The modern history of Fish Island and Hackney Wick is one of continuous industrial innovation and change. This has profoundly shaped the spatial organisation of the area and the buildings that are found there. While considering the approach to Fish Island Village, Haworth Tompkins placed importance on learning from and adapting this existing architectural context.

Incorporating the social and cultural heritage of an area into methods of placemaking was an integral part of the Fish Island Village proposals. Starting with a deep analysis of the historical context of their site and a sensitivity to the complexities of urban redevelopment projects, Haworth Tompkins placed the wider cultural fabric of Fish Island and Hackney Wick at the core of the design process.

The resulting development extends from a belief that responding to material, formal and spatial context can achieve a degree of coherency between a site and its wider surroundings that goes far beyond questions of style. This publication explores that process.