Pioneer Point | Ilford | 105m/82m | 31/25 fl

[tkane]

This is the flagship project in the regeneration of Ilford Town Centre in East London. Ilford is very close to Stratford (Olympic town) and is due to have a total regeneration which will begin with this tower, along with two residential skyscraper style towers. This artist impression was released today and the design has not gone well with locals who say the tower is far too modern and is something you would find in Hong kong or Tokyo. I personally think it looks stunning! What do you think?

















This is what the place used to look like, construction started last week.

[Accura4Matalan]

I like it!

[Jake_the_Peg]

Will you be able to post progress photos for us, tkane?

[tkane]

Originally Posted by Jake_the_Peg

Will you be able to post progress photos for us, tkane?

Yeh I will do, I go past the site every day. Do you live around the area or are you just interested in this project?

And I found more info on the development:

A controversial twin tower development in Ilford has won full planning approval. Permission for Pioneer Point, a £65 million landmark designed by Haskoll for the Empire Property Group and comprising a 24-storey and a 31-storey tower on a brownfield site, was granted by the London Borough of Redbridge. Earlier this year, the Greater London Authority’s Architecture & Urbanism Unit, led by Richard Rogers, branded the scheme “clumsy”. Cabe claimed it represented “poor, inappropriate design” and had a “confused and unresolved appearance” (News January 9). But London mayor Ken Livingstone lent his support to the scheme, claiming it set new standards in architecture. Pioneer Point has also won praise for its sustainability since it includes a combined heat and power plant to provide electricity, heating and cooling.

[tkane]

[london lad]

lol- gotta love local nimbys- they dont like it because its 'to modern' & it looks like something from HK or Tokyo- um why exactly is this a bad thing. HK & Tokyo are fantastic cities, although the buildings are just a little bit taller than Pioneer point

[Andrew]

Will the tower make use of the fecade of the old Pioneer Market building? Obviously what's there now doesn't look very nice in the photo you just posted but to me it seems like quite a good example of it's style of architecture and it would make quite a cool feature if it's incorporated into the new building. Imagine those ugly shopfronts being replaced with sleek glass shop and restaurant fecades and a glass tower rising above it, I think it would look really cool!

[Mikey]

Excellent news, I should be able to get some pics as well
this is taller than Ontario (if you include the mast) (otherwise its about the same 105m Agl and becomes the third tallest building u/c in London

[tkane]

Originally Posted by Andrew

Will the tower make use of the fecade of the old Pioneer Market building? Obviously what's there now doesn't look very nice in the photo you just posted but to me it seems like quite a good example of it's style of architecture and it would make quite a cool feature if it's incorporated into the new building. Imagine those ugly shopfronts being replaced with sleek glass shop and restaurant fecades and a glass tower rising above it, I think it would look really cool!

No, the whole market was demolished last week. I'll post a picture of the site as soon as I can.

[london lad]

Found these 2 developments on the Mayors planning reports. Not in Ilford but in Stratford 22 storeys &

http://www.london.gov.uk/mayor/plann...eet_report.pdf

18 storeys

http://www.london.gov.uk/mayor/plann...oad_report.pdf

[Manuel]

It looks OK for Ilford, down in Central London it would look out of place. I guess the mayor is more pragmatic on this one.

[eddyk]

First i've heard about the thing.

Another 100m+ tower UC in the city....thats what, 4 in total at the moment.

[GazKinz]

Originally Posted by london lad

Found these 2 developments on the Mayors planning reports. Not in Ilford but in Stratford 22 storeys &

http://www.london.gov.uk/mayor/plann...eet_report.pdf

18 storeys

http://www.london.gov.uk/mayor/plann...oad_report.pdf

What really annoys me about these planning decision documents is there's never any renders in them, surely it would be helpful to the public if we see what we were reading about

[JDRS]

Originally Posted by tkane

and the design has not gone well with locals who say the tower is far too modern and is something you would find in Hong kong or Tokyo.

[potto]

too modern for where? Ilford?!?! Oh yes I remember now that georgian terraced town with tudor villages dotted around the outskirts

[DarJoLe]

I'm not sure I like the fact Ken overuled his Architecture Unit and CABE over this development.

Surely local towns and suburbs having the same concerns as Central London locations is an important factor with tall buildings. In fact, they should be more stringent, seeing as this will affect more people who aren't use to tall buildings in city centres than the City or Canary Wharf say.

[pirlo_21]

better thanw hat used to be there by a mile

[potto]

Originally Posted by DarJoLe

I'm not sure I like the fact Ken overuled his Architecture Unit and CABE over this development.

Surely local towns and suburbs having the same concerns as Central London locations is an important factor with tall buildings. In fact, they should be more stringent, seeing as this will affect more people who aren't use to tall buildings in city centres than the City or Canary Wharf say.

I agree that non-central areas should have extra care and attention and not less and am disappointed that CABEs comments seem to have been waved by... however Ilford needs a bit of density to add some identity as it is one sprawling mass connected to the East End and Stratford and onwards to Barking. Also at the moment there are already some sorry looking high rises on the edge by the motorway (the wonders of BT architecture again I think) so it is hardly a skyscraper plonked in the middle of low rise residential area... i wish Nimbys would get their facts right and protest about the right things then they might get somewhere... Shame the development doesnt seem to be able to make much of an impact on the major road that cuts through this bit, Ilford could end up like another sorry Hammersmith if its not careful! Although the other two residential high rises down the pedestrianised bit of Ilford look good

[Jonny 5]

Would suck to be the guy that owns the house right next to the right of the tower podium.

[DarJoLe]

Tower podiums piss me off anyway. Look how much space could have been freed up if they had got rid of the podium against the road.