Eden Dock transforms Canary Wharf’s Middle Dock into a floating public park with biodiverse habitats, walkways, and inclusive spaces that reconnect people and nature at the water’s edge

Canary Wharf was planned as a North American style business district in the 1980s with a street level experience that prioritised motor vehicles over people. For pedestrians, the journeys from the various transport hubs to the workplace were mostly below ground, while the district’s distinctive historic docks were underappreciated, lacking activity and largely inaccessible.

With the development of Canary Wharf’s new Wood Wharf district, the estate is undergoing transformation towards a more balanced, mixed-use community. A large new residential population now requires a greener, more civic and people-focused public realm with better connections to surrounding communities.

Eden Dock is one of the first key parts of this strategy to have been realised. This 325m long, Grade 1 listed dock is directly opposite the eastern entrance to the Jubilee Line, a major gateway to the estate but which was previously obscured by tunnel ventilation infrastructure.

Our strategy has been to create a stepped seating arrangement facing the Jubilee Line station entrance while screening the tube vents. This allows people to easily ascend to a spacious platform with a dramatic panoramic view of the dock.