UNStudio to build canaletto 257 city road, london

‘canaletto 257 city road’ by UNStudio, london, englandimage © UNStudio

located on the northern periphery of london, at the strategic intersection of creative districts hoxton, clerkenwell and shoreditch, as well as theresidential area of islington and the technological zone of old street – altogether making up the city road basin community – is internationalpractice UNStudio’s ‘canaletto tower.’ the vertical building with its ‘neighborhoods in the sky’ will usher in a new era of residential tower typologyin response to its individual users and within the greater urban fabric, a concept tackled architectonically on the micro and macro scales throughoutthe project. the multi-faceted facade is designed to hold a distinct presence from any angle, eliminating the concept of the unresolved ‘underside’ of a tall building. standing 30 stories tall with 190 apartments ranging from studios to penthouses, the 24th floor will be devoted to a social hubcontaining a restaurant, health club, swimming pool, private cinema, resident’s club, and an expansive terrace with spectacular views of thesurrounding cityscape. the architects have shared with us exclusive preliminary sketches exploring earlier ideas for the facade structure.

street viewimage © UNStudio

principle architect ben van berkel states:

‘the city road basin area is in a unique position, in close proximity to the city yet redefining itself as an up-and-coming residential borough. as such, our design for the canaletto tower required a distinctly contextual response; one which acknowledges the need for an explicitly residential identity.the materiality of the facade is drawn from examples of detailing and the contrasting of materials expressed in product or furniture design. the modelling of the balconies within each grouped cluster lends variability to the facade and the living experience for the residents in the building. the aspect of using a both textured and smooth materials contrasts with the typical high-rise glass and metal construction and lends this facade a contemporary residential ‘twist.”

exterior terraceimage © UNStudio

facade structure conceptimage © UNStudio

sketchimage © UNStudio

image © UNStudio

image © UNStudio