A five-block mixed-use development adjacent to east London’s historic Tobacco Dock has now been completed.

Paul Davis and Partners said its 21 Wapping Lane development for Ballymore had transformed a former warehouse site next to the Grade 1-listed dock and provided 379 new homes.

The 34,470sq m scheme’s tallest element is 20 storeys in height and features a curved façade and sculptural terracing in “abstract reference” to the historic ships of Wapping’s maritime past.

Davis said the design concept for the scheme was rectilinear for the south of the site but more curved at the canalside and to the south, “reflecting the changing urban fabric”.

Iain McLellan, an associate at the practice, said knock-on regeneration effects of 21 Wapping Lane had already been witnessed, with the relaunch of the 19th Century Tobacco Dock as a conference and dining venue and the spurring of other development.

“The scheme contributes positively to its local surroundings and has acted as a catalyst for other improvements in the area including the re-launch of a local events venue and the development of the site adjacent to the scheme by a major bank,” he said.

The practice said it was currently working on Lillie Square, the first site to be implemented of the Terry Farrell masterplan for Earls Court in west London, as well the Carryduff housing development in Belfast.

This story first appeared on Building Design.