Welcome to New London
An £8.4bn, 30-year development project, Greenwich Peninsula is London’s most boldly modern landscape. Totalling 60 hectares with 16 hectares of public green space, 5,000 residents already call it home, three million people visit each year and there are plans to build 17,487 homes. “We are unlocking value and creating a dynamic new community at the heart of one of the world’s greatest cities,” says Sammy Lee (pictured), Knight Dragon’s founder and vice-chairman. Two minutes from Canary Wharf and 18 minutes from London’s West End, Greenwich Peninsula will welcome 45,000 residents to its riverfront neighbourhood. Comprising the latest construction techniques and tokenisation ownership options, other cities are paying close attention.

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Think Big: designing at scale

By focusing on modular architecture and communal spaces, Knight Dragon has set the template for larger global projects.

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1. 
Riverside apartments designed by renowned global practice Skidmore, Owings & Merrill.

2. 
Market outperformance when launched in 2020: 35 per cent of flats were let within 48 hours.

3. 
1,000 apartments available in five different interior schemes created by leading designers.

4.
Terraces offer panoramic river views with pavement cafés and restaurants in reach for 1,000 residents.

5.
Jetty to Antony Gormley’s Quantum Cloud sculpture on contemporary art walk, The Tide.

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The people

A dynamic community

In a large, mixed-use development like Greenwich Peninsula, property developers are responsible for the physical delivery of homes, streets and commercial and cultural buildings. Critical to the success of these structures is the community that is nurtured in and around them. “Buildings don’t make a place, people do,” says Knight Dragon’s COO, Kerri Sibson. “We see our role as setting the foundations that allow our community to grow.”

Cultural and public spaces that provide reasons to visit, stay and connect were prioritised. The first opening in 2014 was NOW Gallery, followed a year later by Aperture, a modern interpretation of a village hall, bolstered by state-of-the-art design and facilities. Cultural events such as festivals and markets have continued ever since. The diverse infusion of new London energy is helping residents and visitors discover a sense of belonging in a community-centric way of living.

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the architecture

Strong foundations

Where does a developer start and what do they build? “The received wisdom is that you build based on demand,” says Knight Dragon CEO, Richard Margree. “But we wanted to do something more than build block after block.” Instead, Knight Dragon invested early in future-thinking, community-minded hubs. 

Three examples stand out at Greenwich Peninsula: The Design District comprises 16 buildings and 160 creative businesses; The Tide, London’s first-ever elevated riverside linear park, is home to a free 1km art trail with works by Damien Hirst and Morag Myerscough; and NOW Gallery is a free public exhibition space that attracts about 40,000 people each year.

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the plan

Building a New London

The development of Greenwich Peninsula has been counterintuitive. Take its Design District: to avoid the hegemony of many projects, eight architects were invited to design two buildings each, creating a district that appears to have evolved organically. Knight Dragon also wants to push the boundaries of modular architecture. 

“The most important thing is that we build safe, interesting, liveable and sustainable places,” says Knight Dragon CEO, Richard Margree. Modularity, he says, offers an innovative way to develop this neighbourhood. 

Is modular housing the future? 
It has significant potential although the way that developers deliver it will need to be tested. Traditional building methods will also be challenged in the decades ahead. Modularity will deliver environmental, cost and efficiency benefits for future buildings, both at Greenwich Peninsula and other projects internationally.

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New Investments: smart ways to own the future

Homebuyers and investors can be rewarded via Knight Dragon’s innovative offering at Greenwich Peninsula: a forward-looking financial model.

the opportunity

Investing in ideas

At Greenwich Peninsula, Knight Dragon is on a mission to build better and challenge traditional property delivery methods, financing and investment. In June 2022, the developer tokenised the economic interests of its 191-unit Building Four in the Upper Riverside Development at a market valuation of £140m (€159m).

“Building tokenisation is set to transform how global financial and property markets interact,” says Knight Dragon’s founder, Sammy Lee. “Real estate is a primary global asset but investment options are historic and rigid. Real-estate tokenisation allows investors asset-backed access to income-producing investments.”

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the future

Unlocking value

Knight Dragon predicts a future revolution in property investment and returns both in Greenwich Peninsula and globally. Does Greenwich Peninsula’s vision for New London also include pioneering how real estate is bought and sold in tomorrow’s markets? 

Sammy Lee believes that it does. “Tokenising residential property, whether that is in Greenwich Peninsula, New York or Hong Kong, represents a new way of owning or financing developments by using real estate as a currency,” he says. “There is also future potential for regulators to list tokenised real-estate assets that can be traded like shares on a stock market.” 

Is property tokenisation the future? 
While an emerging market today, shareholders with tokens in areas such as Central London are likely to be rewarded by unmatched security and investment growth.