Royal Docks Waterways Appoints Haptic and Gort Scott for Nine-Month Floating Homes Feasibility Study

en.Wedoany.com Reported - In September, Royal Docks Waterways, the non-profit organization responsible for managing the waters of London's Royal Docks, commissioned Haptic Architects and Gort Scott to lead a nine-month feasibility study for a floating homes project in the western area of Royal Victoria Dock. The study will produce design and business proposals for floating homes and residential moorings, and assess implementation pathways for the first phase of floating homes and supporting community infrastructure. The consultant appointment was actually completed in July, and Royal Docks Waterways officially announced it on September 4.

The consultant team is led by Haptic Architects and Gort Scott, with Stace and Oakridge responsible for business case research, and make:good organizing public consultation for the project, with the first round of consultation planned to launch in October. At this stage, it is a preliminary feasibility study and has not yet entered the planning approval or construction phase; the number of homes, construction investment, developer, and construction contractor for the project are all currently undetermined.

Floating homes are part of the "Royal Victoria Dock West Vision." This masterplan was published in February 2026, covering approximately 12 hectares of water at the western end of Royal Victoria Dock, and includes three types of water-based development: floating homes, floating wellness facilities, and floating parks. The residential component is intended to include floating homes and residential moorings, along with public infrastructure serving both water-based and land-based residents. The overall goal of the project is to bring the first phase of projects into implementation within the next 3 to 5 years.

Royal Docks Waterways had previously launched procurement for residential and wellness projects. During the recruitment stage for the floating homes feasibility consultants, a total of 28 expressions of interest were received, after which four teams were shortlisted for the detailed proposal stage, including Adam Khan Architects, the joint team of Haptic Architects and Gort Scott, Howells, and Inner Circle Consulting, with the Haptic Architects and Gort Scott team ultimately selected.

This is not the first time floating homes development has been proposed for the Royal Docks. The Greater London Authority had previously selected a partner in an earlier round of development plans to advance a scheme of approximately 50 floating homes, but this round of the 2026 Royal Victoria Dock West plan represents a new overall vision and a new feasibility procurement process, and the current project scale still needs to be further determined by this nine-month study.