The London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC) has now approved plans for a £140 million mixed-use quarter in Hackney Wick, London. Designed by two London architecture studios, the Wickside project sits on the edge of the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and will provide 475 new homes as well as 9,854m² planned for creative employment, commercial and community space.

Ash Sakula were initially brought in as an advisor on the placemaking for the ‘biophilic neighbourhood’ which is set to  boast a network of green roofs. They will be delivering eight of the buildings.

The scheme, which DSE panel member Cany Ash presented at our recent Kent Design masterclass: Designing with Nature features a neighbourhood of  differently sized urban blocks set around London streets. Each block is made up of a variety of individually scaled buildings which will create a complex and diverse townscape.

The 63,000m² project will also include a revamp of a number of existing heritage buildings, as well as an industrial working yard, a craft brewery, foundry, food quarter and an art gallery set along a new park area which overlooks the Hertford Union Canal. At the east of the site, the designs include a new canal bridge for pedestrians and cyclists providing a link to Hackney Wick Station and Fish Island developments.

Robert Sakula, founding partner of Ash Sakula and also a DSE panel member said: ‘We’ve aimed to create a proper piece of city, closely integrated with the different characteristics of its surroundings, so that Wickside becomes not just one place but many places.’

The site, which includes McGrath House and other outbuildings, was formerly part of the Lush & Cook dye works before becoming a waste transfer site.