top of page
Bishopsgate Goodsyard
The skeleton of the former Bishopsgate Goodsyard in Shoreditch remained one of the largest brownfield sites in central London yet to be claimed for monstrous development until recently. In the light of the newly approved contentious Goodsyard scheme that will permanently withdraw daylight from its neighbouring Boundary Estate, it may seem futile to ponder alternative realities for this site.
Perhaps looking to a proposal with a very different set of intentions and motivating forces can provide a counter-argument to the Ballymore scheme, and a glimmer of hope for a better future for this unique site.
This proposal imagines a new industrial complex for Shoreditch to occupy the old Victorian ruins of the former goods yard. Aiming to create a nexus within the dispersed distribution system of East London, the new facility would re-introduce rail freight infrastructure to the site to supply an inner-city distribution centre, along with a trading hall and rentable workshops - targeting independent businesses and tech startups.
The facility opens the labyrinthine spaces of the existing viaduct for public market and retail uses. This vast red brick arcade sits between the industrial landscapes of the reinstated rail infrastructure below, and a new distribution facility above.
The coexistence of these programmes is made possible by the robust reinforcement of existing structures, utilising TFL rail tracks and constructing a large skeletal concrete structure upon the old Victorian viaduct.
