Dynamic Swiss duo Herzog & de Meuron’s very first residential high-rise in the UK, One Park Drive in London, has just welcomed its first residents. The scheme is situated in the capital’s diverse Canary Wharf area – a part of town previously more associated with its iconic workspace towers, but now fast boosting its residential offering, of which this project is part. It creates a new option of contemporary, waterside living for London’s ever-changing, and ever-in-demand housing scene.
One Park Drive, a skyscraper of some 58 floors, with a distinctive, highly articulated, geometric façade, was designed by Herzog & de Meuron, while the project also features interiors by Goddard Littlefair, and Bowler James Brindley. The cleverly sculptural exterior elegantly breaks down the development’s overall volume, ensuring it relates to its high-rise built surroundings but also connects with the area’s nature – the greenery and significant water element of Canary Wharf.
Arranged on abstractly circular floorplates, the project features meticulously planned apartment interiors, as well as a range of amenities for residents, such as reception, 24/7 concierge, lounge, cinema, library, and a fully equiped health club. The circular form also ‘softens’ the building’s overall effect, clearly separating it from the area’s nearby commercial offering.
The apartments are divided into four distinct categories: the lower Loft, middle Cluster, upper Bay apartments and Panoramic penthouses. These ensure a variety of sizes and configurations, all connecting strongly with the outdoors through large openings, sliding screens or terraces. A soft colour palette inside is complemented by interior material choices – including exposed concrete walls, profiled timber panelling and natural stone – to craft a serene, warm whole.
One Park Drive, now over 70 per cent sold, forms part of the Canary Wharf Estate’s ongoing plans to increase the area’s residential options, joining more recently completed work, such as 10 Park Drive by Stanton Williams. §
