FBM Architects were appointed as technical design architects for a 546-room, 30-storey Aparthotel tower for Criterion Capital. Set on the border of the former East India Dock of, Naval Row is named after an 18^th century terrace built on the fringe of the site. The site is boarded by the Aspen Way, Dartford Crossing & the DLR viaduct.

We were appointed to developed concept of compact rooms with both customer experience and floor plan efficiency in mind. The objective is to create a hospitality product which is both highly qualitative and affordable. Whilst the interior look & feel is inspired by the owner’s Zedwell brand, typical room area is 14m², making both qualitative materials and hyper-functionality the main features of the room design.

The site presents important technical challenges such as the existing asset protection and noise attenuation, but it also offers significant opportunities of improvement. The team have overcome a series of technical challenges without compromising the initial client vision. The core design has been entirely reviewed to introduce new fire safety requirements of two stairs and two fire-fighting shafts without changing the functionality of the original floor plan. Onerous commercial sprinkler tank requirements have been implemented despite the strict building footprint imposed by the proximity of the DLR viaduct. The precast concrete structural frame, using Modern Methods of Construction (MMC), has imposed a rational and economical design approach