Our involvement with this project began in 2005 and continued up to its completion in 2009. The mixed-use development includes residential floor space as well as restaurants, bars, retail units, a theatre and a marina. The scheme consists of two high-rise towers, one 16 and the other 18 storeys high. In addition to the new-build element, the development included the renovation and refurbishment of an existing mill building.
A single-storey basement car parking across the entire site was considered both impractical and uneconomic due to problems with tidal groundwater, the soft nature of the upper stratum, presence of piling from the existing buildings and an old Victorian sewer. Therefore, an unusual and innovative feature of the development is the inclusion of a completely automated car parking system, providing 264 parking spaces over 11 storeys. The German-made system uses turntables, shuttles and lifts to park cars automatically.
