Thamesmead Waterfront

Thamesmead Waterfront offers the rare opportunity to create a new, truly significant city neighbourhood of choice for London and the South East; an exceptional, connected, affordable place for a diverse and thriving community. A place which, crucially, will remain relevant and sustainable for the long term.

Competition results

It is with great pleasure that we are able to announce that the winner of this competition is the team led by Prior + Partners. The client was the lucky recipient of five amazing proposals, from five very different teams that each offered much food for thought, so the winning team needed to be exceptional to win.

In full, the winning team comprises:
Prior + Partners with Arup; West 8; The Place Bureau; Alison Brooks Architects; Turner Works; Marc Koehler Architects; JA Projects; Schulze+Grassov; Soundings; and Sage Culture

The press release announcing the winner is in the side bar of this webpage.

Shortlisted Teams

As well as the winning team, four other teams were shortlisted to take part in Stage 2 of this competition:

Allies and Morrison with Jas Bhalla Architects; SLA; Ramboll; Montagu Evans; and Frances Holliss

Studio Egret West and Cobe; with Dark Matter Labs; Studio Weave; Freehaus Design; Yinka Ilori Studio; AKTII; Hilson Moran; and Biomatrix Water

Urban Orchestra led by Tibbalds, Expedition, Haptic Architects and Mikhail Riches; with Create Culture; Gardiner and Theobald; Gibson Thornley; GS Solutions; Innovation First; Kjellander Sjöberg; LOLA; Madeleine Kessler Architects; Mary Duggan Architects; Nick Elias Studio; Nordic – Office of Architecture; William Matthews Architects and ZCD Architects.

White Arkitekter with Publica; Tredje Natur; Central Saint Martins; Public Works; Bohn & Viljoen; Buro Happold; GL Hearn; Aurora

Competition updates

02.02.21
Following meetings with each of the longlisted teams, we are delighted to announce the shortlist of teams that will now take part in Stage 2 of this competition. They are:

• Allies and Morrison with Jas Bhalla Architects; SLA; Ramboll; Montagu Evans; and Frances Holliss
• Prior + Partners with Arup; West 8; The Place Bureau; Alison Brooks Architects; Turner Works; Marc Koehler Architects; JA Projects; Schulze+Grassov; Soundings; and Sage Culture
• Studio Egret West and Cobe; with Dark Matter Labs; Studio Weave; Freehaus Design; Yinka Ilori Studio; AKTII; Hilson Moran; and Biomatrix Water
• Urban Orchestra led by Tibbalds, Expedition, Haptic Architects and Mikhail Riches; with Create Culture; Gardiner and Theobald; Gibson Thornley; GS Solutions; Innovation First; Kjellander Sjöberg; LOLA; Madeleine Kessler Architects; Mary Duggan Architects; Nick Elias Studio; Nordic – Office of Architecture; William Matthews Architects and ZCD Architects.
• White Arkitekter with Publica; Tredje Natur; Central Saint Martins; Public Works; Bohn & Viljoen; Buro Happold; GL Hearn; Aurora

The press release detailing this announcement can be downloaded from the sidebar on this web page.

13.01.21
This wonderful project received over 70 high class submissions from across the globe. Selecting the longlist was therefore a tough but really inspiring challenge for our selection panel and thanks are due to everyone who expressed an interest.
We are delighted to announce the longlist of 10 teams that will be invited to meet the client:

• Allies and Morrison with Jas Bhalla Architects; SLA; Ramboll; Montagu Evans; and Frances Holliss
• BIG – Bjarke Ingels Group and dRMM with Buro Happold, Gehl; LDA Design; Nigel Dunnett Studio; Gardiner & Theobald; Groundwork; Architecture Doing Place; Bell Phillips Architects; Erect Architecture; YOU & ME; Quality of Life Foundation, and Plan A Consultants.
• Grimshaw with Mica Architects; Sohoko; Architecture00; Momentum; Daniel Hill; Quod; Beacon Partnership; JLL; WT Partnership; Soundings; Thomas Mathews; Lionheart; The Centric Lab; Dark Matter Labs; Living Space Project; Hatch Regeneris; McGregor Coxall; Hortus Collective; Ecosulis; Useful Projects; Umbrellium; Hoare Lee; Campbell Reith; and Buro Happold
• HTA Design LLP with Tonkin Liu; AR-Urbanism; Ullmayer Sylvester; Kristofer Adelaide Architecture; The Young Foundation; Poor Collective; Beyond the Box; Nigel Dunnett; Green Infrastructure; Waterman; Steer; and Buro Happold
• Karakusevic Carson Architects with Witherford Watson Mann; Stoss Landscape Architects; ORG Permanent Modernity; Assemble; Studio ONB; Creative Giants; Sahra Hersi; Kathryn Firth; Max Fordham; Lichfields; London Wildlife Trust
• PosadMaxwan with Urban Place Lab; BoschSlabbers; Farrer Huxley; The Green Infrastructure Consultancy and Stantec.
• Prior + Partners with Arup; West 8; The Place Bureau; Alison Brooks Architects; Turner Works; Marc Koehler Architects; JA Projects; Schulze+Grassov; Soundings; and Sage Culture
• Studio Egret West and Cobe; with Dark Matter Labs; Studio Weave; Freehaus Design; Yinka Ilori Studio; AKTII; Hilson Moran; and Biomatrix Water
• Urban Orchestra led by Tibbalds, Expedition, Haptic Architects and Mikhail Riches; with Create Culture; Gardiner and Theobald; Gibson Thornley; GS Solutions; Innovation First; Kjellander Sjöberg; LOLA; Madeleine Kessler Architects; Mary Duggan Architects; Nick Elias Studio; Nordic – Office of Architecture; William Matthews Architects and ZCD Architects.
• White Arkitekter with Publica; Tredje Natur; Central Saint Martins; Public Works; Bohn & Viljoen; Buro Happold; GL Hearn; Aurora

The press release detailing this announcement can be downloaded from the sidebar on this web page.

02.12.20
We received a high number of submissions from teams that are interested in taking on this remarkable project, each containing an extraordinary wealth of information, creativity and thought. To ensure that each submission is read in depth and with the degree of detail that it deserves, the Joint Venture has decided to take more time to review and assess the submissions. Therefore, the competition programme has been amended:

• w/c 21 December 2020: Invitations will be issued to 10 longlisted teams, to attend an introductory meeting and give an indication of their approach to fees. Agendas and fee pro formas will be issued with the invites. Unsuccessful teams will also be informed at this time.
• 14 and 15 January 2021: Introductory meetings with the 10 longlisted teams, following which, the five teams shortlisted to take part in Stage 2 of the competition, will be announced.

18.11.20
A new question Q4.10 has been added to the Q & A document in the side bar on this webpage.

12.11.20
A response to Q3.22 has been added to the Q & A document in the side bar on this webpage.

09.11.20
The responses to all queries received can be downloaded in PDF format from the side bar on this webpage.

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The competition has been split into two distinct parts:

STAGE 1

An open call, asking for expressions of interest from inspiring teams that believe they have the ability to rise to this creative challenge.

Up to 10 competitors will be asked to attend a virtual meeting to introduce their team members and provide an overview of their proposals to the Joint Venture, before the final short list is selected.

STAGE 2

No more than five teams will be shortlisted to take part in Stage 2, which will include a mid-tender showcase/Q&A session, a delivery meeting with the Joint Venture team, and will culminate in the final interview. Given the current COVID-19 restrictions and uncertainty about how the pandemic will affect our ability to arrange face-to-face meetings, it is likely that these meetings will need to take place virtually.

The competition is being managed on behalf of the Thamesmead Waterfront Joint Venture by Colander Associates. This means that Colander is the point of contact for competitors and all communications must be channelled through us via the email address: thamesmeadwaterfront@colander.co.uk

The Thamesmead Waterfront Joint Venture is a 50/50 joint venture partnership between Peabody and Lendlease.

The Joint Venture was formally incorporated in October 2019, to masterplan and deliver Thamesmead Waterfront over the next 30 years. It is a unique partnership between one of the oldest and most prestigious housing associations and an industry leader in designing and building sustainable, innovative and thriving places. The partnership shares an aligned overarching vision and values, and a common focus on placemaking, long-term stewardship and socio-economic betterment, that will support long-term sustainable outcomes.

Further information about the Joint Venture and the project, including drone footage of the site, is available at www.thamesmead-waterfront.co.uk.

The opportunity

It is the Joint Venture’s intention to appoint the winning team to collaboratively develop the vision and strategic masterplan for Thamesmead Waterfront, helping to define the sort of place that will be created in this unique location. Then, dependent on the strategic masterplanning outcome and securing the required infrastructure investment, to assist the Joint Venture in building the full design and consultant team required to further develop the vision and strategic masterplan into a comprehensive, overarching and deliverable masterplan.

Thamesmead Waterfront is a 100-hectare development site on the southern bank of the River Thames within the Royal Borough of Greenwich. It is one of the few remaining undeveloped waterfront sites in London and the South East that offers the scale and capacity to accommodate significant, sustainable, long-term economic growth and housing, particularly in a post COVID-19 world. With appropriate, timely support and investment, Thamesmead Waterfront offers London and the South East a fresh opportunity to deliver on its current and future needs with a new, connected, sustainable and liveable quarter.

Thamesmead as a whole has historically been poorly served by public transport, and the Thamesmead Waterfront site currently has very low levels of public transport accessibility, leading to low land values and viability challenges.

In order to unlock the full potential of the strategic opportunity for London and the South East that Thamesmead Waterfront presents, a step change in public transport accessibility and connectivity is required. Transport intervention is critical if the scheme is to deliver its full potential. This includes a proposal for a cross-river extension of the Docklands Light Railway (DLR) into the heart of the development at Thamesmead Waterfront, alongside complementary transport solutions such as the use of the river for commuter and commercial services. The case for transport intervention and a DLR extension is strong, and the Thamesmead Waterfront Joint Venture is working with Transport for London and other stakeholders to progress the transport strategy as a priority.

With approximately 2km of river frontage, Thamesmead Waterfront is the most significant growth opportunity within Thamesmead, with the ability to deliver a new concept for waterfront living that is accessible, inclusive and productive. Surrounded by a richness of green spaces and a natural environment, the site is expected to include a strong retail, commercial and leisure offer as well as a substantial number of new homes, of all tenures.

Much of Thamesmead Waterfront has remained largely undeveloped and inaccessible for years, and much of the site has an overwhelming natural character.

Existing uses include the Thamesmead Town Centre and land designated as “Metropolitan Open Land” which includes a hazardous waste landfill site, for which a closure plan is in place. There are also a number of historical structures, some of which are locally listed, including ammunition tumps and production buildings. The existing commercial, historic and natural uses of the site will need to be considered as part of the masterplanning process.

The scale of Thamesmead Waterfront means that it has the potential to tackle the all-encompassing challenges post COVID-19: climate change, social inclusion, diversity, affordability, changing commuter patterns, infrastructure requirements, place making, employment and business opportunities, while also acting as a catalyst for wider development in the South East, spreading benefits across the region.

The strategic masterplan and visioning team will need to clearly and unambiguously respond to the opportunities and challenges of the site. In developing both the vision and the strategic masterplan, the team will need to enable relevant ideas to flourish in response not only to the site’s unique waterfront location, but also its viability challenges, social and environmental issues, digital and smart technology, town centre development, meanwhile activities, place-making and cultural curation, as well as ensuring that all activities contribute towards the Joint Venture’s goal of achieving net zero carbon by 2030. Given the current uncertainties over the impact that COVID-19 will have on commuter patterns and peoples’ lifestyle choices, flexibility and creativity in masterplan proposals will be critical in being able to respond to the evolving transport strategy and proposed interventions for the scheme.

The Joint Venture anticipates that the visioning and strategic masterplanning work will be completed within eight months of the conclusion of the competition and appointment of the successful team.

The history

Thamesmead is located in South East London, spanning the London Boroughs of Bexley and Greenwich: a peninsula on the River Thames that is downstream from Maritime Greenwich, just before Belvedere and Erith, and over the river from Barking Riverside. Identified as a key Opportunity Area by the London Plan, the area of Thamesmead measures at around 760 hectares.

Thamesmead’s character and identity have always been defined by its relationship with water, but it is best known for 1960s urban renewal, having been planned as an ambitious “New Town” for London by the Greater London Council. The ambitious plan was to build a new town of 60,000 residents in Thamesmead, however, the Council failed to deliver the necessary Town Centre and transport infrastructure to make this a viable ambition, and the estates that were built soon became synonymous with failing post-war housing schemes.

Thamesmead has suffered from inconsistent investment and management and still suffers from poor connectivity and accessibility, exacerbated by an historic lack of transport infrastructure investment in comparison to other areas of London. This poor provision of transport infrastructure has, for a long time, meant that the area was unable to realise its undeniable potential and deliver the long-term, sustainable community it originally set out to achieve.

Today, Thamesmead is home to an ethnically diverse community of 45,000 people; in the latest census 58% of the neighbourhood describe their ethnicity as non-white and 12% of households do not have English as a main language. Thamesmead has an abundance of green open spaces and direct access to the river Thames, but at the same time, it faces a number of challenges: although Thamesmead’s community is strong, it is predominantly inward facing and physically isolated; weak transport connectivity reduces resident mobility, and the area is classified as amongst the most deprived 40% of neighbourhoods in England. That said, while most residents support regeneration, many are satisfied with life in Thamesmead, citing the peace and quiet, the open space and access to nature, and its relative affordability.

In the last five years, as the potential to accommodate significant development in other areas of London has been exhausted, the opportunity offered at Thamesmead has come into sharp focus and Thamesmead is now at a turning point. Centrally located within the Thames Estuary, it is part of the high-growth corridor stretching from inner-East London to North Kent and South Essex. National and regional policy now recognise the strategic importance of the Thames Estuary and Thamesmead in providing homes and jobs for London and the wider South-East. This has focused minds on the need for infrastructure investment to catalyse development.

The scale of opportunity across Thamesmead is significant, and as Thamesmead's main landowner, Peabody is driving the town's regeneration; details of Peabody’s activities in Thamesmead are available at www.thamesmeadnow.org.uk. In total, Thamesmead offers the potential for an additional 20,000 new homes, as well as the opportunity to create thousands of new jobs and a new leisure, cultural and commercial offer for the town and the wider Thames Estuary, all set within an enviable natural riverside and parkland environment.

As the largest and most significant development opportunity within Thamesmead, Thamesmead Waterfront is a key and essential component in the long-term process of change within the town.

Emerging vision for the project

The Joint Venture’s initial aspiration is to transform Thamesmead Waterfront into a city neighbourhood of choice, and a destination for natural living; an exceptional, connected, affordable place for a diverse and thriving community, and, importantly, a place that will remain relevant and sustainable for the long term.

Through the visioning and strategic masterplanning process, this aspiration will be refined and shaped collaboratively with the community and stakeholders, to lay the foundations for a lasting and enduring neighbourhood.

The selected strategic masterplanner will be a key participant in this dialogue and will need to demonstrate the ability to understand, nurture and develop this vision to create a coherent purpose that embraces:

Using and enhancing the existing blue and green landscape to create a unique natural destination for Thamesmead, London and the South-East, providing a place where people can unwind and find space to enjoy the natural world.

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Providing the social infrastructure and workplaces to enable a resilient mixed-use neighbourhood with the choice, variety and opportunities of the best parts of London and the South-East.

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Transforming connectivity into central London, including use of the river; connecting into the ‘Go East’ production corridor; and creating a legible, connected local network across Thamesmead.

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Creating a place that people are proud of, through community ownership and participation. A place where you know your neighbours and your neighbourhood, where you feel safe and healthy. A place that is founded on robust stewardship and long-term viability.

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Making affordable but high-quality homes, workplaces and neighbourhoods, for a diverse community of people and businesses, creating jobs and opportunities for all.

The objectives

The Joint Venture has set out a number of objectives to define the success of the new neighbourhood:

• To deliver a new waterfront district, centred on the transformation of the town centre while optimising the delivery of affordable housing
• To capitalise on the opportunities presented by investment in strategic transport schemes
• To develop the retail, commercial, leisure and educational offer in the town centre, to better serve current and future residents, building on our understanding of what makes a resilient, healthy neighbourhood
• To ensure a long term, masterplanned approach to development, which promotes high quality design and health and wellbeing, alongside the timely delivery of infrastructure
• To ensure that an appropriate delivery strategy is put in place which will enable both direct delivery and disposal of serviced plots, and flexibility to ensure the most appropriate delivery route is selected for each phase of the development
• To ensure a planned approach to delivery of the site that aligns with Peabody’s role as place makers and stewards of Thamesmead
• To preserve and enhance the historic and environmental features on the site for future generations
• To develop the site in accordance with the Strategic Business Plan. This plan will be made available to the competitors that are shortlisted to take part in Stage 2.

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Along with words like visionary, skilful, knowledgeable, capable and effective, the Joint Venture seeks a winning team that is empathetic, open, diverse, communicative and collaborative. This is a special opportunity and an innovative approach will be required that melds people, place and nature. The winning team will begin the process of creating something extraordinarily successful in this unique location, fully capitalising on Thamesmead Waterfront’s natural features and characteristics - not least its extensive river frontage, lakes and canals.

The Joint Venture is looking for a different approach, that is equally driven by an understanding of how communities thrive and a technical and commercial understanding of place making for future generations. The competition has therefore been structured to focus on not only design, creativity, collaboration and innovation but equally on leadership, communication, management and delivery capabilities.

The successful integration of good design and visionary thinking are at the heart of this selection process. Good design and visionary thinking, coupled with an understanding that at its best, design is a facilitator that can help create extraordinary places for people, and an ability to communicate this effectively with a range of audiences.

The Joint Venture is looking for a team that is able to generate new, yet achievable and deliverable ideas that will set pioneering standards for this type of development for the years to come. The approach to design must be able to tap into the history and community in Thamesmead, to create a strategic masterplan that is of its place: respectful, integrated, inclusive, aspirational, cultural and commercial.

We are encouraging interest from international and UK based teams and would expect to hear from newly formed ventures coming together as a collaborative team for this project. We welcome collaborations that give opportunities to smaller, diverse practices and those with local knowledge.

Core skills

Leadership of the team can come from any team member, and it may be that creative leadership and team management are provided by different team members.

The team should include the following core skills:

• An ability to effectively identify and assess the opportunities and challenges that the development of a new neighbourhood such as Thamesmead Waterfront presents, and to utilise this analysis to develop and define a collective vision for the sort of place that Thamesmead Waterfront could become

• Strategic masterplanning, landscape and urban design, with an understanding of the strategic context within London’s regional planning and transport infrastructure, as well as a focus on quality of life and place-making

• The Thamesmead Waterfront Joint Venture project team will lead on community consultation and engagement but the strategic masterplanning team will need exceptional communication skills to ensure that design ideas are generated through collaboration and shared values, and can be communicated, tested and discussed effectively with a range of audiences through a wide range of mediums.

Please note, the lead designer will be expected to fulfil all required, relevant obligations of Principal Designer (PD) under CDM 2015.

DIVERSITY

Critically, the team must be diverse, given the diversity that is inherent in the project and the desire to deliver a place that is about the people who use it. To be successful, the team must bring a range of experiences to the table.

COLLABORATION

The team will need to ignite a passion for design in others, by communicating the vision and value of good design and acting as the catalyst for progressive design ingenuity. The team must be able to demonstrate an ability to present design ideas effectively, to listen and respond to feedback and to enjoy working in a collaborative, interdisciplinary environment. As well as working with the local community, the team will be expected to work in collaboration with the Joint Venture project team and teams from Homes England, TfL, MHCLG, the GLA and the Royal Borough of Greenwich.

This all means that the composition of the winning team will need to be carefully crafted, requiring the skills and imagination of a diverse group of people, with exceptional creative talents, an extraordinary ability to communicate concisely and effectively with both lay people and professionals, and an instinct for collaborative working.

COMMERCIALITY

The team will demonstrate an understanding of the viability challenges, and the need to construct a strategic masterplan that not only inspires through creative and innovative design, but also forms the basis of a viable and deliverable scheme.

Core tasks

The strategic masterplan will set the ambition and design intent for a successful, multi-phased regeneration programme, capitalising on Thamesmead Waterfront’s unique site characteristics. The vision underpinning this will be developed and refined collaboratively with a range of stakeholders, through an iterative process. The Joint Venture has identified several issues, which are not exhaustive, that will need to be considered in the process.

PEOPLE

• Reflecting and responding to a post COVID-19 world by considering new ways and patterns in which people wish to live, work, commute and socialise
• Understanding how the built environment can exacerbate inequalities and developing a strategic masterplan that begins to address this issue
• Effectively communicating an inspiring story of change to generate support from the community and stakeholders, and supporting meaningful engagement that influences the design approach and outcome
• Engaging with regional, local and statutory stakeholders in relation to required transport and infrastructure investment, as well as strategic and local planning issues.

SPATIAL AND PLACE-MAKING

• Creating an inspiring and coherent masterplan vision, organised around exemplary place-making from day one, that celebrates Thamesmead’s historic and environmental assets
• Understanding the context, to inform the masterplan priorities and variables; a context that encompasses the physical environment, the socio-economic setting, and commercial requirements
• Providing a reconfigured and reimagined place in the context of the town centre for Thamesmead Waterfront, focused on a new transport interchange, and potential river commuting/commercial services
• The integration of a range of residential and commercial typologies, green and blue spaces and public realm that is designed around peoples’ needs and experiences, rather than vehicles
• Considering phasing and delivery, including delivery programme momentum in the context of market resilience.

TRANSPORT

• Supporting the case for investment in transport infrastructure, including the business case for the DLR extension
• Delivering infrastructure that supports a high quality of life and a connected community.

ENVIRONMENT

• Embedding a route-map to zero-carbon and designing to facilitate low carbon lifestyles.

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This competition launched on Monday 26 October 2020. If you would like to be considered for this project, you will need to submit an expression of interest by noon on Wednesday 25 November.

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Any queries about this open call should be sent to thamesmeadwaterfront@colander.co.uk no later than Monday 2 November 2020. Responses to the queries that we receive will be posted on this competition website by Monday 9 November 2020.

Competitors are requested to keep an eye on this website, as any updates to the competition process will be posted here.

Please note that competitors are asked not to make enquiries to the Thamesmead Waterfront Joint Venture, Peabody or Lendlease, or to any stakeholders, including: Homes England, TfL, MHCLG, the GLA and the Royal Borough of Greenwich.

Stage 1 submission requirements

Safety – in design, construction and operations – is an absolute priority for the Joint Venture and the appointed team will be expected not only to adhere to the Joint Venture’s safety guides for the design and construction of the project itself, but also to operate best practice within their own organisations. Equally the Joint Venture has set itself a high standard when it comes to diversity and fairness and, as an employer, it expects these standards to be upheld by those that it engages to work on its projects. See Lendlease’s Global Minimum Requirements in the sidebar of this webpage.

Expressions of interest should comprise three separate files in pdf format:

1. The team's approach to design
   
2. The team's skills and experience
3. A cover sheet

Please follow the page restrictions listed below. Do not include additional cover pages, dividers or introductions.

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An illustrated think-piece of no more than 750 words on no more than three sides of A3, or the equivalent, setting out the three most important factors that your team would expect to explore in relation to Thamesmead Waterfront, and explaining how masterplanning can respond to the challenges of our times.

Your illustrations might include sketches and diagrams to illustrate process, images of your own past work as well as other sources of inspiration. Please clearly identify any illustrations of projects that have been undertaken by team members.

The purpose of this think-piece is to demonstrate your ability to think outside the box, to be creative but address viability at the same time, and to communicate design ideas clearly. It is not to come up with designs for this project.

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No more than five sides of A4, including an organogram showing how your team will be structured and led, and introducing the people or organisations that have been included in the team with a short statement as to why each has been chosen for this project.

The purpose of this document is to demonstrate the skills and expertise within the team, its diversity and the opportunities offered to smaller practices and those with local knowledge.

Please be clear if creative leadership and team management are provided by different team members.

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A single cover sheet that includes:

• Contact person: name, phone and email address.
• Lead organisation: name, address, phone, website.
• Names and web addresses of the organisations in the team, and their roles on this project.
• Acknowledgement by the team’s lead organisation that in completing this submission, it warrants, represents and undertakes to the Joint Venture that it is of sound financial standing and has sufficient resources available to it to undertake this project. Further confirmation of financial standing will be required prior to awarding the contract.
• Confirmation that all members of the team are paying a living wage to everyone working in their organisations.
• Acknowledgement that all team members have read and understood the sustainability and safety requirements set out in Lendlease’s Global Minimum Requirements (see the attachment in the side bar of this webpage).
• No more than 300 words summarising why this team is right for this project.

Submission format and delivery

Your submission must be emailed in pdf format to the following email address: thamesmeadwaterfront@colander.co.uk no later than noon on Wednesday 25 November.

Please note that attachments to your email may not be acceptable if files are larger than 5MB, so we recommend using WeTransfer or equivalent if this is the case. Please ensure that all files are smaller than 50MB. Hard copy submissions will not be accepted.

Competitors will receive an email acknowledgement that their submission has been received. Please note: competitors are responsible for the safe and timely delivery of their submissions. If an email acknowledgement is not received, then the onus is on the competitor to follow up. Colander Associates and the Joint Venture cannot be held responsible for undelivered entries.

Stage 1 judging criteria

At this stage, competitors will be judged on their creativity, their approach to collaboration and their design leadership skills. Also, on their ability to communicate the value of design with clarity and passion. The panel will be looking to create a diverse shortlist, therefore weightings will not be applied to the judging criteria.

Criteria for shortlisting are:

CREATIVE ABILITY

• Has this team demonstrated that it could conceive an exceptional strategic masterplan, balancing creativity and viability, for a project of this type, importance and opportunity?

PROBLEM DEFINITION

• Has this team demonstrated that it understands the quality of design, collaboration, leadership and innovation that will be needed from the team, and demonstrated a clear understanding of the opportunities and challenges of the project?

COLLABORATIVE THINKING

• Has this team demonstrated an affinity with collaborative working: with its clients, with a community, with lay and professional stakeholders and with other members of the project team?

COMMUNICATION SKILLS

• Has the team demonstrated an ability to engage and convey key messages around design, with clarity and inspiration: to lay people as well as those with a professional understanding?

THE TEAM

• Does the team include the skills needed to conceive something extraordinary for this project?
• Do this team’s passions resonate with this project?
• Is design leadership within the team clearly defined, to ensure that the complementary design skills of the various players will blossom, to the overall benefit of the project as a whole?

Up to 10 competitors will be asked to attend a virtual meeting in w/c 07 December 2020, to introduce their team members to the Joint Venture and its external transport advisors before the final short list is selected. The 10 shortlisted competitors will be asked to provide an outline fee structure at this stage (pro forma to be provided). An agenda for these meetings will be issued to the selected competitors.

Please note that it will not be possible to give detailed feedback to teams that are not shortlisted. All teams shortlisted to Stage 2 of the competition will be given feedback, if requested.

Selecting the shortlist

The shortlist will be selected by a panel comprising representatives of the Joint Venture.

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The Joint Venture Project Team will shortlist no more than five teams: teams that it believes have the creativity, ambition, commerciality and communicative skills to conceive and help deliver an extraordinary vision and strategic masterplan for Thamesmead Waterfront.

Details of the Stage 2 requirements will be given to the shortlisted teams. Each Stage 2 competitor will be offered an honorarium as a contribution to expenses, of £5,000 +VAT, payable on receipt of a compliant Stage 2 submission. Shortlisted teams will be expected to sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement before taking part in Stage 2.

Broadly speaking, having set the benchmark for creative talent in Stage 1, Stage 2 of the competition will consider three things:

APPROACH TO DESIGN
As well as attending a mid-term showcase/Q&A session, and a final interview, teams will be asked to submit two A2 boards that explore their design thinking and approach from Stage 1 in more depth, and an additional A2 board with a single image that illustrates the team’s approach to the project.

Remember, this is not a design competition, the strategic masterplan will be created through a collaborative design process, once the team has been appointed.

DESIGN DELIVERY
Stage 1 of this competition focused on design quality. Therefore, it is likely that there will be a wide range of experience and management capabilities within the shortlisted teams. It is essential that the strategic masterplan is the first step in a process of developing a place that is fundamentally deliverable, as well as visionary. Therefore, the Joint Venture will need to understand how, if at all, each team will need to be bolstered or supported if it is to successfully deliver a strategic masterplan for what is a complex and substantial, long-term project.

Meetings will be held with each team to understand what, if any, support will be required, to enable that team to design the project and ensure its deliverability, should it be appointed. Each team will then be expected to respond with a design-delivery report explaining how they would expect to deliver the agreed scope of work, illustrated by up to three relevant projects that the team or its members have completed that demonstrate how the team will work.

FEES
Fee proposals, including day rates, which will be requested in a format that allows fees to be compared across all competitors.

Fee submissions will be submitted in a sealed envelope, separate from the rest of the submission, so that the qualitative assessment can be undertaken before fees are considered.

Stage 2 judging criteria

Details of the judging criteria will be issued to Stage 2 competitors. It is expected that Stage 2 submissions will be judged on a ratio of 70:30, where 70% of the scores will be allocated to the approach to design and design delivery, and 30% will be allocated to fees.

Selecting the winner

Key stakeholders will be involved in the Stage 2 mid-tender showcase/Q&A sessions. The final decision will be made by the Interview Panel. Membership of this panel will be announced.

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26.10.20
Competition launch
02.11.20
Deadline for any queries about this competition
25.11.20
12 noon: deadline for receipt of Stage 1 submissions
14,15.01.21
Virtual meetings to introduce the teams, held with up to 10 competitors, following which, the five teams, shortlisted to take part in Stage 2 of the competition, will be announced.

Dates for subsequent stages of the competition will follow.

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The ownership of copyright of all ideas submitted will be in accordance with the Copyright, Designs & Patent Act 1988. By entering the competition, teams acknowledge that their submissions may be shared with other competitors and with the public at large through press and other media, exhibitions and events.

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There will be publicity associated with this competition as it progresses.

In particular, there will be public interest around Stage 2 and the Stage 2 submissions will be used in publicity to announce the competition winner. By entering the competition, competitors acknowledge this fact and freely consent to their submissions being used for publicity purposes.

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Any submission will be excluded from the competition if:

• It is received after the submission deadlines
• In the opinion of the Interview Panel, it does not fulfil the requirements of the brief
• A competitor improperly attempts to influence the decision
• Any of the mandatory requirements of the competition brief and conditions are disregarded.

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While the information contained on this webpage is believed to be correct at the time of issue, neither the Joint Venture, nor its advisors make any warranty or representation (express or implied) with respect to such information; nor will it accept any liability for its accuracy, adequacy or completeness.

Please note that while the Joint Venture has every intention of appointing the winning team to design and deliver the masterplan, it reserves the right to make changes to the team and the procurement process if required.

Colander Associates has taken all reasonable efforts to ensure that the information included is accurate.. However, it cannot be held responsible for any inaccuracies or inconsistencies.