19th century dock reborn as an urban Eden in London

London's Canary Wharf business center — in the Tower Hamlets district — recently opened a new public space designed as a true urban oasis. In fact, the Eden Dock, designed by Howells and HTA Design for the Canary Wharf Group, transforms the pier built in the 19th century while enriching the ecology and biodiversity of the surrounding aquatic spaces.

The designers introduced “gradual banks,” sections a that descend to the water’s edge now with wooden seating now with generous amphitheater-like steps. Floating walkways create a new accessible public path connecting a series of floating gardens, while below the water level, a cantilevered shelf supports aquatic plants, along with a marine monitoring station to facilitate biodiversity. The project’s planting features native vegetation selected to provide valuable habitats on the floating islands for invertebrates, amphibians, fish, and waterfowl.

To celebrate the opening of the project, the Nature Rising living artwork with more than 20 living figures made of ligustrum — a flowering shrub — will be scattered along the pier. The figures show nature and people living together in harmony, reflecting how Eden Dock interweaves nature with the urban environment through ecological innovation. The figures will become part of CWG's permanent public art collection.