Nautilus Apartments
Drawing on the site's maritime heritage
Nautilus Apartments in Canning Town, East London includes 146 apartments, a gym, resident's lounge with meeting booths and seating areas for working and socialising and a podium garden.
We drew on the site’s maritime heritage for inspiration for the amenity spaces, on a project which prioritised sustainability and creating connections. Our design responsibilities included an informal reception area, and relaxed, shared living and working spaces for residents.
At Nautilus Apartments, part of the wider Fortunes Dock scheme, the water around the boats and the interiors of the vessels and steam-powered boats which used the dock was the stimulus for the look and feel of the development.
“Our projects seek to ensure that we create the feeling of a home from home, bringing together hospitality and residential to build something more than the ordinary. We wanted to design spaces where people felt they could spend time and connect with others, encouraging those positive experiences and engagement which inspire renters to build bonds with the local community and stay for longer.”
Sustainability was a priority throughout, with furniture, fixtures and fittings carefully sourced to minimise the building’s environmental impact throughout its lifecycle. A diverse range of finishes were employed throughout the property, including; timber terrazzo table tops made from off-cut timber from UK building sites, and surfaces made from plastics collected from various post-consumer and post-industrial sources.
“We believe that the reimagined, recycled materials match any new products in terms of quality and style, with many crafted by hand and having their own unique identity. Sustainability is critical to us and Grainger, and rightly demanded by today’s residential community and was one of our primary concerns when sourcing materials.”
Sustainability was also a consideration in terms of creating a community in the property. There was a focus on intimate spaces where residents would want to dwell, with chairs and tables of a suitable height to work and relax and acoustic timber paneling used throughout to create intimacy.
Speaking to the growth in flexible working, the amenity spaces are woven through with workspaces, allowing multiple residents to work and collaborate throughout. A playful, relaxed atmosphere was fostered, with tables inlaid with chess boards as well as space for books and objects relating to the local area.
- Client
- Grainger
- Location
- London, United Kingdom
- Status
- Completed 2023
- Uses
- Build-to-rent
- Size
- 146 Apartments
- Photos
- Courtesy of Grainger PLC