Where we work

Famous for its maritime history and the iconic landmarks of Canary Wharf and the Tower of London, Tower Hamlets’ modern residential area reflects a diverse, young and vibrant community.

Home to the sprawling Epping Forest and a vibrant urban community, Waltham Forest is one of SHIFT’s neighbouring boroughs, bordering Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park to the north-east. As part of east London’s regeneration, Waltham Forest has emerged a hub for creativity and innovation in recent years.

Hackney is home to a thriving arts scene and a diverse community of residents, businesses and creatives. The borough’s parks and canals offer a tranquil contrast to the buzzing commercial and residential areas. The legacy of industry in Hackney continues today, and the borough is a key piece of London’s innovation landscape.

A member of the prestigious Mossbourne Federation, the Mossbourne Primary Academy provides its pupils with the learning environment necessary to prepare them for a future as the next generation of thinkers, leaders and creators.

An Independent Academy for students aged 3 – 18, Chobham Academy is based in the heart of East Village, offering an outstanding level of education to the children of families in the surrounding areas.

A natural river that has been improved for navigation, the Lee Navigation runs from rural Hertfordshire into the heart of London, offering picturesque and unbroken walking and cycling routes along its entire length.

Originating in the Chiltern Hills, Bedfordshire, the River Lea is the one of the most defining natural features of east London and runs through the very heart of Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.

One of the Bow Back Rivers, City Mill River formerly fed City Mill for the production of chemicals in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

At one time a tidal river, Waterworks River is now one of the Bow Back Rivers that flow into Bow Creek, which in turn flows into the Thames.

Dubbed ‘London’s newest neighbourhood’, East Village was originally designed and constructed as the 2012 Olympic Village. After opening to the public post-Games, East Village’s shops, restaurants, greenspaces and residential communities have quickly made it a focal point of east London.

Served by several  London Underground lines, London Overground, Docklands Light Railway (DLR) and National Rail services, Stratford Station is consistently one of the busiest railway stations in Britain by commuter numbers, and is the busiest station on the Tube network outside of Zone 1.

The largest shopping mall in Europe, Westfield Stratford City is the largest shopping and leisure destination in Europe, with over 300 stores and dining options placed across a near 2-million square foot retail floor area.

Based out of the Here East campus, Liverpool Music Academy (LMA) London is one of the fastest growing creative institutions in the UK. Celebrating talent, diversity and inclusion, LMA is breaking down barriers to higher education to develop the next generation of pop stars, performers and creatives.

Staffordshire University’s London campus is home to its specialist Digital Institute. The Digital Institute offers the university’s technology and digital courses, with a focus on gaming and computing

Loughborough University London, a SHIFT partner, is based at the Here East development, surrounded by world-class sporting facilities, parklands and cafes. The unique location provides a stimulating environment for postgraduate students and staff to ask questions, challenge ideas and collaborate with a wide range of inspiring industry partners.

A canalside destination where creativity meets community, Hackney Bridge is a hub for east London’s street food vendors and independent retailers, and plays host to regular cultural events.

Good Growth Hub works closely with local businesses to offer training, experience and employment opportunities to east Londoners aged 18 – 30.

A development project from SHIFT’s partner Lendlease,  International Quarter London (IQL) is one of the best connected business districts in London. With an abundance of green space and fresh air, access to some of the world’s most forward-thinking cultural institutions and a workplace design that has employee wellbeing as its heart, IQL offers a unique workplace and a sense of community.

IQL is already home to Transport for London, the Financial Conduct Authority, Cancer Research UK, Unicef, the Nursing and Midwifery Council, The Insolvency Service, the British Council and shared workplace facilities.

The former Press and Broadcast Centres for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games is today Here East. This major development builds on the creative and entrepreneurial heritage of Hackney Wick to create a thriving innovation campus. Global businesses and scaling companies work side by side with top universities, research institutes and world-class creative institutions to create a unique environment for the 4,000 people – and growing – who call it home everyday.

From BT Sport – who have broadcasted from the site since 2013 – to one person businesses, it really is a mix of innovation and opportunity. Loughborough University London, UCL, and Staffordshire University are among the top class educational institutions working from the campus.

Chobham Manor was the first of five new neighbourhoods on Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, welcoming its first residents in 2016. Since then, Chobham Manor has grown into a stylish neighbourhood, offering tree-lined avenues, intimate streets, as well as houses and flats designed for both families and affordable housing.

East Bank is a new powerhouse for innovation, creativity and learning on Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.

World-renowned universities UCL and UAL’s London College of Fashion will join the global cultural brands of the BBC, Sadler’s Wells and the V&A to create this centre of innovation and ambition. It will bring an additional 1.5 million visitors to the Park and surrounding area each year, and more than 2,500 jobs will be created by East Bank – generating an estimated £1.5 billion for the local economy.

UCL East opened its first buildings to students in 2022. East Bank will continue to open throughout 2023.

Newham’s history is intertwined with the growth of London’s docks, and today, it’s home to one of the most diverse populations in the UK. Offering green spaces like the Thames Barrier Park and world-class sports facilities, Newham continues to evolve as an attractive destination for both residents and businesses.

East Wick is in development to become a neighbourhood of up to 870 homes with a mix of housing types, including family housing and private rented housing, framing the edge of the parklands.

Sweetwater will feature a mix of up to 650 homes including apartments and family homes with private gardens and communal green space alongside the Lee Navigation canal.

As well as a strong business community, there’s also a growing residential community in the making.

As part of the development of the area, new connection routes are being built throughout the Park, and new bridges will improve the connections between the Park and Hackney Wick and Fish Island.

Running from Stratford High Street to White Post Lane, Hackney Wick, Carpenters Road is a major multi-use road through Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.

The Bobby Moore Academy is an all-through academy that looks to empower every young person through education – regardless of their circumstances. Offering Primary, Secondary and Sixth Form education, The Bobby Moore Academy is committed to providing east London with a world-class education and carrying on the legacy of its namesake.

UCL’s campus on Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park offers exciting new degrees and the scale and space needed to tackle the biggest challenges facing the planet. It’s the biggest development in UCL’s nearly 200-year history.

UCL’s One Pool Street base opened in 2022. Full of multidisciplinary research labs and studios exploring ecology, robotics, urbanism, culture, disability and heritage, with a lecture theatre doubling as a cinema, a shop, a café and homes for 500+ students.

UCL East’s campus continues to open in 2023.

Plexal, a SHIFT founding partner, is Here East’s innovation centre and co-working space. Collaboration is at the heart of its approach.  Plexal’s innvation team delivers programmes for clients like Innovate UK and Transport for London, and specialises in connecting industry, academia, investors, startups and scaleups to tackle some of the biggest challenges facing society.

Plexal’s workspace is home to over 800 innovators who are working in areas like mobility, AI, healthtech, cybersecruity, fintech, the Internet of Things, VR and more.

You will find The Last Drop at the base of the ArcelorMittal Orbit. It is a riverside cafe and private hire venue, where Park users drop in for a coffee or a bite to eat after riding the slide, on their way to an event at a Park venue or after a workout in the London Aquatics Centre.

A cafe and community centre providing visitors with a relaxing place to sit, chat and enjoy refreshments while their kids discover new adventures in the exciting Tumbling Bay Playground.

With breathtaking views of London, the world’s longest and tallest tunnel slide and the UK’s highest freefall abseil, the ArcelorMittal Orbit is a viewing experience like no other.

Designed by sculptor Sir Anish Kapoor and engineer Cecil Balmond, the ArcelorMittal Orbit is one of the most striking and enduring visual legacies of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Its extraordinary looping structure has become a byword for design innovation and playful intervention. 60% of the ArcelorMittal Orbit is made from recycled steel, including washing machines and used cars.

State-of-the-art indoor sporting complex boasting two hockey pitches, four indoor tennis courts and six outdoor courts, plus a clubhouse, changing rooms, bar and areas to socialise and relax. Available for public use all year round.

Four cycling disciplines under one roof, as well as a VeloStudio for fitness and training sessions for children to learn how to ride. Visitors can choose to ride on the iconic velodrome, ride on the road circuit, mountain bike trails or jump on the BMX track.

Home to handball, modern pentathlon, fencing and goalball during the 2012 Games, the Copper Box Arena is open to the public and is one of London’s most flexible indoor venues.

With retractable seating for up to 7,500 spectators the Arena can host a wide range of different sports and activities. It is home to a number of local clubs, and it is now a major venue for everything from heavyweight boxing matches to pop concerts, while day-to-day it is a place to meet friends and take part in sport.

As the centrepiece of London 2012, London Stadium hosted spectacular opening and closing ceremonies and saw some of Britain’s most memorable sporting moments take place in front of sell-out crowds. Now sports fans, music lovers and London 2012 enthusiasts are able to explore the venue once again.

The former Olympic Stadium is now home to Premier League football club West Ham United and UK Athletics. Concerts are held through intervening months with an 80,000 capacity, and the versatile venue has also hosted a range of other sporting events including the Rugby World Cup.

The London Aquatics Centre is an indoor facility with two 50-metre swimming pools and a 25-metre diving pool.

In 2012, the spectacular London Aquatics Centre, designed by architect Zaha Hadid, provided the breathtaking backdrop to countless world records and Ellie Simmonds’ dramatic swim into the history books.

Designed for swimmers of all abilities, from absolute beginners to Olympic and Paralympic champions, the pool now has around 1 million visitors per year and around 1000 school children attend swimming lessons here each week. There is also a state-of-the-art gym with regular users, and spectator seating for up to 3500 for a wide range of swimming and diving events.