Greenwich Square

Location: London

Country: United Kingdom

Client: Hadley Mace (Joint Venture)

Architect: Make

Services Provided: Civil, Structural

A phased residential development of a 3 hectare brownfield site for the joint venture partnership of Mace and Hadley Homes. The scheme will transform the former Greenwich District hospital site into a modern complex of homes and community facilities.

Designed to achieve an exemplary degree of social, economic and environmental sustainability, the masterplan is set around a generous new public square framed by a Civic Building containing a swimming pool, library, health centre and education facilities (the Greenwich Centre). Shops, cafes and restaurant units at the ground levels of surrounding buildings will bring additional activity to the space. A total of 645 new homes are to be created specifically for families and key workers. The homes are arranged to create secure and welcoming neighbourhood streets and communal squares which echo traditional street patterns.

Engineering challenges include the formation of a stepped, single storey basement under the Civic building using a “grout blanket” for temporary works in order to limit water seepage during construction from the highly porous weathered chalk within the “Greenwich Fault Zone”, the parametric design of a curved architectural feature roof to the Greenwich Centre (denoted “The Wave”), and the design of all civil engineering aspects to satisfy CEEQUAL “Very Good” rating.