London’s new waterfront space incorporates bespoke clay paver mix
Thames Tideway at Chelsea Quay. Infrastructure as Landscape.
The Thames Tideway Tunnel represents one of London’s most ambitious pieces of contemporary infrastructure, yet its presence above ground is defined not by engineering assertiveness but by a carefully choreographed public realm. Through the Thames Riverside Parks programme, Hawkins Brown and landscape architects Gillespies have transformed a series of technically complex tunnel sites into welcoming civic spaces along the river. Chelsea Quay exemplifies this approach, demonstrating how materiality, landscape and architectural intent can elevate infrastructure into meaningful urban landscape.
Situated beside the Royal Hospital Chelsea and close to the Chelsea Physic Garden displaying the yearly RHS Chelsea Flower Show, Chelsea Quay occupies a sensitive riverside context characterised by historic institutions, mature greenery and strong visual connections to the Thames. The design responds to this setting by creating a calm, restorative public space that reconnects residents and visitors with the river. What was once an inaccessible stretch of embankment is now a gently contoured riverside park, with terraces that acknowledge the tidal rhythms of the Thames and offer places to sit, pause and observe the changing water levels, actually ón the water.
Clay pavers as narrative material
A defining element of the Chelsea Quay public realm is the use of clay pavers, chosen deliberately to reference the legacy of Sir Joseph Bazalgette’s Victorian sewer network, much of which was constructed in brick. Rather than opting for stone or concrete, the design embraces clay as a material with historic resonance and contemporary relevance. The paving consists of a bespoke DecimA MIX of Vande Moortel clay pavers, composed of 20% Taupe, 35% Auburn and 45% Mahogany and SeptimA Ebonite (corner steps). This carefully calibrated blend produces a warm and nuanced surface that shifts subtly in tone under different light conditions and weather patterns.
The richness of the colour mix reinforces the organic geometry of the site. Curving edges, flowing paths and softly modelled terraces are enhanced by the diversity of the clay surface, which avoids visual monotony and introduces a tactile quality underfoot. For architects and landscape designers, the project demonstrates how a restrained palette can still deliver depth and character when material variation is handled with precision.
Landscape, art and accessibility
The clay paving also plays a critical role in supporting accessibility and inclusive design. Smooth transitions, integrated tactile elements and level surfaces ensure that the park can be comfortably used by people of all ages and abilities. Seating areas are carefully incorporated into the landscape without disrupting the continuity of the ground plane. Alongside the paving, planting schemes introduce salt tolerant species that respond to the intertidal environment, allowing the landscape to evolve with the river rather than resist it. Lighting is also incorporated into architecture and landscape, with differently coloured lighting on the ventilation columns to signify the tide coming in and going out.
Public art is subtly integrated into the fabric of the space with artwork by Florian Roithmayr. His Moving In integrates tactile, patterned brickwork into Chelsea Quay’s public realm, highlighting edges, contours and shifting tidal levels of the Thames. Drawing on the site’s heritage—from Royal Hospital Chelsea to the Chelsea Flower Show—the dispersed artwork enhances spatial experience, revealing and concealing surfaces as tides change, and strengthening visitors’ physical and conceptual connection to the river.
A model for future infrastructure
Chelsea Quay illustrates how large scale infrastructure can generate places of genuine civic value when architectural and landscape design are given equal weight. The collaboration between Gillespies and Hawkins Brown results in a space that is robust yet refined, historically grounded yet forward looking. Through the thoughtful use of clay pavers and landscape design, the Thames Tideway project offers a compelling model for architects and landscape architects seeking to transform infrastructural necessity into enduring public realm.
Above: Salt-tolerant plant species that adapt to the tidal environment on floodable clay paver terraces.
Comparable case studies
Successful restoration highlights beauty of Givet's historic centre
No less than 4,800 m2 of clay paving and 8,000 m2 of asphalt pavement and roads were necessary to transform a public space originally used by cars into a pleasant area for all sorts of people and passers-by.
