Grosvenor Waterside has been eight years in the
making. The seven and a half acre former
industrial dock site beside the Thames has been
completely transformed to create a mixed use urban
quarter of nine high quality buildings.
St James Urban Living's large-scale project occupies
a prime location opposite Chelsea Bridge. Broadway Malyan created the masterplan for the site which includes buildings from seven architectural practices: MAKE,
Broadway Malyan, Sheppard Robson, Twigg Brown
Architects, Finlay Harper, Allies and Morrison, and
EPR Architects. Their architecture is diverse and
modern, while at the same time drawing inspiration
from grade 2 listed buildings in the area, including a
Victorian Pumphouse.
The buildings range from five to 13 storeys and
comprise 917 homes. Almost 270 of the units are
designated as affordable housing for Dominion
Housing Group. Alongside the residential space, there
is 32,000 sq ft of commercial space, including an art
gallery, Chelsea Futurespace, and a day nursery.
Commercial space is clustered around a civic square and the dock's inner basin to bring activity to the
development.
Cladding for the nine buildings ranges from deep red
brick at Hepworth Court to the aluminium, limestone
and laminate panels of Caro Point and the green
tinted glass and aluminium of Pavilion Court. The
site's most distinctive building is Bramah Court, which
has an anodised aluminium façade etched with an
image of trees created by the artist Clare Woods.
Energy efficiency measures for the buildings aim to
reduce the site's carbon footprint dramatically. Homes
and commercial space are served by a combined
heat and power energy centre with biomass boiler.
The inner dock gives Grosvenor Waterside its focal
point. Many of the historical features of the inner and
outer dock basins, such as a lock and swing bridge,
have been retained, refurbished and restored. The
developer has also provided pontoons and berths for
up to six new residential moorings.
The site has been designated an area of Specific
Metropolitan Importance as it provides a habitat for a
range of flora and fauna. The developer has sought to
protect and enhance the character of the waterside. It
has introduced fresh gravel, beach and reed beds, as
well as kingfisher pipes and bat boxes. |
