Four architectural practices have been hired for a £1bn mixed-use development in central London.
Developer Native Land has appointed firms to draw up plans for a series of high-rise towers at its 1.4 million square foot Bankside Yards development overlooking the River Thames at Blackfriars.
Five buildings in total are planned for the 550,000 square foot section of the scheme, known as Eastern Yards. This phase includes 341 homes, 70,000 square feet of workspace, about 1.5 acres of public open space and 8,000 square feet of cultural space. The development was given planning consent earlier this year.
The tallest building at Eastern Yards will be designed by PLP Architecture. Once complete it will feature a 126-bed luxury hotel and two restaurants on high levels. Architectural masterplanning is also PLP’s responsibility.
Make Architects has been appointed to design a 20-floor, 74-apartment residential building overlooking the Thames. Allies and Morrison will also work on a 184-home mixed-use structure with a retail offering. Meanwhile, an eight-storey commercial building to the south of the site is set to be designed by Stiff + Trevillion.
Plans for redevelopment at the Blackfriars site have been around since 2013, when private equity and fund-management firm Carlyle Real Estate Advisors planned to build 489 flats.
Construction began on the first phase of Bankside Yards, Western Yards, in 2019. Multiplex is the main contractor for the project, which is due to be handed over to the Australian firm later this year by McGee, who are onsite working on the specialist engineering package. The development features an 18-storey office block, a 240-home apartment block and 49,500 square feet of retail space.
A contractor has yet to be appointed for the second phase at Eastern Yards.
