Blackwall Yard
Mixed Use
Project
Blackwall Yards Vertical Farm Research and Educational Centre is a sustainable initiative addressing urban food insecurity through cutting-edge vertical farming research and education. Inaccessible for 30 years, the site’s Maritime heritage is revived; rejuvenating the Grade II Listed graving dock as a public focal point with sunken gardens, bleacher seating, and floating pontoon. The building embraces the dock, placing it at the heart of community engagement. Reopening over 100 metres of south-facing Thames Path activates new pedestrian routes, green spaces, and outdoor amenity. Sustainability underpins the project with considered natural daylighting, water re-use, and recycled/low carbon materials; hemp insulation from repurposed ship rope honours the sites ship-building heritage.
Research
Urbanisation and increased residential developments in Tower Hamlets have significantly reduced natural permeability, increasing the risk of flooding. The authors MSP site, located on the Thames riverfront, is especially prone to fluvial flooding, therefore it is imperative an effective flood prevention strategy is implemented. Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems (SuDS) offer a nature-based approach to managing surface water runoff; vegetative SuDS such as swales and rain gardens can improve interception, evaporation, and infiltration of stormwater before it reaches the sewage systems, thus decreasing the volume of water needing to be treated. Vegetative SuDS also support the authors MSP and Tower Hamlets Biodiversity Plan by introducing much needed biodiversity and open green space.
