This 16th/17th-floor duplex penthouse enjoys every epic landmark in the East London skyline: cable cars, Richard Rogers’ Millennium Dome, César Pelli’s Canary Wharf, Roger Walters’ Thames Barrier and Thames Barrier Park designed by landscape architect Allain Provost. Photos by Marianne Majerus.

Project Name: Thames Barrier Roof Garden
Studio Name: Mylandscapes LTD

Thames Barrier Roof Garden by Mylandscapes LTD-Sheet1
©Mylandscapes LTD

The unique Thames Barrier park with its post-modernist shapes, as well as the Barrier’s curvature inspired the design for the 53-sqm roof garden. 2 types of artificial grass mimic the park’s lawns & textures, wood & granite reiterate the waterfront details in shapes & juxtaposition, while the tree planters were contoured after the barrier’s curvilinearity. Since then we’ve stopped using synthetic grass and only use sustainable materials.

Thames Barrier Roof Garden by Mylandscapes LTD-Sheet3
©Mylandscapes LTD

The residence features 2 roof terraces, where the main downstairs design is repeated upstairs to create cohesiveness. Multi-stemmed Tibetan cherry trees have a capacious home inside the barrier-shaped planters, top mulched in slate. Boat-shaped low curved vases repeat the Millennium Dome’s apex (O2) in an inverted manner, featuring grasses, spurge & herbs.

Thames Barrier Roof Garden by Mylandscapes LTD-Sheet4
©Mylandscapes LTD

In this unique project, we introduced a new powder-coating technique to create wave-like planting troughs by using a curve on the front elevation defined by blue-grey tones, to repeat the ebbs & flows of the Thames riverfront.

Thames Barrier Roof Garden by Mylandscapes LTD-Sheet5
©Mylandscapes LTD

Life in a high-rise riverbank entails roof garden durability, where strong winds, intense heat & pollution swarm the outdoor spaces incessantly. We selected Mediterranean plants which thrive in these conditions.  Tamarix, Syringa, Stipa, Santolina, Salix, Rosmarinus, Pittosporum, Pinus, Phlomis, Phillyrea, Olearia, Lonicera, Lavandula, Hebe, Grevillea, Gazania, Frangula, Euphorbia, Chamaerops, Ceanothus, Beschorneria, Astelia & Acca form biodiverse, perfumed, rich cascades & wind-resistant tall medlies.

Thames Barrier Roof Garden by Mylandscapes LTD-Sheet6
©Mylandscapes LTD

Epic sunsets above the city, the waterscape, cable car commotion & aeroplanes landing at City Airport all make this a buoyant environment. The upper roof terrace on the 17th floor makes the most of this scenery with views of the main roof garden, the Thames and skyscape, situated outside the master bedroom.

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