Community 2.0
It’s something you really can’t judge from the online brochures and the virtual 360-degree tours. It lies beyond the square metreage of your average residential real-estate offering. You might only pick up on it, in the smiles and waves exchanged among fellow residents. Yet it’s also something that can contribute as much to your sense of wellbeing as a stunning river view, an artfully-conceived interior, or lightning-quick connections into the city.
This is why, Knight Dragon, the developers of Greenwich Peninsula have worked hard to plan and foster a deep sense of community spirit within this expansive, new, London hub. At a time when social ties are being stretched to breaking point, residents here are especially thankful for these less visible design features that help bring them all together.
Take the peninsula’s Upper Riverside, the neighbourhood of five, striking, contemporary buildings , facing the Thames’ foreshore. On first impressions, it has all the aesthetic panache you’d expect from Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP (SOM), the architects behind this part of the Peninsula; after all, the firm created the Burj Khalifa in Dubai and the new World Trade Centre in New York.
Underneath that glass-and-steel skin, and you’ll begin to appreciate just how SOM and the accompanying creatives, such as the acclaimed British designer Tom Dixon, the brilliant London interior-design firm Studio Ashby and the international architecture and design practice, State of Craft, have all worked hard to ensure that the social experience that lies beyond every residents’ front door is every bit as rich, rewarding and considered as the private apartments themselves .
Despite Upper Riverside being one of the British capital’s newest neighbourhoods, the thinking for much of these new shared social amenities within hark back to an earlier time in London’s history, when life beside the river played an important role in the way citizens met, relaxed, interacted and formed strong and lasting friendships.
The buildings’ roof terraces, cinemas, gyms, pool, clubs and communal spaces are inspired in part by the pleasure gardens that once lined the Thames in the seventeenth, eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, enabling a new style of social interaction to flourish in the British capital. Just like those bygone spaces, the communal facilities meet the needs of contemporary, metropolitan dwellers, allowing them to live their best life, together, in the city.
There are other points of reference too. Planners behind these spots also draw on the great members' clubs of London, where business often meets pleasure via a couple of overstuffed armchairs, good drinks, a little privacy and some great company.
Too taxing? Then turn to the cinemas and games room in No. 4 and No. 5 Upper Riverside. Residents can book each of these in advance, enabling neighbours to share their love of arthouse classics or Hollywood smashes, in a beautiful, and welcoming setting.
Even during the working week can be a time to get to know those nearby, via the library and co-working space at No. 3 Upper Riverside, and the boardroom at No. 2. In these shared spaces you can put the hours in to get ahead, but also get along with fellow Peninsulists. Many offices are shut for now, but that doesn’t mean anyone here has to miss out on those daily ‘hellos’ and key, water-cooler moments.
For a less regimented space, you could try one of the many roof terraces that grace the upper floors of these buildings. There’s a roof garden at No. 3, a barbecue space at No. 4, a relaxation terrace at No. 2, and staggered, cascading series of terraces at No. 5, that are available for all residents to enjoy. Each has its own character and unique qualities, suited, variously, to yoga or sundowners, a late-night soiree or an early morning cardio challenge.
Far below these open-air spots lie a series of equally convivial social spaces: Upper Riverside’s lobbies. Each interior is overseen by a notable interior designer, and each can be used as a working space, or a spot to down tools and hang with new friends.
An equally warm and easy welcome comes courtesy of Upper Riverside’s dedicated concierge team and lifestyle managers. They can point out every communal space in the neighbourood, assist with bookings, advice, as well as take deliveries, order taxis and help alleviate all the minor stresses that tend to build up during a day in the big city.
Available 24-hours a day, every day of the week, Upper Riverside's lifestyle managers are on-hand experts. Their daily updates inform residents about what’s going on across the Peninsula, from socially distanced yoga on The Tide, to wine-tasting at Upper Riverside’s favourite Basque restaurant Ardoa. Residents on the Peninsula are also well-connected by an exclusive digital ecosystem which gives them access to facilities, local offers and much more. They have everything they need, literally at their fingertips.
Wrapped by 1.6 miles of the Thames with Canary Wharf just one stop away, residents at Greenwich Peninsula can revel in big-city independence by day, then enjoy riverside downtime by night. For those feeling sociable, the wide variety of shared communal spaces mean there's something for everyone, whether you're an aspiring athlete, or a budding film-critic. There are resident whatsapp groups, neighbourhood quizzes and a remarkable level of communal interaction and community spirit without even stepping outdoors. At Upper Riverside, a residence isn’t where you simply reside; it’s where you live out your best social life.
Want to know more about Greenwich Peninsula's latest neighbourhood? Click here.
