When it comes to demand for building supplies in London, the Stratford area in the east of the capital has been a boom town for many years – and two more developments have just been given the green light.
It is ten years since the area was the centrepiece of the Olympics and the construction of sporting facilities took place alongside developments such as Stratford International Railway Station, the Westfield Stratford Shopping Centre and a plethora of residential and commercial schemes.
Subsequently, the London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC) has been seeking to develop the area further with a series of brownfield plots.
The latest projects to get the go-ahead include the Lendlease IQL Blue towers, which will consist of two buildings of 35 and 14 storeys respectively.
They will be built on plots 1 and 11 of the East Bank cluster, with the Plot 1 building being the tallest of this group of buildings. Designed by Alison Brooks Architects, the towers will contain 350 residential units and will be built in geometric shapes, with blue glazed undulating terracotta cladding.
Alison Brooks said the project “has been a rare opportunity to rethink the nature of residential towers in London, how they can contribute to life of the street and how they can act as neighbourhood catalysts.”
The scheme is not even the tallest building to be approved by the LLDC week. Not to be outdone by Alison Brooks, AHMM went one floor higher in its 36-storey tower for the London Academy of Excellence. Six floors will provide teaching space for the academy and above this will be 716 flats, including 34 studio bedrooms on the top 30 floors.
Built on the corners of Stratford High Street and Great Eastern Street, the project will first require the partial demolition of Jubilee House, a 20th century office building that occupies part of the site.
It is being developed by landowner Schroders and development manager Spirit Bond.