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17
Sphere
#35
2014
ir Terry has articulated
the challenge of the 21st
century as mankind moves
rapidly to put more than
70 per cent of humanity
into urban environments. Just building
roads, ditches and buildings is not
enough anymore. Citizens, communities
and governments now demand heritage
preservation, unlimited connectivity,
sustainability and integrated living.
Companies serving modern cities are
expected to adopt sustainable building
practices, promote ‘green space’ and
clean air quality, preserve history,
produce renewable energy, implement
energy-efficient public transportation
and develop well-organised mixed-use
neighbourhoods.
Whether supplying electricity, waste
removal services or housing, companies
must be responsive to the needs of their
‘clients’. Local governments and citizens
alike expect more and HWL is meeting
the aspirations of communities around
the world.
A CENTURY’s WAIT FOR
THE FUTURE CITY
The broader the project, the more
demands are made. The Chelsea
Waterfront is London’s biggest waterfront
development in over 100 years. Its historic
buildings, central location and huge scale
mean the Hutchison Whampoa Properties
Group (HWPG) team has to answer a
broad range of community needs to make
the project happen.
The eight-acre site of the iconic former Lots
Road Power Station will, when complete,
deliver 706 new homes in 10 buildings with
a master plan designed by world renowned
architect Sir Terry Farrell.
The site is challenging and many physical
and technical constraints needed
to be addressed in the master plan.
Heritage conservation, requirements
for affordable housing, lifetime homes,
local infrastructure improvements and
community involvement were all taken into
consideration.
THE FUTURE THROUGH THE PAST
Ironically, heritage preservation is an
increasingly common demand of modern
communities. This iconic location, home to
one of Britain’s first steel frame structures
and the longest serving power station’s
when it was decommissioned in 2000,
contains potent symbols of Britain’s
industrial past. The Power Station’s
facades and chimneys must be retained,
as mandated by English Heritage, as part
of the regeneration of the site. They will
be framed by two glass towers of 37- and
25-storeys high designed by Sir Terry.
Hong Kong natives and visitors know his
work from ‘The Peak’, one of the city’s
most popular attractions. He also designed
the MI6 headquarters, famously blown up
in the James Bond film
Skyfall
.
Sir Terry and HWPG were also sensitive to
requests for affordable housing, to create
healthy, socially balanced communities.
HWPG stepped up and The Lots Road
Chelsea Waterfront project will include 275
affordable homes among its 706 residences.
LIFETIME HOMES
New government requirements are
part of the construction process for
any property developer. Mr Gilbert
Gehrmann, Chief Project Manager of
Hutchison Whampoa Properties (Europe)
Limited, notes, “regulations have changed
enormously in the past 15 years, from
building regulations to environmental
standards and community involvement.”
Regulatory compliance presented an
opportunity for HWPG to improve the
quality of accommodation through the
‘Lifetime Homes’ design requirements
to provide accessible and adaptable
homes for disabled and elderly people.
The Lifetime Homes standard is a set of
16 design criteria that provides a model
for building accessible and adaptable
homes for lifetime use. Examples include
entrance-level living space, making homes
more easily accessible to the mobility
impaired and the elderly, with the potential
to be fitted with electric hoists and lifts.
These measures will enable more disabled
and elderly people to live in high-quality
environments best suited to their needs.
S
Some dream of a world where 70 per cent of the global population
live in cities. HutchisonWhampoa and its companies are building
what Sir Terry Farrell calls the urbiculture.
