25 years later

Having viewed Canary Wharf from a distance, a far cry from the solitary tower and the perceived white elephant of 1989, from the high places of the city, the Shard, Dome and Emirates Airline, to standing on bridges over the Thames, and Royal Docks and viewing the impressive skyline, what does this mean on the ground?

Wandering around the glass and steel landscape in the rain, contemplating the journey that has taken 25 years. The streets are almost deserted, office workers are all inside following the morning rush, shoppers are under ground in the mall which is an environment that works very well in the rain, a few delivery vehicles circulate on the surface on the loop road known as the Colonnade, with red brake lights reflecting off glass and off the shiny road surface as drivers wait for the traffic lights to change. The setting between the vertical shear planes of the offices framing views to the docks feels a bit like scaled down midtown Manhattan albeit without the constant stream of yellow taxi cabs, as though it is five in the morning as opposed to eleven.

In the past 25 years, Taking an abandoned industrial zone and transforming it into what is now a very lively environment, a thriving employment hub for East London and a catalyst for its broader regeneration. Although it has not always been so, Richard Rogers referred to the uneven development in the London Docklands leading to left over spaces and ghettos In ‘Cities for a Small Planet’ in 1997. Whether that comment alone made a difference or whether it is just coincidence, some of the left over spaces have been developed like the apartment towers at East India DLR Station for example. There is still a way to go to integrate Canary wharf with the surrounding fabric. 

The greatest challenge being the arterial route into central London the A13, dominated by its own flyovers and intersection in addition to the elevated DLR above the traffic and getting into the right lane. Traces of high street still talk of decline and the painted sign on the brick gable reading ‘Sorry, The lifestyle you ordered is out of stock.’

The full story is available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble published by Xlibris — Do We Need ARCHITECTS? A Journey Beneath the Surface of Architecture