Vetro

Vetro is Rockwell’s landmark mixed-use regeneration project in Westferry, London. The development is a 30-storey regeneration project of a previously derelict site situated at the gateway to London’s famous financial hub, Canary Wharf. Vetro comprises 68 contemporary new homes, alongside a 400-bedroom hotel, restaurant, podium garden and pocket park.

The site at West India Dock Road sat hoarded and vacant for 10 years before Rockwell took on the project, and it presented a visual blight and physical obstruction to the local community. Poor public access along the perimeter was leading to safety and security issues, particularly at the entrance to Westferry DLR station, where there was limited signage and a lack of a clear through route. Vetro has transformed Westferry, especially around the DLR station, where the new pocket park and public realm space have created an attractive, pleasant and safe space for the local community to enjoy. The new 400-bed Premier Inn hotel, the tallest and largest off-airport Premier Inn in the UK, has brought over 100 new jobs to Westferry, 60% of which are now occupied by locals, bringing a forecasted £3.3million per year contributed to the local area. In Vetro, Rockwell leaves behind not only an attractive, landmark development which highlights and reflects the best features of its surroundings, but also a legacy of economic and social benefit in Westferry, setting an example of how truly transformational urban renewal can be achieved, and how difficult challenges – foreseen and unforeseen – can be overcome.