Oliver's Wharf, London Docklands

McDowell + Benedetti, London, 1996

 

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Oliver's Wharf was an early conversion 

Timothy Soar     Download Original

  • Oliver    
  • Interior view, timber trusses and cast-iron columns are exposed    
  • Fire place and bookcase extending over two floors    
  • The bedroom. At night there is nothing between a floodlit Tower Bridge and the ned but a sheet of glass    
  • A cast-glass stair screen, illuminated from above by natural light and below by uplighters    
  • The new roof pavilion with Tower Bridge in the background    
  • A roof terrace like the back of a schooner. Cast-glass benches allow light into the gallery below    
  • Site plan    
  • Main floor plan (5th floor)    
  • Mezzanine floor plan    
  • Exploded isometric    
  • detail section/elevation of staircase and balustrade    
  • Detail of cast-glass screen and isometric of staircase    

Restoration and remodeling of a Grade II listed riverside warehouse flat with views across the Thames

The warehouse dates from the 1870s. It was originally converted for residential use in the 1970s. The existing property was a 250m2 double-height space with cast-iron columns, oak trusses and a pitched roof.

The remodeling introduced mezzanine platforms, a rooftop extension, two terraces and repaired the existing structure. The layout is centered around the kitchen, with main spaces surrounding. Two mezzanine floors have been introduced. One features the main bedroom with its own terrace. The other is a small studio with key views over the Thames. The new rooftop extension provides a lounge space with 360° views. Together, the expansion gives 400m2 of space.

A freestanding stair links the three floors, connected to the mezzanine levels by steel bridges. It is constructed from folded plates of shot-blasted steel and climbs around a central screen of translucent cast-glass slabs.

Data

  • Completed: Apr 1996
  • Floor area: 400m2
  • Sector: Residential
  • Total cost: £584,800
  • Tender date: Dec 1993
  • Procurement: IFC 84
  • Address: Wapping High Street, London, E1W 2PJ, United Kingdom

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