Following the presentation and discussion of my explorations in week 1, the relationship between the inevitable population and density swell of the peninsula and its current built form became my point of focus. The above image aims to draw into focus and challenge the seemingly ungovernable approach of mass developers to mass developments.
The extensive proposals by Knight Dragon to embellish the Peninsula over the coming decades led me to investigate what the impact of such a mass urban scale proposal could have. Knight Dragon first became involved with Greenwich Peninsula Regeneration Limited (GPRL) in July 2012, purchasing a 60% share alongside Britain based regeneration specialist Quintain. The company went on to purchase the remaining 40% of shares from Quintain in November 2013, renaming the GPRL as Knight Dragon Investment Limited.
Dr Henry Cheng Kar-Shun, Knight Dragons owner, is also the chairmen of Chow Tai Fook Enterprises Limited, a company which controls New World Development Company Limited (NWD). NWD, a major conglomerate listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, stated that their 'quality developments give a city its identity'.
Taking this intent literally, I calculated the speculative population swell of the peninsula and its current icon, the O2 Arena, using the city of Hong Kong as a precedent. Hong Kong has one of the densest populations, with 25,900 persons per square kilometre. Applying this density to the 2.65 square kilometre Peninsula gives a new population of 68,635, an increase of 54,584 persons or 488.5%.
The above city plan applies this scale factor to the O2 Arena, previously the Millennium Dome, with the extremity of the impending swell aiming to act as a speculative provocation. The Dome here stands not as an icon of the city of London, but as a symbol for the conglomerate owned and directed mass developments which may threaten it.
'London is a gently anarchic city that has always grown haphazardly in fits and starts, and it is that quality that lies behind its long-term robust good health.' Desan Sudjic
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