British Land and AustralianSuper have submitted a reserved matters planning application to reinstate a permanent cultural venue at the Printworks building within their Canada Water development, SE16.
Through a six-year temporary consent, Printworks London – managed by electronic music and arts operator Broadwick – evolved into a major cultural venue before closing its doors to the public this summer.
British Land and AustralianSuper are now in exclusive talks with Broadwick to operate the new venue. Since opening in 2017, Printworks has had more than 2.5m visitors, 300 music concerts, 200 film shoots, and hosted hundreds more cultural moments at the site.
With the new application, British Land and AustralianSuper aim to deliver a highly flexible leisure and cultural destination within the Canada Water Masterplan that expands on the success of the meanwhile use venue, with a programme that intensifies and diversifies the mix of cultural experiences. The permanent venue will occupy one half of the existing building, while the other half will deliver sustainable workspace and retail, known as the Grand Press.
The designs, led by architect Hawkins\Brown, seek to maintain the building’s volume and character while creating a highly sustainable and modern cultural venue.
There are four key new cultural spaces planned at the new Printworks, which is scheduled to reopen in 2026:
- Printworks’ Press Halls will be retained and will be used for live music events, concerts, immersive art exhibitions and corporate events;
- a new rooftop leisure and cultural area providing space for performance, rehearsals, product launches or curated talks;
- the Inkwells will provide performance space dedicated to immersive exhibitions, multi-disciplinary art shows and more intimate music events; and
- a series of new suites with views of the Press Halls offering space for meetings, conferences, events and corporate hospitality.
Emma Cariaga, joint head of Canada Water at British Land, said: “We want to deliver a permanent world-class cultural venue at Printworks that builds on its globally acclaimed legacy. Combining the best of the capital’s culture with next generation workspace at The Grand Press will create an unrivalled experiential destination, which generations will benefit from for years to come.
“Printworks had a tremendous impact on the UK’s cultural landscape, and its popularity over the past six years has demonstrated how important this multi-dimensional venue is to Londoners and visitors from all over the world who were drawn to its cutting-edge programming.”
AustralianSuper’s head of real assets for Europe, Paul Clark, added: “Printworks will be a cultural centre piece to a major placemaking project that reflects both the long-term nature of AustralianSuper’s capital and our ongoing commitment to London and the UK.
“We believe this strategic project will provide long-term benefits to AustralianSuper members, as well as enhancing the cultural offering at Canada Water and contributing positively to the local community.”
Images © Hawkins\Brown
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