Designed by London-based architecture practice Studioshaw, Bridge House is an eight-storey, 6,250-square-metre mixed-use development in Hackney Wick, East London. Forming part of the wider Wickside masterplan beside the Hertford Union Canal, the building accommodates 40 apartments, two levels of commercial and community space, and a shared rooftop garden. Completed in 2026, it represents Studioshaw's largest project to date, coinciding with the practice's tenth anniversary and the completion of its 100th project.
Bridge House emerged from a design competition initiated in 2020, involving the London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC) and client CJ O'Shea. Studioshaw won the competition in 2021 with a proposal that departed from the predominantly brick architecture of neighbouring developments. Working within the site's existing outline planning consent, the practice reconfigured the residential arrangement to provide dual-aspect accommodation throughout the building.
Connecting the building and public realm
Bridge House sits between the canal, a new public square, and the approach to a bridge linking Hackney Wick with Fish Island, a designated conservation area. A pedestrian passage connects the square with the bridge across a site characterised by changing levels.
Colonnades extend along the building's western and southern elevations, providing sheltered routes beside the canal towpath and public square. The ground level accommodates a five-metre change in height between the bridge approach and towpath, creating a sequence of interconnected spaces. A cafe occupies a double-height space spanning the level change, with additional Class E commercial premises arranged alongside it. Large windows connect these spaces with the surrounding public realm. Within the colonnade, a low-level window with an off-centre lintel provides a view down into the cafe.
An exposed concrete structure
Bridge House adopts a material approach that distinguishes it from the brick-dominated residential developments of the surrounding Wickside masterplan. Its architectural expression is defined by an in-situ cast concrete frame, which forms much of the building's external envelope, reducing the need for additional cladding.
The concrete was batched at a plant approximately 500 metres from the site and poured in situ. Fair-faced concrete surfaces, exposed slab edges, and soffits establish a regular structural grid, complemented by double-height bays and large windows.
At ground level, the building is organised into ten bays that follow the changing height of the bridge approach. Above, the structural grid divides the upper elevations into three visually connected sections.
Grooved glass-reinforced concrete (GRC) panels and a Forticrete blockwork base introduce contrasting textures to the exposed frame. The blockwork features split-faced surfaces at lower levels and polished finishes above.
Slender pink concrete columns within the inset balconies introduce colour to the otherwise restrained material palette. The columns and slabs were engineered to minimise their dimensions, while stainless steel mesh balustrades maintain the visual openness of the balconies.
By exposing the structural frame as an architectural element, Studioshaw has reduced the extent of supplementary facade materials while establishing a distinct identity for the building. According to the practice, Bridge House was delivered at the same cost per square metre as the other residential blocks within the Wickside masterplan.
Dual-aspect homes and shared outdoor space
The residential accommodation comprises 40 apartments, with a tenure split of 65 percent affordable and 35 percent market housing. Every apartment is dual aspect, providing natural light and opportunities for cross-ventilation, with views towards the canal and new public square. All apartments also exceed the area requirements set out in the London Housing Design Guide.
Generous inset balconies provide sheltered private outdoor spaces, protected from prevailing winds and overlooking by their position within the structural frame. Designed to accommodate a table and chairs while allowing balcony doors to remain open, 87.5 percent of the balconies face south or south-west, receiving afternoon sunlight.
The residential circulation arrangement eliminates internal corridors. Half the apartments are accessed from a covered external deck on the eastern side of the building, while the remainder are reached directly from a lift core. The deck provides views across Hackney Wick and the Olympic Park, with its layout arranged so that residents pass no more than one other apartment entrance when approaching their homes. Glazed doors also introduce natural light into the entrance lobbies.
A shared rooftop garden, accessible to all residents regardless of tenure, provides additional communal outdoor space.
For Studioshaw founder Mark Shaw, the building reflects the practice's belief that architecture should serve a wider community and that ‘a building should belong to the neighbourhood, not just its residents’. He sees the project as an alternative to the prevailing London housing vernacular, arguing that ‘using the building’s frame as its facade removes the need for additional cladding and demonstrates that good design can add value without adding cost’.
