Chapter 8: The Drawing Board
New standards for Build-to-Rent

GRID Architects reflects on the delivery of
50-60 Charter Street, a sustainable two-tower development in Canary Wharf

GRID Architects, alongside its interiors division, discusses the delivery of the first phase of 50-60 Charter Street – a contemporary, sustainable Build-to-Rent development meeting the needs of a burgeoning tenure that values design, amenities, service and community in Canary Wharf's Wood Wharf masterplan. The two-tower scheme offers 760 homes with extensive shared spaces, ground-floor retail and a design inspired by the dockside's industrial heritage.

GRID Architects and GRID Interiors have completed the first phase of 50-60 Charter Street, a landmark development located on the southern edge of the Wood Wharf masterplan in Canary Wharf. The project spans plots J1-J3 and includes two elegant towers, offering 760 Build-to-Rent homes, ground-floor retail space and extensive residents’ amenities. Towers J1 and J2 were completed in August 2025, with J3 scheduled for completion in the summer of 2026. Developed by Canary Wharf Group and operated by Vertus, the buildings have been carefully designed by GRID to provide a seamless architectural and interior experience that reflects the enduring quality and character of the Wood Wharf vision.

The brief

50-60 Charter Street marks GRID’s second Build-to-Rent (BtR) project for Vertus, following the successful completion of 10 George Street in 2020. The completion of 10 George Street also marked the debut of Vertus, Canary Wharf

Group’s first purpose-built BtR project and created a new benchmark for rental living. This initial project, providing 327 apartments and residential amenity in a 37-storey tower and six-storey shoulder block, helped shape the brief for 50-60 Charter Street. The new addition to the Vertus portfolio through its design and specification is intended to create a more diverse range of rental options within this emerging brand to complement their existing and upcoming BtR projects.

The concept

The two towers are connected by a distinctive central pavilion at the ground and first floors, rising 34 and 49 storeys. The architectural concept draws inspiration from the area's industrial past, historically linked with timber storage and trade. The facade design reflects this history, articulated in the elevational pattern, evoking the rhythm of the timber piles once common along the dock.

GRID Interiors extended this narrative indoors by creating a design language grounded in industrial craft, natural materials and biophilic principles. The interior palette blends timber panelling, exposed brick, ribbed glass and perforated metal detailing, complemented by soft, natural tones and abundant plant life. This design creates an atmosphere of urban sophistication balanced with warmth and tranquillity, fostering a strong connection to the surrounding dockside environment and promoting residents’ wellbeing.

Building – GRID Architects / Interiors – GRID Interiors / Photography – Richard Kiely

The arrival

At street level, the development features an animated and publicly-accessible frontage along both Charter Street and the dockside promenade, with four retail units activating the ground-floor corners. This encourages permeability and contributes to the waterfront's social life. Between the two towers, a glazed lobby connects Charter Street to the dock edge, creating a visual and pedestrian link through the building. The central pavilion – known as J2 – serves as a lightweight connecting element, contrasting with the solidity of the tower bases while providing a welcoming, light-filled arrival space. This space is defined by natural textures and crafted joinery, helping to establish a warm, inviting entry for both residents and visitors.

The pavilion is integral to the building’s operation, allowing the Vertus team to manage all 756 homes from a central location, while also providing a focal point for residents in both towers to interact.

Residents' amenities

Above the retail and lobby spaces, the development offers over 2000sqm of internal and external shared spaces. These include a south-facing landscaped terrace, a gym and wellness studio, flexible co-working areas, games room, multi-media room and private dining and lounge rooms designed for social gatherings. A suite of guest apartments enhances the sense of community and flexibility for residents.

Building – GRID Architects / Interiors – GRID Interiors / Photography – Richard Kiely

The external terrace is designed as a series of ‘outdoor rooms’, framed by planting and lightweight structures that provide shelter, privacy and seasonal variation. A commercial kitchen accessible from the internal and external spaces provides Vertus with the ability to cater for events for its residents throughout the year.

The interior spaces continue the crafted industrial design language, with textured surfaces, exposed structure and natural planting, creating a seamless transition from inside to outside. Together with the extensive amenities and the Vertus management platform, these elements nurture a sense of community and wellbeing within the building.

The apartments

The two towers have identical plans with limited variations in the floor plate types, ensuring construction efficiency. There are only six apartment types and five bathroom pod types used throughout the project. The rectilinear tower plans allow for rational apartment layouts, maximising usable square footage. Based on Vertus’ experience with previous BtR projects, it was found that balconies at higher levels saw low usage. Therefore, the balcony areas have been included as internal space within the apartments, providing oversized apartments that exceed GLA minimum space standards. These larger layouts incorporate dedicated spaces for work-from-home setups, ensuring comfort for modern lifestyles. Full-height Juliette balconies allow residents to enjoy outdoor views while maintaining a sense of protection and connection to the exterior.

Building – GRID Architects / Interiors – GRID Interiors / Photography – Richard Kiely

The building is the first in Canary Wharf to use recycled concrete aggregate (RCA) and is one of the first to implement ECOPact Concrete v2.0, which incorporates limestone fines and Ground Granulated Blast-furnace Slag.”

saw low usage. Therefore, the balcony areas have been included as internal space within the apartments, providing oversized apartments that exceed GLA minimum space standards. These larger layouts incorporate dedicated spaces for work-from-home setups, ensuring comfort for modern lifestyles. Full-height Juliette balconies allow residents to enjoy outdoor views while maintaining a sense of protection and connection to the exterior.

Sustainability

The design embraces a first-principles approach to reducing both embodied and operational carbon – a significant challenge for tall buildings. The project started with the most efficient floorplan possible, achieving high net-to-gross ratios and low wall-to-floor ratios, reducing material usage.

The building is the first in Canary Wharf to use recycled concrete aggregate (RCA) and is one of the first to implement ECOPact Concrete v2.0, which incorporates limestone fines and Ground Granulated Blast-furnace Slag (GGBS) to further reduce cement content.

Due to the building's height, aluminium unitised facades were used, which typically have high embodied carbon. However, this was mitigated by using reduced concrete in the structure compared to precast concrete facades. The facade panels are flat, relying on subtle colour and small fins to articulate the design, minimising material use. Additionally, the building employs Ultra-Low Carbon (ULC) aluminium alloys, achieving a saving of 500 tonnes of embodied CO₂ compared to conventional low-carbon aluminium.

Operational carbon is minimised through the use of the highly-efficient Wood Wharf district energy centre for hot water heating, while electric heaters provide minimal comfort heating. The facades are designed to reduce the need for comfort cooling, with 85% efficient MVHRs ensuring energy-efficient ventilation.

Summary

50-60 Charter Street is an important new addition to the evolving waterside district of Wood Wharf. The development reinforces the area’s transformation into a dynamic urban hub, supported by new streets, squares, parks and year-round events curated by Canary Wharf Group. The building's design embodies GRID Architects’ and GRID Interiors’ commitment to creating spaces that are contextually rooted, elegantly detailed and socially connected, reinforcing the civic, architectural and human character of Canary Wharf’s eastern quarter.

www.gridarchitects.co.uk

Building – GRID Architects / Interiors – GRID Interiors / Photography – Richard Kiely

Summary

www.gridarchitects.co.uk

Building – GRID Architects / Interiors – GRID Interiors / Photography – Richard Kiely