Urbis Interview: Ravensbourne's Architecture and IDEAs lookbook URBIS 2017 GRADUATE BOOK | Page 81

Beachy Road | Fish Island
The site lies in Beachy Road
centrally within Fish Island, which
is located in the north-east corner
of the Borough of Tower Hamlets.
Fish Island is now undergoing a
rapid transformation.
The 2287 sqm site currently
consists of a single-storey
workshop building, surrounded
by a yard to the north and east,
a vacant brick former furniture
warehouse on the northeast side
and a slaughterhouse.
The proposal seeks to regenerate
this under-utilised brownfield site
through constructing a building
with a commercial use scheme,
combining a commercial space
aimed to provide a food market
and a brewery, with a social
space, which intends to supply a
‘gathering space’ in the area.
The programme is to re-imagine
the typical food market in a
contemporary proposal for this
newly developed quarter of Fish
Island, combining tradition and
technology.
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The intention is to involve the
local business as H. Formans &
Son, smoked salmon factory and
Truman’s Brewery in this project
to achieve this goal.
SITE ANALYSIS
2.1. LOCATION
Location. The site is located on FishIsland, close to the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. Fish Island is an area of mostly low grade industrial and
warehouse buildings, yards and vacant sites with a variety of cafes, bars, clubs, art galleries and artists. It is identifi ed as a regeneration
area by the London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC).
The site lies centrally within Fish Island, which is located in the north-east corner of the Borough of Tower Hamlets and also within the London Legacy
Development Corporation area, close to the boundaries of the boroughs of Hackney and Newham.
Most of Fish Island is industrial in character and was intensely developed in the second part of the 19th century and early 20th century. The intense
industrial activity included food processing, importing and processing of raw materials such as crude oil, rubber and iron, and engineering works that
used imported materials. Some densely developed terraced housing was built in the mid to late 19th century to accommodate the workers of the
factories on Rippoth (no longer existing), Wyke, Monier and Beachy Roads.
Over the last decade the area has started to see a gradual shift away from heavier industries, with a number of older factory buildings being converted
to smaller units that provide space for small business with a particular focus on creative industries. At the same time, the Lower Lea Valley has become
a major focus of regeneration as result of the London 2012 Olympic Games, and Fish Island has been identified as a strategic location for employment
and housing growth which is starting to emerge through mixed-use redevelopment on former industrial sites.
The volume of planning applications approved in the last couple of years in the immediate vicinity of Beachy Road, particularly on Monier Road and at
01
X Beachy Road
Tower of Hamlets

London E3 2NS
03
04
[01] location context map [02] diagrams [03] section fish
market [04] Floor plans from under street level to the terrace
LOCAL CONTEXT MAP