Developer outlines competition plans to find designer for former News International site
Berkeley Homes boss Tony Pidgley plans to hold an invited architectural competition to design the transformation of the firm鈥檚 newly acquired site in Wapping, east London.
In an exclusive interview with 黑洞社区, Pidgley said: 鈥淎 number of the good architects will be invited to put forward proposals 鈥� the area does deserve first-class architecture.
鈥淭here will be a competition run in partnership with the local authority [Tower Hamlets].鈥�
Media group News International sold its former Wapping headquarters site to Berkeley Homes division St George for a sum 鈥渋n the region of 拢150m鈥� last week.
The developer said it planned to use the 15-acre 鈥淲apping Village鈥� site, which has been vacant for the past two years, for a mixed-use residential-led development with homes, offices, shops and public open spaces.
Although the site does not have a River Thames frontage, Pidgley said a canal running through the area would form part of the plans to 鈥渁dd ambience鈥� as well as making the most of
the site鈥檚 listed buildings.
He added that he expects to approach four architectural practices to take part in the competition.
A number of the good architects will be invited to put forward proposals
Tony Pidgley, Berkeley
鈥淭he site is in zone one and we think the regeneration of this site will complete the area,鈥� he said.
Architects praised the housebuilder鈥檚 latest move, pointing to it as further evidence of its design-led ethos.
Grid Architects director Craig Casci, who has worked with Berkeley Homes for 17 years, called it an 鈥渆nlightened client鈥�.
鈥淭hey understand planning and believe in approaching planning properly,鈥� he said.
Fellow architect and co-founder of DSDHA, Deborah Saunt, who is currently working on two Berkeley Homes projects, agreed. 鈥淭hey have high design ideals and high ambitions,鈥� she said.
News International chief executive Tom Mockridge said the sale marked the end of an era for the company, but that its move to nearby Thomas More Square in 2010 had been as important as its move away from Fleet Street in the eighties.
The company鈥檚 decision to sell the site was the result of a strategic property review undertaken last summer, which concluded that it was no longer a necessary part of the company鈥檚 asset base.
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