A fascinating time lapse video shows the construction of the rooftop gardens above Crossrail Place, as the distinctive seven storey structure designed by Foster & Partner opens at Canary Wharf.
Crossrail Place, which opened to the public on 1 May 2015 at North Dock, Canary Wharf, London, features a striking and intricate latticed timber roof.
Designed by Gillespies, the roof garden draws on the area’s heritage as a trading hub. Many of the plants are native to countries visited by ships of the West India Dock Company, which unloaded their wares where the station now sits.
As Crossrail Place sits almost exactly on the Meridian line the rooftop plants are arranged according to which hemisphere they are from, with Asian plants such as bamboos to the east, and plants such as ferns from the Americas to the west.
Commenting on the roof garden, Stephen Richards of Gillespies said: "The opportunity to create such a large garden in what will become a new destination for London was both a privilege and a challenge. The design of the garden responds to the architectural language of the roof in the creation of a unique and sheltered planting environment. It will offer visitors a totally new vantage point from which to look out across the water and the surrounding area."
The building will house the concourses, platforms and ticket halls for the new Canary Wharf Crossrail station, when trains start running in 2018.
Talking about the design of the rooftop space, Lord Foster of Foster & Partners said; “Like Crossrail, one of the aims of the new roof garden is to connect London from east to west. It provides a welcoming public space between the residential neighbourhood of Poplar and the business district of Canary Wharf, demonstrating the role of infrastructure as the ‘urban glue’ that binds a city together.”
The roof garden at Crossrail Place will be open from dawn until dusk and booking is not required. See the Canary Wharf Group website for more details.
Original Link - Roofing Today
