Riverlight to deliver new waterside experience

Construction starts this week on Riverlight, an exciting new waterside residential development in London's Nine Elms regeneration area. 

At Riverlight Gillespies has designed tranquil landscaped spaces for residents, alongside unprecedented public access to the Thames.  The success of the designs are testament to the approach taken by developers St James with Gillespies, and the full project team including architects Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners.

This approach saw design of the new public riverside area, alongside engaging outdoor spaces for residents, embraced as part of the development from an early stage.  Stephen Richards, Partner, Gillespies, comments:

"With Riverlight it was important to achieve the dual aims of creating an appealing riverside walk for the public side-by-side with uplifting outdoor spaces to be enjoyed by future residents.

For the public riverside walkway, we sought to create an inviting environment for pedestrians to explore, refresh and rest.  The overall public realm strategy also allows for future links to other public spaces across Nine Elms, as there may be a possibility of a more continuous public riverside walkway in the future.

Water is a recurrent theme in our designs for Riverlight.  It provides a visual connection with the Thames, and reinforces the site's place as an interface between land and river. 

The use of water also echoes the historical context of this site, as water was originally present in the form of historic mill ponds. We have captured the particular character of these bodies of still water in a series of tranquil features within the residential gardens, in a contemporary style.

The public space is also animated by water features, to encourage the public to pause, relax and play.  Trees provide human scale by contrasting with the proximity of the tall buildings, and encourage wildlife.  The trees also help to define the public areas and provide shade and intimate areas."

Tony Pidgley, Chairman of the Berkeley Group, said: 

"Our intention is to create a place that will grace the Thames, drive investment, and deliver new homes and jobs. We want this to be a world-class example of place-making. It will set a benchmark for the whole regeneration area."

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