Plans approved for transformation of 33 Canada Square shows sustainable direction of travel as estate sees extensive refurbishment
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Regeneration was very much the word when the Canary Wharf project was starting out.
But 35 years after One Canada Square was officially opened, it’s renewal and evolution that are everywhere.
Quietly, across the estate, structures that have stood for most of the last three decades have been refurbished and improved.
Some have been less obvious – 25 Cabot Square and One Cabot Square don’t look all that different from the outside but have enjoyed internal improvements.
Similarly, Citi’s £1billion refit of 25 Canada Square is also largely an internal affair that won’t massively alter the skyline.
But that’s not the only approach.
30 South Colonnade, once home to Reuters, has been transformed into YY London with glass and metal preferred as a much more open facade to the dated white marble cladding.
This striking glow-up was enough to attract Revolut as anchor tenant with Deutsche Bank and Until as neighbours.
25 North Colonnade has also had a polish, a rebrand as Cargo and may soon be back on the market for £250million having been fully let by owner Blackstone.
Canary Wharf Group itself is currently consulting on plans for a radical overhaul of 8 Canada Square, currently occupied by HSBC and possibly in line for a new life as a mixed use scheme with chunks carved out of its upper levels.
a new identity: One Eden
But perhaps the poster-child for the estate’s latest rebirth – a process that’s clearly playing a part in the rush of companies relocating to or within the Wharf – should be One Eden.
Located right opposite YY London, there are plans to take 33 Canada Square, originally part of Citi’s cluster, and give the structure its own identity at the head of Eden Dock.
The project recently won planning permission, but will only go ahead when tenancies are agreed, with earliest possible completion around 2030.
The reason for this is that Canary Wharf Group’s approach to urban renewal schemes of this kind is significantly more complex than simply getting out the paint pots and laying some new carpet.
To find out more, Wharf Life sat down with development manager Sarah Moss, part of the team working on One Eden.
“With this kind of project, it’s about looking at an existing building with really brilliant bones and asking how we can transform it into a sustainable office space suitable for companies to use today and in the future,” she said.
“It’s my job, day-to-day, to deal with the architecture, that sustainability mission and to engage with occupiers so we can bring all these things together and make a really great product for our stakeholders.
“At present, Citi staff are using the building as they prepare to move into the tower next door when it’s refurbished so we’re gearing up to redevelop One Eden so a new occupier can move straight in.
“With schemes like this, it’s always a decision to be made – do you let the building as-is, do you do a light refurbishment or a major reinvention?
“We’ve looked at the market, at Canary Wharf and what we want this asset to be. It’s right in the middle of the estate and has such great potential to be a better class of building.
“Responding to occupier demand, we think we can deliver something really great for our customers.
“Our conclusion is that it’s a really well-structured building that can be made more sustainable.”
energy and regeneration
Originally from Australia, Sarah has spent the last eight years working in development in various roles for Lendlease, which brought her to the UK in 2022.
She joined Canary Wharf Group after a spell at British Land about seven months ago.
“Britain has these incredible regeneration projects and to be involved in them as part of my career was a real drive for me to come here,” she said.
“Canary Wharf was always somewhere we looked at when I was studying and working in Australia and I love the vibrancy of London.
“There’s always something to do and the drive to get things done.
“Everyone seems really engaged and excited to do things whether that’s working on projects like this or their social lives.
“I love the energy that the city brings.”
It’s not too much of a stretch to say that Canary Wharf Group’s plans for One Eden are squarely aimed at bringing fresh energy into the building.
Sarah said: “One of the really innovative features that we’re intending to bring to the tower is opening up an entrance on its lower level – so it’s right there when you emerge from the Jubilee line.
“It should really help the building come alive, creating new connections and allowing people to walk through.
“One of the things about the building is that it’s so well situated and we’re looking at including three retail spaces in the face of the building.
“That activation of the ground floor will be great – we know our occupiers value the friendliness it brings to a building and we want their staff and clients to feel that as well as making the spaces more permeable.”
retain and reuse
In addition to the changes on the lower levels, the plans include an extra floor with a pavilion structure and terrace, capping off the existing tower.
Sarah said: “We’re also looking at making the building a really functional space with end-of-trip facilities such as showers and bike storage for commuters coming in.
One of the most important things is that we’re modernising the structure in a sustainable way, re-using 97% of the substructure and superstructure.”
The plans would see One Eden become fully electric, with 62,000 tonnes of existing concrete retained in the structure and 47% less carbon produced in construction when compared with a new-build.
The project is targeting BREEAM Outstanding certification and will include 25,575sq ft of internal balconies and terraces laced with greenery as well as 19,644sq ft of outdoor terrace space.
Overall, One Eden comprises 545,000sq ft of workspace.
future-proofing the project
Making a space for workers of the future is also an opportunity to keep an eye on the future.
Undertaking this project has meant Canary Wharf Group delving into its paper archives to understand the existing structure so, as part of the renewal, much better records of the scheme will be created to aid similar refits in the decades to come.
Sarah said: “While the existing materials we have are excellent, we’ve been taking this opportunity to implement a really structured system of building information management.
“Everything is now 3D-modelled and tracked so we know we have really accurate information about what’s been built so that if people want to change part of the structure they will have those details instead of having to undertake fresh investigations.
“One of the questions we ask ourselves on projects like this is how we make these buildings last longer.
“What we hope is that, by collecting this information comprehensively, it will make it easier to redesign and refit in future.”
key details: One Eden
Occupiers interested in taking space at One Eden can find more information and contacts on Canary Wharf Group’s website here.
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