Wharf appeal: SODA Studio designs for an anti-corporate generation

This article first appeared in Mix Interiors #230

Words: Clare Dowdy
Photography: Gareth Gardner 

South Quay Building was a fairly standard office block on the Isle of Dogs. Inside “it was pretty uninspiring and looked tired,” says SODA Studio associate, Eleni Karabouikis. “It was old-school corporate grey with carpet tiles, suspended ceilings and basic finishes.”

Despite its humdrum appearance, the 13-storey, 210,000 sq ft waterside tower has had a torrid time. Built in 1989 as South Quay 3, it was one of the Docklands buildings that was damaged when the IRA detonated a 3,000-pound bomb on 9 February 1996. It was re-skinned with mirrored glazing after the bomb and given the new name Wyndham House, and later had another name change to South Quay Building (SQB). Now, as big businesses including HSBC and Clifford Chance leave or plan to leave Canary Wharf, General Projects (GP) took on SQB and the challenge of boosting occupancy, which was at 40%.

The real estate developer brought SODA to in to disrupt the typical Canary Wharf offer, to create something more youthful and rebellious than its corporate neighbours. SODA director Russell Potter, elaborates: “We were tasked with creating a series of flexible workspaces that wouldn’t be boring – environments that are playful and encourage a communal spirit, which is now more important than ever.”