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London’s skyline is on the rise: over 119 skyscrapers have been proposed in the last year. The British capital already boasts several pioneering structures like The Shard and Tate Modern. Over the next ten years, the city is set for dramatic growth, with a new crop of equally impressive buildings. The following skyscrapers are set to reshape London’s skyline.
The Scalpel
Lime Street is home to some of London’s most remarkable buildings, including the iconic Lloyds Building. At a cost of £500 million, The Scalpel joins the cluster of high-rise buildings in Lime Street. It was designed by leading architectural firm, Kohn Pedersen Fox and is currently under construction, eventually reaching a height of 190m. The tower has 35 storeys plus two basements and two plant roofs. Multinational construction company, Skanska are responsible for the development of The Scalpel.
One Nine Elms
One Nine Elms, an innovative development comprised of two towers, is coming to London’s luxury housing market in 2019. When it’s completed, it will be the tallest residential tower in Western Europe. This skyscraper has been developed by a UK subsidiary of the Chinese company, Dalian Wanda, in collaboration with award-winning international architects, Kohn Pedersen Fox. The building will cost around £700m, and will be the first residential tower in the capital with its own five-star hotel. The building has received its fair share of controversy with critics stating the project has been behind several forced evictions. The Dalian Wanda firm, as well as Boris Johnson, have however denied these claims. One Nine Elms is part of a wider regeneration of the Nine Elms area, which will see 16,000 new homes built.
100 Bishopsgate
100 Bishopsgate is an office development under construction on the Eastern edge of the City of London’s financial district. Brookfield Multiplex were selected as the main contractor on the project, designed by architectural firms, Arney Fender Katsalidis and Allies and Morrison. The main tower will be a 37 storey commercial office building, designed in the form of a parallelogram at its base that rises to a rectangle at the top. Its shape was designed to overcome the complex geometries of the site. The second building will be a seven-storey structure and will house restaurants and offices. It will total costs of approximately £400m once completed, which is due this year.
1 Undershaft
When completed, 1 Undershaft will become the tallest skyscraper in the City of London Square Mile, and the second highest in the whole city (behind The Shard). Its distinctive feature is its cross brace-patterned façade. The Architectural firm, Eric Parry Architects lead the design team of this project. It was commissioned by Aroland Holdings Limited, a Singapore-based company, and it will contain 1.4 million square feet of office space and also houses restaurants, an education centre, and retail spaces. The tower will sit on steel legs and will replace the St Helen’s Tower.
80 Fenchurch Street
80 Fenchurch Street will be a 14 storey building. It’s a £200 million job and Skanska has been lined up to build the structure. It will be comprised of 240,000 square feet of high-quality office accommodation and 12,250 square feet of retail space, with a series of roof gardens. Construction of the building will commence in Spring 2018 and the aim is to achieve a high rating using the BREEAM method for sustainability. BREEAM has become the industry standard for assessing the environmental performance of buildings.
1 Leadenhall Street
1 Leadenhall Street is a planned £400m skyscraper, which will stand at 182 metres, to be built next to the historic Leadenhall Market - one of London’s most significant and oldest markets; featuring in the Harry Potter films, so the market is no stranger to Potter fans clutching their location maps searching for Diagon Alley. Despite being given the go-ahead, the proposed building has received strong criticism from conservative charities, namely The Victorian Society and Historic Royal Palaces. The latter believes the plans are “not appropriate” to the area. However, supporters of the project argue that the building will add value to the area and join London’s long history of innovative architecture.
10 Fenchurch Avenue
Set on the banks of the Thames, One Blackfriars will stand at 170 metres. It will be one of the tallest residential buildings in Europe. It’s due for completion this year, having topped out in July 2017. The most distinctive feature of the projects is its curved façade. The curved shapes were combined using 3D and parametric modelling designed by Architectural practice SimpsonHaugh. Originally, it was proposed at 200 metres but was scaled down due to protests from residents and English Heritage. The revised plan still qualifies as one of the tallest building in the district, using an incredible 5,800 tonnes of steel and 621 miles of cabling. Also, One Blackfriars will feature lifts that have a speed of 4m per second - it will amazingly only take 40 seconds to reach the 50th floor from street-level.
70 St Mary Axe
The much delayed 70 St Mary Axe, dubbed the ‘Can of Ham’ is back underway. The building designed by London firm Foggo Associates was granted planning approval in 2008, but was placed on hold for six years. Like many other skyscrapers, the global financial crisis put the project in turmoil. It’s nickname, the ‘Can of Ham’, is a reference to the building’s similarity to a can of tinned ham. The perfect accompaniment to the “Cheesegrater” and The Gherkin, you could say. The structure is expected to have 26,000 square metres of office space and it’s believed it will exceed £100m in total costs.
22 Bishopsgate
Remember ‘The Pinnacle’? It was an earlier project that was suspended at just seven storeys, due to the Great Recession. The structure was later redesigned and became known as 22 Bishopsgate. Once completed, it will be the tallest building in London’s financial district at 62 storeys. It’s estimated completion date is 2019. To the delight of thrill-seeking employees working at 22 Bishopsgate, the building will have a “climbing window”. Down on the ground, workers can enjoy coffee shops and workspaces. One of the central goals for the project was attracting a diverse mix of people to the area, acting as a hub for local social and business communities.
These striking buildings reveal how London’s skyline will change in the near-future. In comparison to the US, Asia and other parts of the world, London has lagged with its high-rise buildings in recent years. Now, the city looks set to reach for the sky and surge upward with its own building boom.
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