White Post Lane

A flood-resilient mixed-use and cultural event space opposite the Olympic Park

London, United Kingdom | Mixed use | Flood resilient

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The red-brick canalside building at White Post Lane under a blue sky.

“Redeveloping London’s East End is a positive Olympic legacy.”

01Project facts

Location

Hackney Wick, London, opposite the Olympic Park

Status

Complete

Client

Schwartz Development Holdings

Scope

Art studios and student accommodation in a conservation area, Flood Zones 2 and 3

World map with a location marker on London in the United Kingdom.

Aerial view of the Olympic Park and stadium, with an arrow and circle marking the White Post Lane site in Hackney Wick.

02Background

White Post Lane sits in Hackney Wick, directly opposite the Olympic Park, within a conservation area and in Flood Zones 2 and 3. A new block fronting the canal replaces a former warehouse, alongside the site’s existing Victorian warehouses.

The scheme removes a 4m-high wall along the canal, opens a new courtyard onto the water and improves pedestrian routes between the existing blocks. The new building provides art studios and business units, with a café and exhibition space for the artists and makers who work on the site.

The completed building seen across the canal, with its stepped gables and red brick facade.

The steel frame under construction beside the canal, with a narrowboat moored alongside.

Looking up at the corner of the red brick building against a bright sky.

A swimmer in blue water above an image of the building, from Speedo’s time at White Post Lane.

The Games

With the stimulus of the Games and its location opposite the Olympic Park, the building was in demand before it was even finished, and became home to swimwear specialist Speedo for the duration of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Working to an accelerated programme, BACA absorbed major design changes on site and delivered the building shell and core, ready for fit-out, in time for the Games. For a practice that specialises in water-based design, it was fitting that the first tenant was a swimwear brand.

After the Games, the building reverted to its intended use as artists’ studios and business incubator units, and the site is now home to several hundred artists and makers.

Environmental section through the building showing daylight, ventilation, solar shading and sustainable drainage.

Flood resilience

The ground floor is raised on stilts above the 1-in-100-year flood level, with a void beneath that provides flood storage.

The raised courtyard and the generous ground-floor foyer act as a safe haven for occupants of the site and users of the towpath during extreme flood events.

Loading hoists and delivery bays on each floor keep the area’s wharf and industrial character, and allow goods to be moved by water.

Model of the ground floor, with the event space, café and canalside courtyard beside a moored boat.

Regeneration

Redeveloping London’s East End is a positive Olympic legacy. White Post Lane is part of the wider regeneration of Hackney Wick, bringing new workspace and cultural uses to a former industrial area on the edge of the Olympic Park.

The project featured in the New London Exhibition at the New London Centre, as part of its Waterfront London showcase.

Site diagram and axonometric of the new block beside the canal.

Aerial view of the Olympic Park and Hackney Wick, with the stadium, waterways and surrounding streets.

The Waterfront London exhibition book, open at a spread on White Post Lane.

Events

The ground floor hosts a café, exhibitions and events, making the building a cultural hub for the artists and makers who work on the site, and for the wider Hackney Wick community.