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Professor Jeremy Till, in his recent bookArchitecture Depends, attacks the myththat architects can determine form them-selves and freeze it for time to come. Otherforces drive most of what can happen inany development and changes continue as buildings learn (in Stewart Brand’sphrase) to suit their occupants. Till pro-poses that architects act as interpreters ofcircumstances, making sense of them andexploiting contingencies. In WatermarkPlace we have a building which might be acase study of that approach.The north bank of the Thames, where

the City meets the river, has not beenblessed with many fine post-war buildings.

Shaped by a mixture of ambition and constraint,the latest addition to the

Thames bank makessense both of the site and

the property market intowhich it is launched, says Richard Saxon.

Photographs: Tim Soar.

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Now the stretch between Cannon StreetStation and London Bridge is being rede-veloped and the first completed building,Watermark Place, is likely to please many.It appears to be a cluster of buildings, withunusual low pavilions to the riverfront fea-turing timber, a material not associatedwith the sleek glass and granite image ofthe financial centre. The name chosen forthe development gives a Freudian hint ofwishing to remain invisible and avoid theopprobrium heaped on its predecessor,Mondial House. That futuristic white tele-phone exchange was dubbed ‘a giantword-processor’ (whatever that might be)by Prince Charles. The bulk of the half-

million net square foot building is indeednear invisible. The 11-storey backgroundmass is wrapped in sheer glass planks, ani-mated by a dappled colour palette takenfrom photographs of light playing on theriver. The dot-screened colours providethe shade factor needed and are barelyperceived from inside. The eye is however

BUILDING Reaction and reflection: Fletcher Priest’s Watermark Place

Top left Riverside public space. The south-west ‘square’ links tothe pedestrianised Angel Lane and an extended Riverside Walk.Above The river frontage of Watermark Place viewed from thereplica of the Golden Hind on the opposite bank of the Thames.Left The strategic viewing corridor to St Paul’s Cathedralinforms the height and massing of the new building. Twin rectangular blocks to the north are attached by a full-heightatrium, and the fluid forms of the lower pavilions enclose a south-facing public square with a restaurant.

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drawn to the two riverside pavilions offour and five storeys with their curvedprofiles, European oak sunshades androof gardens. Their forms are determinedby the St Paul’s Heights regime, whichprotects views of the cathedral fromLondon Bridge and beyond. They are notin fact separate buildings but are articu-lated to appear so. The main mass alsosteps boldly to seem like two blocks, againfollowing the sight angle to St Paul’s.

Above View from London Bridge; the site between Cannon StreetStation and London Bridge; the site in 200AD. The northernboundary of the present site follows the line of the Roman wharfand the river frontage next to Cannon Street was the site of thefifteenth century Hanseatic trading post, the Steelyard.Plans Levels 0, 1 (ground) and 9.

Fletcher Priest has exploited the siteand all its contingencies and associationsto provide character and conserveresources. The riverside massing is oneaspect, with the massive timber sunshadestructure of the western pavilion alludingto the ancient timber pilings of theRoman and Hanseatic docks on this site.On the northern, Upper Thames Streetside the architects had to retain the lastfire station in the City, part of Mondial

House. They did more than retain theminimum: the north-west segment of thecomplex is a slice of Mondial House, re-clad above the fire station. Indeed the mas-sive basements of the ‘word processor’ areall retained and the new metric columnsuse the huge load potential of the oldimperial foundations, jinking at angles toland on them. This is no Alsopian whimsy.Entrance is compromised by circum-

stances too. Upper Thames Street is a near

Top left The triple-skin facade allowsnatural ventilation of the carbon neutral south-east pavilion while sun-tracking timber louvres shade thebuilding and animate the public spacebelow (ph: Richard Davies).Above, below The east facade is cladin dot matrix high performance glazing,using a palette of colours derived froma pixellated image of the Thames tocreate a dappled facade. The slot isone of two terraces on the east elevation.

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expressway and arrival by taxi or car canonly be via Angel Lane, a narrow route tothe river which has been paved over formixed pedestrian and vehicular use. AngelLane opens out into a small but sunnyriverside plaza around the pavilions, themost delightful public feature of thescheme. Most pedestrians will arrive fromCannon Street at the next level up, via anexisting bridge across the traffic which hasbeen restyled with timber additions. Theresulting split-level reception is inevitablycomplex. Ground level inside follows thesloping ground outside so that further,barrier-free entrances can be made forfuture shops or restaurants. Contingency isenlisted as a design tool.Inside the complex, order is provided by

a minimalist, linear atrium pointed at theriver with 18-metre-deep spaces on bothsides, animated by bridges and glass lifts.The standing-height coffee table drums onthe floor turn out to be displacement airinputs. The predominant lobby and atri-um materials are dark stones and glasses,with timber accents. The ‘granite’ on thewall is in fact sandblasted GRC in massiveplanks, creating (with the timber beamceiling and sculptural reception desk) aJapanese flavour. That character, coupledwith the joys of the roof gardens and river-side views, may have been influential in thesuccessful letting of the whole building toNomura, which is about to fit out the inte-riors. The Japanese bank will base 6000

people there, modifying the building insmall and large ways, unleashing a roundof further contingent events which willdetermine the state of the artefact at anygiven moment in time.The signature of Fletcher Priest is per-

haps that it has an attitude rather than ahouse style. The emphasis on conservationof resources and re-use is common tomany recent projects. Energy awareness iscentral too. Within the limits of City prac-tice Watermark Place uses less energy thanmost and provides a slice of ‘carbon-neutral’ space in the south-east riversidepavilion. It has mixed-mode ventilationthrough a double glass wall with rotatingtimber sunscreens in the cavity. Daylightlevels are high. Photovoltaic cells on themain building roof deliver the renewables

Top Massive inclined columns distribute structural loads toexisting hard spots in the original basement. The pedestrianisedAngel Lane extends below the buildings to create a covered linkto the riverside bar and restaurant. Orange glass marks thedoors to the reception.Far left Intrinsic to this development is the re-use of a third of theexisting buildings, using the below ground imperial structure tosupport the new metric column grid above. This resulted in lessdemolition and significant savings in time, energy and materials –98 per cent of demolition spoil was recycled. Left Angel Lane is widened by supporting the building on a trans-fer truss bearing onto three sets of columns, each two storeyshigh. The truss itself is 75 metres long and two storeys high, andwas delivered in eight prefabricated elements. Below Cross section and B2 (lower basement) plan.

Top With shared materials and levels which fall with AngelLane, the reception is a visual extension of the pedestrianisedspace outside. The same palette of materials is extended to allinternal common spaces. Above Long section showing stepped ground floor.Right A common palette of York stone, concrete and timberextends to lift cores and atria.

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component and feed it largely to this pavil-ion area. The green roofs and green oaksunbreakers of the whole complex raisethe BREEAM rating and support visiblebiodiversity. The pity is that Nomura’s plugload – the power it will use for its work –dwarfs the building’s usage. The bank isalso likely to junk the category A fitoutprovided, a wasteful practice that still con-tinues in the City where bare shell space isnot seen to be appealing or comprehensi-ble to agents or tenants.The architecture isn’t all rationality how-

ever – signs of mannerism can be found.The sunbreaker timber and steelwork is

comically exaggerated and curved intoexpressive points at the ends. Where theneutral glass screen is sliced back for anyreason it turns amber, like the timber. Thesupposedly massive GRC ‘stone’ interior issubverted in the dramatic elevator cars byinsetting the lift controls and lighting inways which show the thinness of the material. The reception desk front andlobby floor undulate sculpturally.People who never set foot inside

Watermark Place are also going to enjoyit. The riverside walkway is added to, withfine views, a sunny sitting out space andpotentially a better site for the riverboat

Richard Saxon is chairman of the City Architecture Forum, a formerchair of BDP, vice president of RIBA and president of the BritishCouncil for Offices.

Project team Architect: Fletcher Priest Architects; design team: Ed Williams, Sam Craig,Graham Boyce, Martin Gruenanger, Neille Hepworth, Stavros Nissiotis,Mareike Langkitsch, Daniel Nation, William Tang, Michael Fletcher, KeithPriest, John Robins, Ray Holden, Phyllis Wong, Gerry Whale; structuralconsultant: Waterman Structures; services consultant: Waterman BuildingServices; project manager: CORE; property agent: CB Richard Ellis, KnightFrank; qs: WT Partnership; contractor: Sir Robert McAlpine, WTPartnership; lighting consultant: Speirs & Major Associates, WatermanPartnership; landscape consultant: Townshend Landscape Architects;facade consultant: NET Project Management & Consultancy Services;rights of light consultant: Gordon Ingram Associates; planning consultant:DP9; archaeological consultant: Mills Whipp; townscape/environmentconsultant: Robert Tavernor Consultancy; client: Oxford Properties, UBSSouth East Recovery Partnership.

Selected suppliers and subcontractorsExcavation, drainage and concrete: Byrne Brothers; structural steel frame:Severfield Reeve; external cladding: Joseph Gartner; Sto render: MPGContractors; revolving doors: Bauporte Door Solutions; timber shadingstructure: Littlehampton Welding; roof finishes: Rock Asphalte; insulation:WRR, Dow Roofmate, Kingspan Kooltherm K3; Yorkstone floors: Marmi;joinery, reception desk: Ruddy Joinery; GRC panels: Simplicity Mouldings;external works: Gabriel Contracts; ironmongery: Allgood; doors:European Door Sets; paint: Leigh Paints.

pier than at tatty Swan Lane just down the block. The narrow canyon betweenCannon Street Station and WatermarkPlace is intriguing, with its sudden releaseat the river where the Victorian turretscontrast with Watermark Place’s giant sunshade. The new Angel Lane will offera civilised slot between mirror-faced behemoths. Fletcher Priest has madeadmirable sense both of the circum-stances it found and the market intowhich the building is launched.

Above Six- and twelve-storey atria bringlight deep into the building and giveviews across the new south-west-facingriverside public space; public spaces flowbetween and under the buildings linkingthe Riverside Walk to the pedestrianisedAngel Lane. The new public square ischaracterised by the six-storey timbershading structure, and will be animatedby the bar and restaurant which will spillinto the space.Top right, right Private roof gardens of 2,500 square metres on two levelsoverlook the river. On the higher terrace, sitting areas are integrated into the roofscape to create small private spaces,while a rill links the landscape to the river below.