloom!

Our colleague May recently went to Hampton Court Palace to view the spectacle that is the massive bloom of tulips on the royal grounds. She was kind enough to take some pictures and report back with a few fun facts about tulips and Tulip Mania –

Tulip Mania at Hampton court Palace – 110,000 tulips planted there in bloom for two weeks.

  • Bi-coloured tulips were originally created by a virus then became very popular in Holland in the 1630’s and started the craze known as ‘Tulipomania.’ The diseased versions no longer exist today however similar disease-free varieties are cultivated, known as ‘Rembrandts’.
  • The oldest tulip variety on display is over 400 years old and is called Duc Van Tol Red & Yellow (1595)