Swiss architect behind Beijing Bird鈥檚 Nest stadium will design one of capital鈥檚 tallest residential towers at Wood Wharf

Wood Wharf development

Wood Wharf development

Signature architect Herzog & de Meuron is set to design one of the tallest residential towers in London after being appointed to design the first phase of the Wood Wharf development alongside British firms Allies & Morrison and Stanton Williams.

Developer Canary Wharf group today announced that the architects would be working alongside masterplanner Terry Farrell on the Thames-side scheme, which is adjacent to Canary Wharf.

Farrell was taken on last September after Canary Wharf Group decided to revise the old masterplan for the 20 acre site by Rogers Stirk Harbour & Partners for previous owner British Waterways and Ballymore.

Canary Wharf Group said Swiss firm Herzog & de Meuron - which designed Beijing鈥檚 Birds nest stadium and London鈥檚Tate Modern 鈥 would design a 鈥減rominent new residential tower鈥 on the south western corner of the Wood Wharf site.

This tower will be 鈥渙ne of the capital鈥檚 tallest鈥 residential buildings, the developer said and 鈥渨ill set a new benchmark鈥 for high rise housing.

Allies & Morrison will design two new office buildings within the 20 acre, mixed-use site. While 2012 Stirling Prize winner Stanton Williams will work up three new residential buildings around a 鈥渃ommunal courtyard, waterways and green space鈥 at the western end of Wood Wharf.

Senior Partner at Herzog & de Meuron, Ascan Mergenthaler, said: 鈥淭he new Wood Wharf tower will mediate between the city and the individual, public and private and will inject a new component of daily residential life into the evolving mixed-use Canary Wharf district.

鈥淚t will be both a symbol and the heart of the new Wood Wharf urban quarter, an extension of a dynamic global community and the start of a new vibrant neighbourhood.鈥

Robert Maguire, project director for Wood Wharf at Canary Wharf Group said: 鈥淭his is one of London鈥檚 most exciting waterfront developments. It will be an evolution of Canary Wharf, helping to meet the needs of London鈥檚 growing business sectors, in particular technology and new media firms, and provide another large step forward for the regeneration of East London.鈥

The two office buildings by Allies & Morrison and the residential towers designed by Herzog & De Meuron and Stanton Williams are intended to be built by Canary Wharf Group in the first phase of development, with construction commencing in 2014.