Vauxhall Cross Island by Zaha Hadid Architects awarded planning permission

Responding to Lambeth council’s aspirations for a district centre for Vauxhall in London, the design creates a vibrant new public square adjacent to the busy rail, underground and bus interchange. The proposal also accommodates TfL’s existing plans to upgrade the traffic gyratory and bus station to provide greater accessibility and safety for all.

Site
Vauxhall Cross Island site is located adjacent to Vauxhall Underground station and is bounded by Parry Street (to the south), Bondway (to the east) and Wandsworth Road / Albert Embankment (to the west and north). The Island lies in a central and important location, adjacent to existing transport links at the gateway to Vauxhall from the north.

Vauxhall is undergoing a period of transformation with a number of other significant developments under construction or planned for the area. In part, this is due to the Vauxhall, Nine Elms, Battersea Opportunity Area Planning Framework (OAPF) which allows for tall buildings of high quality to form a cluster around Vauxhall Cross, and also the Vauxhall Supplementary Planning Document, which sets out Lambeth Council’s vision for the regeneration of Vauxhall to create a thriving district centre.

An employment-led scheme
Comprising two towers connected by a 10-storey podium that
defines its streetscape, the 42-storey (151m) northern tower accommodates 257 apartments that includes 23 affordable homes. The 53-storey (185m) southern tower houses a 619-room hotel and office space. Generating approximately 2,000 new jobs within a mixed-use design that includes a new public square, homes, offices, shops and a hotel, the design creates vital civic space, amenities and employment for its growing community.

A new gateway for Vauxhall
The buildings proposed for Vauxhall Cross respond to the emergence of the cluster of tall buildings proposed to the south of the site and have been designed to work with the other buildings, through its rectilinear form, grid-based façade and materials.

Their arrangement places the taller building to the south of the site, adjacent to the other tall buildings and the centre of the cluster. The north building is shorter and marks the northern gateway to Vauxhall. Joining the two buildings with a ‘podium’ building of 10 storeys helps to create more defined street edges to the north, west and south of the island site and frames the new public square.

Opening up the public realm
The proposal provides a new public square and coordinates with the TfL gyratory and bus station scheme to accommodate new street-level pedestrian crossings and wider pavements, providing improved pedestrian environment and experience; helping to create a safer and more legible streetscape, accommodating increased pedestrian activity between Vauxhall Station and Nine Elms.

Creating a new public square
The new square creates a generous public space next to the primary pedestrian route from the Vauxhall Station to the south and adjacent to TfL’s new bus stops located on Bondway, giving an opportunity for the square to host a programme of popular community events and activities throughout the year, from markets to street entertainment and performances. Source by Zaha Hadid Architects.