Situated on the banks of the River Thames in the Royal Borough of Greenwich and across 250 acres, Thamesmead Waterfront has the capacity for thousands of new homes and significant commercial and leisure space, set amongst lakes, ample green space and over a mile of undeveloped river frontage. The competition is an opportunistic role for emerging and smaller practices, and teams with local knowledge that is considered vital.
The Thamesmead Waterfront Joint Venture has launched a two-stage process that includes an open call for teams that may wish to register their interest in the near £8bn project.
With significant scale and a largely undeveloped nature, Thamesmead Waterfront has the potential to tackle many pressing challenges, including the capacity to plan for and accommodate significant, sustainable, long term economic growth and housing in a post pandemic future.
The Joint Venture partnership has developed a set of guiding principles and an emerging shared vision for the site, and has published a competition brief here.
Teams expressing an interest will need to demonstrate the ability to understand, nurture and develop the Joint Venture vision, which embraces five principles:
Natural living: Using and enhancing the existing landscape to create a unique natural destination for Thamesmead, London and the South East, providing a place where people can unwind and find space to enjoy the natural world.
A city neighbourhood: Providing the social infrastructure and workplaces to enable a resilient mixed use neighbourhood with the choice, variety and opportunities of the best parts of London and the South East.
Better connections: Transforming connectivity into central London, including use of the river; connecting into the ‘Go East’ production corridor; and creating a legible, connected local network across Thamesmead.
A safe, stable and sustainable community: Creating a place that people are proud of, through community ownership and participation. A place where residents know their neighbours and the neighbourhood, where they feel safe and healthy. A place that is founded on robust stewardship and long term viability.
Inclusive and affordable for all: Making affordable but high quality homes, workplaces and neighbourhoods, for a diverse community of people and businesses, creating jobs and opportunities for all.
In a post pandemic world, the project can be a catalyst to making a step change in how we want and need places to be. With the right transport interventions, Thamesmead Waterfront can drive our economic recovery; creating new jobs, homes, and businesses within a thriving and sustainable new town.
J. Lewis, Peabody Executive Director ThamesmeadThe first stage of the competition is an open call, which will invite up to 10 collaborative teams to meet with the Joint Venture on the basis of their expressions of interest. These should include an illustrated think piece and other materials to demonstrate the team’s approach to design, their skills, visionary thinking, expertise and commitment to diversity and the involvement of smaller practices.
The project team will then shortlist no more than five teams to progress to Stage two in December 2020 with a final winner to be selected in March 2021.
The competition will be run by Colander Associates.
For more information and to see the detailed brief, follow here.