[LondonerN1]

My first post!

There's a substantial development underway, just north of the Old Street roundabout, and I haven't been able to find any discussion of it. It's close the the currently-abandoned Eagle House site.

When complete in summer 2012, it will comprise:

• 680 student rooms
• Office space
• Retail space
• 250-room hotel (I think Premier Inn)

There isn't much information to be found on the internet, but you can see some renderings here:

http://www.lifschutzdavidson.com/

Go to Projects > Current Projects > East Road

The groundworks appear to be complete across the site, and the hotel segment is progressing quickly. At the very least, it will hide the horrendous Cable & Wireless building behind the site

 

[LondonerN1]

I still don't like it, but it sure beats the hell out of the dross that's there at the moment.

I have to agree... Not outstanding, but an improvement.

It's close to this proposed development, which isn't hugely inspiring either:

http://www.skyscrapernews.com/news.php?ref=2715

 

[LondonerN1]

Here are some photos that I took earlier. Sorry about the quality - they're phone pics. Plus it was a dismal day.

I have to say that it's growing on me! Can't wait to see it progressing.

 

[LondonerN1]

As the build progresses, I'm starting to get more excited about this. Within the context of its immediate surroundings, it's going to look huge. I don't think you really get a sense of that from the renderings.

Here are some more photos that I took today (again, sorry about the poor quality):

 

[LondonerN1]

This project is progressing rapidly. It's quite hard to get decent shots of the build, as it's a large site. These are some iPhone shots that I took while passing by yesterday.

^ This is going to be an impressive development when complete. Still another 8-10 floors to go on the block above! You can't get a sense of the bulk of it from these photos, but I think that this cluster of buildings will help redefine the area.

 

[LondonerN1]

Some more phone pictures of the development, which is rapidly taking shape.

The student blocks following the curve of East Road:

The new public space separating the hotel (on the right) from the rest of the development:

It's hard to get decent photos on a phone camera!

The hotel hugging the Three Crowns pub... you can't see from this picture, but the red brick cladding has already been started:

View from the other side of Old Street roundabout:

 

[LondonerN1]

Time for an update!

Unfortunately the sky was dark grey when I took these, so they're a tad dull.

Looking down East Road towards Old Street roundabout:

View of the back of the development:

From East Road:

Cladding on the hotel:

From City Road:

 

[LondonerN1]

I really hope the brick they use isn't soulless like the building to the right on the last picture

The brick looks more textured and brighter than that used on the 90s building alongside. There are two shades – a traditional red, and a browner tone (similar to the pub).

I thought it might be helpful to get a sense of the scale of the development by taking a picture from another location:

 

[LondonerN1]

I wouldn't get your hopes up.

Seriously, the quality of brick used is miles better, in a different league to the 90s effort.

There's variation in the colours so it's far less flat-looking. I'll try to take a photo when I get a chance.

 

[LondonerN1]

This area is already quite dense, but it's going to get denser:

New tower for Shoreditch Park

For those that don't know the area, Shoreditch Park is just up the road from the East Road development.

My only beef with the East Road development is that it has now obscured the view of the Shard that I had from my flat

 

[LondonerN1]

My bus goes past there. Who on earth would want to live there? The area is one massive council estate.

Yes, the worst part of which is to be demolished and rebuilt, using the tower to help fund the regeneration of the social housing.

The area has a lot going for it: the site for this development is next to the Gainsborough Studios, it's positioned between the park and the Regent's Canal, it has a leisure centre, plus Islington and Shoreditch are close by. Much of the canalside has been utterly transformed in recent years, and there's still a huge amount of potential.

 

[LondonerN1]

This development has topped out: http://www.skyscrapernews.com/news.php?ref=2907

Does anyone know how I can change the title of this thread to T/O?

Meanwhile, here's a pic I took today from Pitfield Street, with New Roman House the nearer of the two skeletal developments, and Eagle House the one behind...

And another from East Road...

 

[LondonerN1]

A few people were asking about the brickwork on this development. Most of the hotel has now been uncovered, so here are a couple of iPhone snaps showing how it looks:

I think it looks a bit austere currently... I'm sure it will look better when the whole building is complete (with the street-level parts adding context).

 

[LondonerN1]

Old Street / Shoreditch is going to be awash with new hotels soon!

There's this one, the Art'otel on the site of The Foundry, the one in the old Magistrate's Court opposite the Town Hall, and the angular one next to Eagle House. Any I've missed?

It's about time something was done to improve the embarrassment that is Old Street station :s

 

[LondonerN1]

Thanks for the new pictures, Core Rising.

I walk past this development every day, and since the scaffolding came down from the hotel, it has become very reminiscent of a 1930s power station such as Bankside or Battersea. I think Core Rising's photos capture that.

 

[LondonerN1]

Thought it might be interesting to remind ourselves of what this development has replaced.

First of all, there was this beauty...

And beside it was this handsome block:

I can't believe English Heritage didn't get involved to protect these superb examples of postwar architecture from demolition!

 

[LondonerN1]

A selection of new photos, taken today.

Whilst I was taking the photos, one of the builders came up to me and started chatting about the development. He was very proud of his team's work on the site, and justifiably so. I really like the way that it's turning out; I particularly like how it fits so well with the industrial heritage of the area, and how it has created new blocks and opened up long-forgotten side streets. I've tried to get a sense of that with some of these photos.

The hotel is now open, with the entrance via the new public space to the side of the building. The office space (the section of the building with the white cladding) looks very near to completion too. I think that when the entire complex is open, with retail and students in place, it will become quite a buzzy little area.

 

[LondonerN1]

Very nice, hope the old pub gets some love

A planning application was submitted on 11th November:

'Refurbishment of Public House to provide flexible A1 (sandwich shop), A3 (Restaurant) or A4 (public house) use, including extension of uses into ground level of 10 East Road (that part facing Brunswick Place) with provision of 3 x one bed residential units to upper floors.'

I hope that it remains a pub.

Interestingly, another application was submitted this week, to redevelop the site directly behind the hotel. You can see part of the building cluster that they propose to demolish in the 7th photo in my post above.

This application is 'to provide a new education facility comprising 5,528 sqm teaching accommodation and associated facilities (D1 Class use); 541 student rooms; 376 sqm of flexible retail/restaurant use'. They're proposing a height of up to 11 storeys in part, which would sit nicely with the hotel and further enhance the density of the area.

 

[LondonerN1]

Love the brick work on this building. Any one got any pictures of the other part of the project under construction? Seems to only be pictures of the hotel part.

Most of it is still covered up, so there's not much new to see yet.

 

[LondonerN1]

More of this development has now been revealed. I took these pictures earlier today on my phone.

I'm not sure about the extruding window units, but I quite like the overall effect. It creates the illusion of being a cluster of buildings.