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A.W 2019/2020 A.W 1 O ISSUE N WHEN EXPERIENCE RULES 10 GEORGE STREET BUILD-TO-RENT A BRAVE NEW WORLD INTRODUCING THE FIRST CHANCE NO JARGON, NO FLUFF, JUST PLAIN MEANS LUXURY IS CHANGING TO LIVE WITH VERTUS ENGLISH. WHAT IT IS, AND HOW IT WORKS WELCOME TO VERTUS The word ‘home’ holds various meanings. The definitions with which we attempt to define it are shaped by our own unique experiences — experiences that resonate beyond bricks and mortar. What I believe nurtures our understanding of home is those we share it with and what it gives us access to. Community and place. It’s my hope that Vertus will mean many things to many people: new-found freedom and flexibility, true comfort and security, and access to a new lifestyle set in one of the world’s most exciting districts. Because home isn’t just a place to live, it’s somewhere to thrive. Our first building, 10 George Street, has been conceived with these values in mind. How we live is changing, so where we live must also evolve. This magazine is our opportunity to champion conversations surrounding the changing nature of ownership and to pull the curtain back on what life in our home, Canary Wharf, looks like. Welcome to Vertus – a new home for Canary Wharf. / Alastair Mullens, Head of Vertus CONTENTS THISISVERTUS.COM 10 36 64 OWNERSHIP TO ACCESS INTERVIEW WITH CAMILLE WAXER 10 GEORGE STREET The end of luxury as we know it? Why nowhere else compares Vertus’ first building, plus a look at to Canary Wharf 8 Water Street and Newfoundland 04 26 56 LEASE IT LIKE YOU OWN IT WOOD WHARF LIVING FOR THE WEEKEND Residential Leasing arrives in Introducing Canary Wharf’s It’s not all about Monday to Friday… Canary Wharf newest district 16 44 100 BUILD-TO-RENT EXPLAINED FINISHING TOUCHES DIRECTORY It’s time to dispel the myths Every apartment needs Whatever, whenever, its showpieces in Canary Wharf 32 60 GREEN ENVY INTERVIEW WITH 640EAST A host of squares, parks ‘Coffee by day, beer by night.’ and gardens to explore What’s not to like? 22 50 104 INTERVIEW WITH EREN ELLWOOD LEASE LIFE TO THE FULL Why he feels so at home CONTACT What does a leased life look like? in Canary Wharf Find out more about Vertus PAGE 2 PAGE 3 LEASE IT LIKE YOU OWN IT LEASE IT Apartments to lease, ready to move in, simple to register. Flexible tenancies, exclusive events and the keys to a new community in Canary Wharf. LIKE YOU A lifestyle driven by experience, a service without the hassle and inflexibility of renting as you’ve known it. OWN IT PAGE 4 Living room in a one bedroom apartment. THISISVERTUS.COM This is Vertus. A new landlord Three brand new buildings make up for Canary Wharf bringing the current Vertus portfolio. 10 George Street is the first chance to live with Residential Leasing, brand Vertus – and indeed, the first chance to new apartments and a thriving live on the private Estate in Wood Wharf community to the Estate on – 327 apartments over 37 storeys with a distinctive architectural personality, rising behalf of Canary Wharf Group. above the gardens and boardwalks of Residential Leasing is a new Wood Wharf’s waterside. way to rent, providing access 8 Water Street, also in Wood Wharf, to the lifestyle you want, free complements its close neighbour with from the commitment you a more low-rise character, bringing 174 don’t, and delivered by a waterside apartments and a roof terrace (the largest outdoor space in the Vertus developer with an unrivalled portfolio) that feel intimately connected reputation and long-term to the water and gardens below. commitment, not just to Vertus, And Newfoundland, a striking new but to the district it calls home. addition to the Estate’s celebrated skyline, comprising 636 apartments arranged over a 58-storey tower adjacent to the Thames, with dramatic views of Canary Wharf and the City. Living room in a two bedroom apartment. PAGE 7 LEASE IT LIKE YOU OWN IT Club Vertus is the heart of life here, with Whether together, entertaining, or in a variety of social spaces to make your search of sanctuary, the apartments at own. Escape to the Lounge to put your Vertus are designed to complement your feet up, make your way to the self-service lifestyle — choose fully-furnished or curate bar to socialise with friends and guests, your own space — complete flexibility and book the dining room, known as the however you decide to let life unfold. Parlour, for almost any social occasion. Tenancies are just as flexible and tailored There’s also a 24 hour gym studio to help to you, with no fees, letting you extend at you stay active, plus a 24 hour concierge any time with no extra cost. for taking deliveries, offering a warm welcome, and ensuring complete peace of mind. PAGE 8 Kitchen in a two bedroom apartment. OWNERSHIP TO ACCESS THISISVERTUS.COM We’ve entered an age where we’re comfortable leasing everything from films to furniture. But what does this mean for the definition of ‘luxury’? In a world where access to something is beginning THE to matter more than owning it, people no longer perceive ownership as the ultimate prize. In this world, experience rules. SHIFT FROM OWNERSHIP TO ACCESS OWNERSHIP TO ACCESS THISISVERTUS.COM ARE YOU EXPERIENCED? But it’s not just when getting from A to B that we’re noticing this shift… The urge to consume things that reflect our identities hasn’t changed since our hunter gatherer ancestors wore shells around their necks, or marked themselves with rudimentary tattoos. It’s just that, after a 20th Century worshipping the ‘big house + nice car = luxury life’ equation, today’s 21st Century creed is more careful to choose how they consume. And, increasingly, they’re GO YOUR OWN WAY consuming experiences. Spotify, Netflix, BorrowMyDoggy. Besides As a recent article from ING Media’s representing a perfect weekend, what Essays on the Blurred Edges of the do these three services have in common? Built Environment espouses, perhaps this is the difference between consumerism The answer? They offer access to things and conscious consumption: you want, without having to own them. When we hear terms like ‘collaborative “Ownership for ownership’s sake isn’t cool consumption’ and ‘experience economy’ anymore; consumers are driven to keep our eyes glaze over. But it’s really quite only what is essential to them and rent † simple. Whether a monthly subscription, the rest.” or an every-now-and-then spend, you’re renting things as and when you want or need it. Think of your favourite album. You grew “ TODAY’S 21ST CENTURY up with it, it helped you through some tough times, and you think it’s the most CREED IS MORE beautiful piece of music ever written. CAREFUL TO CHOOSE But you also love listening to the thousands of other songs your music HOW THEY CONSUME. subscription gives you access to. AND, INCREASINGLY, Then there’s the dog. Of course you love THEY’RE CONSUMING dogs, but can you realistically give one the love and attention it deserves while EXPERIENCES.” juggling a full-time job and weekend plans? It’s a dilemma many of us face, but the shift from ownership to access is teaching us that, in fact, we don’t have to compromise. Most narratives surrounding this topic revolve around car ownership. Thought pieces imagine us hurtling toward a future in which motorised transportation is something to subscribe to, not leave on your drive 96% of the time. So we Uber our way around cities, move apartments with Zipvans, and hire one of the street’s communal Teslas for trips further afield (in fact, this is already built into Elon Musk’s business plan. He envisages a * businessinsider.com future where Teslas aren’t individually † ‘Why we don’t own.’ Essays on the Blurred owned, but shared).* WE DON’T COMPROMISE Edges of the Built Environment. ING Media PAGE 12 PAGEPAGE 13 13 OWNERSHIP TO ACCESS THISISVERTUS.COM MAKING MEMORIES “ PEOPLE AREN’T JUST ACCEPTING SHIFTS IN Our lifestyle habits used to be framed by the language of addiction and THE WAY THINGS ARE rehabilitation. We ‘shopped till we DONE, THEY’RE ACTIVELY dropped’, or we headed out for a little ‘retail therapy’; some of us, to our SAYING NO TO OWNING shame, even became ‘shopaholics’. AND YES TO RENTING Conversely, the pursuit of experiences is seen as essential for personal growth. WHEN IT SUITS THE We describe them to our family and LIFESTYLES THEY WANT friends as ‘eye-opening’, ‘heart-warming’, TO LEAD.” even ‘life-changing’. Rather than soundbites you’d associate with compulsive behaviour, we’re hearing emotive language describing something far more enriching. Global sustainable energy company, Enel, put it this way: “Experiences are considered the essential ingredients to wellbeing… [people] have realised that nobody can steal their memories, nor will they lose value in a financial crisis.”* It’s a good point. Some argue there’s MORE THAN A FEELING a transience to the prioritising of experiences, but it’s often what we can’t touch that brings us the greatest A few years ago, Forbes started using joy. An experience may be temporary, the term ‘NOwnership’† to summarise but memories live forever and shape this trend — more appropriate because how we think and feel. it implies choice in the matter. We can’t ignore economic and technological factors of course, but neither can we fail to recognise the whims and desires of what is categorically a better informed, and more independent- minded population than ever before.