A roof garden at Canary Wharf’s Crossrail station has opened to the public. The station itself opens in 2018 and will be one of Crossrail’s largest stations.
Like the nearby Canary Wharf London Underground station, it has been built in the dock water area – in this case the North Dock of West India Quay.
Stretching more than 300 metres along the north dock, the station, designed by Foster + Partners, includes four levels of shops, cafes and restaurants, as well as extensive public gardens. Two thirds of the six-storey station development will be dedicated to retail.
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The roof-top garden has been densely planted with trees and plants, and interspersed with seating and pavilions – all partially enclosed by a timber lattice roof, which wraps around the building like a protective shell.
The roof opens in the centre to draw in light and rain for natural irrigation. The spruce beams are sustainably sourced and provide a natural counterpoint to the glass and steel towers of Canary Wharf, a gentle microclimate for some of the plant species that first entered Britain through the docks.
The station box was handed over to Crossrail in May 2012, ready for the arrival of the eastern tunnel boring machines. Elizabeth arrived at the end of May 2013 and Victoria followed a few weeks later.
