The Quays Profile: David Allt-Graham

For four years David Allt-Graham lived and breathed The Quays, the twin towers at NewQuay which is MAB’s twelfth project at the Docklands.

As the 617 apartments are handed over to their owners this month and residents move into their waterside homes, it’s clear that David’s hard work has paid off.

David is the General Manager of Residential at MAB and says despite sleepless nights worrying about the custom designed purple glass arriving and Callum Morton’s artwork being ready in time, it has been a project with few delays.

“Large projects involve many collaborators. Several key team members had not worked with MAB, or in Docklands before but overall it created a healthy mixture of fresh ideas and experience. It’s most successful when those collaborating, from the sales person to the plasterer, believe that they are involved in something special. It lifts the game and has made this project immensely satisfying.

“We have learnt a lot about Docklands. We want to make a strong statement with our buildings, but we also want to create streets and spaces that are sheltered, attractive and engaging. The Quays has some quite intimate spaces and loads of variety for a large development.” says David.

“The atrium is a new type of space for NewQuay. It draws inspiration from some fantastic Victorian arcades in the CBD. The suspended artwork by Nike Savvas features iridescent glass balls which encourage you to look up and wonder. Selecting and integrating artwork can be challenging. This artwork really completes the space – it’s hard to imagine the atrium without it” says David.