Skinny Skyscraper to Become London’s Tallest Residential Building

A 73-story skyscraper will become London’s tallest residential building if it receives approval from the Tower Hamlets Council.  The 250-meter, 73-story skinny skyscraper will take the record from St. George Wharf Tower once completed (181 meters, 50-story). Foster and Partners submitted their planning application in April and expects to begin construction on the building and surrounding development by 2015.

The £400 million skyscraper will be built in London’s Docklands. Foster and Partner’s proposal includes demolishing two blocks on the Isle of Dogs. In addition to the 73-story skyscraper, the planning application includes proposals for a 36-story tower and 20,000 square feet of new retail, dining, and entertainment space.  The development will also have a riverside walkway. Once completed, the area will gain 947 new homes.

Harry Lewis, Managing Director of Berkeley Homes, which is working with the architects, said, “South Quay Plaza has a vital role to play in revitalizing this dockside location – we have been working closely with the Borough and the Greater London Authority and, with their support, aim to create over 900 homes and more than 1.5 acres of landscaped open space. Opportunities to deliver such significant public realm in Canary Wharf are few and far between.”  

A study published by the New London Architecture think tank found that there are currently 236 towers proposed, approved, or under construction in London. The report defines a tower as a building with 20 or more stories. Of the new buildings, 80 percent will be residential and the rest will either be office space, hotels, or mixed-use. Peter Murray, Director of New London Architecture, believes the skyscraper boom is the result of increased pressure on the Greater London Assembly to build more housing. London Mayor Boris Johnson announced last year, as part of his housing plan, that London would need to add 42,000 new houses each year to meet the country's housing demands. The boom is responsible for creating skyscrapers in areas that are not used to seeing them. Instead of being located in the Canary Warf along the River Thames, the new buildings are planned for Tower Hamlets, Lambeth, and Greenwich. The city council would like to protect the city’s skyline and control the way development takes place while also providing necessary housing options.

See here an earlier post on the Skinny Skyscraper brought to you by thestructuralengineer.info!