Canaletto
A nuanced city silhouette
As opposed to having only one prominent facade the Canaletto tower is composed of a triangular facade of 31 storeys facing west, in tandem with a rectangular facade facing east. Its base occupies a landscaped forecourt that opens onto City Road.
The clusters are designed to maximise transparency and frame views towards the London skyline, thereby lending the tower a softer and more nuanced silhouette.
As an extension of the interior living space, grouped balconies offer a unique outdoor experience. In each grouping, textured as well as smooth materials offset the typical high-rise aesthetic of a continuous glass facade. The smooth outer metallic element is complemented by textured inner materials.
Amenities
The ground floor and mezzanine levels house a public restaurant and various amenities such as a gym and pool area.
The wavelike geometry of the pool accentuates the double-height space. Daylight floods the pool area via the outside garden. The space visually extends outdoors via the curved back wall.
“It is important that contemporary high rise residential buildings are not seen as stacked isolated units where you only meet your neighbours in the transfer spaces. This is why the amenity spaces are also very important in the building. In Canaletto, the cinema, the restaurant and especially the clubroom provide areas within the building for socialising and exchange with the other residents.”
Ben van Berkel
Superliving
In a residential building, we want residents to really feel like they are part of a unique work of architecture, something that is identifiably theirs. This is why the design of Canaletto specifically emphasises the clustering of different floors – small communities that are visibly unique from other nearby towers. Read about our ongoing explorations of this theme in the Superliving workfield.
Superliving
If we understand how we live today, we can shape the way we will live tomorrow. In the Superliving workfield we investigate emerging tendencies and innovations in the built environment. These can range from new sensorial and intuitively adaptive technologies, to affordable housing, micro-living and the future of the family unit. Together with experts in other fields, we develop future-proof solutions that push the workfield’s focus beyond spatial considerations towards radical design interventions.
Read moreSelected Projects
Selected Articles
Concept and Design
- Articulated Facade
- Sheltered Outdoor Spaces
- Materialisation
Articulated Facade
We clustered several floors into individual groups that are articulated with aluminum framed balconies. Continuous ribbons of windows, balustrades and spandrels wrap around the facade.
Sheltered Outdoor Spaces
As outdoor spaces are integral for good living environments, we created unique, sheltered spaces within the facade system. Folding and sliding doors on the north- and south-facing terraces are combined with Juliet balconies on the east facade. Levels 24 and 31 have full terraces.
Materialisation
The materialisation of the facade draws from the detailing and material contrast found in product and furniture design. Contrasting materials are employed within each grouping: the outer smooth aluminium detailing is complemented by textured inner materials.
