LONDON, Feb 4 — Plans for a major new building on London's Greenwich Peninsula have been announced as part of a regeneration project to turn the area into a cultural hub.
Architect Santiago Calatrava is behind the new landmark building, called Peninsula Place, which will incorporate a tube and bus station, theatre, cinema and performance venue, bars, stores and a “well-being hub.”
Located in a neighbourhood next to the O2 arena, the 1.4-million-square-foot complex will welcome visitors and residents in an 80-foot-high winter garden and glass galleria, topped by three towers of workspace, apartments and hotels.
In the winter garden, an urban forest will sit beneath a glass cupola, providing natural light, while the towers will feature a stepped design that will reveal a series of green terraces.
In the 500-foot-long galleria, slim columns will create the effect of a tree-lined avenue and form a vaulting arcade above a promenade of cafes, shops and restaurants.
A land bridge, featuring a mast and cables that create a giant sundial, will connect the Peninsula to a public park on the River Thames.
The building — for which a timeline has yet to be revealed — is part of a transformation of the Peninsula that is planned over several years in seven new neighborhoods surrounded by the Thames; in addition to providing more than 15,000 new residences, these areas will be home to the first major film studio in central London, a new design district and public spaces.
Peninsula Place is the first UK building by Calatrava, whose firm was behind projects including the 2004 Athens Olympic Sports Complex and 2016 World Trade Center Transportation hub in New York. — AFP-Relaxnews
