S10 Stratford Cross
Placemaking in Stratford, East London
LOCATION
Stratford, London
STATUS
In Planning
CLIENT
Lendlease
BUDGET
Undisclosed
RIBA WORKSTAGES
Stage 2
SIZE
40,187 sqm GIA
Located in Stratford, East London, S10 is a 15-storey commercial building within a lively emerging community of both residential and office developments. Responding to the contexts of the site, nestled between towers of new built homes and office complexes, our intention was to design a building that is at once cohesive with the larger site plan and distinctly independent in character.
The site belongs to a wider regeneration of the Stratford area catalysed by the 2012 Olympics, informing a specific typology of placemaking, establishing itself as the educational and cultural 'heart' of East London. These large institutions of culture, leisure, and sport comprise Stratford’s SHIFT district, which aims to accelerate innovation and growth in the capital. The design of S10 aligns with the aspirations of SHIFT through its innovative, sustainable design prioritising the wellbeing of its inhabitants, low carbon materials and dynamic placemaking.
The volume of the building is defined by its unique tripartite massing. The structure has been divided into three distinct volumes, with two primary wings of equal proportion flanking a central core. The central core contains the lifts, staircases, and MEP facilities that service the two adjacent blocks. The design approach is centred around a clear and rational building grid that prioritises efficiency and simplicity; the resulting interior space is flexible and open, and easily adapted to meet future building needs.
Throughout the buildings design, its layout and configuration have been tested for use as not only office space but also for education and life sciences, ensuring that S10 provides resilience against evolving needs of the local area and its community. This focus on flexibility is further reinforced through the core placement, allowing for a secondary ground floor entrance to be introduced if desired; providing equivalent access and connections to the buildings lift and stair cores.
A double height atrium engages the public at street level through the use of glazing, offering views to the beautifully landscaped pedestrian streets and outdoor social areas. The use of engineered mass timber floor slabs are the resolutely dominant feature of the building, providing a warmth and humanity to every space. Calling upon these benefits, the large feature stair within the entrance foyer leads up to a shared public space.
The S10 façade uses a refined palette of carefully selected materials that are expressed honestly, and their qualities celebrated. A neutral, textured façade, coupled with wide glazing, allow sunlight to flood the space, complimenting the exposed internal timber soffit. Our facade design is shaped by its solar orientation, optimised for passive environmental performance based on context and location.
Key to our design ethos is to utilise and celebrate the environmental and aesthetic qualities of biobased materials, primarily timber. S10 is designed as a sustainable, low carbon, low impact building with a strong focus on encouraging and promoting occupant well-being, an approach that positions both people and planet at its forefront.
Working closely with landscape architect LDA, we identified key design elements for user-focused placemaking in the external areas. A connection to nature, interactive and creative play, night-time lighting, the enhancement of wildlife within the landscaped areas, and abundant seating spaces, help to ground the site within the progressive greening approach of the wider masterplan. The lower floors of S10 are embedded within this dynamic and diverse streetscape, whilst the middle and upper storeys offer views across Stratford’s Olympic legacy and Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. Prioritising a connection to nature and wellbeing in our design, S10 engages the evolving Stratford landscape at every point of the building’s vertical axis.
The built-form principles of S10 are inherently tied to the placemaking of the emerging masterplan. They are purposely flexible, allowing the public realm, urban character, architectural expression, and townscape skyline to develop organically throughout the wider site. We have designed S10 in such a way to encourage and facilitate collaboration with the emerging ecosystem of Stratford Cross.