The proposed North Quay Lab Building at Canary Wharf
(Picture: ©Kiasm for KPF.jpg)Bankers in Canary Wharf may soon be getting a new kind of neighbour, after plans were submitted to build Europe’s biggest life sciences building among the skyscrapers of London’s second financial sector.
A detailed application has been submitted to build a 23-storey tower which provide a “vertical campus” covering over 820,000 square feet, capable of housing laboratories on every floor. The company behind the proposals, specialist real estate firm Kadans Science Partner, has formed a joint venture with Canary Wharf for the project. It says the building will also be the most technologically advanced of its kind in Europe.
Designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates, the architects of Shanghai’s World Financial Centre and Tokyo’s Sky Mile Tower, the building will go up at Canary Wharf’s North Quay.
The proposed tower (pictured) would feature “warm tones”, said Kadans, “clad in a grid of graphite aluminium and terracotta elements”, adding: “The colour gradient emphasises the position of the central, social spine of the building and becomes an immediately recognizable feature creating a unique identity.”
It would be built on a currently undeveloped 3.5 hectare site next to the new Elizabeth Line station and the ground and first floors would include “community spaces” which would be open to the public. Outline planning consent has already been granted.
Shobi Khan, CEO of Canary Wharf Group, said: “We have been developing our vision for a world-class life sciences hub at Canary Wharf since 2019, and this is a significant milestone in our journey.
“This project will continue the transformation of Canary Wharf, providing a sustainable, mixed-use environment for the next generation of life science offices.”
