Located between Hackney Wick and Fish Island, Wick Lane reimagines co-location by integrating light industrial spaces, housing, and public realm into a coherent urban fabric. Designed by dRMM, the project delivers 175 homes and 2,250 square meters of commercial space across a formerly underused plot. The design moves beyond the typical 'beds over sheds' model by embedding residential and employment functions into a spatial and material dialogue rooted in the site's industrial past.
The scheme was developed in collaboration with the London Legacy Development Corporation, with an emphasis on safeguarding employment space while intensifying residential use. The layout responds to a challenging context: bounded by Strategic Industrial Land (SIL), historic infrastructure, and the elevated Greenway pedestrian route, the site demanded a nuanced approach to access, visibility, and environmental performance.
Material strategy and construction logic
Material selection at Wick Lane emphasizes clarity, longevity, and connection to place. Each building is characterized by a dominant material—red or black brick, ribbed blockwork, sinusoidal metal, or cast glass—used consistently across façades, roofs, and soffits. These robust materials reference the local industrial vernacular while ensuring durability and low maintenance.
Balconies are varied in form and material, constructed from red and black steel or glass. Ground-floor industrial units include roller shutters, referencing workshop typologies. The architectural expression avoids monotony through variation and rhythm, contributing to legibility and a sense of identity across the development.
Landscape and ecological integration
The public realm, designed by Grant Associates, incorporates industrial references softened by planted edges and gardens. Landscaped spaces—including ‘Wick Walk’, ‘The Yard’, and a series of pocket gardens—serve as thresholds between residential and industrial uses, fostering both biodiversity and social interaction.
A previously inaccessible site is now traversed by a new pedestrian and cycle route linking directly to the Greenway and Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. Planting schemes emphasize drought-tolerant species and urban greening, contributing to stormwater management and reducing the heat island effect in a dense urban environment.
Balancing industry and housing
Wick Lane’s spatial strategy addresses the potential conflict between residential and industrial uses by carefully sequencing building typologies and public spaces. Double-height industrial units are sited to the south, acting as a buffer to the SIL. Residential buildings step away from this edge, interspersed with podium gardens that mediate transitions and offer outdoor space to residents.
Housing is configured to maximize daylight and cross-ventilation, with 72% of apartments designed as dual aspect. The configuration prioritizes liveability while maintaining density, ensuring long-term viability in a constrained urban setting.
Supporting a circular urban economy
Employment spaces at Wick Lane are managed by Tradestars, a start-up enterprise that supports small businesses through shared infrastructure and flexible lease models. Interior fit-outs were completed by Tradestars and Sophie Franks Designs, creating a modular environment suited to creative and service-based tenants. Current occupants include a bike repair shop, a tattoo studio, textile studios, and a hair salon—contributing to a layered urban economy with local engagement.
The co-location of housing and industry strengthens the area’s resilience by anchoring economic activity within a growing residential community, offering an alternative to the displacement often caused by mono-functional developments.
Sustainability, performance, and longevity
Wick Lane's design supports long-term use through durable construction, spatial adaptability, and integration with local networks of movement and ecology. While formal post-occupancy evaluation is still in progress, early assessments focus on both carbon performance and social outcomes. The project sets out to demonstrate how co-located urban environments can be both efficient and generous—resisting the trend toward homogeneity in housing-led regeneration.
