Would anyone in their right mind buy a penthouse in Canary Wharf now?
And at the lusciously-planted Wardian, with flats from 551,000 to 1.85m+ for the penthouses, lockdown buyers include 31-year-old Kenny Yeo, who works in Holborn (hes a digital innovation manager) but loves Wardians calming, peaceful greenery. The areas typical high churn of Wharf workers means local lettings are always lively - but this year has seen a big hike in demand. Local agents Johns & Co has seen an 84% increase in the number of tenancies agreed in Canary Wharf in the first six months of this year compared with the first half of 2020 (though that includes a period of total lockdown) and Foxtons report 12 applicants for every new lettings instruction currently. They include people who have no need for its office life, too, such as Phil Reid, a 27-year-old content creator for YouTube and TikTok. He moved into his 1,625-a-month studio flat in Wardian in January, and says: I feel like Im constantly on vacation enjoying the hotel lifestyle.  The modern architecture and man-made environment are Marmite to many, but it feels like home to some who miss Manhattan, says Emma Hanks from JM Chase Property Search & Acquisition. A recent client of ours moved from New York into pet-friendly Ability Place and likes the cleanliness, views - and the lack of carpets and old buildings, says Hanks. She also felt Canary Wharf was safe enough to go for a jog at 9pm, and it feels like a worker's village so everyone is there for the same reason.  Striving to dispel preconceptions of dead-at-weekends feel of business districts, Canary Wharf is much, much more than somewhere to sleep, says McGimpsey. It could even be a model for the much-vaunted 15-minute city concept, with its 300+ shops, bars and restaurants, five malls and 200 annual events. The new buzzword in Canary Wharf living, though, is flexibility. We cant be dictatorial about how spaces are used because peoples needs are changing, says Bruno Santos, project director at Far East Consortium, the developers behind Aspen, a 65-storey residential tower which sits alongside a new seven-storey vertical school, a Dorsett Hotel and a restored Victorian pub. Aspen has huge windows in its second bedroom - perfect for putting your desk if you work from home, says Santos - and its top floor residents bar doubles up as a daytime yoga space and juice caf. We also got rid of the home cinema. No one uses that. Weve built a business lounge with moveable walls instead. People are more likely to sit there if theyre not in an enclosed room, Santos says. Aspen, he adds, is as much about its services and amenities as its residences, from the hotel doctor on call to vending machines selling freshly-made bread. Were seeing a lot of interest from families who dont work in Canary Wharf but want to live there because its an easily walkable neighbourhood, he says. Now if only someone could do something about those wind tunnels  Sign up for the Telegraph Luxury newsletter for your weekly dose of exquisite taste and expert opinion.