The adaptive reuse of 8 Canada Square requires a public realm that connect the different parts of Canary Wharf together, brings people in from two major stations, and offers new experiences to both those passing through and everyone working nearby.
Our proposal for 8 Canada Square's podium and wider masterplan turns the ground floor into a place people see as a public destination filled with experiences and opportunities.
A cultural destination
The masterplan for 8 Canada Square is closely integrated into the wider plans for retrofitting 8 Canada Square , a former office tower in Canary Wharf that until now has been reserved for those working within the building.
In redesigning the public realm, we sought to create a new cultural destination with pathways and branches connecting levels and venues across the site. One key element of that was the existing ramp down to the basement, which we combined with additional walkways through the podium, the canal edge, and the retail spaces to create one continuous flow of spaces. In one scheme, these features becomes a journey through market halls and performance space, an up-and-over route rather than a straight descent. In another, the existing ramp connects directly from park to canal at grade, so the walk from the Elizabeth line to the water happens in one fluid movement instead of by relying on detours along noisy streets. The result is a masterplan that grips the visitor and brings them around.
The existing mall opens out at lower ground level, right where people already arrive from the Tube, and becomes a place to stop and experience rather than a corridor of shops to pass by. Layered on top of this, a calendar of events activates an outdoor film screen, underground venues and a canal-side performance space, while light installations and public art animate the park and various squares with pops of colour. In the winter, a fountain becomes an ice-skating rink in the middle of a Christmas market, ensuring people have a reason to come back in December as well as June.
Iconic identity
When considering the adaptive reuse of 8 Canada Square, we sought to create iconic but distinct identities to the tower and the public realm that embraces it. That is why the base of the tower reads as a series of smaller, interconnected volumes rather than a uniform building, nestled between a sculptural ground floor and the tower's crown. Cuts and notches let light into the deepest parts of the plan and help the transition from the scale of the tower to the grain of the streetscape. The result is a podium that feels like a destination in its own right.
