London developer Manhattan Loft Corporation (MLC) has redefined high-rise residential living with its latest project, integrating the city’s diverse housing styles into a single vertical structure. This development introduces a new paradigm for London residences, featuring spacious unit designs that emphasize both area and volume.
The project comprises 248 apartments across 13 unique layouts, blending expansive loft-style units with boutique single-story homes and culminating in a three-bedroom suite atop the building. The focus is on enhancing social life within high-rise living environments.
MLC founder and CEO Harry Handelsman shares his vision for Stratford: “Imagine the perfect 21st-century hotel. You expect impeccable facilities, precise service, and an excellent location. But it also needs the distinctive qualities of renowned Manhattan hotels like The Carlyle and The Chelsea — a club, gathering place, hotel, and home where every guest is treated with exceptional care.”
The design team faced the challenge of creating a modern community within a vertical building — a space that reflects and supports social diversity while encouraging open dialogue and new connections. Architects and engineers collaborated to develop a creative reinforced concrete structure, allowing for an impressive green platform where residents can socialize. The design maximizes natural light and expansive views from inside out.
The hotel occupies the bottom six floors, with the seventh floor featuring the building’s first rooftop garden. Two additional stunning rooftop gardens are situated on the 25th and 36th floors. These three gardens act as open voids within the stacked structure, each offering unique features—from peaceful flower-lined paths to a lively party area complete with barbecue facilities and a bar.
Social engagement begins the moment one enters the building. The three-story lobby serves both hotel guests and apartment residents. The double suspended beam structure supporting the rooftop garden highlights this shared space and gives the building a striking presence on the skyline, signaling the eastward shift of London’s creative center.
The innovative use of steel reinforcement and concrete has given the building a distinctive structure featuring three separate gardens. The tower’s unusual design includes cantilevered post-tensioned concrete supporting most floors, along with embedded steel truss structures on the 10th and 28th floors.
Stratford has cultivated a luxurious vertical community through double-height spaces, hotel-style concierge services, and exclusive membership clubs. It aims to unite world-class hospitality, art, and architecture, inspiring a new era of both long-term residents and short-term visitors who choose to settle in East London. As a modern long-stay hotel, Stratford hopes to lead the industry into a golden age.
Design Drawings
▲ First Floor Plan
▲ Standard Floor Plan
▲ Elevation View
▲ Sectional View
Project Information
Architectural Firm: Skidmore, Owings & Merrill
Location: Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, London, United Kingdom
Category: Apartment
Lead Architect: SOM
Developer: Harry Handelsman – Manhattan Loft Corporation
Building Area: 39,299 m²
Year Completed: 2019
Photographers: Alex Upton, Ed Reeve, Luke Hayes, Rory Gardiner, Oliver Douglas, SOM, Jake Curtis, Rich Stapleton (courtesy of MLC)
MLC Interior Designers: Alex Gorlin (Top Floor Suite), Seamless (Penthouse Kitchen), Space Copenhagen (Hotel), LSI Architects (Transition Layer)
Landscape Architect: Randle Siddeley
External Contractor: Bouygues UK
Construction Contractors: The Stratford Lofts – Bouygues UK; The Stratford – ISG
Lighting Designers: Light IQ, Paul Nulty
Must log in before commenting!
Sign Up