The Stratford Skyline: Buildings around Stratford London
Since the 2012 Olympic Games, the landscape of East London has changed dramatically. Step foot into one of Stratford’s newest skyscrapers and you’ll see a skyline which is not only vastly different from 5 years ago, but one that is still flush with new developments. Here’s a breakdown of some of the newest buildings around Stratford London.
The Stratford Hotel and lofts is a distinctive part of the Stratford skyline. A building that looks like one section has been slid towards the sky, it’s a lofty 42 stories tall and home to the luxury Stratford Hotel as well as 248 ‘loft apartments’. These apartments are based on the concept of the traditional Manhattan Lofts, airy commercial spaces that were converted to residential apartments in the 80s.
The building is also home to five dining and entertaining spaces. Whether you’re looking for fine dining at Allegra or searching for some live entertainment at The Mezzanine Bar, the Happenings page is your go to place for all the info you might need.
One of the buildings around Stratford, London with a more unique aesthetic, the ArcelorMittal Orbit is a sculpture; observation tower; symbol of Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and, perhaps most surprisingly, a slide!
Standing at an impressive 114.5 metres in height, the structure offers views of the park and wider Stratford area from its two observation decks. And for the daredevils amongst you, you can ride the slide, which was added later, in 2016. The slide is claimed to be the world’s tallest and longest tunnel slide at 178 metres.
The curve of this low-level building located within the Olympic Park seems somehow synonymous with its purpose. The magnificent, curved roof that mimics a wave of water, spans a stated 11,200 square feet.
Whilst during the Olympic Games it could house 17,500, the temporary “wings” have since been removed meaning it can now comfortably house around 3,000 people. The best part? The Aquatics Centre now operates as a public swimming pool, so you can enjoy the use of an Olympic quality sporting arena at the same price as your borough’s local leisure centre.
This award-winning, 20-storey office building is home to mammoth organisations like the Financial Conduct Authority and Unicef UK. And due to its location and height, it offers magnificent views across the park, London Stadium and, what’s soon to be the new East Bank development. It’s also home to Workable, a flexible office space offering start-ups and small businesses hot desking opportunities, and event space for larger companies looking to escape the office.
As part of International Quarter London, it’s mainly office space, with some of IQL’s exceptional restaurants housed on the ground floor facing in towards Endeavour Square.
One of the newer buildings around Stratford London, The Pavilion is a beautiful timber and glass structure located on IQL’s Endeavour Square, at the entrance to Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.
In terms of purpose, it’s now home to Haugen,an alpine-inspired dining experience by restaurant group D&D London. Expect three floors of sophisticated, but casual dining, from dawn until dusk, with a rooftop bar serving up live music in the evenings as well as delectable cocktails.
The Pavilion is also home to a public observation deck, so you don’t need to be dining to enjoy the view.
An interesting fact: The Pavilion is a stellar example of a building designed with Sustainability in mind. In fact, it won awards for its sustainable construction. You can read more about that here.
It’s not that common for a postcode to boast a world-class event space, but Stratford does. London Stadium is not only the home of West Ham football club, it’s also an arena for some of London’s biggest concerts and events.
Originally constructed as the location for track and field events during the 2012 London Olympic Games, its capacity sits at a whopping 66,000 although this is restricted to 60,000 for football games and some events.
In 2019 it hosted the first Major League Baseball Game in Europe between the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox and it’s set to be the venue for the highly-anticipated Hella Mega Tour in 2022.
An area that’s currently under development, East Bank is set to transform Stratford’s Waterfront. It’s going to be a new cultural and educational hub for East London, bringing organisations like the BBC, V&A, Sadler’s Wells, UAL and UCL to the area. You can read more about the development here.
With construction well underway, the skyline is, yet again, changing beyond recognition. Don’t believe us? Visit the observation deck of The Pavilion or take in the view from Workable at 1 Westfield Avenue.