Architecture

The architecture of Bellamy Close and Byng Street emerged from a deeply collaborative and iterative design process. Shaped by close dialogue with residents, planners, and the Greater London Authority, the scheme responds to a highly constrained urban site through a thoughtful arrangement of building forms that prioritise liveability, daylight, and a strong sense of place. A central 31-storey residential tower acts as a slender vertical marker, mediating between the tall buildings of Canary Wharf and the low-rise neighbourhoods of Millwall. To its edges, a row of three-storey brick houses and a maisonette block reinforce the domestic scale of Byng Street and Manilla Street. This layout reduces overshadowing, maximises dual aspect opportunities, and frames a generous communal courtyard at the heart of the site.

Materiality plays a key role in anchoring the project in its layered context. The warm brickwork of the low-rise buildings references traditional London streets, while the bronze-toned metal cladding of the tower evokes the site’s industrial past – once home to John Bellamy’s metalworks. The unitised cladding system was manufactured off-site, supporting quality, efficiency, and sustainability goals.

Internally, the tower is designed around a rational floorplate with efficient circulation and a variety of apartment layouts. Generous glazing, outset balconies and dual-aspect homes ensure high levels of daylight and outward views. At ground level, a welcoming entrance lobby connects to shared amenity spaces and a landscaped courtyard above, fostering interaction and shared ownership. Throughout, the architecture is guided by proportion, rhythm, and material quality. The result is a legible and resilient urban form – one that reflects its community-led origins while embracing the evolving character of the Isle of Dogs.