Two floating pavilions have arrived in Canary Wharf’s docks to offer Londoners a new public space and dining experience ‘like no other’

Lead image: The London Project Canary Wharf

Two floating pavilions have been towed up the Thames to create a new public space ‘connected to the water’ and a unique floating dining experience in Canary Wharf.

With some careful manoeuvring by very skilled tugboat pilots (who clearly should have been drafted in to help nudge the Ever Given out of the Suez Canal), they were towed into the docks of E14’s new district, Wood Wharf, earlier this week.

The two structures are set to form a new public space, complete with a floating restaurant and bar, which should be up and running by the end of the year.

The first of the pavilions will be home to a conceptual space called The London Project, providing a multi-levelled floating home for art, music and even an in-house gin distillery on the canals of Water Square, as well as a dining experience ‘like no other’. Plans for the second are yet to be confirmed.

‘The pavilions will provide the perfect space for a dining experience’

‘The pavilions will provide the perfect space for a dining experience,’ said Stuart Fyfe, Director of Retail Leasing at Canary Wharf Group.

‘We’re also hoping that by linking our iconic urban space with the historic docks and waterways, visitors to Canary Wharf can feel more connected with these elements, whilst enjoying the city surroundings.’

How the new London Project is expected to look on completion

The London Project was founded three and a half thousand miles away on Bluewater Islands in Dubai, and the new Canary Wharf venue will be its European flagship.

‘The dynamic and creative nature of these floating pavilions are the perfect setting for us to bring The London Project to the city that inspired the concept,’ said Stephen Valentino, CEO of The London Project.

‘More than just a bar and restaurant, The London Project will feature a one-of-a-kind distillery, a media arm called London Project Live, a range of dining experiences and the most progressive bar in the region.’

Architects Glenn Howells Architects (GHA) designed the pavilions with steel and glass, open-end balconies, benches overlooking the water and aquatic planting to create ‘symbiotic structures’ that connect the city space to the surrounding water.

The London Pavilion being guided up the Thames to Canary Wharf

‘For the first time, both residents and visitors to the emerging Wood Wharf district will be able to have a closer relationship with the water and experience the historic dock in a completely new and unique way,’ said David Henderson, Director at GHA.

Low-impact materials like sustainably sourced timber decking, aluminium extracted from hydro sources and an intensive green room have been used to minimise the environmental impact, and energy will be provided from Canary Wharf’s Combined Heat and Power network.

The pavilions also have green roofs, decorated with wildflowers and grasses that encourage visits from insects and birds and contributes towards carbon capture.

Find out more at canarywharf.com

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