Reconnecting People to Water at London Royal Docks

This thesis aims to improve the mental wellbeing of the London Royal Docks' residents by reconnecting them to the water . It proposes a health and spa center that adopts a system of floating polygonal modular pods that are designed to be responsive, adaptable, flexible and easily replaceable.

Newham is currently the 5th least happy borough in London. People were reported with higher anxiety and stress levels due to the noise pollution from the site's dense transport network. Along the waterfront, there are high barriers erected and limited public spaces, creating a feeling of disconnection with the water.

One of the aims of the scheme is to transform the harsh industrial landscape of the docklands through a biophilic design approach that enhances people’s connection to nature.

Inspired by the non-uniform cellular patterns of nature found around water(e.g corals, barnacles), different design iterations of the pod module was created using digital softwares(i.e Rhino & Grasshopper), and evaluated against a set of criteria such as ease of load transfer, material usage and ease of fabrication.

To reduce carbon footprint of the proposal, site-sourced materials(e.g calcium carbonate by-product from sugar factories on site) are utilized to ensure the sustainability of the project.

The selected pod design and system are then applied to the entire scheme on site and adjusted accordingly to cater to the different programmes of the scheme. Like a living organism, the proposed design provides an adaptive solution that responds to changing conditions on site and the users' future needs.