Arguably the most architecturally significant addition to London’s skyline in recent years
East London’s Manhattan Loft Gardens – home to the design-led The Stratford Hotel - has won a Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) London Award, recognising the best new buildings in London. The building - designed by the iconic global high-rise architects, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) in partnership with renowned property developer Harry Handelsman - is a spectacular double-cantilevered skyscraper consisting of 248 expansive loft apartments, three sky gardens, three bars, two restaurants, a gym and the 145-room design hotel, all housed within one award-winning, iconic structure.
Arguably the most architecturally significant addition to London’s skyline in recent years, Manhattan Loft Gardens has brought together a dynamic collection of individuals to create a vibrant, vertical community with a wholly unique social spirit. Whether to eat, drink and socialise; to live, work and create; or to stay, unwind and discover; Manhattan Loft Gardens is a place where each interaction has meaning and every conversation counts.
Frequently described as “London’s most visionary property developer”, Harry Handelsman has been defining how and where Londoners both live and stay. Famed for introducing the capital to loft-living back in the early 90s through his transformation of abandoned industrial buildings into New York-style living spaces, Harry has an eye for scalable beauty and a clockwork instinct for a postcode’s potential. He is now probably best known for the extraordinary redevelopment of the 19th century shell comprising St Pancras Chambers into what is now the St Pancras Renaissance Hotel, as well as the four-year redevelopment of Marylebone Fire Station into the famed Chiltern Firehouse. Harry's most recent project, Manhattan Loft Gardens, is his most ground-breaking to date.
On Manhattan Loft Gardens’ most recent win, Harry Handelsman (CEO of Manhattan Loft Corporation and honorary fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects) comments - “Any accolade granted by the RIBA remains the absolute pinnacle of an architect and designer's career and having previously received a National Award in 2012 for St Pancras Chambers, I am thrilled that Manhattan Loft Gardens has been recognised for its regional importance as a piece of architecture by being awarded an RIBA London Award 2021. I had a vision and thanks to Christopher and all of the team at Skidmore, Owings & Merrill they helped me make that vision a reality.”
