Wednesday, 21 July 2021

TIME Magazine names Design District one of World's Greatest Places 2021

TIME Magazine has named the Design District in Greenwich one of the World's Greatest Places 2021. Skelly & Couch is working on all 16 buildings of this futuristic creative hub.

One hundred extraordinary destinations to explore, from Accra in Ghana to Siem Reap in Cambodia, are featured in TIME's third annual list, which "shines a light on ingenuity, creativity, revitalization and reopenings in destinations across the world".

The Design District on Greenwich Peninsula, London's largest single regeneration project, is formed of 16 buildings across seven districts and will be launched officially in autumn 2021. 

The first creative companies started moving into the near-complete site next to the O2 entertainment area in early summer 2021. 

Working with eight architects creating two blocks each, Skelly & Couch’s environmental designs within the district are to encourage natural ventilation and day-lit interiors through strong passive design, consequently reducing capital and running costs. Simple and flexible servicing strategies have been implemented to be easily adapted by incoming tenants, and building and site-wide energy modelling ensure compliance with the London Plan for energy.

The Design District is one of only two UK destinations to feature on the select list. (The other is the historic city of Bath.) TIME Magazine describes the new creative hub as "the brand-new Design District, a car-free area comprising 16 buildings intended to provide an affordable home for creatives. For the first 12 months of its operation, creators can rent a desk, a floor or an entire building for just £5 ($7) per sq. ft. The area is gearing up after 16 months of lockdowns and restrictions in the U.K. to welcome visitors once more with the plan to host the Greenwich+Docklands International Festival, which will showcase climate-­related art ­installations—including artist Dan Acher’s We Are Watching, a 10-story-high flag featuring an image of a giant eye—ahead of the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow in November."