The Hub, Victoria

Located just a two-minute walk from London Victoria Station, HUB Victoria is a 107,000 sq. ft. self-contained, mixed-use residential, office and retail development of three distinct buildings, to be completed in 2023.

Planters and benches in the atrium, on ground-floor access ramps and on roof terraces will create green spaces that provide areas for relaxation and encourage biodiversity and wildlife corridors in the city.

It was decided that the planters should be constructed out of Corten weathering steel from Raaft’s Planterline range to reference design accents in the main structure. The benches were constructed in complementary natural wood.

The Challenges

One requirement of the design was to conceal all electrical boxes and bib taps within the planters. To achieve this, Raaft incorporated sealed boxes with access doors on the faces of the planters. This enables easy access to power and water when required while giving the installation a seamless, streamlined finish.

The Installation

Once the landscaping scheme installation had been awarded to Rochford Construction, Raaft liaised closely with them to ensure they would be fully supported throughout the process. design and manufacture of the planters and benches were then carried out at Raaft’s Innovation Centre in East Sussex.

With all elements of the hard landscaping packed securely for transit, they were transported to the site where Rochford Construction completed the installation.

Throughout the installation process, the Raaft technical team fully supported the contractors with prompt responses to queries and frequent site visits to resolve further challenges.