| The developers of the £1.5 billion Royal Dock Site, Silvertown Quays Limited, KUD International and landowners London Development Agency have revealed the final designs for Biota! the aquarium being developed with the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) and designed by renowned architect Terry Farrell & Partners. The development team also released images of the striking pedestrian bridge designed by Arup in partnership with Patel Taylor, which will create a key gateway to the development.
The final design for Biota! incorporates an ETFE roof, a material being used on some of the most innovative new buildings around the world such as the Eden Project in Devon, the Allianz Stadium in Munich and the Beijing National Aquatics Centre which forms part of the 2008 Olympics.
ETFE is a highly sustainable material with many advantages; it is translucent and allows natural daylight assisting the strongly contrasting 'biomes' to thrive (Biota! is split into biomes that recreate complete ecosystems with plants, fish, free flying birds, mammals and other animals). In terms of the environmental control system for the aquarium the ETFE roof will also facilitate natural ventilation.
The building is arranged around a central atrium and the first floor houses the open ocean and coral reef exhibits with day-lit biomes on the upper floors. The exhibit areas represent diverse world habitats - the Amazon, the British Isles, the Indo-Pacific, and the Atlantic Ocean. The fifth exhibit area, 'Living Conservation', focuses on protecting aquatic species and their habitats, the underlying message of Biota!
A detailed planning application for Biota! and the accompanying public realm (designed by Patel Taylor) has now been submitted to the London Borough of Newham and detailed design work on the building has commenced. A detailed application was also submitted for the infrastructure elements of the development.
The pedestrian bridge forms a crucial part of the Biota! area and sits at an important threshold. It will cross North Woolwich Road, linking the Thames Barrier Park and the new Pontoon Dock DLR station to the south side, with Biota! and further mixed-use development around the Dock.
The contract to design the bridge was awarded following a competition. The jury included Silvertown Quays Limited, the London Development Agency and the London Borough of Newham with key advice from Design for London and masterplanners Urban Strategies Inc.
David Taylor, Chairman of Silvertown Quays Limited said:
"These announcements are another significant step towards the delivery of Silvertown Quays, one of the most important developments in London and the Thames Gateway. The bridge design by Arup and Patel Taylor is a huge contribution to the project, creating a gateway between the local area and the new development. We are also particularly pleased that the progress in the design of Biota! has resulted in a more sustainable project."
The design of the pedestrian bridge will complement the iconic Biota! and the award winning Thames Barrier Park, also designed by Patel Taylor, optimising views from the bridge towards Thames Barrier Park to the south and Biota! to the north.
The area and geometry of Thames Barrier Park was an inspiration to the vision of the new development for Silvertown Quays and the pedestrian bridge will reinforce the development strategy by forming a coherent physical and visual link.
The bridge deck is a continuous, visually uniform element, on a gentle vertical curve, and a hardly perceptible horizontal curve. The experience of moving across the Silvertown Quays pedestrian bridge will be heightened by the gentle asymmetry of its construction. The walkway, cantilevering from the side of a steel box girder, provides a shield against the road, to one side, while engaging with the Thames Barrier Park on the other side.
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