AECOM, Bjarke Ingels and Asif Khan win Old Oak Common contract
An all-star team of architects and urban planners has won the high-profile contract to masterplan the UK’s largest regeneration programme.
AECOM, Bjarke Ingels Group, Wilkinson Eyre and Asif Khan are members of the group that will create the strategic vision for Old Oak Common in west London; transforming 140 hectares of industrial and railway land into a new district for culture, leisure and housing.
The opening of a super-hub interchange station for the High Speed 2 and Elizabeth rail networks by 2026 will catalyse the regeneration of the area. A new town will be created, centred around attractions such as potential new branches of London’s Science Museum and Natural History Museum.
The Old Oak and Park Royal Development Corporation (OPDC), which is overseeing the project for the mayor of London, had called for the design teams competing for the £3m masterplan contract to present a “compelling, design-led spatial strategy alongside a clear delivery strategy to fully unlock this opportunity.”
The winning team – which also includes Bilfinger, GVA, Fluid, Maccreanor Lavington, PBA, Weston Williamson, Spacehub and East – overcame competition from the likes of Arup, Allies and Morrison, Grimshaw, Hawkins Brown and Farrells working with Heatherwick Studio.
It will now create a baseline analysis of the site in the next few months, and longlist and shortlist options for the masterplan’s components will be revealed towards the end of the year. The completed vision for the site is expected to arrive in Q1 2018.
According to the OPDC, the redevelopment of the area has the potential to deliver 24,000 new homes and 55,000 jobs in Old Oak and 1,500 new homes and 10,000 jobs on the adjoining Park Royal industrial estate.
OPDC has full planning powers within its 650 hectare boundary that includes land in the boroughs of Hammersmith & Fulham, Ealing and Brent.
The biggest private landowner in the area is used car dealer Cargiant, which plans to build a canal-side new town on 17.4 acres with 7,000 homes, a cultural quarter, schools and parks.
It has partnered with development firm London & Regional Properties, design studio PLP Architecture, engineers Arup and Dutch landscape architects West 8 to create a mini-masterplan for this site. This must be approved by the OPDC.
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