Canary Wharf. View of the tower block at Canary Wharf in the Isle of Dogs, London, England, at night. Other office blocks are also visible on the River Thames. Standing at 312 metres, Canary Wharf was the tallest office building in Europe at the time of its completion in 1991. It was designed by Cesar Pelli, the designer of the World Trade Centre in New York, USA. The Isle of Dogs is an area in East London which is surrounded on three sides by the River Thames. It was an important shipping area but, with the decline of this industry, office developments have begun to take over.