London, United Kingdom
“Twenty years ago when I started Manhattan Loft Corporation, I offered Londoners a new style of living by developing the concept of loft living,” says Harry Handelsman, CEO of Manhattan Loft Corporation.
“Twenty years on I believe that the future for London is in high rise living, and what Manhattan Loft Gardens will do is introduce the concept of loft living within a 42-storey high rise tower. It has not been done before, but I think London is ready for something new.”
With the Manhattan Loft Gardens (The Stratford), a design made for Manhattan Loft Corporation, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill touch the sky of modernism, and architecture – and also quite literally, with this 42-story building.
Manhattan Loft Gardens was awarded with a 2020 International Architecture Award from The European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies and The Chicago Athenaeum.
Located near Stratford International station, The Stratford is situated alongside one of London’s largest and newest transport interchanges.
At 135m tall—the same height as the London Eye—Manhattan Loft Gardens is the tallest residential building in the area and will offer the most exceptional views across the Olympic park and the green spaces and waterways of Stratford.
With a mixture of residential loft-style and single-story apartments, a five-star hotel, and three sky gardens carved dramatically out of the building’s profile, The Stratford represents a new model for high-rise living.
In creating the building, the architects and engineers focused on the idea of a vertical community that would promote social interaction and reflect the area’s diversity.
With a uniquely engineered concrete and steel frame, the double-cantilevered tower allows the incorporation of three sky gardens in which residents can meet and interact.
These gardens provide a range of shared open spaces that provide spectacular views of the London skyline.
This “high-rise loft living” is achieved in part by the extraordinary design of the building and the way single and double height apartments have been “interwoven” throughout the residential part of the tower.
This interlocking design feature and the striking cantilevers of the building ensure that volumetric space and natural daylight are maximised throughout.
It also creates a staggering choice of 13 different types of dwelling within the building, ranging from single height studio flat through double height lofts right up to triple height penthouses.
The tower’s distinctive stacking produces an array of accommodations, including single studios, split-level lofts, and a stunning
The striking, triple-height main entry lobby is shared between guests staying in the hotel on the lower levels and residents.
Project: Manhattan Loft Gardens (The Stratford)
Architects: Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP.
Client: Manhattan Loft Corporation
General Contractor: Bouygues (UK) Limited
Photographers: Hufton + Crow, Alex Upton, Oliver Douglas, and Luke Hayes
