Wharf Life's Property Supplement, Sept 6-20, 2023

how Far East Consortium’s Aspen

Consort Place tower found its final place among the Island’s skyscrapers

by Jon Massey

The ever-changing Isle Of Dogs skyline recently welcomed its latest permanent addition. Aspen, the flagship building of Far East Consortium’s (FEC’s) Consort Place development on Marsh Wall has officially reached its highest point.

The 65-storey tower celebrated its topping out at the end of August, with staff from the developer and contractor JRL Group gathering 217 metres above the ground to mark the occasion.

“We are thrilled to reach this pivotal point in the construction of our landmark scheme,” said Nick Poon, head of projects at FEC.

“The ceremony marks an important milestone for the team and stakeholders involved in this transformative project and we are confident this development will contribute significantly to the thriving community.”

Designed by architects Pilbrow and Partners, the scheme will provide 502 homes ranging in size from studios to three-beds. Prices start at £550,000.

Facilities for residents will include a sky lounge, a business lounge, a screening room, a winter garden, a private dining and wine room in addition to a wellness suite with a steam room, sauna, vitality pool and gym. There will also be indoor and outdoor play areas for families.

The development, which is located a few minutes’ walk south of Canary Wharf, is close to the estate’s transport links as well as South Quay DLR.

The development will also include a 22-storey Dorsett Hotel with 231 rooms and a rooftop bar. As part of the project, The

The ceremony marks an important milestone for the team and stakeholders involved in this transformative project

Nick Poon, FEC

AtNorth Pole pub will also be fully refurbished and brought back into use.

Sales and marketing director at FEC, Angela Walsh, said: “Consort Place is an inspirational mixed-use development, we are committed to building not only a physical structure but also a vibrant and inclusive community within Canary Wharf – extending our focus to create impressive homes that transpire into fostering an environment which encourages collaboration, creativity and a sense of belonging.”

Towers are still rising in this corner of east London. Canary Wharf Group’s build-to-rent blocks for Vertus are already gaining significant height, as the next phase of Wood Wharf emerges, and work on LBS’ 225 Marsh Wall continues, as its 48 storeys are divided into 332 dwellings. Ballymore’s nearby Mill Harbour scheme is also set to provide more than 1,500 homes as well as space earmarked for businesses and schooling.

Go to aspen-canarywharf.com for more information

Scan this code to find out more about Aspen at Consort Place

An artist’s impression of how Aspen will look when finished

Homes will be available at Aspen At Consort Place when work on the development is completed

Celebrations are held to mark the topping out ceremony for Aspen At Consort Place

how Turning Tides helps to create a real sense of place

by Jon Massey

Placemaking is an increasingly essential part of development when it comes to successful regeneration and Knight Dragon, arguably, leads the field. Having long worked to turn Greenwich Peninsula into a destination, its work has evolved from establishing the area in the public mind to an ongoing effort to continue fostering community and welcoming visitors.

Its forthcoming Turning Tides music festival is exemplary of the kind of activity it’s had such success in programming. Set to return to the area on September 23-24, this year’s event will be held at Design District, today a thriving hub of innovative and creative businesses.

The weekend will see a main stage featuring Pongo, Village cuts and head-

liner Afiquoi on the Saturday, with O., Baba Ali and Los Bitchos on the Sunday. Its Mel0maniacs stage will feature sets from DJs Sean E, DJ Shed, DJ Nav, Adele and Rileforce. Running from 2pm-11pm, with refreshments available from Canteen Food Hall And Bar as well as various pop-ups. Attendance is free, but tickets must be booked in advance.

With a residential and office community both firmly established on the Peninsula, it’s events like these that help cement a sense of place, with plenty more in the pipeline Go to greenwichpeninsula.co.uk for more info or to book tickets

Since The Architectural Review published an article on the Pepys Estate – a housing development that was built between 1966 and 1973 between Deptford and Rotherhithe

Top, from the series Scissors by Gareth Gardner

Above, from the series No Ball Games by Danilo Murru

Right and main image, from the series The District by Freddie Miller

Los Bitchos will headline on Sunday at Turning Tides on Greenwich Peninsula

The festival will be held at Design District over two days

how Boundary Conditions at Gareth Gardner Gallery in Deptford reflects on the life and times of the Pepys Estate

by Jon Massey

With so much development in east and south-east London, it’s easy to always focus on the new. Change is a compelling subject and there’s a lot of it about. That’s why projects such as Boundary Conditions: Reframing The Pepys Estate are so important.

Set to run at the Gareth Gardner Gallery in Deptford from September 22 to October 15, the exhibition shows work by a group of photographers who have documented life on the Brutalist estate as part of this year’s Deptford X festival.

“The Pepys Estate has stood proud on the Thames for more than 50 years, its towers visible from across the Isle Of Dogs,” said Gareth Gardner, photographer, journalist and owner of

the eponymous gallery space. I was fascinated by the estate’s chequered history – it was initially seen as a success and then as a failure.

“These days the story is much more nuanced, and my aim with the exhibition is to present multiple different perspectives about the estate’s architecture, people and sense of place.

“I was inspired by the iconic images of the estate by reportage photographer Tony Ray-Jones, who visited in 1970 for a special issue of The Architectural Review. So much has changed since then, and it’s really hard to identify where he took many of his images.”

The exhibition features new photographic, film, graphics and multimedia works by Gareth, Jerome Favre, Time George, Freddie Miller and Danilo Murru.

Its subjects include the estate’s drill music scene, gentrification and the utopian design of its scissor-section apartments.

Copies of Ray-Jones’ Manplan issue of The Architectural Review will also be on show alongside archive photography by Rob Kenyon and a film by James Price and Dr Tim Livsey.

The magazine described the Pepys Estate as “a backwater” that was “monumental in intention and socially monolithic”. Its towers and lower-rise blocks were inter-connected via raised walkways, allowing residents to walk from one end to the other without touching the ground.

The estate’s design is echoed on the Isle Of Dogs, with Kelson House built to the same plan as its towers. For more information about the exhibition go to garethgardner.com

Scan this code to find out more about the exhibition

From the series Twilight by Jerome Favre – find more of his work photographing Millwall fans on Page 44