LONDON | Projects & Construction [Archive] - Page 9

PortoNuts

November 26th, 2010, 05:53 PM

Red army of buyers keeps UK landlords in the black

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Red mist: JLL’s Thomas expects 10% of UK buyers to be Chinese in three years

The Red Flag of China hangs provocatively close to the Bank of England, over the modest entrance to Bank of China at 1 Lothbury. The world's third-largest bank is now settling in at its new 10-storey UK headquarters. No clearer signal of intent to invest in UK property could be given.

The state bank is already funding a £100million hotel at Queen Anne's Chambers, near New Scotland Yard. Funds have been supplied to buy a £32million office block in the City. A declaration of intent to become a residential mortgage lender in the UK has been made and is becoming a little clearer.

Last week Bank of China officials accompanied solicitors from law firm DLA Piper and property agents from Jones Lang LaSalle on a series of presentations in Beijing and Shanghai to Chinese nationals who fancy buying a home in London. JLL head of residential, James Thomas, was on the trip. "The invited audiences were clients of Bank of China, so a pretty select bunch. We told them what is driving the London market. DLA talked through the legal issues and Bank of China indicated how much they could borrow and remit."

There is thought to be a Three Gorges-sized reservoir of Chinese cash pooled behind a dam marked "currency control". On Tuesday evidence of internal pressure came when the Chinese authorities clamped down on property sales in Hong Kong after price rises of 50% in two years.

Seriously rich Chinese buyers have bought in London for years. But most of them made their money manufacturing outside China and therefore can do what they like with their dollars. There is no law preventing Chinese nationals owning property abroad.

This is encouraging a newer group within the country. Factory owners who have been paid in dollars for goods they have exported. They can remit £20,000 a day. The final, and by far the biggest group, are those who have accumulated piles of the Chinese renmimbi. From these two groups come those whose excuse is buying a flat for student offspring. There are plenty of them: Chinese student numbers have increased 10-fold in 10 years to 47,000. Ma and Pa come over and spend, say, half a million on a flat they will keep long after the kids have gone.

Individuals holding renmimbi can turn about £30,000-worth each year into hard currency. Not enough surely? "Yes, it is," says Thomas. "Family members join together to buy. The Bank of China in the UK can give them a mortgage. It does not take long to put together the asking price."

Will the dam burst? "I am not sure about Chinese fiscal policy," admits Thomas. "The laws may one day change. But as things stand we expect the proportion of Chinese buyers in the UK to rise over the next three years from 7.5% to 10%."

That sounds enough to keep the Red Flag flying here.

...

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard-business/article-23901559-red-army-of-buyers-keeps-uk-landlords-in-the-black.do

PortoNuts

November 27th, 2010, 01:59 AM

40 Portman Square acquired for £181m

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ING Real Estate Investment Management on behalf of The Malaysian Employees Provident Fund has exchanged on the long leasehold of an office block at 40 Portman Square, for £181m, a yield of 5.5%.

Owned by European fund manager Aerium, developed by Delancey and funded by Standard Life, 40 Portman Square is a new headquarters development designed by architects Squire and Partners. It provides in excess of 100,000 sq ft of high quality office space just north of Oxford Street and south of Marylebone Village.

As well as providing Grade A office space in central London, the building also comprises 20 flats across the top two floors. The freehold belongs to The Portman Estate. The fully let property has tenants which include US venture capital firm Ziff Brothers Investments and private equity firm BC Partners.

This is the second purchase in a month for the Malaysian fund who exchanged on the 1 Sheldon Square office scheme in Paddington recently. Businesses seeking flexible office space to rent in the West End or serviced offices to let in Central London will find a broad range of properties listed with London’s leading serviced office broker at www.freeofficesearch.co.uk.

http://www.freeofficesearch.co.uk/OfficeSpaceNews.asp?NewsID=00000533&monthnameyear=November2010

PortoNuts

November 27th, 2010, 11:09 PM

Indian companies rush to float in London

The growing importance of India to the global economy was underlined today when an energy company became the fifth from the country to float on the London stock market since the summer.

The arrival of Jubilant Energy and four other Indian companies on the Aim stock market for smaller companies is a boost for London as a financial centre at a time when doomsters fear the capital could lose out to rivals in the wake of tighter financial regulation and higher taxes.

Tracey Pierce, a director at Aim's parent company, the London Stock Exchange, said: "This flurry of new Indian admissions by five diverse, ambitious and growing companies highlights the increasingly central role India is playing in the global economy, and how London can provide the capital to match the country's appetite for growth."

Between them the five new Indian admissions have raised an estimated £217m.

Pierce said: "With a long and established relationship with India, our markets are a perfect fit for the country's investment hungry companies. The UK is home to an unparalleled community of internationally-focused advisers who understand the needs of Indian business."

Jubilant Energy is a holding company for a group of firms engaged in oil and gas exploration and production in India. It raised $85m, making it the third largest Aim IPO in 2010.

...

http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2010/nov/24/indian-companies-float-london

PortoNuts

November 27th, 2010, 11:56 PM

AHMM Pen Euston Development

Continuing their recent streak of proposals, Allford Hall Monaghan Morris has designed this new office-led mixed use development to stand on Hampstead Road in the London borough of Camden.

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Sitting on a 0.75 hectare site, which is currently in part an old petrol station, stands next to Carrington Street only 500 metres away from Euston Station and the cluster of tall buildings there.

The development includes offices at 132 Hampstead Road of 16,508 square metres and 140 Hampstead Road of 10,493 square metres, 65 square metres of ground floor retail, and 38 new apartments located in a 12-storey residential building.

The office building features a floating upper level, similar in a way to Alsop's Palestra. It also has set backs to break up the mass and reduce the perception of height from the street, with a brick plinth and aluminium cladding on the upper levels.

Giving the landmark feature is a residential tower is located on the northern part of the site. This responds to the triangular nature of the site with similar shaped floorplates. Cutting into its corners are recessed balconies with touches of colour to liven it up, with the top floors having double height recesses to prevent the building just abruptly terminating at its roof level.

http://www.skyscrapernews.com/news.php?ref=2714

ajaaronjoe

November 28th, 2010, 12:09 AM

Cooooool, i can clearly see a great future for London :cheers:

PortoNuts

November 29th, 2010, 10:22 PM

Alberta House

by chest.

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Jeanbonnau

November 30th, 2010, 12:20 AM

Renders of the Battersea Power Station redevelopment.

-- Images © Rafael Viñoly Architects (http://www.rvapc.com/) --

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http://www.plataformaarquitectura.cl/2010/02/27/battersea-power-station-masterplan-rafael-vinoly-architects/battersea5/

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Wahou ! C'est superbe ! On dirait les centrales électriques dans "Alerte rouge". Les Anglais ont bien fait de ne pas mettre par terre ce vieux bâtiment industriel. C'est une superbe reconversion. Par exemple, j'aurais bien aimé que l'on gardât quelques fragments de l'usine Renault de Billancourt qui se trouve près de Paris, sur une île de la Seine. Il y a somme toute assez peu de patrimoine industriel un peu massif à Paris.

Wow! It is superb! Looks like the power plants in "Red Alert". The English have done well not to put down this old industrial building. It is a superb conversion. For example, I liked that we should retain some fragments of the Renault factory at Billancourt located near Paris, on an island in the Seine. There are actually quite a few industrial heritage a little solid in Paris.

PortoNuts

December 1st, 2010, 05:47 PM

It would have been very foolish to demolish it. It's the largest brick building in Europe and its 'upside down' table look is very iconic.

pricemazda

December 1st, 2010, 06:52 PM

I hate the rest of the development, it looks like the Watergate complex.

PortoNuts

December 2nd, 2010, 02:02 PM

It's still a lot better than its current state. The buildings are clean, no street clutter, etc.

PortoNuts

December 2nd, 2010, 06:39 PM

Axa to build new City office scheme

A derelict site close to St Paul's Cathedral in the City of London that has lain vacant during the financial crisis looks set to be finally redeveloped after a deal between Axa Real Estate and the site's owner, Iranian-born collector and philanthropist Nasser D Khalili.

Khalili's Favermead has entered into a partnership with Axa Real Estate, the Paris-based fund manager, which has €39.5bn of assets under management, to develop 60 Holborn Viaduct. The site, which is next to law firm Hogan Lovell's headquarters on Holborn Viaduct, will be redeveloped into a 215,000 sq ft office space called The Wave.

Khalili, who is ranked 937 in this year’s Forbes’ list of world billionaires with an estimated net worth of $1bn, is known for owning the world's largest private collection of Islamic art. He is also famed for spending five years and £90m restoring two dilapidated buildings in Kensington Palace Gardens to their former glory, which are now occupied by Indian steel tycoon Lakshmi Mittal.

His company was granted permission to redevelop the site, formerly Bath House, in December 2007. Favermead had come close to selling the site to property developers before the financial crisis, however, the deals fell through and the site continued to lie unoccupied.

However, the partnership has come at a time of increased demand for office space in the City of London, as confidence returns to the financial district and as vacancy levels have fallen due to increased take-up from financial occupiers. The Wave is expected to be completed before the end of 2013.

A statement from Axa Real Estate said: “The transaction allows the partnership to deliver a new Grade A office building at a timely point in the market cycle, when a rapidly diminishing supply of this type of product is not expected to match demand.”

The deal will be the first transaction in the UK for Axa Real Estate’s DVIII fund, which was launched in July following a first close of €230m. The tie-up between Favermead and Axa Real Estate follows similar decisions by two other developers to resume construction on City projects.

In October, Land Securities and the Canary Wharf Group confirmed a joint venture with Chinese and Qatari sovereign wealth funds to develop a 150m-high skyscraper at 20 Fenchurch Street, nicknamed the Walkie Talkie. The same month, British Land confirmed it would be reviving plans to build the Cheesegrater, a 740ft skyscraper on Leadenhall Street, with backing from a Canadian pension fund.

Both buildings are expected to be completed by 2014.

http://www.efinancialnews.com/story/2010-12-02/axa-real-estate-favermead-develop-holborn-viaduct

thryve

December 3rd, 2010, 08:11 PM

cameronpaul

December 3rd, 2010, 10:43 PM

Great updates as per usual.

I am going to admit, however, that I really don't like how the Battersea Power Station is going to be surrounded by buildings like that. I think that's a mistake and future generations are going to regret it. :(

Could not agree more! Isn't it amazing that an industrial building of the past is far superior in design to modern residential/office buildings now proposed for the adjoining site. These look like typical spec rubbish that will look tacky in less than 20 years after they are built.
Rubbish developments should be thrown out as simply not good enough.

PortoNuts

December 5th, 2010, 03:20 PM

Berkeley out to beat the forecasts on lift to £62m

Wealthy London buyers helped housebuilder Berkeley turn in knockout results today and put the firm on track to top management hopes this year.

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Wealth boost: sales of luxury flats are booming

Berkeley has snapped up around 2500 plots this year, including prime London sites in Westminster and Hammersmith, and is on the lookout for more in the right places where the supply shortage is at its most acute. It has a cash pile of more than £250 million.

Around 60% of Berkeley's sales are flats in zones one and two and managing director Rob Perrins said the market in the capital and the South-East remained resilient despite an “elusive” wider recovery. “You can't generalise about this market. If you're building flats in Belgravia or houses in Ascot they will sell. Flats in Ipswich might not do so well. It's not just about a North-South divide, it's about access to finance and ability to buy as well,” he said.

Perrins is frustrated by the mortgage drought and the chaotic planning system but reckons the biggest risk to recovery is an “Irish moment”, an external shock which could force up long-term interest rates.

The firm, chaired by industry veteran Tony Pidgley, pushed up pre-tax profits 18.5% to £61.6 million in the half-year to October 31, selling 1249 homes at an average £262,000. It is confident of surpassing previous full-year expectations, which will see analysts mark up forecasts of £122 million.

Berkeley is selling from 30% more sites than six months ago and plans to increase that by another 15% in the second half.

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard-business/article-23903534-berkeley-looks-to-london-for-strength-in-property-market.do

PortoNuts

December 5th, 2010, 07:36 PM

From fellow member's blog, Leytonstonia:

UBS and British Land's Broadgate Estate set for 13-storey groundscraper at 5 Broadgate

New details have emerged about British Land and joint venture partner, Blackstone's plans for 5 Broadgate, the 700,000 sq ft office building set to become the new London headquarters for the Swiss bank, UBS. It is planned that the new tower will consist of 13 storeys, which will include two floors of plant and three basement levels. This will put it at broadly the same height as the nearby 201 Bishopsgate, and almost double that of the existing seven floor buildings on site.

To meet the 65,000 sq ft trading floors required by UBS however, it is likely that the development will have to cover the total footprint of both 4 and 6 Broadgate, making it something of a groundscraper and far larger than the elegant Skidmore, Owings & Merrill-designed, 201 Bishopsgate, also part of the Broadgate Estate.

5 Broadgate will include some ground floor activity, yet this is unlikely to be retail space open to the public. British Land and Blackstone are however, also looking at redevelopment options for Broadgate Circle, home to the Broadgate Arena, with the aim of increasing the quality and size of the retail element on offer there, part of a broader redevelopment plan for the Estate that will also likely include 1-2 and 8-12 Broadgate, 100 Liverpool Street and 1,2 and 3 Finsbury Avenue in the mid term, where the weighted average lease term is approximately five years.

At present the Broadgate Circle consists of several small independent retailers, a Post Office and a branch of the sandwich chain, EAT. Corney and Barrow occupy the entire top level.

The current buildings at 4 and 6 Broadgate are now being actively vacated with demolition scheduled to commence next summer. A planning application is expected to be submitted by British Land and the schemes architect, Make in the new year.

http://www.leytonstonia.com/2010/12/ubs-and-british-lands-broadgate-estate.html

PortoNuts

December 6th, 2010, 12:22 PM

Video of a new hotel development in Greenwich Peninsula:

http://video.hatton-associates.co.uk/playvideo.asp?video=N301_N201.flv&emailCode=East%20London%20virtual%20model%2011.10&width=640&height=480&recipient=anything@anything.com

PortoNuts

December 7th, 2010, 10:02 PM

Bloomberg to build new European headquarters in City

Bloomberg is to construct a new 500,000 sq ft European headquarters in the City, providing a major vote of confidence for the Square Mile. The US media group has reached an agreement with Legal & General to buy its Walbrook Square site, where Bloomberg plans to build a new base designed by Lord Foster.

Peter Grauer, the company's chairman, said: "Bloomberg's London headquarters has always been an integral part of the company. This new project underscores our commitment to London and to expanding our presence in this world-class financial capital."

Bloomberg aims to begin work on its headquarters in 2012 with completion in 2015. Alongside development partner Tishman Speyer, Bloomberg will also construct a speculative office building at the site. The financial terms of the deal with Legal & General have not been disclosed.

Bloomberg currently houses 2,300 employees at Finsbury Square and has long been looking for a larger UK base. Vince Cable, the Business Secretary, said: "This shows that when it comes to financial and media services, London continues to lead the way in attracting the best in the business."

The deal has been struck as research from Ipsos Mori and Cushman & Wakefield, the property agent, shows 71pc of large companies based in London are looking to expand. The survey of 300 businesses claimed the City was still attractive due to the quality of staff and proximity to customers.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/mediatechnologyandtelecoms/media/8185062/Bloomberg-to-build-new-European-headquarters-in-City.html

PortoNuts

December 8th, 2010, 04:47 PM

Office rents soar as new skyscrapers rise in city

UBS did it in the summer and now, just months later, Bloomberg has followed suit. One after the other, the two have decided to put money in the City. We are not talking about some fancy new financial instrument. No – the pair have decided to invest in bricks and mortar in London's Square Mile, heralding a revival in the capital's office market.

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Back in August, the Swiss investment bank agreed a deal to house its new London headquarters on the sprawling Broadgate Estate, owned by the developer British Land and the fund manager Blackstone.

Two existing buildings will be knocked down, paving the way for a new unit boasting more than 700,000 square feet of floor space for the Swiss group's legion of traders and bankers. UBS will rent the property at an initial headline rate of £54.50 per square foot on a weighted average lease of around 18 years.

Earlier this week, we learnt that Bloomberg was following suit with plans for its own European head office in Walbrook Square. The financial-information provider said it had agreed to buy the site, a stone's throw from the Bank of England in Threadneedle Street, from Legal & General, and planned to build two new buildings – one to house its offices and one a speculative development. The architect, Lord Foster's firm Foster and Partners, has been drafted in to design the new headquarters, which will contain more than 500,000 square feet of office space.

The investments come against a pick-up in developments. Commuters passing by London Bridge will have noticed the growth of the Shard, the giant, 72-storey glass-and-steel tower which, when it is completed in 2012, will, at 310 metres (1,017 ft), be Europe's tallest building, and which has been going up at a breakneck, Jack-and-the-Beanstalk-like pace in recent months.

It is part of the London Bridge Quarter, which will cover approximately 2 million square feet of mixed-use space. It will consist of the Shard, and the London Bridge Place office building. When completed, the latter will boast a gross area of 600,000 square feet.

Beyond the Shard, there is the 242m (794ft) Heron Tower, which is due for completion next year, and the Leadenhall Building, nicknamed the "Cheese Grater" owing to its wedge-like shape, which is due to be completed in 2014. In the coming years, City folk can also look forward to the Pinnacle, otherwise known as Bishopsgate Tower or the "Helter Skelter", and the so-called "Walkie Talkie" at 20 Fenchurch Street.

But the developments do not mean that the City will suddenly be awash with excess office space. In fact, the supply-side picture remains encouraging, as the development pipeline was effectively turned off when the economy slumped two years ago, according to the real-estate consultant DTZ, which expects prime City rents to rise to £67.5 per square foot by the end of 2014.

For 2010, prime City rents are expected to end the year at £55 per square foot, up by more than 26 per cent on the £43.50 at the end of 2009, according to DTZ. Take-up has also been strong, with people acquiring some 5.7 million square feet of space so far this year. Interestingly, that figure excludes the Bloomberg Walbrook announcement, which, if factored in, would take the total for 2010 to over 6 million square feet, comfortably above the long-term average of 5 million per year.

The gains in the London office segment have been driven by a combination of limited supply of space coming on to the market and strong demand from the financial-services industry, which has taken up more than 50 per cent of the space in the City. Lawyers and insurance firms, have also supported the market, according to DTZ. The strength is reflected in figures complied by the commercial-property researchers at Investment Property Databank (IPD), who also highlight the volatility of the City market. On IPD's numbers, the peak-to-trough slump in capital values in City offices was 45.5 per cent, while West End offices and the broader property market experienced a 42.4 per cent decline during the recent slump. But if City office prices fell fast, they also swiftly rebounded as the economy and investors began to regain composure.

Values bounced back by 23 per cent in the 15-month period from the beginning of the third quarter of last year to the end of September this year. The West End had a stronger, 27.1 per cent rebound. The broader market, on the other hand, recovered by only 17.4 per cent .

The one gauge that sums up the story, according to Phil Tily, IPD's UK & Ireland managing director, is the yield on prime central London offices. It has compressed back to pre-credit crunch levels, he says, adding: "Strong demand from financial services and [a] slowdown in the supply of new space ... [has] created a perfect cocktail."

Looking ahead, Land Securities, the FTSE 100-listed group behind the "Walkie Talkie" , expects demand to stay firm, pointing to factors such as the higher-than-normal level of lease expiries due from 2013, particularly in the City, and growing demand for new or newly upgraded properties as tenants seek more energy-efficient and better-equipped buildings. The developer is not alone. The analysts at Morgan Stanley are also hopeful about the road ahead. In a recent circular to clients, they put City offices ahead of shops, shopping centres, retail warehouses and industrial properties, forecasting 8 per cent rental growth next year.

Their predictions for the West End office market are similarly bullish, while overall, they expect the broader market to see rental growth of 5 per cent. The outperformance is expected to persist, with City and West End offices forecast to record higher-than-average growth of 5 per cent in 2012. In contrast, the overall property market is expected to see 4 per cent growth.

"We think that in 2011 London offices will be yet again the strongest-performing asset class," they said, no doubt inducing a satisfied smile or two at UBS and Bloomberg.

London offices in figures

5.7 million The amount, in square feet, of City office space taken up so far this year. The long-term average is 5 million per year.

£55 The level per square foot at which prime City rents are expected to end 2010.

26 per cent The anticipated rise in prime City rents this year. They stood at £43.50 per per square foot at the end of 2009.

45.5 per cent The peak-to-trough decline in capital values in the City office market during the recession.

23 per cent The recovery in values in the 15 months to September.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/analysis-and-features/office-rents-soar-as-new-skyscrapers-rise-in-city-2154178.html

PortoNuts

December 8th, 2010, 05:30 PM

CZWG's £180m east London market redevelopment breaks ground

Work on the redevelopment of Rathbone Market in east London got underway today.

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The mayor of Newham, Robin Wales, was due to break ground in a ceremony at the site in Canning Town. The first phase of the scheme, designed by CZWG, will provide 271 homes and will be completed by late summer 2012.

It is part of the Canning Town & Custom House Regeneration Programme which will expand the town centres of Canning Town and Custom House, create more homes and improve links across the A13 and between the bus and rail station. The aim is also to invest in infrastructure, services and community facilities.

The ceremony was also due to be attended by Michael Lyons and Bob Lane who chair the English Cities Fund and London Thames Gateway Development Corporation – respectively the developer and one of the scheme’s financial backers.

Stallholders have been relocated and will continue to trade throughout the work.

http://www.bdonline.co.uk/news/uk/czwgs-%C2%A3180m-east-london-market-redevelopment-breaks-ground/5010010.article

PortoNuts

December 8th, 2010, 05:52 PM

European Union’s new UK headquarter offices officially opened

The European Parliament Information Office and the European Commission Representation in the UK recently moved into shared offices in Westminster at Europe House, Smith Square, SW1, a stone's throw from the Houses of Parliament.

Today the new offices in Central London, formerly the offices of the Conservative party, were officially opened by EU president Jerzy Buzek, VP of the commission Sim Kallas and UK foreign minister William Hague.

The building will be the first port of call for any citizen seeking information about the two institutions and the EU in general, and for organisations that are interested in organizing discussions, meetings and events with an EU theme. To celebrate the official opening of Europe House, the European Parliament and the European Commission have organised a range of events in December including workshops, concerts and debates.

http://www.freeofficesearch.co.uk/OfficeSpaceNews.asp?NewsID=00000591&monthnameyear=December2010

PortoNuts

December 8th, 2010, 06:09 PM

Kadoories buy $112m London property

One of Hong Kong's wealthiest families is close to buying a prized building in London as yet more money from Asian investors pours into London.

Old Park Lane Management, a company backed by the billionaire Kadoorie family, is close to buying 25-27 St George Street off Hanover Square in the heart of London's West End. The building is being sold by Aegon Asset Management, the life insurance and pension company, which holds the building through its GP Nominees fund subsidiary.

Old Park Lane is thought to be paying between £70 million ($112m) and £75 million for the building, which comprises a mix of office space and five high-end apartments.

If the purchase completes, it will be the latest desirable freehold Mayfair property to be added to the Kadoorie family trust's extensive property portfolio. Through Old Park Lane it is believed to own the freehold of 440 The Strand - the headquarters of Coutts & Co, the Queen's banker.

The Iraqi-Jewish family, headed by Sir Michael Kadoorie, regularly features on the Forbes Rich List and is renowned for its diverse business interests and philanthropic ventures. In the 2009 Forbes Rich List Sir Michael had an estimated net worth of $US4.2 billion ($4.27bn).

Originally Sephardic Jews from Baghdad, the founder of the Kadoorie business empire was Sir Elly Kadoorie, who emigrated to Shanghai more than a century ago. He set up an electricity business called China Power & Light and expanded throughout China and Hong Kong. The family still holds a stake of about 35 per cent in the company, which remains a leading supplier of electricity in Hong Kong and China.

Sir Elly's sons, Lord Lawrence and Sir Horace, took over the business from their father based in Hong Kong and were "taipans" widely credited with pushing forward industrialisation in the former British colony. Sir Lawrence was the first man born in Hong Kong to be named to the House of Lords. The family has had its share of troubles holding on to the fortune. After Japan seized Hong Kong in 1942, the family was kept in a prison camp, where the father died. However, the family remained in the region and was instrumental in postwar reconstruction.

The business has since been handed over to Lawrence's son Sir Michael, who has continued to expand its operations. He is chairman of Hongkong & Shanghai Hotels and CLP Holdings. The family has extensive property holdings across the world but it is keen on buying and retaining key properties, which it holds on a long-term basis.

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/executive-lifestyle/kadoories-buy-112m-london-property/story-fn6njxlr-1225967439152

PortoNuts

December 8th, 2010, 06:30 PM

London Luxury-Home Values Climb as Purchasers From Euro Region Seek Haven

London luxury-home values rose in November for the first time in five months as the debt crisis in the euro region prompted more buyers to compete for a dwindling number of homes for sale, Knight Frank LLP said.

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Prices of houses and apartments costing at least 1 million pounds ($1.6 million) rose 0.9 percent from October, the London- based property broker said in a statement today. The annual gain was 11 percent, the smallest since January.

“There’s a belief that London is impregnable,” said Jeremy McGivern, a founder of Mercury Home Search. “The euro zone represents a big percentage of the overseas buyers,” said McGivern, who advises the wealthy on buying homes in central London.

Continental Europeans seeking a home in central London increased by 23 percent from a year ago, led by investors from Italy and Spain, Knight Frank estimates. Many of them regard London as a “safe haven,” according to Liam Bailey, the head of residential research.

On Nov. 29, Ireland became the second country in the euro region after Greece to get a bailout from the European Union to rescue its banks and bolster state finances. The EU sought to prevent a debt crisis from spreading to other countries that use the single currency.

Knightsbridge Sale

Rupert des Forges, a partner in Knight Frank’s Knightsbridge sales office, said he sold an apartment near Harrods department store last month for 14 percent more than the asking price. The 1,043 square-foot (96 square-meter) property, which is in need of modernization, went for 2 million pounds.

One of the five unsuccessful bidders for the property, south of Hyde Park, was an Italian family that since July has purchased 10 properties in the city, Des Forges said. He declined to name the family or the other would-be buyers.

“Wealthy families and funds take the view that prime central London is a gold-standard investment,” he said. “It’s a defensive position that provides a hedge for the euro going wrong.”

The pound’s slide against other currencies since the financial crisis escalated in September 2007 added to the attraction of London homes to overseas buyers after a 25 percent decline in prime residential property values.

Overseas Buyers

Purchasers from outside the UK account for about 60 percent of luxury property transactions in central London, Knight Frank estimates. For those based in the euro region, prices are 14 percent below the peak of two years ago.

Des Forges said that the number of buyers in November totaled 20 to 30 from each of the euro-region countries. “It’s a micro market, but their impact is significant,” he said.

A shrinking supply of luxury homes on the market contributed to last month’s price increase. In three of the most popular London neighborhoods -- Belgravia, Chelsea and Knightsbridge -- the number of properties for sale has dropped by 32 percent from a year ago, Knight Frank said.

Overall, the volume of luxury-property sales is about half the average of 2003 to 2006, according to Property Vision, a unit of HSBC Private Bank that advises the lender’s wealthy customers on buying a home.

“Supply is very tight,” said Charlie Ellingworth, one of London-based Property Vision’s founders.

Knight Frank compiles its luxury-homes index from estimated values of properties in the Mayfair, St. John’s Wood, Regent’s Park, Kensington, Notting Hill, Chelsea, Knightsbridge, Belgravia and South Bank neighborhoods of London.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-12-03/london-luxury-home-values-climb-as-buyers-from-euro-region-seek-safe-haven.html

PortoNuts

December 8th, 2010, 06:52 PM

Milton Court is at full speed.

by Cranesetc.

http://www.cranesetc.co.uk/cranesetcphotos/milton081210a.jpg

http://www.cranesetc.co.uk/cranesetcphotos/milton081210b.jpg

PortoNuts

December 8th, 2010, 07:06 PM

Cannon Street Station

by Cranesect.

http://www.cranesetc.co.uk/cranesetcphotos/cannonplace081210.jpg

PortoNuts

December 8th, 2010, 08:07 PM

Lewisham Regeneration

by SE9.

http://oi56.tinypic.com/iwj80k.jpg

PortoNuts

December 8th, 2010, 08:59 PM

Fixnetix set to open second London office

Fixnetix has announced plans to accommodate its expanding staff by opening new office space in the City of London.

The company, which provides low latency market data to financial institutions, will retain its Victoria headquarters and launch a second base in the capital's banking district.

Chief executive Hugh Hughes said the new premises will help Fixnetix to respond to client demands and improve its services for investment banks, hedge funds and proprietary trading customers.

"Adding a second London office helps keep pace with the growth of our global company and will positively impact business," he commented. "Our customer base depends on us for the quickest service and support."

The company also has US offices in Boston and Chicago. Fixnetix can be found in 29 co-location and proximity hosting centres to support trading across Europe and the US. The firm has announced the appointments of Alan Yarrow and Bob Fuller to its board of directors in recent months.

http://www.freeofficesearch.co.uk/OfficeSpaceNews.asp?NewsID=800277189&monthnameyear=December2010

PortoNuts

December 8th, 2010, 10:04 PM

Walbrook Square

by Cranesect.

http://www.cranesetc.co.uk/cranesetcphotos/walbrook081210.jpg

PortoNuts

December 9th, 2010, 02:49 PM

by london lad.

http://img227.imageshack.us/img227/7500/lbt1.jpg (http://img227.imageshack.us/i/lbt1.jpg/)

http://img228.imageshack.us/img228/2483/lbt2.jpg (http://img228.imageshack.us/i/lbt2.jpg/)

PortoNuts

December 9th, 2010, 03:25 PM

Museum put on new war footing with £71m rebuild

The Imperial War Museum today unveiled a major rebuilding plan to tie in with the 100th anniversary of the start of the First World War.

http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/8977/impmusinside415.jpg

The museum, which this year expects to attract one million visitors for the first time to its Lambeth base, needs to raise £71 million.

Under a masterplan, by architects Foster + Partners, its First World War galleries will double in size and a new atrium will be created by 2014. This will be followed by a new sunken entrance, incorporating the giant naval guns at the front of the building, and the transformation of the west side of the building by 2019.

With the death of the last of the First World War veterans last year, the museum wants to revisit the way it explains the Great War to future generations.

Larger galleries will allow more exhibits to be displayed, with interactive technology helping to explain the exhibits. James Taylor, the historian leading the new gallery project, said: “We used to be able to rely on folk memory. That has now disappeared — something that was underscored last year with the deaths of the last veterans Henry Allingham and Harry Patch.

"One of the things we really want to do with our new gallery is to look not just at the conflict but to take the temperature in London in 1900 to 1914. Britain was a country torn by social strife.” The museum moved to its current home in 1936. Formerly the Bethlem Royal Hospital — better known as Bedlam — the site was provided by the first Viscount Rothermere. The new galleries will be laid out in a more chronological way, leading visitors through a “century of conflict”.

The changes could allow the museum's picture gallery, which features major works such as Gassed by John Singer Sargent, to be seen by more visitors. At present Sargent's startling image of the helpless victims of a mustard gas attack is tucked away in a side room. The museum hopes major donors will come forward and is also hopeful of attracting Lottery funding. Work will be phased as money is raised. Some £29 million is needed for the first phase, and £42 million for the work post-2014.

The museum's archive holds 10,000 hours of videotape, 56,000 hours of sound recordings and 15,000 collections of unpublished letters and diaries.
Diane Lees, the museum's director-general, said: “I can't think of a more fitting way to start the transformation than with the creation of new galleries to mark the First World War centenary in 2014.”

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23905308-museum-put-on-new-war-footing-with-pound-71m-rebuild.do

PortoNuts

December 9th, 2010, 03:37 PM

Amanda Levetes Twisting Shoreditch Tower

Adding to the controversial revedevelopment in Hoxton in east London is another tall building that is bound to be enormously controversial amongst the "creatives" of the area who rail against gentrification of their neighbourhood.

http://img403.imageshack.us/img403/2849/2723amandalevetestwisti.jpg

Developed by London and Newcastle, the scheme features a redevelopment of the Huntingdon Estate designed by Amanda Levete Architects that is still in its nascent stages on the opposite side of the road from Shoreditch High Street underground station, and only a stones throw from the proposed Art'o'tel.

The slender tower with a torquing appearance sweeps up from a podium and turns away from the neighbour Ebor Street to maximise the natural daylight that can penetrate through the site. This also has the practical purpose of helping to remove the number of north-facing apartments in the scheme.

In total it will have 107 private apartments laid out on 19 floors of residential space, with a ground floor and first floor containing commercial and retail space that are designed to appeal to the artists with a designers market, gallery space and two creative workshops. To accommodate the affordable housing part of the scheme another development on Fleet Street Hill to contain the 40 affordable units of the scheme.

Regardless of the finished project of the scheme, whether London and Newcastle are successful in their plans remains to be seen - they are likely to face the same sort of fight as other projects in the area with many high profile opponents.

http://www.skyscrapernews.com/news.php?ref=2723

PortoNuts

December 9th, 2010, 05:28 PM

BBC news video on The Shard.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/today/hi/today/newsid_9269000/9269162.stm

PortoNuts

December 9th, 2010, 11:27 PM

MbPAOGN1IBI

PortoNuts

December 10th, 2010, 03:34 PM

MAKE unveils 5 Broadgate scheme

MAKE Architects has revealed images of its proposed £460 million aluminium-clad headquarters for Swiss bank UBS in the City of London.

Submitted for planning today (10 December) the 65,000m² structure will feature the largest floor plates in The City, housing up to 750 staff on each floor and 6,000 workers in total.

MAKE Architects founder Ken Shuttleworth said: ‘The concept has been very much trying to make it into a single thing, like a machined casting, reflecting UBS solidity.’

http://www.architectsjournal.co.uk/pictures/576x432fitpad%5B0%5D/4/6/4/1243464_Make_Broadgate.jpg

http://www.architectsjournal.co.uk/pictures/576x432fitpad%5B0%5D/4/5/7/1243457_Make_Broadgate__6_.jpg

http://www.architectsjournal.co.uk/pictures/576x432fitpad%5B0%5D/4/6/0/1243460_Make_Broadgate__4_.jpg

http://www.architectsjournal.co.uk/pictures/576x432fitpad%5B0%5D/4/6/3/1243463_Make_Broadgate__1_.jpg

http://www.architectsjournal.co.uk/pictures/576x432fitpad%5B0%5D/4/5/9/1243459_Make_Broadgate__5_.jpg

http://www.architectsjournal.co.uk/pictures/576x432fitpad%5B0%5D/4/6/1/1243461_Make_Broadgate__3_.jpg

http://www.architectsjournal.co.uk/pictures/576x432fitpad%5B0%5D/4/6/2/1243462_Make_Broadgate__2_.jpg

Designed for current site owners British Land and Blackstone, the architects chose a groundscraper design over a tower due to the height restrictions on the site.

The 14-storey building’s ‘football pitch-sized’ floor plates are divided into four trading floors, a support level, two client-facing levels and four floors of offices. Cores are placed on the perimeter to maximise spaces.

Featuring just 45 per cent glass cladding, Shuttleworth describes the building as the ‘next generation’ of office buildings. He said: ‘You’re looking at the future of what the next ten years of office development will look like.’

Support columns are arranged in a 12 metre by 13.5 metre grid while ceiling heights are 3.5 metres throughout.

MAKE plans to win planning by June next year and complete the shell and core of the building in mid 2014, finishing the fit out later in 2015.

Construction of the scheme would include demolition of numbers three, four and six Broadgate. The buildings were designed by Arup Associates in the 1980s. Robert Samuel, director at British Land, explained: ‘Everything we have done here is to give it a longer life than the buildings that were already here.’

http://www.architectsjournal.co.uk/news/daily-news/make-unveils-5-broadgate-scheme/8609066.article

Erhan

December 11th, 2010, 01:40 AM

Anyone knows more about this project? The turkish developer claims that the preperations will start in the beginning of 2011.

http://www.halkekspertiz.com/wp-content/uploads/Agaoglu_Londraprojesi.jpg

PortoNuts

December 11th, 2010, 07:57 PM

Ken Shuttleworth’s Silver Billet is the City’s golden opportunity

-- Link to London Evening Standard article (http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/markets/article-23905909-ken-shuttleworths-silver-billet-is-citys-golden-opportunity.do) --

http://i.thisislondon.co.uk/i/pix/2010/12/Shuttleworth_415.jpg

Skyscrapers attract indelible nicknames; groundscrapers don't. Even so, it's hard to resist dubbing the new UBS headquarters in Broadgate the Silver Billet, even though the name won't stick.

The 60-metre-wide, 120-metre-long, 75-metre-high block, which is submitted for planning permission today, looks as if it has been machine-tooled from a block of aluminium. Perhaps the “work-engine block” term used by architect Ken Shuttleworth of Make at a preview of the plans on Wednesday will stick.

Shuttleworth brought along to One Broadgate a small chunk of aluminium in the shape of the 13-storey offices to emphasise the point. “We believe this is the way architecture will go over the next decade.” That won't come as good news to Prince Charles, who was visiting Icap at One Broadgate that very morning But Shuttleworth's point was that increasingly tough energy regulations are shaping design. The 700,000-square-foot office for 6000 UBS staff will consume less than half the energy of its Eighties neighbours.

To meet that target, 65% of the cladding is insulated aluminium panels and only 35% is glass. The reverse was the case on Nos 3, 4 and 6 Broadgate, which are being levelled to make way for what will be called 5 Broadgate when it opens in the second half of 2014.

The all-up cost is £450 million, says Tim Roberts of developer British Land. “The Make design will keep the evolution of Broadgate going,” says BL's offices chief, who has been talking to UBS about the scheme for three years. The Swiss Bank already rents 900,000 square feet in Broadgate. The new billet contains four 60,000-square-foot trading floors each capable of holding 750 staff and takes their holding to 1.6 million square feet.

Roberts wasn't too keen to go into the detail of how much British Land and 50:50 partner Blackstone will make by replacing 400,000 square feet of space over eight storeys, rented at £42 a square foot, with 700,000 square foot over 13 storeys, rented at £54.50 a square foot to UBS. “We will be making a proper commercial profit,” is all he would say.

Well, indeed. Given the landlords will be receiving £38 million a year in rent after the 18-month rent-free period expires; and given that the admitted base cost of the Silver Billet is £450 million, the landlords will do very well. For the value of any commercially rented building is calculated on the rent times a certain number of years.

If the tenant is a bit iffy and the lease short, then valuers will multiply the rent by about 10 to get to the figure for the landlord's balance sheet. If the tenant is, let's say, silver-plated, and has a long lease the value can be 20 times the annual rent. Multiply £38 million by 20 and you get £760 million. Perhaps Shuttleworth should consider changing the colour of the new building to gold?

PortoNuts

December 12th, 2010, 02:51 PM

Christmas Shard! :cheers:

http://img12.imageshack.us/img12/8960/5249599601b83a9a2cd7b.jpg

http://img818.imageshack.us/img818/6837/5249602147e411d2a079b.jpg

http://img138.imageshack.us/img138/6369/5249599405ea84d061c9b.jpg

http://img704.imageshack.us/img704/6163/525020230203c41991c7b.jpg

http://www.flickr.com/photos/eddieandroushka/5249599601/sizes/l/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/eddieandroushka/5249602147/sizes/l/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/eddieandroushka/5249599405/sizes/l/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/eddieandroushka/5250202302/sizes/l/

PortoNuts

December 13th, 2010, 05:37 PM

Twitter to base its new European headquarters in London

Twitter is preparing to open a European HQ in London, its first office outside the United States. The Sunday Telegraph has learnt that executives from the popular social conversation website – which has proved a hit with President Barack Obama and Stephen Fry among others – met property agents in London last week.

http://img715.imageshack.us/img715/8285/pufftwitterv21718031c.jpg
Twitter plans European headquarters in London

The Twitter representatives are known to have visited locations in the West End and properties adjacent to London’s so-called "silicon roundabout".

It is understood Twitter is under considerable pressure to select an office near "silicon roundabout" – more commonly known as Old Street roundabout – around which the Government has pledged £400m of funding to create a new “Tech City” and encourage US-style innovation.

Twitter’s London office, which will open next year, will be used to head up all the company’s European operations. It will primarily be used as a sales office as Twitter strives to turn its popularity into cash via advertising and sponsored tweets. At present adverts are only sold on a global basis, but it is understood that there are plans to sell space on a country-by-country basis.

The office, Twitter’s first outside of the US, will be headed up by Katie Jacobs Stanton, the company’s new head of international strategy and special advisor to the US State Department’s office of innovation. A spokesman for Twitter said: “There were a few of us in London this week. We are considering London and other European locations to create an initial and small presence in 2011.”

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/mediatechnologyandtelecoms/digital-media/8196262/Twitter-to-base-its-new-European-headquarters-in-London.html

PortoNuts

December 15th, 2010, 05:31 PM

Central London office market ends the year with confidence

A significant degree of confidence has returned to the Central London leasing market, with take-up in the first 11 months of the year totalling 12.74m sq ft, according to research from DTZ. This was boosted by the 700,000 sq ft pre-let of offices in the City to UBS at 5 Broadgate. The total for the year is set to reach over 14m sq ft when including the acquisition of 500,000 sq ft at Walbrook Square by Bloomberg.

Heading into 2011, DTZ expects take-up to be circa 1m sq ft per month, supplemented by the impact of the re-emergence of the pre-letting market in the City. This view is supported by the level of floor space currently under offer and by the volume of known active requirements in the market.

DTZ’s figures show that availability has fallen nearly 25% since its peak in mid-2009 and will end the year at around 6.5% of stock (15.5m sq ft). Of this decline, nearly 85% has been in newly built or refurbished space. This has reflected the appetite of occupiers to upgrade the quality of their premises while rents were still low and incentives high.

Compared to earlier this decade, second-hand space releases have been limited this year, in part because of the lack of pre-letting which caused more office space in Central London to be marketed. However, unlike previous cycles, second-hand availability is not declining in a significant way.

Speculative development deliveries are on a steep downward path and this has underpinned the present surge in prime rental growth. Rents, which started the year at £43.50 per sq ft in the City and £41 per sq ft in Mid-Town (Holborn), will end the year at £55 per sq ft and £52.50 per sq ft respectively. Inducements have also reduced, from 30 months to 21 months in the City and 18 months for offices in Midtown.

In the West End, recovery has been less vigorous than in the City and Midtown. In 2010, take-up has recovered from 2009 record low level but, in contrast to the City, is still below the long-term average. Grade A availability is now a mere 1.3% of stock and delivery of newly developed stock in 2011 will be little over 200,000 sq ft, a fraction of the usual level. Rents will also be under pressure to move up.

DTZ predicts that post-2012 occupiers looking for large grade A office space in the Docklands and the City in particular, will actively look to negotiate pre-letting agreements in 2011. More occupiers will also be forced to consider refurbished or good quality second-hand buildings, which will support rents in this segment of the market.

http://www.freeofficesearch.co.uk/OfficeSpaceNews.asp?NewsID=00000618&monthnameyear=December2010

PortoNuts

December 15th, 2010, 08:13 PM

RMA plans residential tower for City of London

http://i56.tinypic.com/1602z37.jpg

Barratt London and housing association L&Q have teamed up to build a £100 million residential tower in Alie Street, Aldgate, designed by RMA Architects.

The 27-storey building will contain 235 new homes and sit beside a smaller seven-storey commercial block.

Alastair Baird, regional managing director of Barratt London, said: “The development on Alie Street is a particularly exciting project, as it is one of a limited number of residential towers in the City of London and a record height for a Barratt East London development.”

Part of the Aldgate Masterplan, the 0.25 ha site falls within the City Fringe Opportunity Area. Work is expected to start on site in January subject to planning permission. It is due for completion in December 2013.

http://www.bdonline.co.uk/news/rma-plans-residential-tower-for-city-of-london/5010445.article

PortoNuts

December 16th, 2010, 03:29 PM

Bishops Square office complex sold

http://img580.imageshack.us/img580/8584/bishopssquare300x197.jpg

A large office complex in central London has been sold in a multi-million pound deal announced to the stock market yesterday. The Bishops Square offices building has been sold by Bishops Square Holdings Limited, a 25:75 joint venture between Hammerson plc and Oman Investment Fund. The new owners are JP Morgan Asset Management who have agreed to pay £557m for the buildings.

The complex was last valued for accounting purposes at £510m in June, 2010. Hammerson had previously bought out the 25% holding in the development belonging to the City of London in 2007.

Bishops Square (pictured) is predominately offices with retail space on the ground floor. Completed in 2005 and designed by Foster & Partners, the development also created a significant, new public space in London. The development has been recognised with several awards, including Best Commercial-led Regeneration Project of the Year (2006) and British Urban Regeneration Award (2008).

Total, Grade A office floor space amounts to 774,000 sq ft with the retail space taking an additional 40,000 sq ft. The offices are solely let as headquarters to international law firm Allen & Overy LLP on a long term lease. Annual rental income for the whole building amounts to £35m / year with average rental prices for the combined retail and office space equating to approximately £43 / sq ft.

Peter Reilly, Head of J.P. Morgan Asset Management’s European Real Estate Group, said: “We remain bullish on investing in high-quality, well-tenanted office properties located throughout Europe.”

http://offices.org.uk/news/bishops-square-office-complex-sold-1216820.html

Pennypacker

December 17th, 2010, 05:38 AM

ajaaronjoe

December 17th, 2010, 10:46 AM

...

PortoNuts

December 17th, 2010, 07:51 PM

How come there hasn't been anything in the UK forums about this?

I've also never read or seen anything about this. Certainly towers this big wouldn't go unnoticed.

PortoNuts

December 17th, 2010, 08:27 PM

5 Broadgate (new UBS HQ) has its own website now.

http://www.5broadgate.com/

Waynflete

December 17th, 2010, 09:52 PM

With a little googling:

http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/n.php?n=local-company-to-construct-residences-in-london-2010-11-24

Two towers on Cuba Street, 157m and 122m, a little creativity seems to have been exercised with the scale on the image.

As this is my first post, I'm keeping it short so there's less that can go wrong...

Pennypacker

December 18th, 2010, 03:02 AM

BodgeJob1

December 18th, 2010, 12:30 PM

I've also never read or seen anything about this. Certainly towers this big wouldn't go unnoticed.

There are lots of proposed residentials known about in that area of CW, it may just be that this company has agreed to finance the construction of a couple of them....just have to wait and see.

Trouble is, CW are incredibly tight lipped about all their developments, so often, the first we know about them being built is when the builders turn up on site...

london lad

December 18th, 2010, 05:43 PM

There are lots of proposed residentials known about in that area of CW, it may just be that this company has agreed to finance the construction of a couple of them....just have to wait and see.

Trouble is, CW are incredibly tight lipped about all their developments, so often, the first we know about them being built is when the builders turn up on site...

That is not CW. That's the area south of CW.
The site it is referring to is on Cuba St and although it has potential for high rise buildings nothing has ever been submitted so this story is slightly ahead of itself and wildly optimistic or just a load of Bull.

Erhan

December 18th, 2010, 09:47 PM

I've also never read or seen anything about this. Certainly towers this big wouldn't go unnoticed.

That's how business works in Turkey :P In Istanbul we had a project where the plot was already prepared before it was announced, we saw the deep excavation but we didn't know anything about it :lol:. The project I'm talking about, http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=1228557.

I hope you will have good experience with the constructor Agaoglu, in Istanbul he has only built cheap ugly stuff.

Eno

December 19th, 2010, 04:22 AM

Lots of great stuff happening in London for sure.

zwash721

December 19th, 2010, 07:19 AM

V78wJIyTypU
im Zephaniah no Nic or wilgles. I deliver this message for him. Don't mess with the some of the most powerful people on the internet. Have fun.

PortoNuts

December 19th, 2010, 07:16 PM

London super-lab approved for planning

HOK and PLP Architecture’s £500 million medical research centre in central London has been approved for planning by Camden council.

http://img339.imageshack.us/img339/9232/1682674ukcmrientrance20.jpg

The UK Centre for Medical Research and Innovation (UKCMRI) “super-laboratory” is a joint-venture between the Medical Research Council, Cancer Research UK, the Wellcome Trust and University College London.

The high-security facility will develop new treatments for illnesses such as cancer, heart disease, stroke and flu. At last night’s development control committee meeting, eight councillors voted in favour of the plans, four against and one abstained.

David Cooksey, chairman of UKCMRI, said: “This will accelerate our ability to treat disease – bringing benefits to patients through the NHS and to the economy by developing a sector in which the UK already excels.”

The planning application includes a package of community benefits totalling £10 million including improvement of local council housing stock and a district heating scheme. Earlier this year the UKCMRI drafted in KPF breakaway firm PLP Architecture to overhaul HOK’s design following concerns over the proposals from planners.

http://www.bdonline.co.uk/news/london-super-lab-approved-for-planning/5010670.article

PortoNuts

December 20th, 2010, 12:05 AM

BBC Broadcasting House was redeveloped

A view of the revamped BBC Broadcasting House from Langham Place, with the new extension pictured centre.

http://img820.imageshack.us/img820/1951/bbcbroadcastinghouse001.jpg

An aerial view of BBC Broadcasting House.

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The curved facade of the extension blends in to the Grade II* listed 1930s building on the left. the new main reception is through the doors on the centre.

http://img24.imageshack.us/img24/5561/bbcbroadcastinghouse005.jpg

A night view of the new curved glass entrance.

http://img196.imageshack.us/img196/1951/bbcbroadcastinghouse001.jpg

The 4,000 sq m newsroom in the basement forms the heart of the extended building.

http://img683.imageshack.us/img683/9078/bbcbroadcastinghouseth0.jpg

A view from the newsroom up through the atrium of the extension. The new building offers 80,000 sq m of production areas, studios and staff facilities.

http://img638.imageshack.us/img638/9078/bbcbroadcastinghouseth0.jpg

The cafe, from which the public can watch journalists at work in the newsroom.

http://img208.imageshack.us/img208/9078/bbcbroadcastinghouseth0.jpg

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/gallery/2010/dec/14/bbc-broadcasting-house#/?picture=369744980&index=0

PortoNuts

December 20th, 2010, 09:07 PM

JP Morgan buys new London HQ, continues skyscraper

JP Morgan has bought the former Lehman Brothers building for its investment bank, while keeping its options open on plans to erect a new skyscraper nearby as its European headquarters. The US bank bought the Lehman building at 25 Bank Street in London's Canary Wharf financial district for 495 million pounds (USD 773.4 million), seller Canary Wharf Group (CWG) said on Monday, adding that the two groups would continue to develop the Riverside South site.

JP Morgan is still reviewing its plans for Riverside South, said John Garwood, secretary of Songbird Estates, majority owner of CWG. The site will potentially have a much larger building.

"They're (JPMorgan) going to review what their future requirements are going to be and they'll be looking at carrying on with a full design over the years to come," said Garwood. "But short term, we'll be building it up to street level and then we'll obviously also be reviewing what's best to go on that site." JPMorgan and the CWG, which owns the majority of the Canary Wharf district's property, had stopped building a conspicious new headquarters on the Riverside South site earlier this year, triggering speculation JPMorgan would axe the costly project, under pressure from negative sentiment against banks.

"These properties are long-term investments and represent our continued commitment to London as one of the world's most important financial centres," JPMorgan Chairman and Chief Executive Jamie Dimon said in a statement.

The Canary Wharf Group -- which is majority owned by Songbird Estates -- said construction work would recommence immediately to bring the development to the street level and that it had extended its development agreement with JPM until October 2016. Shares in Songbird, whose top shareholders include Qatar's sovereign wealth fund with 20% and China Investment Corp with 12.6%, were up 3.3% at 140 pence by 1018 GMT, ahead of the UK property stocks index which was flat.

CWG also said it had recently agreed terms with insurer AIG for the termination of the rental cover facility at 25 Bank Street for a payment of 144.5 million pounds related to the termination of Lehman's lease after the U.S. investment bank collapsed in 2008.

JPMorgan said in a separate statement it had also agreed to purchase 60 Victoria Embankment, which it had been leasing since 1991 for its Treasury and Securities Services division. It did not give a price for the deal.

http://www.moneycontrol.com/news/world-news/jpmorgan-buys-new-london-hq-continues-skyscraper_506133.html

JP Morgan Chooses London for European HQ

The Mayor of London Boris Johnson has today (Monday, 20 December) welcomed international banking giant JP Morgan's plans to base its European headquarters at a new building in the capital, providing a major boost to the City and reaffirming confidence in London's financial sector.

JP Morgan, which employs about 11,000 people across London, has confirmed it will purchase 25 Bank Street in Canary Wharf, a purpose built complex which was designed specifically for a global financial firm. The offices will house JP Morgan's entire investment banking division, which is currently spread across four separate buildings in the capital.

The bank has also confirmed it is committed to developing Canary Wharf's Riverside South area, providing future flexibility for its many other employees in the capital. The development comprises 1.9 million square feet of office space - which would make it more than twice the size of the HSBC Tower on completion.

The Mayor of London Boris Johnson said: "This is a tremendous coup for London and for the UK, which rightly reflects the prevailing confidence in the capital. "Banking is one of the few global industries in which we truly excel. The City contributes about nine per cent of Britain's GDP, and a whole wealth of professions and trades depend upon it either directly or indirectly.

"JP Morgan's commitment to London will help ensure the capital retains its position as a banking powerhouse, which drives the UK economy and attracts the brightest and best stars from the financial world."

http://www.freshbusinessthinking.com/news.php?CID=&NID=6944&Title=JP+Morgan+Chooses+London+for+European+HQ

PortoNuts

December 21st, 2010, 04:01 PM

5 Broadgate In Depth

Acres of press has been printed and published about Make Architecture's 5 Broadgate, the newly planned headquarters for UBS, but what about the development itself and the specifics behind it?

In massing the building, a single block has been taken with a series of indentations added to make the floorplates more functional whilst still retaining as much regularity to their layout as possible.

This has allowed the architects to come up with something that has three standard floors, one for trading and support that is almost completely a regular rectangle, one for conferences and meetings with has voices and indentations cut into it for terraces and atrias, and another one for offices without terraces but with spaces to create internal courtyards.

Having been designed for UBS, the developer is aiming at their largest single tenant with one building giving them an "all in one" headquarters. The scheme starts with the ground floor that will contain the entrances, an auditorium and various spaces for employees to mill around, plus the added attraction of them being able to publicly exhibit much of their corporate art collection.

Above that will be an amenity floor offering a gym and company restaurant and then from levels two to five will be the trading floors of approximately 6,000 square metres each. These are large enough to 750 traders on each separate level. Filling level six will be the trading support floor, and then meeting rooms and offices with large outside terraces on eight and nine. From above here to level twelve will be more office floors, with the building topped with the plant level. This will correspond roughly in height to the likes of Skidmore, Owings and Merrill's nearby Exchange House.

The façade of the building is designed to be dominated by gun-metal, chosen because it is neutral in nature like much of the surrounding Broadgate Centre, whilst the strong appearance with its recessed windows is supposed to communicate a feeling of "substance and solidarity".

In coming up with a single monolithic building, the project fills the site of both 4 and 6 Broadgate and cuts off the through path that there is going between them to Sun Street. To compensate for this the scheme promises a new public area dubbed Sun Street Square on the north-west corner of the site although the design means that this will suffer from a greater level of overshadowing than before.

Regardless of how successfully the building interacts at ground level it is likely to sail through the planning system. The City of London will be eager to keep UBS where they are, rather than run the risk of losing them to Canary Wharf, so it is with this in mind that construction of the substructure could start as early as January 2012 with the shell and core finished in mid-2014.

http://www.skyscrapernews.com/news.php?ref=2731

PortoNuts

December 21st, 2010, 05:56 PM

New King’s Cross offices for Tait Technologies

Media company Tait Technologies last week signed up for new office space in King’s Cross at The Stables, 48 Wicklow Street, London, WC1. The hi-tech firm is taking 1,265 sq ft on the ground floor of the property for their new London offices.

Founded in 2010, Tait Technologies – a joint venture between Tait Towers and Frederic Opsomer – brings together some of the entertainment industry’s most experienced and creative minds.

Headquartered in Belgium, Tait Technologies specialises in video scenic convergence and offers its clients in the entertainment, corporate and architectural markets solutions ranging from the rental of “off-the-shelf” products to the design and development of custom-made, project-specific innovations.

Commenting on the letting on behalf of landlord Grosvenor Securities, Richard Silver of Hatton Real Estate said: “This was the perfect property for Tait Technologies, as they needed an office to be close to the transport of the Eurostar at St Pancras, King’s Cross.”

http://www.freeofficesearch.co.uk/OfficeSpaceNews.asp?NewsID=00000646&monthnameyear=December2010

PortoNuts

December 22nd, 2010, 12:13 AM

Make Plan Massive Wembley Proposal

Working on behalf of Quintain Estates, Make Architecture has drawn up a new outline masterplan for part of the redevelopment of Wembley in the north of London.

http://img31.imageshack.us/img31/9163/2729makeplanmassivewemb.jpg

The plans are for the north-western part of the 85 acres that Quintain owns and take into account the area immediately adjoining Wembley Arena and also the soon to be under construction Brent Council civic centre. This section of the project will be comprised of approximately 160,000 square metres of floor space in a cluster of of over a dozen buildings over eight blocks. These vary from 3-5 storey townhouses up to a 20-storey apartment tower on Fulton Road.

This 160,000 square metre figure is the overall cap for the development - it is up to the developer to decide how to divvy it up. The application includes anything from 815 to 1,300 new housing units taking up from 65,000 square metres to 100,000 square metres of space and the majority of the project, plus hotels, office space, retail and leisure uses and all the associated infrastructure between the buildings.

There is a great variation in the quantum figures of the application meaning that the council can approve these and the developer will then work between the lines and be able to reconfigure it in detail to fit the precise market conditions at the time.

Improvements to the area at ground level include what would be a conventional public space to the north of the civic centre with several routes running east-west through the scheme to improve permeability. On the western edge of the site Make has designed several pocket spaces with cafes and restaurants to provide additional outdoor space as well as link directly into the main square, whilst the buildings along Olympic Way are masterplanned to help respect the scale of the nearby Wembley Stadium rather than block the views.

With so much to construct however, development is likely to be years away and done in a piecemeal fashion, just as it has been in the area already, not least as sales of existing residential blocks have been slow and the developer has been forced to act as a landlord and rent out the unsold units rather than keep them empty.

Quintain Estates expect to start work on block NW08 first, more student housing for their IQ fund business, however other active developments being worked on in the area that are not featured in the masterplan include the London Designer Outlet that is now 40% pre-let, and a brand new Hilton Hotel which is under construction.

http://www.skyscrapernews.com/news.php?ref=2729

PortoNuts

December 22nd, 2010, 03:07 AM

Luxury hotel to open by Tower of London

A new luxury hotel near the Tower of London is being planned following the £100 million purchase of 10 Trinity Square by a Far Eastern consortium.

The Grade II listed former Port of London Authority headquarters was bought from US property investor Thomas Enterprises by the Singapore-based investment firm KOP Properties and Beijing developers the Reignwood Group.

With plans to complete the conversion in time for the London 2012 Olympic Games, the hotel will be managed by Franklyn Hotels & Resorts, which already operates luxury London hotels The Cadogan and Durley House.

Built in 1922 by Sir Edwin Cooper, the building played host to the inaugural meeting of the General Assembly of the United Nations in 1946. Ong Chih Ching, CEO of KOP Group, acknowledged this significance, saying: “We recognise that this is a historical place that is important to the British people, and we are committed to upgrade this monument to make it even more impressive.”

Speaking for acquisition partners Reignwood Group, chairman Yan Bin added: “We are pleased to be partnering KOP on this project, who share our vision of restoring the historic and magnificent 10 Trinity Square, to return it to being the premier address in London.”

http://www.thedrinksbusiness.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=12094&Itemid=66

PortoNuts

December 23rd, 2010, 03:03 PM

Mayor of London Boris Johnson gives backing to Battersea Power Station plan

Mayor of London Boris Johnson today gave his backing to the redevelopment of the iconic Battersea Power Station. His support of the massive redevelopment project, which follows last month's planning permission approval by Wandsworth Council, brings the prospect of a major extension to the Northern Line closer to becoming a reality. The £4bn project will see 3,400 new homes built on the site and the creation of more than 20 acres of public space. It is also expected about 15,000 new jobs will be created within Battersea Power Station alone.

The station proposal, submitted by Real Estate Opportunities Plc (REO), was referred to the Mayor as an application of strategic importance as it is deemed an integral part of the GLA Group’s wider Vauxhall-Nine Elms-Battersea Opportunity Area - one of the largest regeneration proposals being considered in the capital. REO's plan includes a commitment of more than £200m in funding towards a two-station extension of the Northern Line from Kennington.

Mr Johnson said: “Battersea Power Station has long been an iconic feature of the capital’s skyline, and these plans will make sure that status is retained for years to come. The building was once a vital motor helping to power the capital. With its future secured through this regeneration, it will once again play a part in driving London’s economy."

Rob Tincknell, Director of REO, said: "I am delighted that the Mayor of London has supported the redevelopment of Battersea Power Station, bringing us even closer to delivering the regeneration of one of London’s most iconic landmarks. We have worked very closely with local interest groups and residents to develop a scheme which we believe will be of huge benefit to the local community."

The next stage of the process will see the application considered by the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government.

-- Link to Wandsworth Guardian article (http://www.wandsworthguardian.co.uk/news/8753084.Mayor_of_London_gives_backing_to_power_station_plan/) --

PortoNuts

December 24th, 2010, 03:23 AM

London Office Market Leads the World as Rising Rents Draw Global Investors

London’s commercial property market has probably drawn the most investment for the second consecutive year as prospects of rising rental income attract cash from as far afield as Hong Kong, Qatar and Canada.

Sales of existing commercial property in the UK capital totaled $13.9 billion in the first nine months, more than in any other city, according to Real Capital Analytics Inc. Some of the biggest deals of the year were announced in the final quarter. “There’s a massive surplus of investment capital looking for a home, and the one thing in common is a desire for yield,” Dan Fasulo, RCA’s managing director, said in an interview. “A core London office property at a 5 or 6 percent yield looks fantastic against the alternatives.”

Cash-rich pension funds, sovereign wealth funds, insurers and wealthy individuals bought shops, offices and even luxury homes in central London as low interest rates and concern that the global economy will deteriorate made other investments riskier and less appealing. The city also ranked first in 2009 with sales of $16.8 billion, New York-based RCA said.

In the past two months, Norway’s sovereign wealth fund agreed to pay 448 million pounds ($692 million) for a stake in Regent Street. JPMorgan Chase & Co. purchased a new European headquarters building for 495 million pounds. Dutch and Canadian retirement funds signed an 872 million-pound deal giving them part of the Westfield Stratford City mall next to the site of the 2012 Olympics.

In May, the sovereign wealth fund of gas-rich Qatar bought the Harrods Ltd. luxury department store for 1.5 billion pounds. “Negative real interest rates mean you aren’t going to buy government bonds, corporate bonds have already had an incredible rally, gold doesn’t give you a yield and the stock market is volatile,” Fasulo said.

Tokyo, New York

Tokyo ranked second after London based on existing commercial property sales in the first nine months, at $13.1 billion. Hong Kong was third, followed by Paris and New York. RCA’s final rankings for 2010 are due in February.

If land deals for development are included along with existing buildings, Shanghai attracted the most money in the first three quarters, at $21 billion, the data show. About 81 percent of that figure is for development projects.

New York held the top spot in the world for commercial real estate sales in 2007, at the height of the debt-fueled investment boom. It slipped to second place after Tokyo in 2008, and to seventh place last year, RCA data show. In the first nine months of 2010, sales of existing New York commercial property totaled $5.8 billion.

London’s Recovery

London was one of the first real estate markets to see a pickup in deals and prices after the financial meltdown. The recovery began in the second half of 2009, ending two years of declines that wiped 50 percent from central London office values. Property became even more affordable for foreign buyers as the pound dropped. Sterling is now 23 percent below its September 2007 value against a basket of other currencies.

In London’s West End, where office leases cost the most in the world, rental income totals about 4 percent of a Grade-A building’s value on average. The ratio, known as the capitalization rate, was 3.5 percent when prices peaked in 2008 and rose to as high as 5.5 percent a year later as the financial crisis caused values to fall, CB Richard Ellis Group Inc. said.

“You saw a huge weight of money coming in from overseas, attracted by the double-whammy of super-cheap pricing and the pound effect,” said Damian Corbett, head of West End office sales at Jones Lang LaSalle Inc. Investors may start to look away from London in 2011 as property in parts of the US becomes good value again, said RCA’s Fasulo. US deals may double next year and account for almost a quarter of global transactions, he said.

US Undervalued

US offices are the most undervalued real estate in the world and investors have almost $100 billion earmarked for deals there, according to broker DTZ Holdings Plc.

Fasulo predicts “a wave of new investment” over the next six months in Manhattan worth about $10 billion. The average capitalization rate for a prime office building in the borough is 6 percent, and prices have scope to climb by about 4 percent, according to DTZ. London’s reign seems secure for the time being. Corbett estimates that there are 1,000 wealthy individuals looking to buy prime commercial properties in the British capital for as much as 200 million pounds, compared with about four in 2008.

Pramerica Real Estate Investors, acting for a wealthy family that it declined to identify, acquired Perella Weinberg Partners’ London headquarters in Mayfair for 47.8 million pounds in September. The sale was at a capitalization rate of 3.9 percent, brokers NB Real Estate and King Sturge estimate.

Malaysia Fund

Malaysia’s Employees Provident Fund announced plans in August to invest 1 billion pounds in UK real estate, citing the “stable and highly liquid” market and laws that secure titles and protect landlords.

The fund acquired 40 Portman Square, an office and residential building in central London, on Dec. 2 for 181 million pounds, or a capitalization rate of 5.57 percent. It bought Visa Europe’s headquarters in Paddington for 156 million pounds last month. The purchases were confirmed by people with knowledge of the deals, who declined to be identified because the information is confidential.

Investors in London expect capitalization rates on properties they own to go up as rents increase, said Jason Winfield, who heads DTZ’s UK sales department.

DTZ predicts that prime office rents in the West End will climb 38 percent to 110 pounds a square foot in 2014 from last year’s low of 80 pounds. In the City of London financial district, they will rise 55 percent to 67.50 pounds a square foot. City offices are still priced 10 percent below fair value and West End properties are 5.5 percent undervalued, according to the broker.

Outside the Capital

The gains have been mainly limited to the capital, RCA data show. Elsewhere in Britain, concern about the impact of government spending cuts to reduce the national debt has held back property investment. Tenants are competing for the best new office space in London after the financial crisis caused construction to slow. Drivers Jonas Deloitte estimates that office construction in central London is the lowest in at least 20 years, and the prospect of constrained supply has drawn some overseas investors.

Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System acquired a 50 percent stake in the 340 million-pound “Cheesegrater” tower project in the City in October.

Money isn’t just flowing into shops and offices. The euro region’s debt crisis enticed more continental Europeans to seek a “safe haven” in London, where luxury residential prices are 14 percent lower in euro terms than at the peak in early 2008, according to Knight Frank LLP.

“Some of the uncertainties in other cities helped London,” Fasulo said.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-12-23/london-office-market-leads-the-world-as-rising-rents-draw-global-investors.html

PortoNuts

December 26th, 2010, 01:58 AM

Foreign cash lifts number of £1m homes in London

The number of properties in London worth £1 million or more jumped by 11% to 123,236 this year as foreign investors flocked to the capital and pushed up demand.

http://img560.imageshack.us/img560/8034/kensingtonflats415.jpg
Millionaire's town: nine in 10 areas with the most million-pound homes are in London

Figures published today show four out of every five £1 million properties in Britain are in London and the south-east. The research by property website Zoopla shows the number of millionaire properties in London growing at almost twice the rate recorded around the UK.

Nine out of the 10 areas that feature the most million-plus homes are in London, led by Kensington, where more than half of all homes are worth seven figures. Other areas with the highest proportion of property millionaires are Chelsea, Barnes, West Brompton, Westminster, Hampstead and the only area outside London, Virginia Water in Surrey.

Nick Leeming, commercial director at Zoopla, said: “The North versus South wealth divide is now starker than ever. The prime market in the South has been impacted far less by the mortgage squeeze as a result of the inflow of foreign money and the strength in the City keeping demand for £1 million pads at peak levels.”

Overall London property values are expected to remain flat in 2011, but agents expect “millionaire homes” to continue to rise.

Dominic Agace, chief executive of London-based estate agent Winkworth, said: “Next year we're expecting prices in prime central London markets to rise 5%. Much of the money is coming from overseas. This year, 70% of our central London applicants were international buyers. The currency is still discounted and finance is affordable for those with equity.”

Jones Lang LaSalle's latest residential market forecast predicted London property prices will rise above 9% per year between 2012 and 2014. Richard Dalton, director of estate agency chain Savills, said: “We have seen a rise this year in the number of properties going for over £1 million. The big driver is the huge international demand. Two very pricey locations are the housing development at 1 Hyde Park and Eaton Square, which continues to see substantial transactions.

“We have had quite a few transactions over £10 million this year. Certain flats very rarely come to market and when they do people grab the opportunity to buy them.”

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard-business/article-23909921-foreign-cash-lifts-number-of-pound-1m-homes-in-london.do

ajaaronjoe

December 26th, 2010, 07:56 PM

...

PortoNuts

December 27th, 2010, 02:30 AM

London readies for its global close-up

If there's an "it" city for 2011, it's London. Not only will London see Kate and William's royal wedding — 30 years after Charles and Diana's vows captivated the world's heart — but that's also the run-up to two major events in 2012: the queen's diamond jubilee and the Summer Olympics and Paralympics.

http://img691.imageshack.us/img691/3406/27481604024163714.jpg
Buckingham Palace is quiet now, but in 2011 and 2012 it promises to be abuzz with activity feting the royals.

The prince and his bride plan to tie the knot April 29 in Westminster Abbey in a ceremony that is being described as less than lavish, given the economic times. British tourism officials hope the wedding prompts royal watchers to follow in Kate and William's footsteps and see a "younger" London. (Put Boujis, Chinawhite and Pangaea clubs on your itinerary.)

Details about the celebration of Queen Elizabeth II's 60-year reign are still developing, but it will include an extended weekend of festivities June 2-5. (Expect lots of business closures then.) But that's not until 2012.

If you're in London in 2011, you can see some of the changes taking place for the Olympics, which will transform parts of East London from a grubby, industrial area into a wetlands bird habitat and affordable housing (courtesy of the Olympic Village).

Stratford, a fairly undisturbed community in East London, was selected as the site of the Summer Games for being just that: an untouched part of the city in need of investment, refurbishment and revitalization. The London Olympics Committee has faced considerable criticism from locals and the media on whether the displacement of businesses from that area will lead to new, more successful development and commercial activity.

At the moment, though, it's bustling. The Westfield Stratford City shopping center, a digital image just a year ago, is morphing into a massive structure near the Olympic Park that will house 250 stores, countless restaurants, offices, a movie theater, a London Underground station and perhaps even a casino. This one building will outdo the other mega shopping centers in London. And come September, when it opens, authorities hope it will encourage employment in the local community by adding as many as 9,000 jobs.

Small organizations are trying to boost appreciation for East London and its landmarks, giving visitors a peek into it pre-Olympics. Buzz Stop, a free app, has become a popular way to promote East London's businesses, artists, parks, sites, restaurants, cafes, pubs and more. With reviews by locals, Buzzstop hopes to bring some of that traffic to the area during the Games.

As an Eastender, I hope it does. East London is rich in stories; with any luck, the London Olympics will showcase the stories and lives of the community to its global audience.

http://www.latimes.com/travel/la-tr-britain-20101226,0,6790234.story

PortoNuts

January 1st, 2011, 08:57 PM

West End office rents will grow by more than 8% over the next 4 years

Leading chartered surveyors and property consultants Cluttons has released its December 2010 West End Offices Update.

Head of Commercial division, John Wood comments, "Whilst occupier demand continues to improve in the West End, incentives are falling, with rents moving up across most areas as reduced availability becomes increasingly evident. Prime rents are now at £90 per sq ft, with hedge funds continuing to fuel this end of the occupier market. Availability of Grade A space continues to fall, and the decline in new supply projected over the medium term will further restrict availability.

"With many lease expiries due over the next two years and a drop in supply over the same period, the market is likely to continue to favour landlords, with further upward movement of Grade A rents as occupiers fight for quality office space. We forecast rents will average in excess of 8% per annum growth over the next four years.”

Highlights of the research include:

- Availability of offices in the West End was down 9% to 4.24m sq ft as take-up rose by 28% to 1.53m sq ft.

- The vacancy rate fell to 5.9% from 6.5% of stock.

- Completions totalled 716,900 sq ft, up 141%. Space under construction increased by 19.1% to 1.44m sq ft.

- Headline rental figures moved up, with the prime rent now at £90 per sq ft.
The volume of transactions was up 10%, totalling £1.96bn.

Take up of office space in Noho/Fitzrovia was down and availability up which went against the general trend in the West End. Investment activity in the area however was at its highest level since 2007. Meanwhile it appears that investors are cautious about investing in offices in Victoria as a result of public spending cuts.

http://www.freeofficesearch.co.uk/OfficeSpaceNews/Office-Space-West-End-London

PortoNuts

January 2nd, 2011, 11:28 AM

TfL highlights how London businesses are benefiting from Boris Bikes

Transport for London has revealed how London’s Barclays Cycle Hire Scheme, launched at the end of July this year, has not only helped individuals get around the city, but is also benefiting businesses in the capital

In the first five months of operation, more than 2 million journeys have been made using the fleet of navy blue bikes, and there are in excess of 110,000 members of the scheme, which was also opened up to casual users last month.

While much of the use of the bikes is in some shape or form work-related, whether that be commuters on the last leg of their journey to work, or someone whizzing around town between appointments – something we’ve done ourselves when road.cc business has taken us to the capital – it’s clear that an increasing number of organisations are harnessing the scheme for their daily operations.

The attractions for businesses whose activities permit them to use the scheme in some way are obvious – assuming the trip length is 30 minutes or less, they only have to pay the access fee of £1 a day, which falls sharply if extended periods are bought, journey times are predictable, with no worries about traffic hold-ups, it benefits the workforce’s health and, of course, reinforces a company’s green credentials.

Some companies maintain that there’s also a certain kudos that comes with their customers being aware that they are using the so-called Boris Bikes to help carry out their duties. According to Kulveer Ranger, the Mayor's transport adviser, "Both commuters and businesses have fully embraced Barclays Cycle Hire which is testimony to the guile and ingenuity that makes London such a smart place to do business.

“It shows a real shift in the culture of the city as it reaps the rewards of cycling; both financial and environmental. This is good news for everyone who wants to live and work in a cleaner, greener city.”

Mr Ranger continues: “I hope this inspires businesses to take on other aspects of the cycle revolution such as the Barclays Cycle Superhighways and spurs them on to improve facilities for those who are regularly using two wheels."

Deanna Oppenheimer, Vice-Chair, Global Retail Banking, CEO Western Europe and CEO UK Retail Banking at Barclays, sponsors of the scheme and London’s Barclays Cycle Superhighways, says that the bank is “delighted that the London business community is embracing and witnessing the benefits of Barclays Cycle Hire.

"The scheme is having a profound social and economic benefit on the city of London,” she adds. “Users of the scheme get healthier and more productive at work, and research shows that increases to transport capacity improves opportunities for investment and jobs in London. Already, the public and employers are making cost savings by using a cheap and sustainable mode of transport."

TfL has highlighted a number of specific examples of businesses using the scheme that help explain just what the attractions and benefits are of incorporating use of the hire bikes in their daily activities. Pest control firm Cleankill, for instance, uses the bikes as a means of avoiding traffic congestion and lower its carbon footprint, while for IT services company Octavia, the key attraction lies in reducing travel costs.

Ian Miller of Cleankill is enthusiastic in his endorsement of the scheme. “It’s brilliant,” he says. “I used to use the tube and occasionally my car, but now I hire a bike. I find it's faster than other forms of transport and I feel much healthier for it. Our customers are very keen that we are a 'green' pest control operation so they love the fact that I use a bike to reach them - plus I'm saving the company money."

Meanwhile, CEO of Southwark-based Octavia, Giles Sirett, explains the reasoning behind his company’s adoption of the scheme: "We carry out around 100 business journeys a week across London and were keen to reduce the amount of time and money we spend travelling to jobs. We have a docking station located outside our offices and as most of our journeys are under 30 minutes, the cycle scheme proves to be very inexpensive and a fast way of getting to our customers."

Two other companies to have embraced the scheme are Dogstar Design, based in Clerkenwell, and the InterContinental Hotel on Park Lane.

For Dogstar, the principal reasons behind using hire bikes to those of Octavia – it saves time and money, as managing director Simon Davies outlines: "The Barclays Cycle Hire scheme has completely changed the way we get around the City to visit our clients. In these times of reduced budgets we are able to save ourselves and our clients money by using the bikes to travel for free to meetings, at the same time we have reduced the amount of time we spend travelling."

As previously reported here on road.cc, The InterContinental Hotel in Park Lane used multiple memberships of the scheme to enable overseas visitors, or UK residents who weren’t members, to benefit from it.

Even though the scheme has now been opened up to casual users, the ability to provide guests with what is in effect temporary membership is an added service that the hotel can offer, with Head Concierge Simon Rose saying: "Barclays Cycle Hire is great way for our guests to see parts of the city that they would be less likely to uncover travelling by Tube.”

Besides those organisations using the scheme specifically for their own purposes, one segment of the London business community has also received a tangible benefit from it – bike retailers, with TfL saying that many have seen greater interest in cycle clothing since the launch.

Caz Nicklin, founder and Director of online business Cyclechic.co.uk, which operates from offices in Shoreditch, said: "We have noticed a rise in sales since the scheme started in July. It seems to have opened up cycling to a wider spectrum of people, who ordinarily would not have thought to cycle in London.

“I also use the bikes day to day for popping to our warehouse and attending meetings around town and find them fantastically convenient," she adds.

http://road.cc/content/news/28798-tfl-highlights-how-london-businesses-are-benefiting-boris-bikes

BG_PATRIOT

January 2nd, 2011, 04:35 PM

@PortoNuts

I have to ask you a question about the office development in London since you seem to be well informed.

With the upcoming construction of the Shard, Heron Tower and the Pinnacle do you think that the investors in those projects will see good returns or not? Because even though being a tenant in one of those towers will surely give some prestige to a company, the rent will most probably be much higher than in some smaller office buildings which are getting developed throughout the city and let's face at this moment all companies want to save. Already that the investors in the Pinnacle are struggling with their loan for the purchase of the land, I don't see them seeing a good return from this investment especially with the flood of new office space that will become reality in a couple of years.

PortoNuts

January 2nd, 2011, 09:52 PM

Well, I'm not a property agent but I think they will be successful because I've been reading for a long time that office space won't be enough in a few years. Demand will be a lot bigger than supply in short term according to developers and property companies. So that 'flood of office space' is probably needed. Investment has been rising for quite a while now.

The office space provided by Heron Tower or the Shard is a drop in the sea to the surprise of many. Investment has been rising steadly and some high profile projects have been announced, like the new headquarters for Bloomberg and UBS, which shows confidence in the City market.

But this is just a point of view, don't take this as an absolute truth.:cheers:

PortoNuts

January 3rd, 2011, 02:56 PM

5 Broadgate, London – review

-- Link to The Observer article (http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/2011/jan/02/5-broadgate-london-review-make-ken-shuttleworth) --

http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Admin/BkFill/Default_image_group/2010/12/29/1293646219648/5-Broadgate-London-007.jpg

Good architects should be able to walk and chew gum at the same time. That is, meet their clients' needs, design well-made and sustainable buildings, and also add something to their building's setting, such as work with their surroundings to create a place more harmonious/ fascinating/ humane/ pleasurable than it was before. 5 Broadgate, a mighty money factory proposed for the City of London, fails to do this, even though its architect is Ken Shuttleworth of Make, who has been lavishly praised by all three of the chairmen, to date, of the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (Cabe). "He is one of the best hidden talents in the UK," said one. The second said he was one of the top five architects in the world. The third called his work "extraordinary". Could an architect so brilliant not masticate while ambulating?

5 Broadgate meets every wish of its future occupier, the Swiss bank UBS. It offers 700,000 sq feet of office space, including a stack of dealer floors the size of football pitches. It aims to set high standards of sustainability. It will be, Shuttleworth says, "an expression of the stability of the bank".

To achieve all this requires something big, consuming the sites of two existing buildings. A pedestrian route across the site will be closed, forcing people to squeeze round the edges of the new building's bulk. A covered arcade through the block might have been possible, but this is banned for security reasons, as are shops or cafes at the building's base. The ban is a deal-breaker, apparently: if the City's planners insisted on these humanising touches, UBS would up and go – to Canary Wharf or, worse, Frankfurt.

You might think that UBS is being unduly touchy – it could surely hire enough security to keep al-Qaida or student rioters out of an arcade or coffee shop – but it is not surprising that the planners would want to avert a Swiss flounce. Given that the shaky edifice of the British economy is in thrall to financial services, they would not want to bring down such a heavy blow for the sake of a bit of permeability for pedestrians. There is not much Shuttleworth can do with these macroeconomic forces, and it could be argued that the accommodation of brute finance is what the special enclave of the City of London is about. He can't pretend his building is not big. But he could try to reconcile the scale of the new building with its surroundings.

The site is in Broadgate, the 1980s development highly praised for the unity of its design, for the ways it makes a whole greater than the sum of its parts and its open spaces more important than individual buildings. There have been calls for Broadgate to be listed, which would be overly precious, but one might hope that a new building respects its principles. It shouldn't try to mimic its neighbours, but its rhythms, proportions and materials could create resonances or rapport between the new and the old.

Instead, Make's design announces with maximum force that it is an aloof fortress. Bankers, it says, are people apart from the rest of us. Its windows are defensive horizontal strips in a cliff-like wall. There are terraces high up for the use of UBS staff, but this glimmer of life is suppressed by the hard geometry. It is armour-plated in aluminium (an energy-ravenous material, by the way, although Shuttleworth says he will work with manufacturers to make this the greenest possible aluminium). There is no softening: not a curve or a piece of greenery. The existing buildings, which have layers of stone screens in contrast to the new one's sheer metal, are ignored. We are invited to admire it as a vast piece of sculpture, where the bank's wish for an expression of power perfectly aligns with the architect's desire for a singular artistic statement.

One of the best things that ever happened to Shuttleworth was when Make, now seven years old, was newly founded. His former employer, Norman Foster, had him erased from a group photograph like a victim of Stalin's purges, which supported the image of him as the suppressed creative genius behind Foster projects such as the Gherkin. With the help of some fervent press, a legend was created of "Ken the Pen", a dazzling whiz of a draftsman. He also combined his radical reputation with securing positions of influence. He became a Cabe commissioner and a member of its Design Review Committee, which judges the quality of significant projects. He became Cabe's "champion for schools and the East Midlands".

Commissions flooded in, for significant commercial developments, for private homes for property developers, for the Olympic handball arena, for schools. Make's reputation rode high, even when its completed buildings consisted mostly of a judo hall in Dartford, and the Jubilee Campus at Nottingham University, a set of wedges mottled with a psoriasis of red cladding. The campus was nominated for Building Design magazine's Carbuncle Cup, for the worst building of the year, albeit also for the prime minister's Better Public Building award, sponsored by Cabe.

Make presents itself as everything Foster and Partners are not: collegiate, open to ideas from even its most junior staff, and with no house style. Publications about the practice include pictures of staff weddings and holiday snaps. Profits and credit are shared. It calls itself a "studio", stressing its creative side. Shuttleworth says he wants to create "the best buildings in the world" and above all be sustainable. "I want to save the planet," he says.

Make stress how important clients are, how each one is special, and how its buildings respond to each unique set of needs. Clients of Make praise the company as responsive and professional, and these virtues are obviously important ones. What is lacking is a core of principles: a Make building tends to be as good as its brief, with Ken the Pen's flourishes giving a dressing of art. If UBS wants a defensive-aggressive citadel, it gets it. On another site in the City of London, called London Wall Place, where the planners are being more demanding, it has produced a more subtle design. In Birmingham they have built the Cube, a block of shops, offices and flats, which brings a bit of flash and sparkle to a site that probably needed it.

Make is a perfect distillation of 00s architecture, where genuine professionalism, slick stylishness, and a real if well-advertised commitment to the environment are boosted by hype and infinite adaptability to the demands of the market. This combination makes it an above-average commercial practice. It does not make its employees the hidden geniuses, or the world-top-five architects that their mates at Cabe or some excitable journalists claimed them to be. It says much for the poverty of architectural discourse that anyone could have imagined that they were.

BG_PATRIOT

January 3rd, 2011, 05:33 PM

Langur

January 3rd, 2011, 07:03 PM

I'm not sure if this project has been posted here before, but it's Westminster Place by Delancey, and will replace concrete horror of York House. The site is adjacent to the new Park Plaza hotels at the southern end of Westminster Bridge. The architect is Sheppard Robson. It appears to be under construction.

London’s Southbank to get crystalline landmark

http://www.worldarchitecturenews.com/index.php?fuseaction=wanappln.projectview&upload_id=10110

London’s Southbank will feature a new landmark building following the approval of a planning application to redevelop York House. The 18 storey crystalline office block, designed by Sheppard Robson, commissioned by Delancey and situated on the River Thames, will be highly visible from Parliament Square and Westminster Bridge.

The new design was initiated after a four-year planning period for the original, smaller design which, by the time planning was granted, had become obsolete. Project architect, David Ardill, explained why a redesign was necessary: “We came in after four years of planning. The original design had become dated with the outside made with articulated blocks. Because of the design it was only really useful as a single-occupancy block…Our design was needed to help improve the landmark status of the site.”

And they have responded to this brief by creating a bold but beautiful glazed-design which reflects light in an array of colours due to the formation of layered glass. “What makes the building special is the double skin and layering of the glass which works with the materials to reflect and diffuse light throughout and from the building,” said Ardill. A ‘dragonfly wing’ effect is created by the layering which was designed to dissolve the edges of the glass so as to use it as a feature. The outer skin is a deformed grid that pulls against diagonal fins to create a series of small pyramids contributing to the jewel concept. This gives crystalline reflections and animates the façade as the sun moves around it. Dichroic glass fins add changing colour to the building façade throughout the day.

The glazing acts as a response to that which is central to the building’s location: the view. Delancey wanted to make the most out of the riverside views out to parliament. This was accommodated by a 10,000 sq ft roof terrace and full length glazing to the front of the building. Issues of temperature control and heat loss then came into play encouraging the inclusion of a layered glass frontage which in turn will offer an ‘environmental buffer’ between the inside and outside and collect heat for energy.

Sustainability is key to the design which is currently set to receive an excellent BREEAM, the British environmental standard, rating. It is hoped that the building will be able to work in conjunction with the residential development Founders House to deliver heating to the properties collected from Westminster Place.

Sheppard Robson’s developments will spread much further than the individual plot of York House where derelict offices now stand. The project also involves a £2.5 million spend on landscaping for the surrounding area and the curve of the design will work together with nearby Westminster Park Plaza's facade mimicking each other to create a symmetrical passage between the two buildings and into the landscaped and pedestrianised area connecting Westminster Place with Delancey-owned Beckett House beyond.

A further notable design feature of the 345,000 sq ft building is the central atrium reaching from floor to ceiling through 17 floors providing an internal spectacle which will bring light to all sides of the office space.

Ardill said: “We are delighted to receive planning consent and the opportunity to bring a landmark building to the skyline of London’s iconic Southbank. Sheppard Robson recognised the importance of a design that sits comfortably in the context of its surroundings, yet has the charisma and visual presence to justify its development in such a prominent area of Central London.”

http://static.worldarchitecturenews.com/news_images/10110_3_westminster3big.jpg

http://static.worldarchitecturenews.com/news_images/10110_1_Westminster1big.jpg

http://static.worldarchitecturenews.com/news_images/10110_2_Westminster2big.jpg

http://static.worldarchitecturenews.com/news_images/10110_4_westminster4big.jpg

http://static.worldarchitecturenews.com/news_images/10110_5_westminster5big.jpg

http://static.worldarchitecturenews.com/news_images/10110_6_westminster6big.jpg

PortoNuts

January 4th, 2011, 11:52 PM

The interior is specially astonishing. So much high tech. :bow:

pricemazda

January 5th, 2011, 12:09 AM

I walk by this area every day, what they are not showing you is the context properly. If you are at ground level you get a better sense of the 360 and this building does nothing to improve the feel for anyone who isn't in a car.

Newcastle Guy

January 5th, 2011, 05:31 PM

Angel Court, a midrise tower in The City, is set for a redevelopment. This recent picture by Chest shows how the tower currently looks. It is the brown building in front of Heron Tower.

http://web.me.com/benveasey/DSC00808.JPG

Here is an elevation of the new design from Skyscraper News:

http://www.skyscrapernews.com/images/pics/2737OneAngelCourtSetForMakeover_pic1.jpg

If the cladding is of a high quality, this could really benefit the skyline.

PortoNuts

January 6th, 2011, 03:19 PM

They did an excellent job on the Stock Exchange Tower, let's hope this goes the same way.

dutchsnookerfan

January 6th, 2011, 06:05 PM

this design looks taller it will be over 100m i think

PortoNuts

January 8th, 2011, 03:13 PM

The supersize skyline: Why 2011 will be the year architecture takes a giant leap upwards

From London's 'Cucumber' skyscraper to Norman Foster's space station in the New Mexico desert, buildings dazzling in size and ambition are set to transform the global landscape in 2011.

Brute bigness will be a defining feature of architecture in 2011. The way large buildings occupy space, and even the way architecture will become the threshold to outer space (thanks to Norman Foster and Richard Branson) has put supersizing firmly on the menu.

Last year, the hot news was that the vilified ex-banker Fred "the Shred" Goodwin was going to turn the Edinburgh-based practice RMJM into a Godzilla of world architecture. But now we learn that the equally hard to pronounce Aecom has acquired more than 30 practices and, with a jumbo-pack of 1,488 architects, has become the biggest practice in the world, after a mere 20 years in the business.

In London, bigness looms in the form of buildings such as Robin Partington's so-called Cucumber, a 459ft residential tower destined for the shiny architectural hodge-podge known as Paddington Basin. The Cucumber has just been submitted for planning approval and its uniquely peculiar form surely makes it a foregone conclusion in a part of the city where gaudy architectural chunks seem de rigeur as far as Westminster's planners are concerned.

...

In Britain, we will witness the final act in the transformation of London's most hideously mangled railway station, King's Cross; the extension of the Holburne Museum of Art in Bath; and the rolling-out of major Olympic projects. But more on those subjects in a moment. First, back to bigness.

Two buildings – one within days of opening, the other being considered by City of London planners as you read this – epitomise the controversial thud of supersized buildings on to our cityscapes.

Exhibit A: the £250m One Hyde Park residences in London's Knightsbridge, designed by Rogers Stirk Harbour and with four glazed "blades" of apartments linked by semi-transparent circulation cores. At 65,000 square metres this is a major, precedent-setting urban object. Clearly, the practice has tried to give the building a sense of articulation, rhythm and material refinement, but it is the sheer scale and manner of the building, in its Victorian-Edwardian context, that make it so debatable. The Prince of Wales, having machinated to block Rogers Stirk Harbour's scheme for Chelsea Barracks, held back from putting the royal boot in this time.

Exhibit B: an even bigger "groundscraper" in the City of London, at Broadgate, designed by Ken Shuttleworth and his practice, Make. This £340m scheme, for the Swiss financial giant UBS and with a "footprint" the size of a football pitch, could receive planning permission this year. Shuttleworth's inspiration for his massive metal-sheathed structure is an engine block. As in, engine of finance. The building gleams as if coated in platinum. Is the UBS building too big for the City, or is it simply the unstoppable, low-slung shape of leviathans to come in a world where the masters of the universe usually get what they want?

The City's planning supremo, Peter Rees, is broadly in favour of the Make design, which suggests that the building will be given approval. Rees is an urbane, shrewd and confidently provocative character, a trained architect who understands the commercial value of star practitioners. His vision is that the City must be an organism of physical change and versatility, if it is to retain pole position in the ephemeral and image-driven world of international finance.

Under Rees's guidance, the City has become a metaphor for eternal renewal in which buildings, like the fulminating money markets, are in dynamic, come-hither flux. His support of One New Change, 100 metres east of St Paul's Cathedral – Jean Nouvel described his building as a "stealth bomber" – was daring; so too was his approval of Rem Koolhaas's almost finished building for Rothschilds, which is, literally, hard up against St Stephen's Walbrook, Christopher Wren's most exquisitely beautiful small church.

The City has thus become marked with the equivalent of Just Do It architectural brandmarks, spikes on a skyline that will soon dole out more towering visual infarctions: the 20 Fenchurch Street Walkie-Talkie building, designed by Rafael Viñoly; Renzo Piano's so-called Shard, looming above London Bridge station; the Pinnacle tower designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox and known as the Helter Skelter; and the Heron Tower, which has failed dismally in its primary task, of triggering a fatuous nickname. Only one of these forthcoming giants promises to offer any sense of formal gravitas – Rogers Stirk Harbour's Leadenhall tower, the so-called Cheesegrater.

The grandeur of architectural bigness is strangely paradoxical. "We know by instinct," wrote the novelist WG Sebald, in Austerlitz, "that outsize buildings cast the shadow of their own destruction before them, and are designed from the first with an eye to their later existence as ruins." In the City, new kinds of architectural bigness are creating a beauty pageant of towers and groundscrapers in an urban cabinet of curiosities which may ultimately lobotomise our interest in the effects, good and bad, of change.

Even so, Sebald's "shadow of destruction" can never be universal. Nor will size be everything in 2011. Indeed, in Britain, 2011 could become the year a certain Chippo bigs it up in a very different way – "Chippo" being the nickname of the architect who is considered by many to be the most significant of all in terms of anti-bling architecture.

David Chipperfield, a Royal Academician and the latest RIBA gold medallist, was forced to forge his world-class reputation in Europe, because he was once considered "not one of us" by the Caligulas of the British establishment. His new and suddenly very solid presence here will rattle those architects who have been picking up the most valuable British commissions. Estimable and highly successful practices such as Allies and Morrison and Allford Hall Monaghan Morris are hot tickets in commercial architecture but they must now operate in the glare of Chipperfield's vastly weightier international reputation for designing buildings that subtly recast the relationships between historical precedent and 21st-century urbanism.

Two important British buildings by David Chipperfield Architects will open in weeks and they will re-set the bar in terms of major cultural projects in this country. The irony is that Turner Contemporary in Margate and The Hepworth Wakefield may also become rather tragic architectural terminal moraines in a cultural landscape glaciated by government cuts.

The Hepworth is not graceful: the brusque compaction of its irregular concrete segments has created a strangely provocative grey mass, hunkered on the dreary headland of the Calder river. The building might almost be a supersized Cubist sculpture, a last hurrah as the cultural ice sheet creeps across the land.

Turner Contemporary is more straightforward, with an orderly massing and articulation that conveys its "cultural" purpose. The only question mark concerns its ability to spark significant regeneration in the centre of Margate. The museum will no doubt have a shop and a comfortable restaurant. But will the chatterati hasten eastwards, beyond Wheelers Oyster Bar in Whitstable, and strike out to Margate, only to spend two or three hours in Turner Contemporary before leaving? Will they take time to stroll around the Dickensian Old Town?

Chipperfield's competition in cultural projects (if there are any) will come from long-established practices such as Dixon Jones Architects, which has delivered blue-chip projects at the Royal Opera House and the National Portrait Gallery. Its latest makeover, for the Crown Estate, at the Regents Palace Hotel in Piccadilly, will be completed in 2011. Dixon Jones has a sense of history and restraint, though it can seem bloodlessly refined.

There are other practices bristling with more provocative intellectual and cultural voltage – Eric Parry Architects and Caruso St John, most obviously; and among the new wave, Lynch Architects, Maccreanor Lavington and Dow Jones. The last named has shown considerable skill and civility in the way it has developed projects at Christ Church Spitalfields and the Garden Museum in London. A shortlisting for the Cast Courts at the V&A Museum was no surprise.

But wait! Chippo gives good "commercial" too! In Europe, his reputation was partly made through big, brilliantly executed commercial projects and he is designing two mixed-use buildings in London, one at Waterloo, the other in the massive King's Cross Central development. Chipperfield is likely to be shortlisted automatically for most big commercial projects in historically sensitive parts of London. And this means that practices competing with him will have to think of something better than glitzy facades or brightly coloured architectural doodads. Such a cynical, Lego-cum-Crayola approach to architecture is turning swathes of our towns and cities into gormless urban romper rooms.

Meanwhile, the minister for tourism and heritage at the Department of Culture Media Olympics and Sport, John Penrose, has added architecture to his department's remit. After Penrose's appointment, his spokesperson said that the quality of Britain's built environment was crucial to "our tourism offer to the world". A most terrible mistake has been made. What Whitehall really needs is a Department of Eat Shop Tweet Leave.

Thank heavens we can look forward to John McAslan + Partners and Arup's completion of the £300m modernisation of King's Cross, towards the end of the year. This great station has become a grim shambles of shameful, cheapjack alterations but the wave-form canopy of the new western concourse will be the most striking piece of British railway architecture since the marvellously crafted articulations of Sir Nicholas Grimshaw's Eurostar concourse at Waterloo in the 1990s.

A few miles further east, on the 2012 Olympics site, one suspects that less will be more. Zaha Hadid's grandly flaring "manta ray" aquatics stadium will become the image on the most popular Olympic stamp but it may well be gracefully upstaged by the super-svelte velodrome designed by Hopkins and Partners.

In Bath, Eric Parry's extension of the Holburne Museum is likely to be a gem – one that was nearly derailed by a local lobby of nimbys who seemed to want to see the museum close rather than evolve into the 21st century. Parry has produced a new segment, facing the Sydney Pleasure Gardens, and its novel lattice-form facades will certainly infuriate the fusty few. Fortunately, they will also charm the many who understand what history has always proved: that places and buildings cannot always move forward in predictable ways.

That ideal of innovative change is hard-wired into Baron Foster of Thames Bank (and Switzerland) – but in a very different way. Two projects due for completion in 2011 illustrate his new design explorations: the Queen Alia International Airport in Amman, Jordan and Spaceport America in New Mexico. Both buildings point to more organic form-making – the former in terms of its almost Art Nouveau canopies, the latter in the way the building hunkers into the desert landscape.

In a 21st-century architectural zeitgeist of controversial bigness, Spaceport America, built for Richard Branson, is almost beyond criticism. It is an Ur object in an Ur setting for an Ur purpose– roughly equivalent to the legendary ziggurat that was built in the Sumerian city of Ur, 21 centuries before Christ. The spaceport project, close to the 16th-century Camino Real trail that was created by the Spanish explorer Herná* Cortés, also marks a crucial point in Foster's career.

It is no secret that his earliest inspiration was Buckminster Fuller, the inventor of the geodesic dome and the concept of "spaceship earth". Bucky, as he was known, once asked Foster how much one of his buildings weighed. Now we have a spaceport that is about leaving spaceship earth and entering conditions of physical and existential weightlessness.

How weirdly apt it is that Foster + Partners has also been working with the European Space Agency to see if it is possible to use moon dust in what is, in effect, a large ink-jet printer, programmed to spit out lunar structures made of moon-dust cement – as if they were being printed in lines of structural text, composed of tiny, viscous pellets.

No, you didn't read that wrongly. Just picture it: Norman Foster, boyhood devotee of Dan Dare comics, gazing out of the cockpit of a Virgin Galactic spacecraft as it slips the surly bonds of earth. A static-stippled voice is relayed from 110km up: "This is Major Norman to ground control..."

In 2150, when Major Norman is no longer with us, the Minister of Eat Shop Tweet Leave might well look down from the same cockpit. And he will surely feel a thrill of cultural pride to know that all over Britain, huddled masses of tourists will be gawping at yet more towers and groundscrapers by even the most unimaginative and commercially ruthless architects, the monstrous printers' cement-jets going ptt-ptt-ptt as the structures, slowly and remorselessly, take form.

http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/architecture/the-supersize-skyline-why-2011-will-be-the-year-architecture-takes-a-giant-leap-upwards-2177728.html

REAPER666 94

January 8th, 2011, 03:24 PM

Some comments on that article

"This is all about wrecking our once-beautiful world and accompanying the process with PR avalanches telling us how great these buildings are."

"Wouldn't it be nice if we spent as much time and effort on designing and building decent attractive affordable and social housing?

"Instead of the `boxes' they build at the moment with tiny windows and a mass produced sameness?"

Oh some people :L

Myster E

January 9th, 2011, 02:01 AM

Generally find independent/guardian wet leftist NIMBYS who'll oppose anything (HS2 comes to mind) and as a whole up thier own arses so thier opinions are generally irrelevant.

kerouac1848

January 11th, 2011, 06:27 PM

^^Opposition (and NIMBYs) comes from both sides of the political spectrum (and there are at least a equal number of conservatives against HS2). For those on the left the reasons are normally to do with the relationship between the corporate, Big Business world (esp. financial institutions) and development of skyscrapers. Here is the fear of a bland, yuppified world which removes local people and imports suits.

For the right (mostly conservatives with a small 'c' and spear-headed by Charles and EH), it is the fear that tradition and history are being eroded. There is also for some the view that tall buildings, coming largely from the US and Asia, are a foreign concept crushing Britain's golden period.

Basically, most people in the UK and Europe as a whole belongs in some form to one of these two macro groups. Pro-tower individuals are pretty much a small minority sadly (the UK's disastrous embracing of cheap concrete tower blocks erected in the 60s and 70s probably hasn't helped either). The irony is that many skyscrapers (e.g. the Shard) are replacing bulky post-war horrors, freeing up, and thus providing, public space and offering cash to develop local improvements (e.g. tube stations).

PortoNuts

January 12th, 2011, 07:20 PM

Four Seasons moves ahead with London property

Plans for a third Four Seasons hotel in London took a step forward today, with the granting of planning permission for the forthcoming Heron Plaza.

Property tycoon Gerald Ronson secured permission to build the new tower, which will also incorporate a major residential and retail development in the City of London. The 43-storey development is the second and concluding phase of works started with Ronson’s Heron Tower, which is just months from completion.

Four Seasons will open a hotel in the development, containing 190 hotel suites and 120 Four Seasons-branded residences, as well as restaurants, conference and banqueting facilities, a gym, spa and swimming pool. Heron Plaza and accompanying Heron Tower will be located just 150 metres from Liverpool Street station, which will benefit from Crossrail connections from 2017.

That development will link London Heathrow Airport to Liverpool Street and Canary Wharf.

Four Seasons already operates hotels in Mayfair and Canary Wharf, with the Park Lane property reopening later this month. The Heron Plaza tower will have an external screen which will be constructed from a patinated natural copper alloy whose material tone and warmth will provide contrast and balance to the stainless steel of Heron Tower.

The cost of the project will be in excess of £500 million.

http://www.breakingtravelnews.com/news/article/four-seasons-moves-ahead-with-london-property/

mouldss@hotmail.co.u

January 12th, 2011, 11:14 PM

PortoNuts

January 17th, 2011, 08:42 PM

London architecture practice to expand office space

Allies & Morrison will add 1,200 sq m to its existing office space in London by renovating a warehouse building next door.

Graham Morrison, co-founder of the architecture and urban planning practice, told Building Design the office expansion is just one of "12 to 15" projects the firm is currently involved with in the capital. It plans to extend its space by redeveloping the warehouse located adjacent to its 2,000 sq m headquarters on Southwark Street.

"We first moved into our offices here about eight years ago and even then we were almost too big for the space," Mr Morrison explained. He added that Allies & Morrison managed to escape the worst effects of the economic downturn and the firm has not "shrunk as much" as some of its contemporaries.

Once the office enlargement is complete, the practice will proceed with plans for the redevelopment of the Isis building near London Bridge into a residential tower. Allies & Morrison was named architect of the year in the 2007 Building Design Awards and opened an office in Doha, Qatar in 2009.

http://www.freeofficesearch.co.uk/OfficeSpaceNews.asp?NewsID=800346124&monthnameyear=January2011

January 18th, 2011, 04:23 PM

can someone tell me the name of the city or district that was this photo taken from?

http://img228.imageshack.us/img228/2483/lbt2.jpg

Newcastle Guy

January 18th, 2011, 06:30 PM

Work has resumed at the 122 Leadenhall and 20 Fenchurch Street sites. The Groundbreaking ceremony for 20 Fenchurch Street was yesterday:cheers: I think that's 9 buildings over 100m under construction at the moment, which is good for London.

Drawings of 20 Fenchurch Street I hadn't seen before:

just to remind people of the floor plans (if they have not seen them yet)

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5289/5367036165_9d4db16478_z.jpg
ground floor
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5287/5367036293_c117cd3f53_z.jpg
level 4
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5246/5367648096_df5ab66bd8_z.jpg
level 14
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5168/5367648166_ae614451d0_z.jpg
level 30
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5047/5367648306_fc4a70cdca_z.jpg
sky garden
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5248/5367036689_39bdc4e629_z.jpg

The chances of the 150m Baltimore Wharf scheme near Canary Wharf starting construction also increased last week:

http://www.wharf.co.uk/Baltimore%20WharfWEBr.jpg

Ballymore's £400m lifelines (http://www.propertyweek.com/news/-ballymore%E2%80%99s-%C2%A3400m-lifelines/5011614.article#ixzz1B08OQQl8)

...Ballymore is close to agreeing a restructuring and debt-for-equity swap with the holders of £265m of debt secured against its huge mixed-use Baltimore Wharf scheme, on the site of the former London Arena in London’s Docklands.

Accounts filed last week at Companies House show that senior lender the Royal Bank of Scotland, which has lent £196m against the scheme, and the holders of a £68m, 15% interest rate mezzanine bond, are on the verge of signing a deal in which RBS would take an equity stake in the project and the mezzanine lenders write off debt and interest payments in return for an equity stake.

The restructuring would give the lenders a 73% stake in the project, which is valued at £296m, and free up cash to complete the development and reduce interest payments.

Baltimore Wharf will comprise a total of 972 flats. A “twisting” 45-storey tower will have 105 serviced apartments and a 180-bedroom hotel. Other buildings will include 285,000 sq ft of offices, 51,667 sq ft of retail, leisure facilities and a community centre.

The first phase, which will comprise 600 flats in five blocks, has been largely completed, but the tower has not yet been started...

Read more: http://www.propertyweek.com/news/-ballymore’s-£400m-lifelines/5011614.article#ixzz1B0hlRxEp
propertyweek.com
Under Creative Commons License: Attribution

essjaybee

January 19th, 2011, 10:36 AM

can someone tell me the name of the city or district that was this photo taken from?

http://img228.imageshack.us/img228/2483/lbt2.jpg

That's got to be from Blackheath Hill, so somewhere on the borders of Blackheath/Greenwich/Honor Oak Park. I've tried to find the street on Google Earth, but have decided I was being abit sad! :nuts:

PortoNuts

January 19th, 2011, 11:42 PM

Baltimore Wharf would be a really good signature tower for the area. :cheers2:

PortoNuts

January 20th, 2011, 01:37 PM

Thames floating walkway links riverside attractions

A futuristic floating boardwalk is set to be built along the north shore of the Thames in time for the 2012 Olympics.

The eye-catching walkway would border a river garden stretching along the Thames from Blackfriars to the Tower of London.

http://i.thisislondon.co.uk/i/pix/2011/01/TowerBridge_415.jpg

It would provide the first continuous pedestrian link along the northern bank and connect some of London's most visited tourist attractions, such as St Paul's Cathedral and Tower Bridge.

The boardwalk would link five pavilions focusing on leisure, education, green energy, innovation and events.

The design, by international architecture firm Gensler, is shortlisted for the best conceptual project prize at the Mayor's London Planning Awards, taking place tomorrow. Boris Johnson is understood to be keen to press ahead with the river garden project whether it wins or not, although it is as yet unfunded.

The proposal is likely to face objections from campaigners who will point out that it is on a World Heritage site, but the entire structure would be temporary - and floated into place - meaning it could be installed without damaging its surroundings.

Gensler said the walkway would enable pedestrians "to experience a totally new relationship with the river and the city".

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23915446-thames-floating-walkway-links-riverside-attractions.do

PortoNuts

January 20th, 2011, 01:54 PM

by SE9.

http://i53.tinypic.com/155nuz6.jpg

ajaaronjoe

January 20th, 2011, 02:48 PM

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23915446-thames-floating-walkway-links-riverside-attractions.do

Thats so sick, can someone get me a bigger picture pls? :)

486

January 21st, 2011, 10:44 PM

Just to say that PortoNuts is doing a phenomenal job.

Like the London skyline, KEEP IT UP!

london lad

January 21st, 2011, 11:14 PM

can someone tell me the name of the city or district that was this photo taken from?

http://img228.imageshack.us/img228/2483/lbt2.jpg

Westow Hill in Crystal Palace.

PortoNuts

January 22nd, 2011, 08:47 PM

British Museum Extension

by Ciudad Bristol.

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a82/supertek/DSC00315.jpg

PortoNuts

January 23rd, 2011, 04:37 PM

From January 19.

Welcome to the land of the Candy brothers

Today, at One Hyde Park, 300 guests sat down to lunch cooked by Heston Blumenthal and Daniel Boulud. For Nick and his brother Christian, developers of the luxury apartment block next to the Mandarin Oriental, there was triumph and relief - finally their project is ready for launch.

For the past few years, the scheme has dominated this corner of Knightsbridge - in more ways than one. The traffic has been horrendous as the imposing concrete and glass structure has taken shape, although the Candys insist the jams and delays are not of their making - Transport for London has been slow to make its own agreed changes to the busy junction.

http://i.thisislondon.co.uk/i/pix/2011/01/SitRoom_415.jpg

And while this lunchtime's official opening should mark the end, the bad news for frustrated bus and other road users is there's still to be no relief. Congestion will continue to be hellish for at least another year as work (nothing to do with the Candys) begins on the site of the former Normandie Hotel nearby - plans have been approved for a 76-bedroom hotel, restaurant, retail space and five residential flats on no less than six basement levels, ground floor and nine upper floors.

By the time that is completed, the brothers and their backers hope all their units in One Hyde Park will have been sold. Designed by Richard Rogers, they are intended as the last word in luxury. Certainly, they retail at prices unheard of in London or virtually anywhere in the world - £6,000 a square foot, which means a four-bed apartment reaching from the front of the building to the back overlooking Hyde Park costs just short of £60million.

The top penthouse has gone for £135million. In all, the Candys say they have sold half the 86 units.

http://img14.imageshack.us/img14/6828/bedroom24151.jpg
The house the Candys built: brothers Nick and Christian offer luxury, gadgetry and oodles of marble, porcelain and silk and leather wall coverings

What do you get for that sort of money? Bomb blast-protected windows, fortress-type security, computerised lighting and audio, use of a state-of-the-art gym complete with private exercise and treatment rooms and 21m "ozone" swimming pool, saunas, steam rooms, squash court, golf simulator, "virtual" games room, wine cellars, business suite and meeting rooms, entertainment rooms, Park Library, underground car park, car cleaning and valet parking ... the list of accoutrements and gadgetry goes on and on. There are separate entrances for staff and room service from the restaurants of stellar chefs Blumenthal and Boulud at the Mandarin Oriental should they so desire (there's a connecting tunnel for the 60 hotel staff who will service the apartments). Plus "Candy & Candy" interiors if they want them, with oodles of marble and porcelain and silk and leather wall coverings.

But buying an apartment in One Hyde Park, the brothers argue, is about much more than acquiring a property in which to live and entertain and rest your head for the night. They say it's also to do with acquiring the most prestigious address in the world. Their reasoning is that London is the planet's pre-eminent financial centre and a tax haven for many rich foreigners. Its best residential location, they maintain, is at the top of Sloane Street, the city's most fashionable shopping street, bang opposite Harvey Nicks and directly adjacent to Hyde Park. And that spot has been renamed by them One Hyde Park.

To reinforce the message of international, top-of-the-market appeal, the ground floor commercial spaces at One Hyde Park have been sold to Rolex watches, McLaren performance cars and Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank.

We may baulk at the cost but in truth they are not really catering for us. They are aiming One Hyde Park at the sort of jet-setters who already have bases in New York, Singapore, Dubai, wherever - and need somewhere central in London.

These are purchasers, too, who have not suffered much in the credit crunch, if at all, who have money to burn and can afford to buy an apartment running into tens of millions, seemingly with their loose change.

As if to emphasise that, they say the £135million penthouse was bought by someone making a casual enquiry via the internet on a weekend afternoon. That's right. Such folk exist, apparently. There you are, casting around on Google because you're bored and a few clicks later you're on your way to spending north of £100million. They won't say who he is (it is a male), but "he's not an Arab, not a Russian".

Raised in Surrey and educated at Epsom College, Nick Candy was a failed accountant turned junior advertising executive and Christian was in banking when they bought a flat in 1995 in Earl's Court for £122,000, aided by the loan of £6,000 from their grandmother, and sold it for a £50,000 profit.

That was their first development. Since then they've gone on to create waves, with ever more extravagant schemes. They turned a 19th-century building in Manresa Road in Chelsea into 16 "eight-star" apartments, one of which cost £27million and set a then London record. At Chesham Place in Belgravia, they built another luxury block. They decamped to Monaco and lived in La Belle Epoque, the penthouse apartment occupied by the banker Edmond Safra until his death in a fire allegedly started by his nurse. They sold La Belle Epoque for £199million last year.

But it's not all been plain sailing. They've also become associated with failures: the former Middlesex Hospital north of Oxford Street or as they dubbed it "Noho Square"; Chelsea Barracks, and in California, the site of the defunct Robinson's-May department store on LA's Wilshire Boulevard. They were quick to attribute the blame. Problems at Kaupthing, the Icelandic bank that funded Middlesex Hospital and Los Angeles, were responsible for those flops. On Chelsea Barracks, they took to court their ex-partner, Qatari Diar, the mighty Qatar sovereign wealth fund, when it got cold feet over the plans after Prince Charles declared his opposition.

Unmarried Nick has recently returned to London (he is in a relationship with actress Holly Valance and lives in Chesham Place) where he oversees Candy & Candy, their interior design and development management operation. Just-married Christian (to It girl Emily Crompton) has continued to live in Monaco, a tax exile, flying back and forth, and running CPC, their Guernsey-based investment company (as well as everything else, Christian is currently trying to take over a £35million gold-mine in the Philippines and he's just launched Omni Capital, a secured bridging lender to wealthy borrowers and small-scale developers mostly in the smartest London postcodes).

Despite their success - and they claim to be worth £1 billion when all their assets and various interests are taken into account - the Candys have a lot riding on One Hyde Park.

After their well-publicised setbacks, they need it to succeed and for the apartments to be snapped up.

Urgently wanted: people with many millions to spare.

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/lifestyle/article-23915719-welcome-to-the-land-of-the-candy-brothers.do

PortoNuts

January 26th, 2011, 05:32 PM

Offices in outer London 'will benefit from Crossrail'

Offices in the outer London borough of Ealing will benefit from the Crossrail project, mayor of London Boris Johnson has suggested. Speaking at a meeting in Ealing about the transformation of local transport, Mr Johnson said he wanted to make travel more convenient.

And those who work at offices in the outer London borough of Ealing would be able to arrive at Canary Wharf from Ealing Broadway Station in under half an hour. Bond Street could be reached in 15 minutes and the time it takes to get to Farringdon may be slashed in half.

"The jewel in the crown must surely be the Crossrail project that will provide local people with lightning-quick links across the capital," Mr Johnson stated.

However, building work has been delayed at the Crossrail station in Woolwich. Operations need to start within the next six days in order for the station to be able to connect to the rest of the network in time, the Financial Times said.

Offices in outer London may enjoy lower rents than central London and companies could also find the Crossrail system makes working away from the centre more economically viable.

http://www.mellersh.co.uk/News.aspx?ArticleId=800364778

PortoNuts

January 26th, 2011, 05:41 PM

Poplar HARCA And Jestico + Whiles Team Up Again

Jestico + Whiles has designed a new residential scheme to stand on the site of Tweed House which is located off Teviot Street in the London borough of Tower Hamlets.

The proposal for Poplar HARCA is for an L-shaped building consisting of a 13-storey tower with a 6-storey lower-rise element. Sitting on a roughly triangular site to the south of the Limehouse Canal, the scheme is on the very cusp of a residential area with an industrial one on the other side of the canal.

The original proposals for the site were for a 25-storey building that would shield the interior of the site from the busy road nearby, this was gradually scaled down following concerns about its excessive height to what has been proposed today.

Cladding the main exterior will be grey brick, although the western side of the building that looks in towards the site will have a lighter façade treatment with living rooms and big windows that are protected from the noise of the traffic. Continuous balconies will line this side of the building providing the residents with their own amenity space.

The existing Tweed House is an obsolete sixties council block with 47 apartments, whilst replacing it will be 115 new residential units offering a substantial uplift on the accommodation that is offered by the site. Of the 115 new flats, 60 will be offered to the private market with the rest affordable and to rent.

http://www.skyscrapernews.com/news.php?ref=2750

PortoNuts

January 28th, 2011, 03:23 PM

Greenwich Council approves cruise liner terminal and cable car

Greenwich Council tonight approved two major schemes designed to strengthen the Peninsula's tourist infrastructure in time for the London Olympics:

1. A terminal at Enderby Wharf capable of handling cruise liners and a new public space connected to the Thames Path.

2.A cable car, which will link the O2 with the Excel centre, providing a new river crossing and a connection with the Jubilee Line at North Greenwich.

Darryl from 853Blog has been providing a live Twitter feed from the Council meeting and reports that both projects were backed unanimously. Both are expected to be ready in time for the 2012 Olympics, for which Greenwich is one of the host boroughs.

http://brockleycentral.blogspot.com/2011/01/greenwich-council-approves-cruise-liner.html

PortoNuts

January 29th, 2011, 01:06 AM

From www.bdonline.com

Rogers Stirk Harbour, Allies & Morrison, Hopkins and HOK are among those in the frame for one of the most prized schemes in London – the redevelopment of the Shell Centre

The firms are among the architectural contenders working within more than half a dozen developer-led teams bidding to mastermind a “world class” revamping of the 2ha site on the South Bank which could be worth up to £2 billion when completed.

Oil giant Shell announced last October that it was inviting pre-selected firms to propose mixed-use schemes to revamp the surrounds of the landmark 1963 Shell tower including three nine-storey “wing” buildings.

While developers in the running include Aviva, Land Securities, Delancey and Chelsfield working with London & Regional, strict confidentiality agreements have left the precise make-up of the teams unclear.

But BD understands that Rogers Stirk Harbour is working with Canary Wharf Group, which is also its client on the huge Riverside South scheme in London’s Docklands.

David Chipperfield Architects last September won the competition to redevelop the neighbouring Elizabeth House, but has declined to take part in the Shell Centre competition, citing the pressures of its existing workload.

A source close to the bidding process described it as a “big opportunity” adding that applications needed to be in at the end of this month, with a shortlist of three expected to emerge early in March.

“You just don’t get such large sites in central London,” he said. “The brief is to develop the whole of the site except for the Shell tower, which will remain the home of Shell for the future.

“Shell sees that as part of its corporate identity and has put a lot of money into refurbishing it.”

Back in October, Shell predicted that it would appoint a developer in the spring.

Speaking at the time, Mike Napier, head of Shell real estate, said the centre’s prime position offered “an unrivalled opportunity to deliver a world-class mixed-use development”.

To facilitate the work, Shell is to relocate up to 2,000 staff from the wing buildings to Canary Wharf but plans to return them once the redevelopment is completed.

PortoNuts

January 29th, 2011, 03:03 PM

Tate Modern Extension

by mitosan.

http://www.timporter.net/4skyscrapercity/28012011-tatecrane1.jpg

http://www.timporter.net/4skyscrapercity/28012011-tatecrane2.jpg

http://www.timporter.net/4skyscrapercity/28012011-tatecrane3.jpg

PortoNuts

January 29th, 2011, 08:15 PM

Kier wins £45m London Victoria green office project

Joint venture developers Doughty Hanson and Terrace Hill Group have signed a deal with Kier to build offices and flats in London Victoria. Demolition of existing buildings is already well underway and Kier is due to start work on the 280,000 sq ft One Howick Place scheme later next month.

The mixed-use redevelopment will see the contractor build high quality offices, alongside 33 apartments and ground floor retail space.

The building will boast several energy saving features including combined cooling and heating plant and photovoltaic cells on the roof. These measures will help the building achieve BREEAM rating of ‘Excellent’.

Philip Leech, Chief Executive of Terrace Hill, added: “The completion of the development in the Autumn of 2012 is designed to coincide with a period when growth in occupier demand will be set against a backdrop of very limited competing supply.

“We are already seeing rental growth in the Victoria office market which we expect to be sustained over the next three to four years.”

http://www.constructionenquirer.com/2011/01/27/kier-wins-45m-mixed-use-job-in-london-victoria/

PortoNuts

January 30th, 2011, 02:59 AM

London's new £200m hotel – where the owners want to check out already

London's latest addition to the hotel market opens next month, hoping to attract not only well-heeled guests but well-positioned buyers as it showcases what comes with its £200m asking price.

http://img593.imageshack.us/img593/7323/pg24whotel2542215s1.jpg
The rooms (from £269 a night) are chic

The W Hotel, in the grimy tourist ghetto of Leicester Square, is a no-expense-spared, 192-bedroom development that is being marketed by Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels on behalf of Northern Irish developers McAleer & Rushe, who bought the former Swiss Centre building for £47m in 2004.

Industry sources have maintained the sale is not forced, but represents McAleer & Rushe's desire to fund 'reinvestment in new projects'. A spokesman for the developers said earlier this month that they'd had "numerous direct approaches" from parties interested in buying the building.

He added: "In light of the current strong demand for prime London property, we have appointed Jones Lang LaSalle to conduct a review of our best possible strategy. "Our priority is to ensure the successful completion of this project on time and on budget."

http://img521.imageshack.us/img521/2584/pg24whotelmain542213s1.jpg
The W Hotel, in Leicester Square, is a no expense-spared, 192-bedroom development

When the hotel opens to the public on 14 February, the owners hope that design quirks like Chesterfield-style sofas set around two circular fireplaces will attract interest in a fiercely competitive market.

What comprised the Swiss Centre's 1963 modernist exterior now takes the form of an art installation created by UK artist Jason Bruges. When it opens, six cameras on the hotel's roof will record life at both sky and street level. This footage is then projected via LEDs on to the outside of the building.

Inside, meanwhile, the black, dimly-lit corridors give the place an exclusive nightclub feel, a distinct remove from the usual beige palette favoured by luxury hotel chains.

There's also a screening room which, according to hotel gossip, is only there as a favour to the former Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone. Apparently the cinema in the old Swiss Centre was the place he took his wife on their first date, and since planning permission for the hotel was granted when he was still in office, perhaps it's more than just tittle-tattle.

While the rooms (from £269 a night) are chic, it's the high-priced suites that W hopes will attract a buzz. They feature double-headed showers and baths big enough to fit several people. Then there's the penthouse or "E-Wow" suite, which has a rotating sofa, a Jacuzzi with a 62-inch TV, and a mirrored ceiling above the king-size bed. Yours for £5,000 a night.

http://img716.imageshack.us/img716/1618/pg24whotel1542214s1.jpg
The Wyld Bar is also central to W's idea of projecting a fun image

The Wyld Bar is also central to W's idea of projecting a fun image. The hotel has employed Matt Hermer, whose Ignite group owns the west London society nightclub Boujis, to run the bar. Mr Hermer says he is modelling the place on the Met Bar, the Park Lane hang out of celebrities in the 1990s.

"The Met Bar was the first hotel bar that was uber-cool," he says. "It set the scene nearly 20 years ago. We want to help make hotels cool again." W hotels worldwide are magnets for celebrities – and the company, owned by Starwood Hotels, is on a drive to double its current array of 37 properties this year. So will the W be actively competing with the stars' current favourites?

http://img262.imageshack.us/img262/3324/pg24whotel3542216s1.jpg
A lounge area

"We're not proactively looking for that, although we have had enquiries," says Kevin Rockey, the general manager. "We want to do things in a different way. We're not looking to just host parties, we also want to create and collaborate."

"It's a great location," says Mr Rockey. "You can walk to Soho, Chinatown, Mayfair and Covent Garden."

http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/architecture/londons-new-200m-hotel-ndash-where-the-owners-want-to-check-out-already-2195538.html

PortoNuts

January 31st, 2011, 02:40 PM

Work starts on first homes at King's Cross Central

Work has started at King’s Cross Central on the first residential building, which will provide 117 high quality affordable homes.

The thoughtfully planned building on York Way, designed by PRP Architects, will include 15 supported housing apartments, 78 general needs rented apartments, 24 shared ownership apartments and a private roof terrace for residents’ use.

Almost a third of the units are for families with either three or four bedrooms and over half the homes will have generous private balconies. All have been designed to meet Lifetime Homes standards.

Progress on site follows a development agreement signed in 2009 between One Housing Group and King's Cross Central to deliver the first phase of affordable housing which includes this building. Completion is due in early 2012.

Overall the King’s Cross Central project will deliver 1,900 new homes, 20 new streets, 10 new major public spaces and the restoration of 20 historic buildings and structures across the 67 acre site.

http://www.kingscrosscentral.com/article/28/Work%20starts%20on%20first%20homes%20at%20King's%20Cross%20Central

PortoNuts

January 31st, 2011, 05:20 PM

Derwent to redevelop Saatchi & Saatchi offices

Derwent London has submitted plans to redevelop Saatchi & Saatchi’s iconic central London headquarters, in a move that will create some 320,000 sq ft of central London office space.

Derwent London has submitted plans to redevelop Saatchi & Saatchi’s iconic central London headquarters, in a move that will create some 320,000 sq ft of central London office space.

The mixed use development will also contain 55 flats, of which 15 will be affordable homes, and is due to be finished by 2015.

Camden Council received the plans over a week ago and will reach a decision later this year, taking into account objections from local residents that the scheme represents an overdevelopment in an area marked by a strong sense of community.

Simon Silver, head of regeneration at Derwent, told the Telegraph: “We really like retaining most of the buildings. This follows on from the Johnson Building, the Burberry Building and the Angel Building, which have brought employment and major businesses into the area.”

Advertising giant Saatchi & Saatchi, perhaps most famous for work on Margaret Thatcher election campaigns, has occupied the building on Charlotte Street since the mid-1970s.

http://www.officialspace.co.uk/news/2011/01/31/derwent-to-redevelop-saatchi-saatchi-offices/

PortoNuts

January 31st, 2011, 07:53 PM

Tower Hamlets second in London for number of new homes

Home building in Tower Hamlets is continuing to grow – with the borough recording the second highest number of construction sites across London.Tower Hamlets was only behind Newham in the number of new developments within its borders, the latest London Residential Crane Survey showed.

But housing experts have warned that there are not enough family sized homes in the pipeline. Some 4,050 units of housing – most of them flats – were being built in the last six months of 2010 in the borough.That was an increase of 16 per cent from the previous six months leading up to summer.

Big projects in the East End include apartment blocks in Lanterns Court and Baltimore Wharf in Canary Wharf and at Caspian Wharf in Bow. Newham had 4,100 homes under construction – most in the Athletes’ Village. Between them, Olympic boroughs Tower Hamlets, Newham and Greenwich have 40 per cent of the homes currently being built across London.

The majority are private investments rather than public housing. Across London, 95 per cent of all units being built are flats.

Anthony Duggan, head of research at Driver Jonas Deloitte, who published the report, said: “Family housing is a real issue for London and this research shows the seriousness of the problem.”

http://www.eastlondonadvertiser.co.uk/news/tower_hamlets_second_in_london_for_number_of_new_homes_1_788193

PortoNuts

January 31st, 2011, 08:10 PM

dYNV1i8Zh6g

PortoNuts

January 31st, 2011, 08:46 PM

London's Real-Estate Gold Rush

Prime London commercial real estate has emerged as an improbable postcrisis safe haven. Despite the UK's precarious economic situation, international investors poured more than €6 billion ($8.17 billion) into London offices and stores in the 18 months to June 2010, almost as much capital as the next nine most popular cities combined, according to CBRE.

Having fallen 50% from its peak, City offices have outstripped every other European market, at 25% higher, compared with a mere 2% gain in Paris, according to Investment Property Databank. But with some West End offices now changing hands at yields as low as 4%, global real-estate investors can find better value elsewhere.

For property investors, London's appeal lies in its perception as a reliable store of value, the real-estate equivalent of gold or the Swiss franc. International investors value its transparency and liquidity. Access to deals is open, unlike parts of Europe and Asia, where foreign investors are often shut out of the bidding or where legal protections are weak—making it hard to deploy capital. Investors are also attracted to its relative stability: Average leases on UK offices at 7.5 years are more than two years longer than in Germany. Prime London property is relatively decoupled from the fortunes of the UK economy and has been boosted by the pound's weakness.

But asset prices have started to become divorced from the fundamentals. London West End offices yield just 4.25% and City offices, 5.25%—close to the peak of the boom levels. Tru e, 10-year gilt yields have fallen since then to 3.6%, but interest rates are likely to rise next year and rental growth is uncertain. London City office rents fell in real terms by 4.2% over the past decade, a steeper decline than in Frankfurt and Paris, according to IPD. Further, UKbanks hold billions of pounds of secondary commercial real estate, which they may start unloading in 2011.

So, what should investors do? Within London, the smart money is now focused on new developments, betting that the supply of inward investment will remain strong while the supply of investment opportunities will remain weak. The pipeline of new office developments is running at less than half of the 25-year average. That also means there is likely to be a shortage of new office space available in 2014, when a large volume of long-term City leases start expiring, helping to boost rental growth. Land Securities, which is planning to start development on four London sites this year, is forecasting unleveraged returns of at least 14% on these ventures.

But for real-estate fund investors, other European markets now look more enticing: German shopping centers are benefiting from the strongest consumer outlook since reunification and yield 5.5%-6.5%. Investors also point to Paris offices, where the recovery has been slower. Swedish property, buoyed by an economy that grew 5.5% last year, also looks like a good value, despite the recent yield compression. With London an increasingly crowded trade, expect to see more international capital flow to these markets.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704680604576110490163816596.html

PortoNuts

February 2nd, 2011, 10:35 PM

Seager Distillery Tower

by SE9.

http://i52.tinypic.com/2625sed.jpg

Gordion

February 2nd, 2011, 11:01 PM

London rocks!

PortoNuts

February 2nd, 2011, 11:24 PM

London's West End resilience to the downturn attracts cash investors

Over the last quarter of 2010, estate agency, LDG, noticed a 20% rise in cash buyers compared to the same period in 2009 – a sign that many individuals are more confident in investing their money in property in London’s West End, than they are leaving it in the bank.

During the last quarter of 2010, 88% of LDG’s buyers paid cash for their properties – an increase of almost 20% compared to the same period in 2009, when 66% of buyers paid cash.

Laurence Glynne, partner at LDG, said: “Low interest rates could be an explanation for this sudden increase in cash buyers, as money in the bank is not earning a good return, so people are keen to invest in something they believe to be more lucrative.

“People can see the stability and growth in the West End property market and feel it is a safe place in which to invest. It has benefitted from a number of regeneration schemes over the last few years and more are in the pipeline, which has boosted property prices. Also, the planned Crossrail project will improve the commuter links in and out of the West End, making the area more appealing and driving prices up further.”

Simon Taylor, commercial property consultant at LDG, adds: “The office market in the West End is particularly buoyant at the moment. The increased interest in commercial property in the area has resulted in some new mixed-use schemes being announced, as developers try to capitalise on the demand. Planning permission for new commercial schemes in the West End stipulates that residential homes must also be provided – these newly built residential properties are driving up prices in the area as they appeal to foreign investors who are willing to buy ‘lock-up-and-leave’ properties off plan.”

In the final three months of last year, 28% of LDG’s buyers were foreign and it is particularly interesting that none of these buyers purchased with a mortgage – all 28% paid cash. This shows the confidence that international buyers and investors have in the West End property market.

Laurence Glynne says: “Historically, the London property market always outperforms the rest of the UK and the West End in particular appears to be resilient to the downward trend that has affected much of the country. “For overseas buyers, the UK is seen as a stable country, both politically and economically, so they see property as a safe investment, particularly in prime London locations.

For the first quarter of 2011, LDG predict that the market will remain stable. Laurence concludes: “We have not yet experienced any surge in buyers ahead of the stamp duty increase on properties over £1million, which is planned for April. There are good levels of potential buyers currently looking for property in the area, but the demand outstrips supply as there is a lack of new properties coming onto the market.”

http://propertytalklive.co.uk/estate-agents/5306-londons-west-end-resilience-to-the-downturn-attracts-cash-investors

PortoNuts

February 3rd, 2011, 12:42 AM

Tate Modern Extension

by hella good.

http://i580.photobucket.com/albums/ss244/saturns_stingray/P1380187.jpg

http://i580.photobucket.com/albums/ss244/saturns_stingray/P1380188.jpg

PortoNuts

February 3rd, 2011, 06:02 PM

by GazKinz.

http://i527.photobucket.com/albums/cc360/londonfire/Picture15228788.jpg

PortoNuts

February 4th, 2011, 02:29 PM

CLS plans £300m twin tower next to MI6 HQ

The 850,000 sq ft mixed-use scheme in Vauxhall will act as a gateway to the regenerated Nine Elms area, which includes a proposed new US Embassy and the redevelopment of Battersea Power Station.

The three-acre CLS site, currently holding offices, is set around one of the busiest traffic systems in South London and the company is proposing a new “skywalk”, similar to Paris’s Promenade Plantee, that will link the corners of the junction for pedestrians. The proposed development is the latest in a line of ambitious London schemes to be unveiled in the past year as confidence in the capital’s prospects grow.

The scheme, called Vauxhall Square, will include a public square the size of Paternoster Square next to St Paul’s Cathedral. It will offer 200,000 sq ft of offices, 80,000 sq ft of retail and leisure, 240-bed student accommodation, a hotel and a six-screen cinema. The two towers will hold more than 400 apartments.

Richard Tice, chief executive of CLS, said: “We have already secured substantial support from early discussions with a number of key stakeholders and major nearby landowners.” CLS plans to submit a detailed planning application later this year with completion of the development pencilled in for 2016/2017. The masterplan has been designed by Allies and Morrison.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/constructionandproperty/8299425/CLS-plans-300m-twin-tower-next-to-MI6-HQ.html#

PortoNuts

February 5th, 2011, 03:03 AM

Land Securities looks to build on success of Wellington House scheme with residential redevelopment of Portland House

As masters of the London office and retail markets, Land Securities’ has recently turned its attention to the delivery of high quality residential schemes as a way to diversify its London investment portfolio and reduce its exposure to any downturn in demand for commercial space. The developer is now on site at Wellington House, the 10-storey development on Buckingham Gate that will deliver 59 private residential units across nine floors with a ground floor retail unit and residents gym.

http://img696.imageshack.us/img696/399/wellingtonhouselandsecu.jpg

On the back of this success, Land Securities is now known to be actively working up plans for Portland House, the 29-storey tower that dominates Victoria, with redevelopment as a residential scheme now almost certain. The building, which was extensively refurbished as part of the Cardinal Place development currently provides 297,000 sq ft of office space across 27 column free floors and is almost fully let to a broad range of occupiers on a variety of short-term leases, which is unusual for the developer, whose other major London office schemes are generally let to a smaller number of tenants, typically on 15-year leases.

Any redevelopment would see Portland House join a growing number of tall residential schemes in London, which include the already under construction Vauxhall Tower, also known as One St George Wharf and the recently completed Strata in the Elephant and Castle. Given its proximity to the West End, prime residential property prices in Victoria far outstrip either of those two locations and given the 360 degree views of a likely top floor penthouse, Land Securities could comfortably expect to smash the current residential sales record in Victoria with any approved scheme at Portland House.

http://img708.imageshack.us/img708/633/portlandhouselandsecuri.jpg

It is rumoured that the developer has already invited proposals from leading architectural practices, which would almost certainly see the concrete tower re-clad, whilst other options include full demolition and rebuild. Given the various office developments that they already have under construction in Victoria, Land Securities could also offer existing occupiers in Portland Tower incentives to relocate, allowing for redevelopment before 2015. A planning application is expected to be submitted to Westminster City Council later in the year.

http://www.leytonstonia.com/2011/01/land-securities-looks-to-build-on.html

PortoNuts

February 5th, 2011, 04:10 AM

East London Tech City gets £310m Cisco investment

David Cameron, the prime minister, and John Chambers, Cisco’s CEO, met yesterday to hammer out details of Cisco’s investment into East London’s Tech City, officially known as the British Innovation Gateway.

A key outcome of the meeting is Cisco’s pledge to invest around $500m, or £310m, into the project.

David Cameron said that he welcomes Cisco’s involvement in the project. “This will help create many new jobs and opportunities, and support our drive to diversify our economy and generate sustainable economic growth,” he said. “Cisco’s goal is a fantastic example of how business is turning this vision into reality, with East London set to become a leading Tech City.”

Cisco’s investment will allow two networked Innovation Centres to be built – an open innovation centre in Shoreditch developed in partnership with the local SME community, and another at the Olympic Park site, which will provide a “state of the art connected community”.

“This project is a logical progression of the work we’ve done in the east of London for the 2012 Olympic Games, and we’re delighted to work with the government as it serves as a reminder of how business and government working together can turn vision into reality,” added John Chambers.

http://realbusiness.co.uk/tech/east_london_tech_city_gets_310m_cisco_investment

PortoNuts

February 6th, 2011, 03:23 PM

Goods yard to host first pop-up shopping mall

Waugh Thistleton has unveiled images of Boxpark, the world’s first pop-up shopping mall, in Shoreditch, east London.

http://img593.imageshack.us/img593/1500/1685540boxpark1web1.jpg

The temporary retail park will sit on one of London’s most significant sites for new development, a former railway goods yard alongside Shoreditch High Street station, which is due to be developed in five years’ time by a joint venture from Hammerson and Ballymore. Until then, it will be home to 60 shipping containers, 40 on the ground with 20 sitting on top, providing units for independent retailers.

Hackney Council has backed the plans, which are due to be heard by the planning committee in April. Potential tenants can apply for containers now, with fit-outs due for the summer.

Andrew Waugh, director at Waugh Thistleton, said: “We worked on the project from concept phase, planned its layout and we will hopefully do some of the interiors.” Boxpark is due to open this August.

http://www.bdonline.co.uk/news/goods-yard-to-host-first-pop-up-shopping-mall/5012741.article

REAPER666 94

February 6th, 2011, 10:30 PM

http://www.propertyweek.com/news/sky%E2%80%99s-the-limit-as-cls-unveils-%C2%A3250m-vauxhall-cross-redevelopment/5012764.article

Sky’s the limit as CLS unveils £250m Vauxhall Cross redevelopment

04 February 2011
http://www.propertyweek.com/pictures/458xAny/5/5/3/1685553_EMBARGOED_UNTIL_7AM_THursday_3_Feb___A_Distant_view_of_towers__linear_walk__27111_cmyk.jpg

CLS Holdings yesterday revealed plans for a £250m mixed-use development in London’s Vauxhall with two towers and an aerial walkway

Architect Allies & Morrison has been appointed to design a redevelopment of a 2.9 acre site at Vauxhall Cross, which includes CLS’s headquarters building. It is next to the Vauxhall railway, Underground and bus stations and near the new US embassy.

The 1.2m sq ft scheme (left) has a public square, similar in size to Paternoster Square near St Paul’s Cathedral in the City of London, 200,000 sq ft of offices, a 300-bedroom hotel, 80,000 sq ft of retail with restaurants and bars, 400 flats in two towers of more than 40 storeys, a six-screen cinema and a 240-bedroom student housing building.

A detailed planning application is expected in late 2011.

In addition to the redevelopment of the island site bounded by Bondway, Miles Street, Wandsworth Road and Parry Street, CLS has launched an international design competition for a “linear walk”, to link the sites and streets around Vauxhall Cross.

Five architects have been shortlisted: Exploration Architecture (France), Heneghen Peng (Ireland), Knight Architects (UK), Marks Barfield (UK) and RFR (France).

Read more: http://www.propertyweek.com/news/sky’s-the-limit-as-cls-unveils-£250m-vauxhall-cross-redevelopment/5012764.article#ixzz1DDUfXj87
propertyweek.com
Under Creative Commons License: Attribution

AlienB

February 7th, 2011, 12:56 AM

0_CtJOoiKtk

BG_PATRIOT

February 7th, 2011, 02:14 AM

East London Tech City gets £310m Cisco investment]

Awesome news :cheers:

scalatrava89

February 7th, 2011, 03:03 AM

Great news. Those towers look about 140m which will help bulk up Vauxhalls skyline.

PortoNuts

February 7th, 2011, 10:32 AM

Awesome news :cheers:

I don't know if they're planning to use any facilities left from the Olympics, like the Media Centre.

PortoNuts

February 8th, 2011, 01:12 AM

Michael Faraday Community School

by SE9.

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Skyrobot

February 8th, 2011, 01:14 PM

I will visit London soon, for football. I will enjoy the views of the skyscrapers, completed or not - God Save the Queen!

PortoNuts

February 8th, 2011, 03:39 PM

London cruise terminal coming to River Thames at Greenwich

Permission has been granted for a dramatic transformation of a neglected Greenwich stretch of the River Thames. Enderby Wharf on the Greenwich Peninsula will be restored with 770 new homes, a 251-bedroom hotel, skills academy, gymnasium and crèche.

Most strikingly of all, the area will offer a cruise liner terminal for ships of up to 240 metres, carrying up to 1,500 passengers to and from south-east London. There is also the provision for creating a pier for Thames Clipper services to stop off.

The proposal was given the green light on Thursday by Greenwich Council’s planning committee. Developers West Properties and Ian Sampson Architects say they can regenerate an area between The O2 and historic Greenwich that currently lies disused after the departure of manufacturing firm Alcatel.

The cruise terminal certainly has the potential to change the future of London tourism, with a report in 2009 describing the UK capital as a ‘marquee destination’ for rich visitors.The scheme’s backers want to open the terminal in time for the 2012 Olympics to take advantage of the thousands of potential customers coming in via the Thames.

The skills academy will complement the terminal, with courses targeted at 16-21-year-olds linked with the new industries coming in. Most homes in the new complex will be two-bedroom flats, but they do vary from one-bed apartments to six-bed family houses.There is also provision for 726 car parking spaces and 823 cycle spaces.

A council report concluded: “The proposed development seeks to optimise the potential for this underutilised brownfield site by delivering a high quality scheme on previously developed land. The delivery of this key piece of infrastructure generates additional opportunity to deliver wider regeneration benefits for the site and the surrounding area."

http://www.london24.com/news/london_cruise_terminal_coming_to_river_thames_at_greenwich_1_786876

http://www.westproperties.co.uk/images/portfolio/greenwich/1.jpg

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http://www.westproperties.co.uk/images/portfolio/greenwich/3.jpg

Axelferis

February 8th, 2011, 08:35 PM

fantastic!!! do you have the exact location on map? i remember to have taken pics on victoria quay for 02 arena Is it by there?

AlienB

February 9th, 2011, 05:41 PM

Canary Wharf partners Qatar in bid for Shell HQ
By Daniel Thomas, Property Correspondent

http://media.ft.com/cms/8b5a6cea-2f75-11e0-834f-00144feabdc0.jpg
Capital appeal: prospective buyers are lining up bids for Shell’s London headquarters at Waterloo

Canary Wharf Group has partnered Qatar to bid for the £300m site of Shell’s London headquarters, leading a list of parties that submitted offers at the end of last week for one of the capital’s most sought after development sites.

Other listed bidders for the site include Land Securities, the UK’s largest real estate investment trust, in a joint venture with Berkeley Homes, a leading London housebuilder, and Helical Bar with Aviva and Native Land.

There have also been private sector bids including one from Chelsfield, led by Sir Stuart Lipton, with London & Regional, the property company of Ian and Richard Livingstone, the wealthy property entrepreneurs. The Shell Centre on York Road in Waterloo sits on a 5.25-acre site on the south bank of the Thames. It is expected to be sold for more than £300m. Three buildings would be redeveloped into a mixed-use scheme of more than 1.5m sq ft, including new offices for Shell, although the 1950s tower is expected to be retained as a corporate headquarters. CB Richard Ellis and Rothschild are advising Shell.

A spokesperson for Shell said: “Shell Centre is our long-term home and stands in a prime position on London’s riverside. This is an unrivalled opportunity to deliver a first-class, mixed-use development in one of world’s most exciting cities.”

Shell said that it would move staff into 40 Bank Street on Canary Wharf ahead of the redevelopment of the site. Qatar has been interested in buying the site in the past.

- http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/5828c404-2f00-11e0-88ec-00144feabdc0.html#ixzz1DTrm2IvE

PortoNuts

February 9th, 2011, 09:10 PM

That will densify the area, it's good. The Shell Centre is a magnificent building.

PortoNuts

February 10th, 2011, 01:35 AM

Offices in Greater London could see extension of Northern Line

Businesses that are searching for an affordable part of Greater London to base their offices in may want to look to Vauxhall, Nine Elms and Battersea.

According to mayor of London Boris Johnson, this area could see the extension of the Tube's Northern Line in order to better service the needs of residents and workers.

Proposals put forward for the development including extended the Northern Line west from Kennington, creating an additional two stops.The Greater London Authority said such transport links are required to support "thousands of jobs" and "16,000 new homes".

Indeed, offices in the Greater London areas of Battersea, Nine Elms and Vauxhall may enjoy lower rents that those in more prestigious locations and soon could benefit from an improved Underground service.Battersea Power Station in Nine Elms is currently the focus of plans to create zero-carbon office space in London, as well as a modern conference centre.

http://www.mellersh.co.uk/News.aspx?ArticleId=800393732

italiano_pellicano

February 10th, 2011, 05:32 AM

amazing

italiano_pellicano

February 10th, 2011, 05:46 AM

London Rocks

PortoNuts

February 10th, 2011, 02:57 PM

Battersea Power Station development could start construction in 2012

The £5.5bn redevelopment of Battersea Power Station has cleared the final regulatory hurdle after Eric Pickles, the Communities Secretary, gave the scheme the green light.

...

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/constructionandproperty/8314500/Battersea-Power-Station-development-could-start-construction-in-2012.html#

SkyscraperSuperman

February 10th, 2011, 04:56 PM

Good news - just a pity that the tower is no longer included in the development, would've been an amazing landmark. :(

london lad

February 10th, 2011, 10:14 PM

As part of the Crossrail rail link these buildings had to be demolished.
http://img232.imageshack.us/img232/5021/astoria.jpg (http://img232.imageshack.us/i/astoria.jpg/)

This central London site on the corner of Oxford St and Tottenham Court Road and opposite the landmark Centrepoint tower by 2018 will be the entrance for millions of people to central London. You would think a major competition would be held to find a landmark building but this is the best they can come up to.

If this leaves you underwhelmed please sign the petition to get something better and leave a comment and spread the word.

http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/oneoxfordstreet/

I have set up a petition against the development at one oxford street, I invite people to join.

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http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/oneoxfordstreet

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/newreply.php?do=newreply&p=68677055

LazyOaf

February 11th, 2011, 01:13 AM

^^ Definitely need some more signatures on the petition, i did mine first time around. The above pictures remind me of a 21st century version of a 1960s extension of a school around the corner from me... :ohno:

PortoNuts

February 11th, 2011, 06:27 PM

I don't have a lot of faith in petitions.

PortoNuts

February 11th, 2011, 11:51 PM

Interior design firm completes phase one of Google's new London office

Scott Brownrigg Interior Design has created new 40,000 sq ft office space in Victoria, SW1, for Google at 123 Buckingham Palace Road, to accommodate over 300 staff.

The new office is designed to create a dynamic and collaborative work environment that supports the growing number of Google staff in London. As with many other Google offices worldwide, the offices in Central London have a strong local theme. Joe Borrett and Jane Preston from Google, working with the Scott Brownrigg Interior Design team chose a theme of London-Brighton and as a result many iconic elements of both are incorporated into the office design.

For example, brightly coloured timber beach huts are meeting rooms and giant colourful dice accommodate individual video conference booths, original dodgem cars and traditional red telephone booths are all work spaces available to staff and visitors.

Open plan workstations for all staff are mixed with a few offices, meeting rooms and open break out seating areas and support spaces for printing and IT technical support. Google look after the health and welfare of their staff in an exceptional way and Scott Brownrigg Interior Design has designed a fully fitted out gym/shower facility, massage and spa centre, and an Asian Fusion/Sushi restaurant that is free for all staff.

Ken Giannini, Interior Design Director of Scott Bownrigg stated: “It is little wonder that Google is one of the most desirable places to work in the UK. We have enjoyed every minute of this exciting project. All the Google staff are up for innovation, brilliant ideas and they like to be challenged. We also recognise that Google is a serious business and demands efficiency, value and solutions that can support their business practices. This project has it all - a fun working environment that also incorporates lots of practical solutions.”

Jane Preston, UK Facilities Manager at Google said: “The first impressions of visitors and our staff have been very positive. The project fits well with our real estate and HR strategy and will definitely help support our growth plans. We see the work environment as a major recruitment factor for us to compete for the best talent and this new office certainly does that.”

http://www.freeofficesearch.co.uk/OfficeSpaceNews.asp?NewsID=00000883&monthnameyear=February2011

SO143

February 13th, 2011, 07:54 AM

London Super Sewer

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-12427748

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2011/jan/13/london-super-sewer

PortoNuts

February 17th, 2011, 04:25 PM

Offices in outer London 'to enjoy more convenient commuting'

Offices in outer London will be better connected to the centre of the city when the new Crossrail gets up and running. Transport secretary Philip Hammond made the comments after it was announced that the London borough of Greenwich is set to receive a Crossrail station in Woolwich.

...

http://www.mellersh.co.uk/News.aspx?ArticleId=800410623

PortoNuts

February 18th, 2011, 01:07 AM

South London station box to boost civil engineering recruitment

An agreement has been reached that will facilitate the development of a Crossrail station box in south-east London, which could create civil engineering jobs in the area.

Berkley Homes will now privately fund construction work on the station box - which could later be converted into a station - in Woolwich, after agreeing terms with the Department for Transport, Crossrail and Greenwich council.

This follows on from an outline agreement originally reached in 2007 and will support Berkley's wider development plans in the Woolwich area, where it intends to build more than 2,500 homes, as well as new office space and retail, dining and community facilities.

Berkley's Rob Perrins commented: "Berkeley has always been totally committed to having a Crossrail station within its flagship development at the Royal Arsenal and it is hoped that with the partners signing the contracts for the station box today that this will now become a reality."

It is anticipated that as many as 14,000 jobs in construction will be created at the height of construction work on the £16 billion Crossrail network, which will serve London and the wider south-east once it opens in 2017.

http://news.careerstructure.com/article/view/london/800411576/south-london-station-box-to-boost-civil-engineering-recruitment/

PortoNuts

February 21st, 2011, 08:13 PM

London's overlooked rail project

It is a massive engineering project that will deliver a mainline railway through the heart of London with Tube-like service frequency. It will connect multiple regional destinations on either side of the capital for the first time with a direct rail service.Yet it has been beset by controversy over its route, worries about its funding, and years of delay. Crossrail, right? Nope. It's the Thameslink upgrade.

http://img517.imageshack.us/img517/1029/51342731blackfriarsstat.jpg
The upgraded line will boast London's only mid-river station

'Gilded lily'?

The north-south rail-link, first opened up in the 1980s, has been somewhat overshadowed by its more glamorous east-west cousin, even though the new-and-improved Thameslink will become an equally significant part of the southeast of England's railway infrastructure.

"Crossrail's nice and shiny because it's a brand new line," says Gareth Edwards, editor of the London Reconnections blogsite. "People tend to see Thameslink as gilding the lily. But actually it's a lot more than that." The £6bn project - a third of the cost of Crossrail - will transform the cross-capital route.

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Thameslink will become an equally significant part of the southeast's railway infrastructure

Peak train frequency will increase from the original 7-8 minutes, to 4 minutes currently, and 2-3 minutes by the end of the decade. And the current Brighton-to-Bedford route will add Cambridge, King's Lynn, Ashford and Eastbourne as destinations.

"It will be a really fast and reliable turn-up-and-go rail service," boasts London assembly member Caroline Pidgeon. "Once it's up-and-running, people will say, 'Oh my God, this is amazing.'" She points out the new London Overground network as an example of how introducing a high-frequency metro-style train service on an old line can unleash an astonishing amount of suppressed demand.

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St Pancras, the only central London station finished so far, echoes the brutalist chic of the Jubilee line

Indeed, the route is already overcrowded, and the project is set to deliver a switch from 8-car to 12-car trains by this December. "50 stations are being lengthened," says Simon Brooks of Network Rail, the company managing the project. "In all, we're building 4km of new platform."

Underneath the arches

But the upgrade has not been without controversy. Thameslink has driven a coach and horses through the middle of Borough Market. Around two-dozen Dickensian listed buildings - including a large swathe of the Victorian covered market itself - are being demolished to make way for a new viaduct.

Local opposition was one factor behind the decades-long delay to a project that was originally conceived around 1990 and fate-temptingly named "Thameslink 2000". "People in the area thought: 'I've got a railway already, I've got loads of trains, I don't need any more,'" says Ms Pidgeon, who used to be on Southwark council. "They just saw it as a big nuisance, and understandably so." Yet Network Rail had little choice.

If it wants to run a high frequency service, then Thameslink cannot afford to share its lines with anyone else. And Borough Market is a notorious railway bottleneck, with the same tracks serving trains into Charing Cross and Cannon Street. Deciding where to put the new viaduct - which will free up the old viaduct for Thameslink-only services - cannot have been much fun.

The historic Wheatsheaf pub has lost its top floor, while the Globe pub now finds itself ignominiously wedged in between the brick arches of the old line and the steel frame of the new. "Wherever they put it, they were going to hit a significant number of listed buildings," says Mr Edwards of London Reconnections.

Hard cheese

But Ms Pidgeon says most locals have moved on, and few complain about the work in progress. That certainly seems to be the mood among the market's traders. "It's never as black as they paint it," says Maria, who now runs her cafe at a temporary plot right by the construction site. Her original cafe was compulsorily purchased by Network Rail, only for her new site within the market to fall within the viaduct's footprint, forcing her to relocate again.

But she is far from bitter, praising their responsiveness to "teething problems" such as the odd power cut. "Considering the size of the job, it is surprisingly quiet," she says. "They're working now. Can you hear anything?" The only din is from a train rumbling out of London Bridge.

"When you consider the immensity of the work being undertaken, it is amazing there is still a functioning market at all," says another long-time trader, whose cheese stall - like many others - has been rehoused during the interim in what used to be the carpark. He has nothing but admiration for the engineers.

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The new Borough High St bridge is being assembled on top of the viaduct before being shunted into place

And although his relocation to a more obscure corner of the market has sapped business, he treats it as par for the course. The traders seem to accept that it is impossible to please everyone. A case in point is the work currently going on to put a bridge across Borough High Street. To avoid impeding traffic on the main road, the bridge is being assembled on top of the viaduct before being shunted across into place.

But one trader said this just means they have periodically had to block off Stoney Street instead - an important access point for deliveries to the market.

Joined-up thinking

Perhaps the most eye-catching part of the Thameslink project to-date is the nearly completed relocation of Blackfriars station onto the railway bridge straddling the Thames. "Soon we will have the sexiest railway station in the UK, and I intend to make it our unique selling point," says Carol Anderson, events director at the Mermaid conference centre that borders the carcass of the old station.

But she concedes that the station's temporary closure has hurt business in the meantime. The aesthetic impact of the new station is actually just a happy by-product of a concept that is entirely practical - namely to give access to the station from both sides of the river.

That means it will only be a short walk for tourists from the Tate Gallery, the Globe Theatre and other South Bank attractions. Ms Pidgeon at the London assembly has been lobbying for the station to be renamed "Blackfriars and Bankside" in recognition of its dual location. "It's going to be a big plus," says the duty manager at the Founder's Arms, a riverside pub conveniently sat between Blackfriars Bridge and the Tate.

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Blackfriars' new terminus platforms will be built on top of the bright red piers of the first railway bridge

She says 90% of their business comes from tourists that happen across the pub as they walk the Thames path. They plan a refurbishment to help them accommodate the expected crowds of customers, although the building work has ironically killed business in the short-term, as the riverside pathway has been cut off for two years. Shifting the station onto the bridge also helps Network Rail solve a logistical problem.

The new Blackfriars will be reconfigured so that trains terminating there will not have to cross the path of the through-trains. In another startling innovation, these terminus platforms will be built on top of the bright red piers that are all that remain of the first Blackfriars railway bridge, demolished in 1985.

And creative thinking has also gone into the construction itself. Barges have been moored under the bridge so that supplies can be brought in by river, avoiding the need to clog up the roads.

Gordian knot

Two stops up the line, Farringdon station is set to become one of the most important interchanges in the country. Sitting just north of the City financial district, it will provide the nexus between Thameslink and Crossrail - not to mention the Metropolitan line - making the station a doubly busy destination.

That is certainly the hope of Kate, proprietor of the Castle pub, which faces what is now an enormous building site. "It's going to pump huge amounts of sales in," she says, noting plans to build a new shopping centre at the station. She bought the lease on the pub two months ago in anticipation of exactly that. But it has also been doubly painful during the building works.

She says business is down by half, and complains about numerous unannounced weekend station closures, which have killed trade from revellers heading for the local nightclubs - one of which has already shut down. "Farringdon is hugely complex," explains Network Rail's Simon Brooks. "For example, there are three different electrical supply systems at the station."

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Farringdon station is perhaps the trickiest construction site on the line

The Thameslink work has had to incorporate a lot of stage-setting for the deeper Crossrail line, such foundation construction and dropping lift shafts. To help co-ordinate the work with the local community, Mr Brooks said they hold quarterly meetings with businesses and community representatives at Farringdon.

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Crossrail intends to build retail space on top of the new joint ticket hall (left) to help fund their project

But on-site co-ordination has also been challenging, according to Mr Edwards at London Reconnections, with Network Rail, Crossrail and Transport for London often giving mixed messages about who is responsible for what.

'Catalyst'

Farringdon illustrates an important distinction between Crossrail and Thameslink. While Crossrail has had to attract a big chunk of private sector money - hence the shopfloors being built above the new Crossrail ticket office - Thameslink has been entirely funded by the government. For a perilous few months last year, it looked as if the axe was about to fall on the project after the Treasury chose to spare Crossrail from the spending review.

But in the end Thameslink was confirmed in full, albeit with a widely anticipated extra year's delay to 2019. Its reprieve may be partly because the improved rail service is a big selling point of many major commercial redevelopments in the capital, such as at Elephant and Castle in the south, or Brent Cross to the north.

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The route coincides with several major private redevelopments, such as London Bridge's Shard

Mr Brooks claims the line upgrade has acted as a catalyst for urban regeneration. For example, the last stage of the project is the complete rebuild of London Bridge station, to increase the number of trains that can pass through the station. That work is intimately connected with the construction of the Shard - the UK's tallest skyscraper - right next door.

Indeed, the Shard's developers are funding construction of a new bus terminal and station concourse with direct access into the tower. "Developers like to put a picture of a new station, and facts and statistics about the number of trains, in their brochures," notes Mr Edwards.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-12480813

SO143

February 21st, 2011, 09:01 PM

nice :)

PortoNuts

February 22nd, 2011, 11:02 PM

Technology companies rent most West End office space

Technology, media and telecoms companies have overtaken financial services as the biggest acquirer of office space in the West End for the first time since the dotcom crash. In the latest example of the boom in the sector, research by property agent King Sturge has found that TMT companies accounted for 23pc of rental agreements on West End offices in 2010, against 14pc for the financial sector.

http://img84.imageshack.us/img84/5728/westend011830724c1.jpg
Huge demand saw 3.3m sq ft of West End space leased in 2010

The demand is being driven by technology and web-based companies, whose access to millions of users is attracting significant investment in the sector. Facebook was recently valued at $50bn (£31bn) after Goldman Sachs invested in the company, but critics have warned of a potential repeat of the dotcom bubble, with many companies still struggling to make a profit.

It is the first time since 2000 that TMT occupiers have overtaken financial services, which includes banks, private equity and hedge funds. The sector is poised to repeat the feat this year. According to King Sturge, 20 companies are currently scouring the West End for 798,000 sq ft of office space, compared to 422,000 sq ft of space for financial services. Google, Twitter and Facebook are all understood to be looking to rent offices in Central London.

Catherine Jones, head of West End office research at King Sturge, said: “TMT is one of the few business sectors to have seen genuine expansion, and demand is such that occupiers are looking beyond the traditional boundaries of Soho into the wider West End market. This is also being driven by the availability of large, newly developed grade A space offering more attractive rental terms than the prime rents seen in the core of the West End. Furthermore, many of these new buildings, with large floor plates, are often efficient ‘cost in use’ for their occupants.”

The research predicts that the soaring demand from the sector, which meant 3.3m sq ft of space was leased in the West End last year, will drive rental values up sharply. After a 15.4pc gain to £75 per sq ft in 2010, the research forecasts that rents will rise by 14pc this year and by 11pc next year.

They will then break though the £100-per-sq-ft mark in 2013, which will take rents back to their value at the peak of the market in 2007.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/constructionandproperty/8337156/Technology-companies-rent-most-West-End-office-space.html#

SO143

February 22nd, 2011, 11:11 PM

facebook was recently valued at $50 billion? wow good news

PortoNuts

February 23rd, 2011, 08:11 PM

Brightoil to Open London, Geneva Offices to Expand Fuel Trading

Brightoil Petroleum Holdings Ltd., a Chinese marine fuel supplier, plans to open offices in London and Geneva to increase trading of oil products.

The company is “expanding the existing business from trading purely fuel oil to a full array of petroleum products,” according to a statement filed to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange today.

Brightoil currently has overseas offices in Singapore and Houston to manage its trading business, it said. The company’s bunker fuel sales volume doubled to 3.4 million metric tons in 2010 from a year earlier, according to the company. Brightoil has bunker operations at ports in China, Singapore, Hong Kong and the Amsterdam-Rotterdam-Antwerp area.

“We are also relentlessly seeking opportunities to lease storage and terminal facilities from local operators, or to form strategic partnerships with storage owners, or construct our own facilities,” the company said in the statement.

Revenue for Brightoil’s international supply and bunkering segment amounted to HK$12.48 billion ($1.6 billion) for the six months ended Dec. 31. Of the total, 70 percent was contributed by its bunker business, while the remaining was earned through oil-product trading, the company said.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-02-23/brightoil-to-open-london-geneva-offices-to-expand-fuel-trading.html

PortoNuts

February 25th, 2011, 07:54 PM

New West End Company submits plans for Oxford Street "shopper pavilion

The £2.1m development is part of a major new initiative spearheaded by New West End Company to help improve the public realm in London’s West End. Its purpose is to assist international tourists coming into London especially during the Olympics in 2012.

http://img222.imageshack.us/img222/8504/1687340oxford20st20pavi.jpg

The 1,870 sq ft unit will be located on Old Cavendish Street, between the John Lewis and House of Fraser stores on Oxford Street. It will include a shopper information point, a café with outdoor seating under the canopy of a cantilevered roof and a public toilet facility. The shopper pavilion will be owned and managed by a not-for-profit company, Oasis Development Company which will be a partnership between House of Fraser, John Lewis Partnership, Land Securities, Derwent London, Great Portland Estates and The Crown Estate.

The proposal seeks to be one of the first to potentially capitalise on the use of public realm credits. This innovative approach, of forming a not-for-profit company to own and manage the pavilion, developed by Westminster City Council is currently out to consultation in other parts of the country.

Oasis will work closely with Westminster City Council, Transport for London and the New West End Company to execute the development. Should this new funding approach be adopted by the council, the Old Cavendish Street Visitor Pavilion could be one of the first major projects to benefit from the new approach, unique to the UK.

Richard Dickinson, chief executive of the New West End Company, said: “These are tough times for the public sector and both retailers and landowners want to play their part to help ensure that London’s West End continues to improve and is ready to welcome the million additional visitors anticipated during the Olympic Games.”

The retail economy in the West End is expected to receive a £100m boost from international visitors coming into London during the Olympics. To cater for their needs, including Chinese shoppers who spend an average of £857 on every transaction compared to the UK average of £120, the staff at the pavilion will be trained by the Global Blue Academy.

The academy is the UK’s authority on Chinese, Middle Eastern and Russian cultural trends and their shopping habits, and has the tools and knowledge to create the ultimate shopping experience for each nationality. The academy has been operating in the UK for more than 10 years and currently trains over 500 retailers across the UK.

http://www.propertyweek.com/news/news-by-sector/retail/new-west-end-company-submits-plans-for-oxford-street-shopper-pavilion/5014019.article

PortoNuts

February 26th, 2011, 03:48 PM

The Savoy, London: Hotel review

Graham Boynton reviews The Savoy, the recently refurbished luxury hotel by the Thames in London.

The location

On the Strand within walking distance of Trafalgar Square, the West End theatres and Covent Garden. The Thames riverside provides one of London's finest views, a good reason to ask for a river room.

We like

Much has been made of the £220 million refurbishment, but it's the staff who really make the new Savoy work for me. Only 65 of the original 650 staff have returned after the three-year hiatus, but the 585 new recruits are eager and willing, and have blended in well with the hotel's traditions. All are courteous, attentive and efficient.

There is also the history of the Savoy and one is constantly, and appropriately, reminded that many of the great figures of the 20th century have passed along these hallways.

Not so keen

All the hoopla around the much-delayed reopening has created an atmosphere of voyeurism about the public areas that will, I hope, disappear over time. On most nights you have to stand in a queue to get into the American Bar. Fortunately, the more intriguing Beaufort Bar does not seem similarly oversubscribed.

The other guests

Exquisitely tailored men and elegant women in little black numbers are everywhere. Traditionally almost half the Savoy's guests are American and since the reopening last October they have come pouring back. Wealthy Russians are also in evidence.

The rooms

Two thirds are Edwardian and one third are Art Deco, with the former overlooking the Thames and the latter on the city side. All stylishly decorated by Pierre-Yves Rochon and all featuring the appropriate mod cons –flat- screen televisions, centralised light switches etc.

The food and drink

For all the criticisms of the design and layout of the new River Restaurant – and there are many – I thought the food was excellent. The cheek of pork and the steamed cod fillet are both outstanding. So too the desserts – especially the spiced rice pudding with apples poached in mulled wine. The famous Savoy Grill, managed by Gordon Ramsay, has had rave reviews.

Access for guests with disabilities

The hotel has overhauled access and facilities for disabled guests. It is now fully wheelchair-accessible, and there are a number of rooms specifically designed for wheelchair accessibility.

The bottom line

Rooms from £350 a night and suites from £1,100 a night, excluding VAT.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/hotels/ukhotels/8347872/The-Savoy-London-Hotel-review.html

PortoNuts

February 26th, 2011, 07:26 PM

Bulgari Hotel to Open in London's Exclusive Knightsbridge Neighborhood

The luxury hotel located in Knightsbridge, the most prestigious area of Central London next to Hyde Park, is the third hotel project of Bulgari Hotels & Resorts, after the opening of the Bulgari Hotel in Milan in 2004 and of the Bulgari Resort in Bali in 2006.

The Bulgari Hotel in London was designed for Bulgari by the renowned architectural firm Antonio Citterio, Patricia Viel & Partners, with Squire and Partners as the local architect for the project. With the contemporary style and outstanding service and design for which Bulgari is famous, the hotel will feature sleek lines and refined colour combinations created using a variety of marbles, fine woods, and unique details. Silver is the dominant theme of the interior design. The ancient yet timeless metal - a tribute to Bulgari’s origins as a silversmith and to Britain’s noble manufacturing traditions – expresses understated, poised elegance in line with the style of the Bulgari Hotels.

The Bulgari Hotel, London has been designed to incorporate the highest standards of environmental sustainability, and it has already been awarded Best Hotel and Development at the prestigious UK Property Awards 2010 in association with Bloomberg Television.

The hotel, with its 85 rooms and suites -- including seven extraordinary Bulgari suites, each more than 200 square meters large -- will offer a unique combination of refined amenities and exclusive services. Its restaurant and bar were designed to become the destination of choice in Knightsbridge. The hotel will also feature a large ballroom, a private cinema and a 2,000 square meter SPA and fitness centre with 25 meter indoor pool.

Francesco Trapani, CEO of Bulgari Group, said, “We are extremely proud to be able to open a Bulgari Hotel in the heart of London, something that we have wanted to do for a long time. This hotel - - the first new hotel built in London in over 40 years – will be another important element in the Bulgari Hotels & Resorts project. I’m convinced that it will be a further statement of our brand in the UK, which is a strategic market for luxury goods.”

Antonio Citterio said, “Constructing a new building in this part of London is an event because the city tends to be extremely conservative due to its consolidated urban plan. The architectural style of the project reflects the rigour of the Bulgari Hotel in Milan: its classic, solid, contemporary style will consolidate the urban landscape in an area of London that is undergoing a profound transformation. In this sense, the use of Portland stone and bronze, which are typical materials of a certain architectural style of public buildings in London, and the precise façade design reveal a rigorous, modern approach to the theme.”

Lord David Puttnam, Chairman of Prime Development, said: " We are delighted to be working with Bulgari on this extremely exciting project. The hard work and dedication of everyone involved means we are firmly on track for the delivery in 2012 of an outstanding product which will raise the bar for standards of service and elegance within the Knightsbridge luxury hotel market while maintaining a modern approach to sustainability. The vision behind the Bulgari hotel and the attention to detail that characterises its design and construction epitomise the hard work that has been put in the project and I look forward to its opening in 2012.

http://www.luxurytravelmagazine.com/news-articles/bulgari-hotel-to-open-in-londons-exclusive-knightsbridge-neighborhood-15380-2.php

PortoNuts

February 27th, 2011, 09:00 PM

From 24th February.

Global Pharmaceutical Giant's Headquarters Opens in London

The Mayor of London Boris Johnson today opened the new global headquarters of pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca in Paddington, confirming that the capital is a great location for international businesses.

In a sign of the company’s continued commitment to London, AstraZeneca has moved its current global headquarters across town from Mayfair to brand new and larger offices in the landmark Two Kingdom Street development, Paddington Central. This major boost to London’s business credentials follows the recent announcement by global investment bank JP Morgan, to establish its European headquarters in Canary Wharf.

With close links to many leading London universities, Cancer Research UK and the Medical Research Council, AstraZeneca will employ around 350 people over three floors in its new HQ. This includes 90 staff from its global marketing and sales divisions, some of whom are relocating from its US and Brussels operations.

The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said: "It’s no surprise that another great global company is investing in the world’s best city to do business in. What a perfect choice of location they have made in Paddington. This once derelict part of London has transformed itself into a thriving new business district providing quick access to the capital’s transport network, its airports and its centres of world class research. With Crossrail passing through Paddington in the near future, many more businesses will be heading west to reap the huge business benefits AstraZeneca has discovered in this fantastic corner of the capital."

David Brennan, AstraZeneca Chief Executive Officer, said: "We are really delighted that the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, was able to celebrate with staff as we marked the opening of our new global headquarters. London is a world class city with a vibrant financial centre, with improving transport links and, being based in Paddington, we now have even better access to Heathrow Airport."

http://www.freshbusinessthinking.com/news.php?CID=&NID=7538&Title=Global+Pharmaceutical+Giant's+Headquarters+Opens+in+London

PortoNuts

February 28th, 2011, 10:52 PM

Offices in central London could see high-speed rail network

A high-speed rail network could connect offices in central London to businesses and clients in Manchester within approximately 75 minutes. Companies with offices in central London are also set to enjoy quicker travel between Birmingham and Leeds should the proposal be given the green light.

The train network would significantly reduce the time taken to the capital from other major cities in the UK.

Phillip Hammond, the transport secretary, has launched a consultation into the project, although work would not start on the new system for several years. Despite this, with the potential for businesses to be opened up to other regions, establishing a base in offices in central London now could leave firms well placed for future growth. The Metro published findings from a TNS-BMRB poll which found that almost 50 per cent of people questioned supported the 250 mph train travel link.

Birmingham and London could be connected within 50 minutes. The newspaper reported Mr Hammond as saying: "This poll shows that, across Britain, five times as many people support our planned high-speed rail network as oppose it."

http://www.mellersh.co.uk/News.aspx?ArticleId=800430852

PortoNuts

March 1st, 2011, 12:11 PM

Partington's Cucumber gets green light

Robin Partington Architects has landed outline planning for its Merchant Square scheme in Paddington featuring a cylindrical 42-storey skyscraper, dubbed the Cucumber Tower.

Westminster Council approved the scheme in west London, which is backed by billionaire brothers Simon and David Reuben, despite the project coming in for heavy criticism from CABE (see below). The centrepiece tower will house 222 flats, a boutique hotel with a terrace cafe and a roof top sky bar and will be clad in ‘midnight blue’ ceramic panels.

Initial agreement was also given to three other buildings around the canalside site including a 17-storey office building, including shopping space,a 21-storey mixed-use residential, retail and community building and a 15-storey block containing 119 homes and medical facilities.

Planning committee chairman Alastair Moss said: ‘We have given our approval to certain key aspects of these detailed plans including the height and design of the buildings and the public realm between them.

‘The architectural designs are impressive. They could deliver an iconic addition to London’s skyline and serve as a focal point for Paddington and the surrounding area. We now wait for further details of the environmental impact and the other planning benefits to be provided as part of the development before a final planning judgement is made.’

Partington hit back at CABE’s criticism of the development, saying the project had been almost universally well-received by all the other stakeholders.

http://i603.photobucket.com/albums/tt118/awaren8/ms1.jpg

http://i603.photobucket.com/albums/tt118/awaren8/ms2.jpg

http://i603.photobucket.com/albums/tt118/awaren8/ms3.jpg

http://i603.photobucket.com/albums/tt118/awaren8/ms4.jpg

http://i603.photobucket.com/albums/tt118/awaren8/ms5.jpg

http://www.architectsjournal.co.uk/news/partingtons-cucumber-gets-green-light/8611101.article#

PortoNuts

March 1st, 2011, 07:55 PM

Interest soaring in London land

Competition for land in London is hitting pre-recession levels, as international investors prepare to inject more than £5bn into the city’s lucrative residential property market.

The money, more than £1bn of which has been raised since the start of the year, will target high-end developments and could lead to the construction of about 10,000 homes in the capital. The wave of interest is causing land prices to soar, as the investors bid aggressively for new sites, according to the companies operating in the capital’s already congested housebuilding market.

“That money just wasn’t there before the beginning of the year and has really started to appear as people move from protection to investment mode,” said Rob Perrins, chief executive of Berkeley Group, London’s largest housebuilder.

“The upshot is that we are now seeing a lot more of these people at land auctions and it is pushing up the cost of getting hold of sites which already have planning consent and can be developed quickly.” London is particularly attractive to investors because its property market has been relatively insulated from the pressures felt elsewhere in the UK on the back of the government austerity measures.

Rents have grown strongly in the past year on solid tenant demand, although this rise has recently tailed off. Even so, it is forecast that as many as one in five households will live in privately rented accommodation by 2015, an increase from one in seven at present.

The challenge for investors is to find developers with the capacity to build enough to create economies of scale in a relatively low-yielding asset class. One strategy has been to focus on the niche, high-end residential sector, where supply is short and demand from overseas buyers high.

Carlyle, the private equity group, last year agreed to buy and fund the development of a new block of prime residences in Chelsea, which is expected to be the first of several such deals. Mr Perrins said his company, had not been approached as a development partner. However, other London-based housebuilders have entered into ventures.

Aviva, the insurance group, last year teamed up with east-London developer Telford as part of a bid to create a £1bn portfolio of new-build rental apartments. Barratt, the UK’s largest housebuilder by volume, last week said it was keen to find a partner to build up a rental portfolio.

As well as the £5.3bn targeting London, investors have raised £2.2bn to set up residential developments in other parts of the UK, according to new research published by CB Richard Ellis, the world’s largest property services group. “The total level of interest from investors in the UK residential market relative to the overall level of investment and development is clearly significant, but pinpointing the investors that are ready to commit and at what cost of capital is the key,” said Chris Lacey, executive director at CB Richard Ellis.

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/1ce05d10-42ad-11e0-8b34-00144feabdc0.html#axzz1FNLUyvW1

Oursin Bleu

March 1st, 2011, 09:50 PM

Atmosphere

March 2nd, 2011, 12:13 AM

^^ Does it matter?

BodgeJob1

March 2nd, 2011, 12:21 AM

I have a question for Portonuts. You're doing a great job posting on the London thread, but why do you have to post just after someone else does it on the Paris thread ? It's disturbing... and d'ont deny it, you've been doing that for a long time.

I think the more interesting question is why you have used a duplicate account instead of your real one to post this....?

Coward.

Romain95

March 2nd, 2011, 03:28 PM

I have a question for Portonuts. You're doing a great job posting on the London thread, but why do you have to post just after someone else does it on the Paris thread ? It's disturbing... and d'ont deny it, you've been doing that for a long time.

:sly::ohno:

Yes PortoNuts is a perfidious pro-London :lol: ^_^.

PortoNuts

March 6th, 2011, 11:21 PM

Nobody has to see or read something they don't want to. ;)

A bright future at Battersea if obstacles are overcome

Chairing a morning event at which 15 speakers laud the coming of London's biggest development after the Olympics can undermine one's natural scepticism. At 1.45pm on Tuesday it was possible to imagine a 200-acre stretch from Vauxhall to Battersea filled by 2031 with 16,000 new homes, a rebuilt power station, a new New Covent Garden and tall offices surrounding the cubic United States embassy. All this, and more, linked by a broad linear park, under which will run an extension to the Northern line, with stations at Nine Elms and Battersea.

To reach this sunny conclusion you have to stop worrying about the £563 million needed for the Northern line extension, or the other half a billion required for new roads, bridges, services, schools and clinics. The figures come from a 200-page study which quietly worries that the £58 million gap between the £1059 million infrastructure costs and £1001 million of anticipated income from a development levy might widen to £513 million.

Boring: Instead imagine a whole new slice of Thames-side London filled in 20 years' time with 28,000 inhabitants and 25,000 workers. Deputy Mayor Sir Simon Milton told the 220-strong audience at Battersea Power Station he was confident that the £58 million funding gap was "not an obstacle" and that a number of ways "including the retention of business rates" are being investigated.

Rob Tincknell, of power station owner Treasury Holdings, said he is confident the £563 million estimate for the tube extension is sound. "We have had it looked at by Balfour Beatty. The contract will be fixed price and the risk taken by the contractor," he said.

It is a year since the last New London Architecture conference on Nine Elms was held. Then plans were sketchy. Now they are more detailed. Wandsworth councillor Ravi Govindia caught the mood: "There is now momentum. It looks like a new quarter for London is beginning to emerge."

Berkeley Homes subsidiary, St James, pledged to begin work on 752 flats at the Tideway Basin in April. Sainsbury's showed drawings of a huge store surrounded by tower blocks. New Covent Garden boss Baroness Brenda Dean teased that fresh plans to rebuild the market would be revealed in days.

But, but, but: more than £700 million needs to be spent by 2015 on infrastructure, mostly on the Northern line extension. In a sane world Transport for London would raise the money via a bond and claim it back, using a development levy. In the real world the developers are supposed to supply the bulk of the cash via a levy before and during development.

The chicken and egg issue is this: without the Northern line extension, there will be no development: without development there will be no Northern line extension. But let's stay positive: Milton promises the conundrum is being addressed.

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/markets/article-23928903-a-bright-future-at-battersea-if-obstacles-are-overcome.do

WooWoo

March 6th, 2011, 11:56 PM

I have a question for Portonuts. You're doing a great job posting on the London thread, but why do you have to post just after someone else does it on the Paris thread ? It's disturbing... and d'ont deny it, you've been doing that for a long time.

I have a question for you. Why did you ask him on this thread and not the Paris one, when the London one has nothing to do with it?

PortoNuts

March 7th, 2011, 05:24 PM

Office construction starts at 280 High Holborn

International property investor Hines has announced that work has started on a new office scheme in London. Hines announced yesterday that construction work has now started on a speculative office scheme to be known as 280 High Holborn, London in an area that developers have attempted to rebrand Midtown. The building replaces the now demolished Chichester House, an 8-storey office building that offered 70,000 sq ft of floor space.

Hines acquired the building in April 2007 and achieved planning consent for a new scheme by the end of 2007. Hines had previously announced in August, 2008 that the old offices had been demolished and construction work had commenced on a new-build scheme.

The new scheme (pictured) consists of an 8-storey building that will offer 67,000 sq of office floor space and 3,000 sq ft of ground floor retail space. Individual floor plates will range in size from 7,000 sq ft to 9,400 sq ft. The Grade A scheme is expected to achieve a BREEAM rating of ‘Excellent’. A completion date of autumn, 2012 is expected.

Hines UK Project Director Alexander Knapp said, “We are very optimistic about the leasing prospects for 280 High Holborn as we expect it to be completed at a time when Midtown will have very low levels of Class A supply”.

Architects for the scheme are GMW and the main contractor is Mace who have previously worked with Hines on a mixed-use, residential and office scheme at One Grafton Street, Mayfair. Hines are also expected to complete their 389,000 sq ft Cannon Place office scheme later this year.

http://offices.org.uk/news/office-construction-starts-280-high-holborn-03041196.html

PortoNuts

March 8th, 2011, 04:20 AM

Tate Modern extension ‘on schedule’ to welcome visitors in 2012

Tate director Sir Nicholas Serota is confident the Tate Modern extension will open in Olympic year and that the financial appeal will succeed. "We have every expectation we will be able to use the new building in 2012," said Sir Nicholas during a press conference held on Thursday morning at Tate Britain to announce the exhibitions to be held in Olympic year.

"The important milestones have been reached on time. We had to secure an empty switch house and demolition is about to begin. If you visit the site now you will see it progressing on time and on budget."

On being asked about the cost, Sir Nicholas said: "We continue to be in conversation with individuals. We have raised more money over the last three or four months and we are making good progress. The trustees remain completely confident about our ability to raise the £215 million that is required to build the extension to Tate Modern."

During the summer of 2012 Tate Modern will stage the first substantial survey in the UK of the work of Damien Hirst. The exhibition of around seventy works is being sponsored by the Qatar Museums Authority. It seemed the right moment to show a British artist at Tate Modern in 2012 said Sir Nicholas who added that he expected the show to include new work.

Edvard Munch: the Modern Eye will attempt a radical assessment of the Norwegian artist by revealing his obsession with the rise of photography and his interest in stage production. This exhibition, staged in collaboration with the Centre Pompidou in Paris and the Munch Museet in Oslo, will be seen first in Paris and Frankfurt.

Meanwhile, as part of the finale of the Cultural Olympiad, Tino Sehgal has been commissioned to create work for the Turbine Hall. Details are yet to be revealed but his installations are known for their high level of interaction and engagement with the visitor.

Tino Sehgal 2012, the thirteenth commission in the Unilever Series, is scheduled to open a week before the London Olympics opening ceremony at the end of July. Sir Nicholas said that more information about the Tate Modern extension timetable will be made available when the gallery's new director Chris Dercon, presently director of the Haus der Kunst in Munich, arrives in May.

http://www.london-se1.co.uk/news/view/5140

PortoNuts

March 11th, 2011, 02:13 AM

Rocket-Shaped Tower Proposed For Southwark

Fast becoming the playpen for architectural experimentation in London (think the Shard and the Quill amongst others), Southwark could welcome this rocket-shaped tower, which is proposed as an extension to the Russian-owned Menier Chocolate Factory, a theatrical space on Southwark Street.

http://img571.imageshack.us/img571/2356/1003rocket21.jpg

The 24-storey building, which resembles a solid booster rocket and access tower, contains residential and office space, and is part of a development that would include an extended theatre for the Menier, an art school, restaurant, and a museum dedicated to tea and vodka (the national drinks of Blighty and Russia, naturally). In an unusual twist, the complex would incorporate a new raised public plaza, named for the first man in space, Yuri Gagarin.

Gagarin, whose orbital voyage took place fifty years ago this April, may seem the unlikely recipient of such an honour. Yet when Yuri-fever raced across the world in the summer of ’61, London wasn’t exempt. The Times reported on the “cheering crowds” that greeted him at London Airport, from whence he was borne in a hammer-and-sickle embossed Rolls Royce to the Russian embassy, and later to lunch with the Queen at Buckingham Palace. As the anniversary approaches, Gagarin’s star is on the rise again (sorry); a street in Houston, Texas is to be re-named in his honour.

http://img864.imageshack.us/img864/9929/1003rocket11.jpg

Is it right for London to honour the first man in space in such a fashion? Can we expect Muscovites to be enjoying a stroll in Dame Ellen MacArthur Park in years to come? And, perhaps most importantly, when are we going to get a statue of Laika?

http://londonist.com/2011/03/rocket-shaped-tower-proposed-for-southwark.php

PortoNuts

March 11th, 2011, 12:30 PM

London property market to get £52bn Asian investment

International investors are preparing to plough £52bn of equity into UK commercial property, principally in cental London, amid thriving market conditions. Buyers from Indonesia, Thailand, Taiwan and China will be the latest to target commercial property deals, according to research from property agent Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL).

Asian investors are the dominant force driving demand and should this year overtake the Middle East as the largest buying group. Jones Lang LaSalle said there was more than £52bn of equity seeking acquisitions, with 80pc focused on central London,

China's influence on the London market, which remains the biggest in the world, is poised to grow. The country's sovereign wealth fund made its first UK property investment in 2009 by backing the refinancing of Canary Wharf owner Songbird Estates.

Investors are being attracted to central London properties by their trophy status, the standing of the UK as a global financial centre, a lack of supply of new properties, and the long lease lengths that UK rents offer. Chris Brett, head of JLL's international desk, said: "We expect investors to move further into 'riskier' style transactions such as short income and development opportunities as occupational markets improve.

As 2011 progresses, demand will grow and London will witness capital sources from mainland China, Indonesia, Thailand and Taiwan, in addition to the Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysian and Korean investors already prevalent."

Despite the economic uncertainty and prospect of public spending cuts, the amount of cash spent on Central London offices rose by 34pc last year. Transaction volumes reached £5bn in the West End and the same value in the City, with foreign investments accounting for 63pc of the activity.

According to the JLL, as many as 45 different nationalities are searching for opportunities to invest in London commercial property.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/constructionandproperty/8371900/London-property-market-to-get-52bn-Asian-investment.html#

SO143

March 11th, 2011, 02:50 PM

^^ I am already in love with that Rocket-Tower :yes:

In London, the scarcity of supply grows towers in the City

Many projects, the next tallest tower in Europe, Shard, are under construction.
The low supply of offices in the British capital has led developers to wake up many projects around that the crisis had broken. They should radically change the skyline of the city. There are, indeed, at least six towers, almost completed, started or about to be over the next three years. These skyscrapers have evocative nicknames have nothing to envy the famous Gherkin, Norman Foster. The Shard of glass (Shard), whose construction is well underway just south of the business district of the City, and will be the tallest tower in Europe including London dominate the antenna at 310 meters. It will not be the only change to the landscape: Heron already stands alongside the NatWest Tower and it will certainly soon be joined by the scraper cheese, Pinnacle or Walkie-Talkie. The real estate professionals are far from thinking that this influx of new spaces pose a risk to the market. "One would think that developers could not deploy their capital in 2009 unwisely do today, but it seems that 'they chose the right time, in any case if employment continues to recover financial heart of London, explains Nicolas Lyle, industry analyst at HSBC. The six towers coming up about 4.5% the total square meters available in the City, the gold supply is still limited for quality goods and many leases expire in 2013 or 2014. "
The year 2010 was in any case, enough to give them morale, even if the London office market continues to operate at two speeds, higher quality goods saw their value increase much faster. "After a fall 40% caused by the crisis, property prices have, in total, found his long-term average thanks to the rebound of the past two years, " welcomes and Damian Corbett, an official from Jones Lang LaSalle, a specialist commercial real estate.
In 2010, the total amount invested in London rose 34% to 11.6 billion euros, fueled by foreign funds, especially because the British still have difficulty finding bank financing. Investors in emerging markets, such as Chinese, Korean or Middle Easterners are much more numerous. "London is seen as a safe and transparent market, including the change in rents is quite readable in the long term," says Damian Corbett.
Stronger demand than expected

Rents for properties in prime have appreciated by 22% in the City and 18% in central London in 2010, and 1125 respectively EUR 700 euros per square meter per year. Demand, stronger than expected thanks to deals signed by banks UBS and JP Morgan suggests that rental values will continue to rise this year at a slower pace. "Vacancy rates are, in fact, past by 7-8%, below which, historically, rents rise again, " said Nicolas Lyle.
Demand is driven more by moving than by job growth or new business needs. Given the low supply, these movements are sufficient to supply the market.
NICOLAS MADELAINE

London correspondent

http://www.lesechos.fr/entreprises-secteurs/service-distribution/dossier/0201211317728.htm

Newcastle Guy

March 12th, 2011, 02:49 PM

It seems the 136m Quebec Building is close to commencing construction works.

It seems that Ballymore is planning to start construction on this one.

http://194.201.98.213/WAM/showCaseFile.do;jsessionid=87AB33F311AEECDF2F616CA430EC4FF0?action=show&appType=Planning&appNumber=PA/11/429

http://i16.tinypic.com/34z0zds.jpg

PortoNuts

March 13th, 2011, 03:45 AM

Laing O’Rourke appointed as UKCMRI main contractor

The UK Centre for Medical Research and Innovation (UKCMRI) - a charitable medical research institute at St Pancras in central London – has appointed Laing O’Rourke as its main contractor. Plans for the proposed institute were approved by the London Borough of Camden at a meeting in December and agreed by the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, in January. Construction work is expected to begin on the site in late Spring.

The pioneering laboratories will become a world class facility for medical research with 1,500 staff, strengthening the UK's reputation as a centre for excellence for medical science and helping to maintain the country’s competitiveness in science and healthcare. The institute is being built within the exceptional cluster of biomedical research already carried out in Camden. It will bring together biologists, chemists, physicists, engineers, computer scientists and mathematicians with some of the UK’s leading hospitals to focus in new ways on understanding the underlying causes of health and disease.

The UKCMRI charity has been founded by the Medical Research Council, Cancer Research UK, the Wellcome Trust and UCL (University College London). The institute will combine scientists from Cancer Research UK’s London Research Institute at Lincoln’s Inn Fields, the MRC’s National Institute for Medical Research and UCL.

UKCMRI’s Chief Executive, Sir Paul Nurse said: “This extraordinary development will play a key role in understanding and tackling diseases that affect people across the UK. It is a complex building designed to promote creative and collaborative research to study these problems.”

UKCMRI’s Construction Director Andy Smith added: “After a lengthy and detailed evaluation process, Laing O’Rourke was chosen as the main contractor for the development of UKCMRI. The Laing O’Rourke bid scored the highest technically and commercially of the tenders received and represented the best value for money. Laing O’Rourke has a superb track record in delivering such complicated projects. We are very pleased to be working with them.”

Commenting on the appointment, Roger Robinson, Chief Executive of Laing O’Rourke’s Europe hub, said: “We are delighted to have been awarded the contract to deliver this transformational project in the heart of central London. We look forward to working with UKCMRI to deliver a state-of-the-art medical research facility that will drive advances in the prevention and treatment of diseases. The Laing O’Rourke team has the right blend of technical expertise and construction resources required to ensure delivery of such a world-class project. Our comprehensive understanding of the local issues and commitment to the key stakeholders involved will be instrumental in meeting this complex engineering challenge.”

UKCMRI and Laing O’Rourke are creating a community liaison group to meet monthly to ensure the views of local people on the building process are heard and to ensure residents are kept up-to-date on the progress of the development. Sir Paul Nurse said: “We are determined this institute will be a good neighbour to local people. Over the last three years we have had an ongoing programme of community consultation which will continue as building work begins. UKCMRI has agreed with the Council a package of benefits for local people worth around £10million – with initiatives to improve health and homes, employment and education, community safety and the environment.”

http://www.laingorourke.com/media/News/2011/Pages/LaingO%E2%80%99RourkeappointedasUKCMRImaincontractor.aspx

Langur

March 14th, 2011, 01:08 PM

*Edit* The opening has in fact been postponed until the 5th May to coincide with the 138th anniversary of the original hotel opening:
http://www.marriott.co.uk/hotelwebsites/us/l/lonpr/lonpr_pdf/St%20Pancras%20Renaissance%20Opening%20Date%20Announcement.pdf

London: St Pancras Renaissance Hotel Opens
http://www.cnntraveller.com/2011/02/28/london-st-pancras-renaissance-hotel-opens/

http://cache.marriott.com/propertyimages/l/lonpr/phototour/lonpr_phototour01.jpg?Log=1 http://cache.marriott.com/propertyimages/l/lonpr/phototour/lonpr_phototour20.jpg?Log=1

http://cache.marriott.com/propertyimages/l/lonpr/phototour/lonpr_phototour22.jpg?Log=1 http://cache.marriott.com/propertyimages/l/lonpr/phototour/lonpr_phototour26.jpg?Log=1

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It has been more than six years in the creation and it has cost in excess of £150m ($240), but the St Pancras Renaissance Hotel at St Pancras International station opens its doors to guests on 14 March.

It is more than 70 years since this vast Gothic masterpiece designed by George Gilbert Scott was last a hotel and it is more like 100 years since it was in its heyday (it first opened in 1873).

Working with the likes of English Heritage, the Victoria and Albert Museum and the UK’s Victorian Society, the hotel’s owners, designers and engineers have painstakingly brought it back to life. In its latest incarnation it combines modernity with many elements of its Victorian heritage, including wallpapers and tiles based on those that were discovered here, original fireplaces and restored paintings and frescoes.

The one-time station booking office has been transformed into a bar and restaurant, potentially seating 80 diners inside and 80 outside. Its menu will be inspired both by a Victorian original that has come to light and by the destinations that can be reached from St Pancras – the UK ones, that is. It will be interesting to see to what extent Melton Mowbray pork pies, Stilton cheese and Bakewell tart provide inspiration to the chefs.

This dining room is filled with splendid original wooden panelling that features over 170 individual carved flowers, each perhaps 5cm high, and each slightly different from the next.

Elsewhere in the hotel the room that was once the place Victorian travellers ate their breakfast has been transformed into a second restaurant – this time under the auspices of the double Michelin-starred chef Marcus Wareing. Called the Gilbert Scott, it will be headed up by Wareing protégé Chantelle Nicholson.

Above the restaurant, in the old part of the building, are 38 suites, including the £10,000-a-night Royal Suite. It that isn’t available, guests might be tempted by the Victorian Suite – at £3,000 per night. This can lay claim to having one of the most dramatic colour schemes of any hotel room in London.

Its spectacular yellow, orange and green-patterned wallpaper is a replica of a 100-year-old original that once lined the room – an unexpected example of which was found when a mirror was removed during the restoration.

Further down the broad, high-ceilinged, red-painted corridor is room 177. Not as grand as either of the other two it is nonetheless novel because it overlooks the Eurostar platforms. Train lovers could sit in their room and watch comings and goings all day if they so desired.

The majority of the hotel’s rooms – 207 of them – are in a new wing adjoining the Victorian original and are available from £300 per night. While these may not have the Victorian heritage of those in the older segment, they do have plenty of home comforts and original artworks on their walls.

PortoNuts

March 15th, 2011, 01:40 PM

St Pancras is a gem, refurbished to its former glory. :cheers2:

SO143

March 15th, 2011, 02:49 PM

First images of the future headquarters of BNP Paribas in London, designed by Wilmotte

http://www.lemoniteur.fr/cache/11/03/11/IMAGE_2011_03_11_13682108_625x600.jpg

http://www.lemoniteur.fr/cache/11/03/11/IMAGE_2011_03_11_13682109_625x600.jpg

http://www.lemoniteur.fr/cache/11/03/11/IMAGE_2011_03_11_13682110_625x600.jpg

http://www.lemoniteur.fr/cache/11/03/11/IMAGE_2011_03_11_13682111_625x600.jpg

The real estate service provider BNP Paribas Real Estate has unveiled at Cannes, as part of the MIPIM 2011, the first images of the future headquarters of BNP Paribas in London. A 40,000 m2 commercial building designed by the Paris branch of architecture Wilmotte & Associates.

Each year at Cannes, the international real estate exhibition ( MIPIM ) is an opportunity for developers to unveil some of their projects. On 9 March 2011, BNP Paribas Real Estate has presented his "first program offices in London (United Kingdom). An operation that falls "within the framework of internationalization of its business." The future building of 40,000 square meters to house the headquarters of BNP Paribas, will be located near King's Cross, opposite the railway station of St. Pancras. The architectural firm headed by Jean-Michel Wilmotte is responsible for its implementation. Work should start "in the fall of 2012," for delivery "in 2015." According to BNP Paribas Real Estate, the environmental qualities of the building will be certified Breeam and HQE.

http://www.lemoniteur.fr/155-projets/article/actualite/845909-premieres-images-du-futur-siege-de-bnp-paribas-a-londres-dessine-par-wilmotte?13682112=845906&po=1

BodgeJob1

March 15th, 2011, 03:28 PM

^^boring blob of a groundscraper.....the last thing London needs.

Thought the French were supposed to be stylish....

cristof

March 16th, 2011, 01:54 PM

even more French guys throwing in London...

PortoNuts

March 17th, 2011, 01:52 AM

^^boring blob of a groundscraper.....the last thing London needs.

Thought the French were supposed to be stylish....

Most of us crave for skyscrapers but perhaps the bank doesn't need so much office space...

Groundscrapers aren't usually as daring as skyscrapers. The roof is interesting though.

Black Cat

March 17th, 2011, 03:29 AM

This may not be one of the most outstanding groundscrapers in London, but one can see the site location advantages for a Paris-based bank. One can imagine some swanky roof top parties too.

PortoNuts

March 18th, 2011, 12:45 PM

G2 Systems opens London office

G2 Systems, LLC, a software and consulting firm specializing in investment management, accounting and operations systems for the alternative investment community, has opened a London office.

The company's expansion into the UK coincides with the completion of its fifth year in business. Founded in December 2005, with offices in Boston, New York and Los Angeles, G2 Systems has grown from an entrepreneurial start-up to an established and respected software and services provider serving the needs of hedge funds, prime brokers and fund administrators.

"We have made significant progress implementing our initiatives for growth over the years," said George Michaels, CEO at G2 Systems. "Opening a London base will bring us even closer to our multinational clients, help us focus on the specific needs of UK firms, and expand operations in Europe as a Premier Consulting Partner for Advent Software. Five years ago, G2 began as a two-person consultancy with a handful of clients. Today, G2 is a 30-person firm providing software and services to over 40 clients, including many industry leaders within the alternative investment community. Continued revenue growth and an increasing demand for professional services in the financial marketplace have made the London office a strategic imperative."

"Our commitment to building superior technology, combined with dedicated services and support has attracted a number of new clients," said Brian Roberti, Director of Sales and Marketing at G2 Systems. "In these challenging times, clients are coming to us because we have a reputation for delivering the most reliable services and software implementations. That's primarily due to the hard work and dedication of G2 professionals, which has significantly contributed to our growth."

Additionally, three field directors and a technical team leader on the G2 staff have stepped up to join George Michaels (CEO) and Ruban Selvakumar (COO) as members in the LLC. They are Horace Henderson, Michael Rodriguez, Herman Weintraub and Michael Ryzewic.

http://www.finextra.com/News/Announcement.aspx?pressreleaseid=38328

Langur

March 18th, 2011, 01:09 PM

Most of us crave for skyscrapers but perhaps the bank doesn't need so much office space...But it's just as big as a skyscraper: 40,000m2 makes it bigger than Tower 42 and not much smaller than the Gherkin.

PortoNuts

March 19th, 2011, 06:36 PM

I know that, I was talking about a different league of skyscrapers.

London 'would get vote of confidence' if Google acquires King's Cross offices

Google is considering a deal to acquire 700,000 sq feet of London offices within the redeveloped district of King's Cross, it has been reported.

If the search engine giant gave the green light to the acquisition, this would provide the capital with "a major vote of confidence", the Telegraph's Graham Ruddick asserted. The new space would add to the currently occupied 121,500 sq ft of offices in Victoria which are spread across two buildings, but the writer stated that Google has been searching for a longer-term and single base.

As part of the deal being discussed, half of the King's Cross offices would be purchased for approximately £200 million, while the rest of the space would be pre-let at around £40-£50 per sq ft, Mr Ruddick noted. He added that if Google approved the deal, it would provide a significant boost to the eight million sq ft development project.

Teachers' pension fund TIAA-CREF recently obtained a 50 per cent stake in Google's Victoria offices at Belgrave House, Property Week previously reported.

http://www.mellersh.co.uk/News.aspx?ArticleId=800459146

Suffice

March 20th, 2011, 02:52 AM

Wow, St Pancras is

:naughty:

PortoNuts

March 22nd, 2011, 08:51 PM

Gazprom Marketing & Trading HQ Office Moves To Central London

Gazprom Marketing & Trading is moving its offices to central London from south London, the company reported in a news release.

According to the company, "ongoing expansion of our business, in particular the growth in the number of employees, and the constraints on office space that this brings, we have taken the decision to relocate Gazprom Marketing and Trading Limited’s/Gazprom Global LNG Limited’s headquarters".

THe new office is located at: 20 Triton Street (off Osnaburgh St), London, NW1 3BF, UK. The move will take place between 18th and 31st of March this year.

http://www.oilandgaseurasia.com/news/p/0/news/10839

PortoNuts

March 24th, 2011, 11:57 AM

Xstrata Technology opens London office

Xstrata Technology has opened a mineral processing base in London to service the European, Russian and Commonwealth of Independent States markets.

The company is a wholly owned subsidiary of Xstrata and has a network of offices in Chile, South Africa, Canada and Australia. It develops, markets and supports technologies for the global mining, mineral processing and metals extraction industries.

Xstrata Technology’s general manager of mineral processing Lindsay Clark said “there is huge potential for our technologies in the Europe and Commonwealth of Independent States over the next few years, and London is an ideal base for Xstrata Technology to expand its exposure to new countries, due to its proximity to target markets and the fact it is home to some of our most important clients.

“Xstrata Technology’s grinding and flotation technologies, IsaMills and Jameson Cells, which are now standard equipment in new concentrators and coal preparation plants in many countries, are quickly being adopted in Europe and the CIS, so we are seeing an increase in demand for our suite of technologies as evidenced by our recent IsaMill installation in Portugal.”

Joe Pease, chief executive for Xstrata Technology, said: “The mining industry in Europe is undergoing a renaissance to meet the demands of both commodity markets and the environment. Our products have been specifically developed for energy efficiency and robustness.”

http://www.theajmonline.com.au/mining_news/news/2011/march/march-24-2011/supplier-news/xstrata-technology-opens-london-office

Entire floor of London offices let to Groupe Zannier

An entire floor of south-east London offices has been taken up by Groupe Zannier. The international children's clothing organisation is leasing the fifth floor of 10 Leake Street, which is located within the SE1 postcode, MERJS has announced.

Residing in the local authority area of Southwark and Lambeth, the London offices have been recently refurbished. Before the space was turned into offices, the building used to be a warehouse.

Groupe Zannier's new City offices are close to Waterloo Tube Station and the London Eye, a prestigious area which may have made the letting deal an attractive one to take up. The new City offices may also be ideal for meeting the firm's global clients, as well as being close to transport links for staff to fly to its branches in other countries.

Indeed, the head and registered offices of Groupe Zannier are in France, while other destinations in which the company has a presence include Italy, Portugal, Belgium and Spain.

http://www.mellersh.co.uk/News.aspx?ArticleId=800472734

PortoNuts

March 25th, 2011, 01:41 PM

Kidbrooke Regeneration

by SE9.

http://i52.tinypic.com/vpat12.jpg

http://i51.tinypic.com/33tmm2g.jpg

http://i52.tinypic.com/24nibgk.jpg

http://i56.tinypic.com/33137l3.jpg

http://i51.tinypic.com/2411fyc.jpg

Atmosphere

March 25th, 2011, 02:06 PM

This is really a big change, the new buildings have a very warm feeling.

Rachmaninov

March 25th, 2011, 06:34 PM

http://i52.tinypic.com/vpat12.jpg

I thought Stratford was :lol:

PortoNuts

March 26th, 2011, 03:03 AM

^^ And it is but they have to advertise the project.:cheers:

£70m London Blackfriars office tower approved

Developer Great Portland Estates has won planning permission for its 20-storey office scheme on Blackfriars Road in south London.

Southwark Council approved the £70m scheme for a glass and aluminium-clad building after the developer resubmitted its plans for the site on the south bank of the Thames. Great Portland Estates aims to start construction work on the 80m high building later this year so that the 180,000 sq ft of offices are ready for tenants in 2013.

The building, designed by Allford Hall Monaghan Morris, is a revised version of a scheme which received permission in 2007. The site has remained dormant for three years after original buildings were demolished.

http://www.constructionenquirer.com/2011/03/25/70m-london-blackfriars-office-tower-approved/

Central London office space demand rises by 6%

Demand for London office space increased by 6% in the first three months of this year, according to figures revealed by property specialists Jones Lang LaSalle. Occupier demand in the West End rose by 11% to 4.3 million square feet and City market demand increased by 12% to 7.8 million square feet.

Jonathan Evans, Head of West End Agency at Jones Lang LaSalle, said: “While the increased demand for London office space further demonstrates how strongly the market has recovered since the financial crisis, there is a growing imbalance between quality supply and increasing demand for Grade A space across London”.

He added that “as the development pipeline continues to deplete, upward pressure on rents will only get stronger during the rest of the year. During the next six months the West End market will definitely see prime rents in the core consistently surpassing the £100 per square foot mark”.

Dan Burn, Head of City Agency at the firm, said that office activity has continued at a slow pace despite the political and economic uncertainty in Japan, the Middle East and North Africa. He added that the banking and finance sector will continue to dominate the market as many firms increase their staffing levels.

Mr Burn explained that landlords are expected to reduce lease incentives during the coming months as well as push up rents to make the most of the increase in demand and fall in supply of quality offices.

http://www.needofficespace.com/servicedoffice-blog/central-london-office-space-demand-rises-by-6-8178.html

PortoNuts

March 26th, 2011, 04:42 PM

Chinese are top spenders on prime property

Buyers from mainland China are now the biggest spenders in the prime central London property market, overtaking Russians as the buyers of the most expensive houses over the past year, according to new research. Chinese buyers spent an average of £6.5m on top-end property purchases in the 12 months to the end of February, outspending the 60 other nationalities that have bought in London over the same timeframe.

According to figures from Knight Frank, investors from Malaysia and Hong Kong were the next biggest spenders, paying average purchase prices of £6.2m and £5.5m respectively. Russian buyers fell to fourth place in the property agent’s league table of biggest buyers, spending an average of £5.4m over the past year.

“Until two years ago, the most affluent buyers in the central London market were Russian – on average they outspent every other nationality by far,” says Liam Bailey of Knight Frank. But the average purchase price paid by Russian buyers has been dragged down by the growing pool of millionaires joining the billionaire buyers.

Russians are still the most numerous overseas buyers in prime London locations, purchasing nearly 6 per cent of all £2m-plus properties over the past year. But estate agents now say that the Chinese are the ones to watch. While Chinese buyers bought a smaller proportion of top-end property in London – just 2 per cent over the past year, ranking them ninth among overseas buyers – agents have reported a strong increase in interest since the beginning of the year, particularly in trophy homes.

Kay & Co, a London-based estate agent, has registered eight Chinese buyers since January with budgets of between £8m and £15m. Of particular interest are homes facing Hyde Park, those in Mayfair or the garden squares of Marylebone and Portland Place, according to Martin Bikhit of the estate agent.

Mohamed Nurmohamed, director of Chesterton Humbert’s Mayfair office, says it has had a number of “heavyweight” wealthy Chinese clients, looking for properties of between £15m and £25m in Mayfair and St James’s. Two properties in Avenue Road, St John’s Wood, have been sold in recent months to Chinese purchasers for £11.75m and £25.75m, reports Mark Pollack of Aston Chase, the estate agents.

He says the weakness of sterling has boosted demand – effectively offering a discount of nearly 20 per cent to Hong Kong dollar-based Chinese nationals, who primarily trade through Hong Kong because of China’s restrictions on overseas currency transactions.

Bailey believes Chinese buyers will follow the Russian trend. “The early adopters are the super-rich, they are here in small numbers, but will be rapidly joined by compatriots of more modest – although still very comfortable – means,” he says. Property experts have long been predicting an influx of Chinese buyers at the top end of London’s property market because of the growing wealth of the country’s population and the soaring prices of China’s domestic property market.

However, some argue that demand is unlikely to rival that of buyers from the Middle East and Russia. Jeremy Davidson, a buying agent, says the Russians, Middle Easterners and Indians remain omnipotent at the top of the market.

According to Knight Frank’s figures, buyers from the UAE bought 4.4 per cent of all £2m-plus properties over the past year, followed by US investors with a 3.7 per cent market share.

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/054b7c32-570e-11e0-9035-00144feab49a.html#axzz1HfDbtkBw

PortoNuts

March 27th, 2011, 05:13 PM

London house prices get Mideast crisis boost

Demand from crisis-hit Middle Eastern countries has helped to drive large increases in the price of prime London homes since the start of the year. Central London prices rose 2.8 per cent in the past quarter, according to Savills, the estate agency, beating its own 2011 forecasts following a slowdown at the end of last year.

The rise is particularly striking as it comes against a backdrop of UK house price stagnation. Prime London property is seen by international buyers as a “gold standard” asset, according to Savills. It noted a shift of buyer nationality to the Middle East and Russia, from the more mainstream European investor buyers that dominated last year. The high price of oil has also contributed.

Liam Bailey, partner at Knight Frank, said that enquires from the Middle East were running at twice normal levels. “Bear in mind the normal selling season for the Middle East market normally starts in May so one impact has been to pull the interest forward by two months,” he said, pointing to offers on five properties valued at more than £3m in the past week from buyers from Kuwait, Bahrain, UAE and Egypt.

None of the buyers had seen the properties apart from on the internet but the offers were all unconditional, he said.

Yolande Barnes, head of Savills research, said: “Clearly stable real estate markets like London are attracting purchasers in the face of global uncertainty and investment market volatility. Prime central London dwellings can act as a store of global wealth in the face of unexpected global events.”

Ed Mead, commercial director at Douglas & Gordon, a London estate agency, said that there had also been an increase in interest from the finding agents that such buyers tend to retain to discover properties on their behalf. There have been other reasons for the strength in the market, including low stock levels and a rush to beat a rise in stamp duty next quarter.

Some of London’s largest housebuilders have also benefited, as buyers snap up new-build homes. But while there is strong interest in finished properties, buyers are shunning off-plan purchases. “They want to put the money into something tangible and which they can see straight away, so it is not much use for making forward selling on unfinished sites,” said an executive at one large London housebuilder.

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/fbd83858-56df-11e0-9c5c-00144feab49a.html#axzz1HoTG6dWq

PortoNuts

March 27th, 2011, 10:14 PM

Heathside + Lethbridge Redevelopment Begins

Work is getting underway on phase one of the redevelopment of the Heathside and Lethbridge Estate in south-east London. This consists of a new 16-storey building and associated facilities, with 190 homes that has been designed by PRP Architects for the socially minded housing developer, Family Mosiac.

Bordering the site is Lewisham Road to the west and Blackheath Road to the north with it situated less than half a mile east of the centre of Deptford, and a similar distance to Lewisham in the south.

The project that is the first part of a larger-scale scheme that has been sloshing around in various forms since 2006 to regenerate the whole estate with 1,201 homes - an increase of 655 on the present number that occupies the site. However, the amount of socially rented housing units will fall marginally from 454 to 450.

PRP Architects has come up with a colourful design that features blue and white aluminium panels on much of the tower element with contrasting light grey brick. Along the main lower-rise body of the building will be projecting balconies that fade from orange through to lime as the floor count increases much in the same way as Allford Hall Monaghan Morris played with the exterior of Barking Central to liven it up.

This opening £23 million phase is being built primarily by contractor, Ardmore.

http://www.skyscrapernews.com/news.php?ref=2804

http://img11.imageshack.us/img11/72/2804heathsidelethbridge.jpg

SO143

March 27th, 2011, 10:24 PM

new residential apartments look good, do you know what is going on around Piccadilly circus? :dunno:

PortoNuts

March 27th, 2011, 11:12 PM

^^I don't remind any significant project going on in Piccadilly Circus.

aclifford

March 28th, 2011, 12:08 AM

new residential apartments look good, do you know what is going on around Piccadilly circus? :dunno:

I noticed the other day in Piccadilly Circus that they're cleaning the stonework of the Lillywites building. Crown Estates are also carrying out demolition and restoration/cleaning of some of their properties in and around Piccadilly circus. Cafe Royal and it's building are being restored as well as the Regents Palace hotel redevelopment. They're also demolishing/restoring no's 212-214 Piccadilly with a new Eric Parry building.

The Cafe Royal and Regents Hotel work is in this thread....
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=489817

and there's a bit on the Eric Parry build here...
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=857760&page=13

PortoNuts

March 28th, 2011, 03:11 AM

SEO Company PageTraffic Opens New Office in London, Expands in Chicago

PageTraffic, ranked among the best search engine marketing companies in India, has taken two big steps ahead toward expansion. The company has opened an office in London, its first in the UK. It has also moved to a bigger office in Chicago owing to the increasing business from the US. The company plans to open more offices across the world in the near future.

Announcing the opening of new offices, Mr. Navneet Kaushal, Founder and CEO of the company said, “This (opening of new offices) would help us establish a more prominent presence in these regions of the world. We are delighted at the amount of growth we experienced in the last couple of years, which has seen our client base expand rapidly. The new offices reflect our commitment to offering better services to our global clientele.”

The new offices have come at a time when PageTraffic is expanding its team at a rapid pace to meet the demands of its growing client portfolio. In the last few months, the company has made significant additions to its SEO, SEM, PPC, Content and Web Development teams. The company has also beefed up its IT infrastructure and opened a branch office at Noida, India, to cater to its growth.

PageTraffic is known for comprehensive services that help companies attain solid Internet presence. With close to a decade of experience in running hundreds of successful campaigns, the company is on the path of setting new standards in the search marketing industry. It is the company's mission - increase clients’ web traffic and sales while they focus on growing their core business. The company has rode on ethical work practice and client centric attitude for achieving continued success.

As Mr. Kaushal says, “We credit our success to our transparent way of work. It is our organic White Hat methodology that has delivered the results to our clients. Our innovative, integrated marketing approach is the perfect solution for companies across a broad spectrum of industries which are trying to distinguish themselves from the competition.”

The company is buzzing with activity and excitement on the opening of new offices, which will surely raise the client servicing standards and open new opportunities for business growth.

http://www.sbwire.com/press-releases/sbwire-84664.htm

Rachmaninov

March 28th, 2011, 05:35 AM

new residential apartments look good, do you know what is going on around Piccadilly circus? :dunno:

There's this Crown Estate redevelopment on Glasshouse Street

SO143

March 28th, 2011, 04:18 PM

The Cafe Royal and Regents Hotel work is in this thread....
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=489817

and there's a bit on the Eric Parry build here...
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=857760&page=13

Thanks for sharing, i am reading these forums, they are very helpful indeed and i have found some interesting facts too :cheers2:

PortoNuts

March 28th, 2011, 07:39 PM

US software solutions firm expands into the UK and Australia

Massachusetts-based firm, Telerik, a provider of end-to-end solutions for the software development lifecycle, has this week announced the opening of new offices in London and Sydney, Australia.

The new offices position Telerik in close proximity to its growing customer base, enabling local support and service expertise for its product portfolio and a more proactive promotion of the local developer community.

“The UK and Australian markets are growing rapidly,” said Svetozar Georgiev, CEO of Telerik. “Proximity to our customers means efficient, responsive support to their ever-changing needs, to our partners it means better collaboration and services, and to the developer community it encourages innovation. The new offices help put all of these critical elements into place and position us for great success in these markets.”

“The UK has always been a priority market for Telerik and establishing a presence in London means our customers will have a direct channel of communication with us,” said Dimo Iliev, UK Country Manager, Telerik. “Our software development components are already popular in UK market, and with this move we will support the increasing interest in our entire developer tools portfolio – particularly within the Agile project management and testing suites.”

http://www.freeofficesearch.co.uk/OfficeSpaceNews.asp?NewsID=00001026&monthnameyear=March2011

PortoNuts

March 29th, 2011, 03:22 AM

Richmond office redevelopment gets green light

Local planners have given permission for a major office refurbishment in Richmond upon Thames. The redevelopment of 48,000 sq ft Thames Link House, adjacent to Richmond railway station, will create modern, air conditioned offices with a new lift, ceilings, carpeting, larger reception and cleaned brick work.

AXA REIM on behalf of Friends Life Assurance Society Limited are behind the scheme which will start this summer and is expected to take a year to complete.

The proposal was backed by Richmond Council’s Planning Committee on 17th February. Councillors felt that the refurbishment of the building, including the cleaning of the brickwork and replacement of windows, would improve the appearance of the building.

Kevin Mersh of Capita Symonds, joint agents with Martin Campbell, comments: “Thameslink House will be the first major HQ office building to come to the market for many years offering prime space adjacent to one of the busiest transport interchanges outside Central London. Given the extent of the works we are confident the building will appeal the major occupiers in the area”

Once completed, the scheme is expected to achieve a BREAAM rating of “Excellent”.

http://offices.org.uk/news/richmond-office-developments-green-light-03281340.html

PortoNuts

March 29th, 2011, 09:42 PM

Boris Johnson unveils £50m cash boost for regeneration of suburbs

Boris Johnson announced a £50 million pot of cash today for the renewal of outer London's town centres. The fund, part of a grant from the Government, will help set up local business districts. Town halls in the suburbs will be able to bid for money to improve retail, leisure, culture and arts provision.

The Mayor said the fund - which will not be available for Olympic boroughs - would help boost growth across the whole capital. "This is a vital shot in the arm to faltering regeneration projects and just the help needed to get new projects off the ground. It is vital we address the historic neglect of the outer boroughs," he added.

Mr Johnson has faced criticism for neglecting the suburbs despite promising to make them a key plank of his policy. The regeneration fund will help him persuade Tory voters he has delivered on his pledges before next year's mayoral election.

Outer London provides two fifths of the capital's jobs yet growth is little more than half the rate of inner London.

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23936125-boris-johnson-unveils-pound-50m-cash-boost-for-regeneration-of-suburbs.do

Oursin Bleu

March 29th, 2011, 10:09 PM

Hey Portonuts, you're doing it again... why do you have to put the silly competition on ??? crazy unsecure thing.... : )

BodgeJob1

March 29th, 2011, 10:14 PM

Hey Portonuts, you're doing it again... why do you have to put the silly competition on ??? crazy unsecure thing.... : )

Ignore him Porto, its just Brisavoine using one of his alternate accounts......coward.

Newcastle Guy

March 29th, 2011, 10:44 PM

Ignore him Porto, its just Brisavoine using one of his alternate accounts......coward.

Is it? Wow... If that is true, I guess it shows who is the one with the insecurities. This is the London projects thread, why WOULDN'T Porto post news here? He's doing a good thing.

Oursin Bleu

March 29th, 2011, 11:01 PM

SO143

March 29th, 2011, 11:11 PM

^ Please value your French dignity. No need to diss other people.

:applause: for Porto

BG_PATRIOT

March 29th, 2011, 11:24 PM

Please guys

updates/articles/constructive discussion or GTFO!

Newcastle Guy

March 29th, 2011, 11:37 PM

Well, brainies... i'm not brisavoine. Just a french forumer sick of portonuts posting in london thread just after someone does it on the paris one. YOU are the unconfident ones, Parisian forumers don't do such a thing. You should be ashamed.

If you care to look back a page or two, you'll see Porto posts updates in this thread practically every day. Is he supposed to withhold news about London out of respect for the Paris thread or something. I think you may have a bit of a problem in your head. And if you are a multiple account of someone else, you should be banned. The only one trying to make competition here is you, and there's no need for it. We should all be happy that each other's cities are doing well.

SO143

March 29th, 2011, 11:47 PM

V&A unveils £35m plans for courtyard and underground gallery

Architect Amanda Levete's winning proposal for Victoria & Albert museum likely to fare better than controversial 'spiral' plan

http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Admin/BkFill/Default_image_group/2011/3/28/1301326734383/Concept-design-for-VA-007.jpg
New courtyard and underground gallery at the V&A. Illustration: V&A

Details of the £35m extension plan were announced after an architectural competition to develop what is currently office space on the Exhibition Road side of the V&A.

The V&A is bullish about raising the money in such austere times and has been helped by an anonymous donation of nearly half the needed £35m. It hopes the extension can be completed by 2015.

The screen would become a colonnade. People will enter what Levete described as "South Kensington's drawing room" with the ground having a carpet-like pattern.

It will be a space that can be hired or curated with art or music or film as well as a place to simply sit on the steps or have a coffee.

Visitors will also be able to glimpse the new 1,500 sq metre gallery space for temporary exhibitions that will be created below.

Outgoing V&A director Sir Mark Jones said the plan was about creating "stunning new spaces" and returning to the ideas and aspirations of the V&A's founders.

"We've recovered 3,000 sq metres of back-of-house space for galleries and public areas enabling us to show many more objects from the collections better than ever before."

Read more (http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/2011/mar/28/v-and-a-35m-plans)

Oursin Bleu

March 29th, 2011, 11:49 PM

Newcastle Guy

March 30th, 2011, 03:48 AM

I never said i was unhappy about the development of London and of course if there's news we have to post it ! What i've seen for a long time, newcastleguy, is that Portonuts does it on purpose to keep the Parisian metro thread out of visibility. I'm neither crazy or paranoïd, neither brisavoine or another forumer, just "blue urchin". So now that i've made my point, i wont interrupt the thread anymore, and just enjoy the next news to come about London, a City i DO appreciate.

But you have nothing to base that on, as I said if you check you'd see that he posts on this thread very regularly. You're making unfair, unfounded, and frankly petty accusations about a forumer who is doing a good job. You may not think you are paranoid, but I'm afraid you are coming across that way. Do you actually think there's some kind of conspiracy theory where Porto collects news, waits for a post in the Paris thread and then tries to steal it's thunder by knocking it down a place or two on the page? That, IMO, is rather paranoid.

SO143

March 30th, 2011, 08:08 AM

Bulgari Hotel to open in London

http://www.building.co.uk/pictures/458xAny/9/6/7/1686967_Bulgari-Hotel.jpg

Bulgari Hotels & Resorts are to open a new hotel in London in spring 2012, the luxury brand has announced

Designed by renowned architectural firm Antonio Citterio & Partners, the high-end hotel will be located in the prestigious west London district of Knightsbridge, close to famous landmarks including Hyde Park and Harrods department store.

It will be the brand’s third hotel project, following the opening of the Bulgari Hotel in Milan in 2004 and of the Bulgari Resort in Bali in 2006.

The London hotel will include 85 rooms and suites – including seven exclusive Bulgari suites, each more than 200 square meters large. It will also feature a large ballroom, a private cinema and a spa and fitness centre with 25 meter indoor pool.

Francesco Trapani, CEO of Bulgari Group, said: “We are extremely proud to be able to open a Bulgari Hotel in the heart of London, something that we have wanted to do for a long time.

“This hotel -- the first new build luxury hotel in London for over 40 years – will be another important element in the Bulgari Hotels & Resorts project. I’m convinced that it will be a further statement of our brand in the UK, which is a strategic market for luxury goods.”

Bulgari Hotels & Resorts was formed in 2001 as part of a join venture between Marriott International and Bulgari.

Read more ("http://www.superyachts.com/luxury/bulgari-hotel-to-open-in-london-501.htm)

SO143

March 30th, 2011, 08:40 PM

Canary Wharf landlord sees retail boom coming to Docklands

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2244/2127068764_b9a1e38d91.jpg
The arrival of Shell and JP Morgan is good news for soaring Songbird

Canary Wharf's biggest landlord has predicted that the influx of another 10,000 workers over the next few months will lead to a boom in retail in the area.

JP Morgan and Royal Dutch Shell are both moving their headquarters to Canary Wharf, raising the financial hub's army of workers to 105,000.

"Weekend traffic also continues to be strong," said David Pritchard, the chairman of Songbird Estates, which owns Canary Wharf Group (CWG). "Long may this continue. We don't seem to be experiencing the same picture as retailers in the rest of the country."

CWG rents out 17 of the 35 retail and office buildings on the Wharf. With the arrival of new names such as Tiffany and Aquascutum last year, 99.8% of the shops are let. "Rental is performing well. There is no shortage of tenants wanting to be here," said Pritchard.

He Pritchard played down fears that the already stretched transport links cannot take the additional strain, saying overcrowding on the Jubilee underground line had been caused by signalling work that is expected to be finished this year and will see the number of trains increased from 20 to 30 every hour. The Docklands Light Railway line has also undergone work to improve it.

Songbird reported a 40% rise in pretax profits to £463.8m in 2010, boosted by the £495m sale of the old Lehman Brothers building to JP Morgan, although it also had to write off over £50m after the Lehman administrators stopped paying rent on the Bank Street offices. The market value of Songbird's property portfolio rose by 10% to £4.6bn at 31 December.

The company has branched out into central London and CWG is one of the bidders for the old Shell headquarters, worth £300m, on the South Bank. It is also working with Land Securities on the Walkie Talkie in the City, due to be completed in 2014.

Pritchard welcomed the chancellor's budget, in particular the creation of an enterprise zone two miles east of Canary Wharf and the reduction in corporation tax. He shrugged off fears of an exodus of banks unhappy with the bank levy and banking reform, saying much of the threats to up sticks are purely rhetoric. "Small businesses like venture capitalists and hedge funds have left, small numbers of highly paid people who are mobile... [whereas the banks] are not the sort of enterprise you can move easily."

He noted that HSBC, which has threatened to move to the Far East, has taken more space in Canary Wharf and Barclays has renegotiated its lease.

Read more ("http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2011/mar/25/canary-wharf-retail-boom)

PortoNuts

March 31st, 2011, 08:09 PM

Developer plans an 80,000 sq ft business centre and apartments in heart of Wandsworth

http://www.building.co.uk/pictures/700xAny/6/3/2/1689632_wandsworth-business-village.jpg

Planning consent has been obtained for a mixed-use regeneration project at Wandsworth Business Village in south London for 209 apartments and an 80,000 sq ft business centre.

Developer Mount Anvil has entered a development agreement with Workspace Group, which provides businesses with office space across London, and which has obtained mixed use planning consent on this two acre site. A total of 53 apartments will be allocated as affordable housing as part of the scheme.

Harry Platt, chief executive of Workspace Group, commented: “We are delighted with this announcement. It shows the sort of potential that our portfolio offers in terms of releasing value over the medium and long term.”

The redevelopment of the site will be managed and funded by Mount Anvil. Construction is expected to commence in April and the scheme will be completed in mid 2014.

Under the arrangement Workspace Group will receive the business centre in return for granting Mount Anvil a 999 lease on the residential component, it will also retain the overall freehold of the site and 50% of any proceeds from the sale of the private residential apartments in excess of £50m.

Read more: http://www.building.co.uk/news/breaking-news/mount-anvil-wins-planning-for-wandsworth-business-village/5015756.article#ixzz1IApJ7aPH
building.co.uk

PortoNuts

March 31st, 2011, 09:41 PM

More London offices set to welcome thousands of PwC employees

Over the coming months, more than 6,000 employees at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) are set to move into new London offices. The new offices at the More London development were the first in the city to obtain the Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method Outstanding rating because of its design and green performance.

Located between Tooley Street and the River Thames, the London office development is next to Tower Bridge and claims to be seven minutes from Canary Wharf and eight minutes from Mayfair.

Furthermore, City Airport and Gatwick Airport are within a 30-minute journey and the main train stations in London - apart from Paddington - are accessible in 15 minutes. PwC wants to make its new space as green as possible. By 2012, it is aiming to reduce energy use per sq m by 25 per cent from 2007 levels. So far, a 16 per cent reduction has been secured.

Other tenants signed up to More London include Ernst and Young, Hilton Hotel, Norton Rose and Regus.

http://www.mellersh.co.uk/News.aspx?ArticleId=800480367

thryve

March 31st, 2011, 10:10 PM

Read more: http://www.building.co.uk/news/breaking-news/mount-anvil-wins-planning-for-wandsworth-business-village/5015756.article#ixzz1IApJ7aPH
building.co.uk

That looks very Toronto style!

SO143

April 1st, 2011, 02:09 AM

Thailand’s Sansiri developing project in London, eyeing New York

http://www.property-report.com/site/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/south-kensington31-300x225.jpg

Leading Thai developer Sansiri has its sights set on the Big Smoke and the Big Apple.

President Srettha Thavisin said in an interview this week that Sansiri wanted to focus its ventures abroad on areas with limited supply like London and New York, according to The Nation.“We are focusing on Thais who need an investment or want to buy a residence in London or New York, generating an average yield of 4 or 5 per cent a year,” he said.

The developer will open the pre-sales office at its first overseas project, THB600 million (US$19.8 million) condo project 9 Elvaston Place in London, next month. The project is located in South Kensington, an area where new construction is prohibited resulting in limited supply and increased demand for luxury properties.

Srettha Thavisin said the property markets in London and New York had shown good signs of recovery since the second half of last year, with banks in both markets starting to provide mortgages to home-buyers, and where the rental sector is also recovering. New York has a vacancy rate of only 2 per cent, which demonstrates strong demand for residences in the city.

Sansiri’s 9 Elvaston Place project will start to generate revenue this year, contributing to Sansiri’s annual target of THB21 billion (US$694 million). The project is expected to generate a net profit margin of at least 15 per cent.

The company is also considering expanding its domestic investment in tourism destinations such as Phuket, Koh Samui and Pattaya both this year and next, Srettha said. He added that the company may revise its 2011 pre-sales target upwards from the current THB28 billion (US$925.9 million), having already achieved THB5 billion (US$165.3 million) in the first quarter.

“We are optimistic about the demand for residential projects this year, in the current absence of [measurable] business risks that will impact the market,” he said.

The president said that although interest rates were rising, they were still lagging increases in home-buyers’ income, while the country’s political situation was also more stable despite the elections planned for the middle of the year.

“We are concerned only about the domino effect from the crisis in the Middle East and North Africa, which will affect oil prices. However, it is not possible to estimate the business effect from this risk,” he said.

Sansiri is the third Thai property firm to venture overseas, following Land & Houses, which moved into the Philippines and Indonesia before the financial crisis in 1997, and Pruksa Real Estate, which has invested in the Maldives, Vietnam and India.

Read more ("http://www.property-report.com/site/thailands-sansiri-developing-project-in-london-eyeing-new-york-12865)

PortoNuts

April 1st, 2011, 12:07 PM

That looks very Toronto style!

Definitely, it has that 'condo' look.

SO143

April 1st, 2011, 12:20 PM

£33m university building will break new ground

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5094/5579350702_40f0e265ec.jpg

A ground-breaking £33million education concept was launched in Stratford today as two local universities joined forces to provide "an alternative model of higher education".

Birkbeck, University of London and University of East London are collaborating to create University Square, Stratford, beside the Theatre Royal, which will offer flexible part-time and full-time courses.

The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, was joined by the Mayor of Newham, Sir Robin Wales to welcome the initiative that aimed to target an aspirational population in an area of high unemployment.

Mr Johnson said: " Attracting the brightest and best minds to London's universities is essential if the capital is to remain a global powerhouse for education. This new building will be a magnet for students in east London, adding to the buzz which is already being generated ahead of the 2012 Games.

"This quarter of the capital is being transformed before our eyes and University Square will help secure the legacy regeneration for decades to come."

The Master of Birkbeck, Prof David Latchman, said: "This collaboration demonstrates that it is possible to build a major new educational facility at a time of budget cuts and economic constraints."

Some work has already begun preparing the ground for the five-story building which will take the place of two car parks and waste ground in the square that also houses two theatres and a cinema.

Construction is expected to start later this year with the first students will start to use the building in September 2013. It is thought the flexible space will accommodate study in creative arts and law as well as a range of vocational courses.

Read more ("http://www.stratfordlondon.info/developments/university-square)

PortoNuts

April 1st, 2011, 07:34 PM

The area is being flooded with investments, good one. :cheers2:

PortoNuts

April 1st, 2011, 08:11 PM

European brokerage house move to new City office

European brokers XTB UK Ltd have opened their first offices in the UK at 75 Shoe Lane, EC4. The firm has taken 1,350 sq ft of office space in the heart of the City of London.

The first floor accommodation has been fully refurbished by landlord City of London who will receive £18 per sq ft on a five year lease. 75 Shoe Lane is conveniently located for Chancery Lane and Blackfriars underground stations.

Farebrother and Strutt & Parker advised City of London, H2SO advised XTB UK. XTB is a leading European brokerage house specialising in financial instruments traded over both the OTC market and major stock exchanges.

http://www.freeofficesearch.co.uk/OfficeSpaceNews/Brokerage-House-Move-To-New-City-Office

PortoNuts

April 1st, 2011, 10:41 PM

Prime London market booming

As the lead-up to the Olympics gathers pace, the top end of the London property market is booming. Knight Frank report that luxury properties in the capital have seen a 24% price increase since their post-credit-crunch low in March 2009, and Savills quote a 4.6% annual rise in prime London values in 2010 compared with the Nationwide's figure for the mainstream UK market of just 0.4%.

Overseas buyers and investors are playing a large role in underpinning demand for luxury homes: London is still seen as a safe haven for investment, and the exchange rate continues to favour the Euro. According to Savills, foreign buyers accounted for 53% of all prime central London property purchases in the past two years, growing from 45% in the preceding three years, and were even more active in the super-prime market.

By contrast, British buyers are driving demand for good family houses in areas such as Richmond, Wandsworth and Barnes. This is having a positive effect on local prices-prime south-west London saw a 7.8% increase in 2010, and is virtually back to peak levels. Those who can't find the right property to buy are renting instead-rents for upmarket London properties rose by 1.5% during the final quarter of 2010, putting annual growth at a massive 11.5% and nearly bridging the gap with the March 2008 peak.

Although prime and super-prime properties are out-performing the rest of the market, and family houses are in short supply, another significant slice of the London market is the pied à terre-a one- or two-bedroom flat used as a base during the week by those whose primary residence is in the country. Again, demand for this kind of property is mostly powered by British buyers.

‘This is a very large part of the market from South Kensington into Chelsea, Marylebone, Bayswater and Fitzrovia, and even into the Barbican,' explains Liam Bailey of Knight Frank. Indeed, in Tower Bridge, Chesterton Humberts reports that 28% of all sales in 2010 were to pied à terre buyers.
The reasoning behind these purchases is sound: you limit frustrating and expensive commutes while making a good long-term investment. These flats are also useful for children who need a place to stay when in town, and as a base for shopping expeditions (a Kensington and Chelsea parking permit is a particular bonus).

Most pied à terre buyers have a budget of £500,000 to £800,000, and are looking for a one- or two-bedroom property that has easy access to both the office and the country house. ‘The convenience of the location takes precedence over almost anything else,' Mr Bailey says. Jonathan Hewlett at Savills agrees, adding that he's seen an increasing number of people looking to walk to work: ‘People are walking more, and further. A half-hour walk along the river is much more pleasant than braving the Tube.'

Pied à terre buyers tend to opt for a first- or second-floor flat in a smart period terraced house in central west London. Pimlico is a particularly popular choice Douglas and Gordon (020-7931 8200) have an elegant flat on Warwick Square currently arranged as a one-bedroom (with a study/second bedroom) for £895,000. South Kensington also fits the bill of convenient locations. Here, Knight Frank (020-7349 4300) are selling a one-bedroom flat with fabulous views over Evelyn Gardens for £625,000 (leasehold; the extension of the lease would cost about £225,000-£250,000).

New-build apartments aren't generally as popular among pied à terre buyers, chiefly because they're expensive. Instead, developments such as NEO Bankside, by Tate Modern, which are being built to extremely exacting specifications with price tags to match, tend to appeal more to investors and foreign buyers.

Double renters hold onto London equity

Double renters are either young families who let their London house to rent in the country, usually to be close to a desirable school in their chosen area prior to buying, or downsizers renting out their country house and moving into a smaller country property, or back to the capital. For the former group, letting their London house is a great way to hold onto the equity over time, and for the latter, it's a perfect way to adjust to a different pace of life while keeping all the options open.

For those renting out London houses, the property needs to meet the high standards of the international business community, which demands managed properties set in central locations. Those letting out their country house find that good schools drive the majority of the demand in the Home Counties.

http://www.countrylife.co.uk/news/article/521263/Prime-London-market-booming.html

SO143

April 2nd, 2011, 12:07 AM

Tottenham Court Road station upgrade moves into new phase

http://www.rail.co/wp-content/uploads/TottenhamCourtRoadSunilPrasannan.jpg
BY A. SAMUEL · APRIL 1, 2011 · UNDERGROUND

Tottenham Court Road station is more than 100 years old and was not designed to be used by the 147,000 people that currently pass through it every day. Photo Credit Sunil Prasannan.

Work to transform Tottenham Court Road station into a new gateway to the West End will step up a gear this weekend.

As the £500m station upgrade moves into its next important stage, the Northern line won’t stop at the station from 2 April until late November.

Tottenham Court Road station is more than 100 years old and was not designed to be used by the 147,000 people that currently pass through it every day.

With the growth in passengers using the Tube and the arrival of Crossrail, that number is expected to grow to more than 200,000.

As part of the Tube Upgrade Plan, London Underground is transforming the station to:

Increase the size of the ticket hall by nearly six times
Introduce step-free access from street to platform
Provide four new or modernised entrances
Deliver new escalators and improved interchanges between platforms
Connect with a new Crossrail ticket hall at Dean Street.
London Underground’s Strategy & Commercial Director Richard Parry said: ‘Tottenham Court Road station is set to become one of the busiest and most important stations in the Capital once Crossrail and the station upgrade are complete.

‘The changes we are making to the station will transform it, with a massive increase in capacity, new entrances and step-free access.

‘But the size and scale of the works mean we will need to close the Northern line platforms until November.

‘I ask our customers and local businesses and residents to bear with us, it will be worth it.’

Central line services at the station will run as normal and the Northern line platforms will be back in service well in time for Christmas.

Passengers wishing to use the Northern line are advised to use nearby Goodge Street or Leicester Square.

Read more ("http://www.rail.co/2011/04/01/tottenham-court-road-station-upgrade-moves-into-new-phase/)

SO143

April 2nd, 2011, 01:14 AM

Boris Johnson announces £50m fund for outer London

http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/51873000/jpg/_51873380_007696290-1.jpg
Mr Johnson rode to power on a wave of outer London resentment

A £50m fund has been announced by Mayor of London Boris Johnson to boost regeneration in outer London.

Mr Johnson claimed he had battled hard for the money, which was left over when the government wound up the London Development Agency.

It will be used to establish business districts and stimulate growth.

But London's Labour Party said Mr Johnson had neglected outer London, claiming the announcement was politically motivated.

Revealing the new fund on a visit to Bromley, south London, Mr Johnson said: "This fund is a vital shot in the arm for our town centres and just the help needed to get new projects off the ground that wouldn't otherwise happen.

"I am delighted that after months of hard negotiations we have secured a significant pot of money to help projects really motor and we now have the means to nurture developments, increase work and leisure opportunities and make futures bright.

"It is vital we address the historic neglect of the outer boroughs that preceded this mayoralty and this is one of the ways we can start delivering growth."

Boroughs that qualify will be able to apply for a slice of the fund to pay for regeneration schemes.

But Mr Johnson rival for the 2012 mayoral election, Ken Livingstone, retorted: "It has taken three years, but finally the outer London boroughs are getting investment.

"The first thing he did [after coming to power] was cancel all the transport improvements planned for outer London."

During the last mayoral campaign residents of outer London boroughs backed Mr Johnson by a big margin.

During his reign Mr Livingstone was also accused of neglecting the outer ring in favour of inner London communities.

Read more ("http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-12883712)

SO143

April 2nd, 2011, 07:42 AM

Mayor wants to create two more central business districts like Canary Wharf

http://img339.imageshack.us/img339/1197/croydontd2.png

Boris Johnson plans to bid for two more enterprise zones for London to help boost the capital's economy.

The Mayor hopes to create Canary Wharf-style business neighbourhoods in Croydon and Tottenham.

He was given approval by the Treasury last night to apply for extra zones in addition to the one already announced for the Royal Docks. George Osborne heralded the return of the enterprise areas, pioneered by Margaret Thatcher, in his Budget yesterday in a bid to boost growth.

Some 21 new zones will be created offering firms deep discounts on business rates, super-fast broadband and reduced planning restrictions.

The Treasury confirmed that all the zones would be up and running from April next year.

More than 300 acres in London's historic Royal Docks, adjacent to City airport, will be given enterprise zone status, potentially creating thousands of jobs.

Business owners in the Newham zone said today it was "fantastic news" for one of the capital's most deprived areas. Jim Shaikh, 44, who runs Yoomi, a business that sells self-warming baby bottles, said: "We had thought about moving out of Newham but with these enterprise zone changes coming in, it would definitely encourage us to stay. It could totally regenerate the area."

He added: "Royal Docks is a place that is ripe for growth. Hopefully this enterprise zone is going to really improve this place and made it a real hub for big and small businesses." But he said for that to happen transport links needed to improve.

Ramez Mohabaty, from Best4business Accountants, said: "We operate locally so anything that brings more businesses into this area is a fantastic thing for us."

The zone will be set up in the first wave and the Treasury has invited bids from local authorities for the creation of 10 more.

The Mayor wants two extra zones so Croydon and Tottenham benefit from the same perks. He has already been in talks with Haringey council about setting up a development corporation in Tottenham.

Although the other proposed area, Croydon, is an established business community and is much wealthier, City Hall aides said it had been hit during the downturn and showed great promise as a growth area.

The capital's recently created Local Enterprise Partnership will be allowed to keep any extra business rates raised for up to 25 years to promote growth elsewhere in the capital.

Read more ("http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-2395069-mayor-wants-to-create-two-more-enterprise-zones-like-canary-wharf.do)

SO143

April 2nd, 2011, 10:38 AM

Hammerson plans £350m City tower

Hammerson has submitted plans for a new £350m residential tower and major office development that will drive expansion of the Square Mile beyond its traditional boundaries.

http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/01856/tower2_1856763b.jpg

The new mixed-use scheme, called Principal Place and designed by Foster and Partners, will also include a 591,000 sq ft office building which will be suitable for a headquarters.

The FTSE 100 company has revised its original plans for Bishops Place on Shoreditch High Street and now aims to develop a residential tower with 243 apartments which will target the growing demand for quality accommodation in the City.

The new mixed-use scheme, called Principal Place and designed by Foster and Partners, will also include a 591,000 sq ft office building which will be suitable for a headquarters.

The offices will have some of the largest floors in the City at 40,000 sq ft.

It is understood that Hammerson will seek a pre-let on the building before launching development and may partner with a traditional residential developer on the apartments.

Martin Jepson, London managing director, said: "The evolution of the scheme means we can now offer a high quality differentiated office product to City occupiers at a time when there is modest supply for this type of building."

Read more ("http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/constructionandproperty/8405254/Hammerson-plans-350m-City-tower.html)

SO143

April 2nd, 2011, 11:22 AM

£70m London Blackfriars office tower approved

http://static.businessreviewonline.com/brnewsitesimagesrootfilepath/File_root/Article/blackfriars_office_scheme_in_london_gets_planning_consent_110328/blackfriars.jpg

Blackfriars Road, a multi-storey mixed-use scheme in London, designed by Allford Hall Monoghan Morris architects, has been granted planning permission by Southwark’s planning committee.

Developer Great Portland Estates has won planning permission for its 20-storey office scheme on Blackfriars Road in south London.

Southwark Council approved the £70m scheme for a glass and aluminium-clad building after the developer resubmitted its plans for the site on the south bank of the Thames.

Great Portland Estates aims to start construction work on the 80m high building later this year so that the 180,000 sq ft of offices are ready for tenants in 2013.

The building, designed by Allford Hall Monaghan Morris, is a revised version of a scheme which received permission in 2007.

The site has remained dormant for three years after original buildings were demolished.

Read more ("http://home.worldinteriordesignnetwork.com/news/blackfriars_office_scheme_in_london_gets_planning_consent_110328//)

madridhere

April 2nd, 2011, 01:28 PM

London always renewing itself. Lovely :)

PortoNuts

April 2nd, 2011, 02:57 PM

I'm curious for that Blackfriars tower because the present renders are not very clear.

BodgeJob1

April 2nd, 2011, 03:08 PM

Lol...Porto has competition...:)

SO143

April 2nd, 2011, 08:01 PM

Green light for £80m Royal Docks 'eco' block

http://www.building.co.uk/pictures/800x400fitpad[150]/1/8/6/1690186_silver-tree.jpg
Silvertree project gets electricity and heating from solar source

An £80m ’eco’ tower block at the Royal Docks has been granted planning permission, with a view to starting construction this summer.

The 24-storey Silvertree development will include 161 one, two and three bedroom apartments, as well as retail, office and commercial units, and a café located on the ground floor.

Completion is expected in 2012.

The building will be wrapped with curved aluminum bands on two sides that will provide solar shading and electrical power from embedded photovoltaic panels and solar water heating.

Richard Hywel Evans of Studio RHE, the architect behind Silvertree, said, “Silvertree’s solar PV panels, use of ground source and biomass to generate heat combined with high levels of thermal insulation mean not only will it feel comfortable to live in but it will also cost residents very little to run.

It takes contemporary apartment living in London to new heights.”

Read more ("http://www.building.co.uk/news/breaking-news/green-light-for-%C2%A380m-royal-docks-eco-block/5016116.article#)

SO143

April 2nd, 2011, 08:09 PM

Lol...Porto has competition...:)

He is just my closest ally in this thread :lol: no competitor :cheers:

SO143

April 2nd, 2011, 08:56 PM

Oxford Street goes shopping

The eastern end of London’s Oxford Street is in dire need of some street cred. Happily a £2bn revamp is on its way, spurred on by Crossrail. So what are the plans, who are the main players and where should you look for work?

London’s Oxford Street is about to undergo its biggest transformation since the Second World War: over the next seven years a massive £2bn worth of investment will be poured into the area. And for the 200 million beleaguered shoppers and visitors who flock there each year, it won’t come a moment too soon. London’s most iconic retail destination has long been on the wane, looking these days seedy, sleazy and well past its sell-by date (see Ike Ijeh’s piece).

Now, at last, there is hope. The £200m Crossrail development at St Giles Circus is acting as a massive spur to the area’s regeneration. There will be more than 30 million additional visitors a year to the West End once the station opens in 2017. To cater for these visitors, developers are zoning in on the area - which means opportunities for construction firms to win work in this part of London are coming in thick and fast.

There are three key landlords with upcoming projects you need to know to win work: Derwent, Land Securities, and Great Portland Estates (GPE). Lazari Investments has also historically carried out much work in the area. Just last month GPE swapped a freehold on its 79/89 Oxford Street building with plans to develop an 82,000ft2 retail and commercial building worth about £100m. And Derwent has 1.5 million ft2 of property in the area out of a total property portfolio of 5.5 million ft2. Phase one of its Central Cross development (see page 38) is due to go out to tender in June seeking design and build contractors. “We see enormous potential for this area,” says Paul Williams, an executive director at Derwent. “Contractors should know that there is plenty of work in the pipeline.”

And it’s not just the developers pushing things forward. Back in 2007, Westminster and Camden councils drew up action plans for the area outlining potential sites for development. The plan - known as the Oxford, Regent and Bond Street plan - also vowed to improve the public realm with wider footpaths, improved lighting and more cycle routes. The councils are committed to this vision despite the recession.

Richard Dickinson, chief executive of business interest group New West End Company, says: “We want to work with key partners in the public and private sector to create a vibrant area for London. It will be fashionable and edgy, with St Giles Cross being the exciting gateway to the West End.”

The project furthest along in construction is the Primark clothes store due to open just before Christmas. The £105m scheme at the eastern end will be its second on Oxford Street - the first is at the western end, near Marble Arch. The different rental rates of the two zones shows just what sort of potential there is for a retail boom at this end of the street. For the store in the prime zone west of Oxford Circus, Primark pays the average retail rent of £550/ft2. But rent on the new store on Oxford Street east is just £250/ft2.

But Primark is just the beginning. Expect to see the street transformed in preparation for the completion of the Crossrail station. So what are the key developments along Oxford Street that are likely to bring in work? We highlight six of them below.

http://www.building.co.uk/Pictures/web/x/l/r/_MG_7631.jpg

1 Oxford Street

Developer: Derwent
Value: £175m approx
Ft2: 277,000ft2
Completion: 2017 approx

Details: The historic Astoria venue was located on this block before being demolished in 2009 to accommodate the Crossrail development. Derwent has the option of acquiring the site on completion of the Crossrail works in 2016. A planning submission is expected mid-2011 with designs and content being drawn up now. The proposed development is likely to include a new theatre alongside a mix of retail and office units. The development will be fronted by an urban public plaza which will run adjacent to the Crossrail interchange. Derwent views the acquisition as a potential money-spinner which complements their reputation as regeneration specialists. Funding for the scheme is expected to come through a public private partnership. Graham King from Westminster council says he expects to see the theatre developed by 2020 at the latest.

http://www.building.co.uk/Pictures/web/c/m/h/_MG_7816.jpg

18-30 TCR/1-2 Stephen Street

Developer: Derwent
Value: £25m approx
Ft2: 251,000

Details: Historically the Central Cross site has had disparate ownership with little to no development. In August, Derwent purchased the property for £146m. It has submitted plans for a phased refurbishment and extension of the property. 64,000ft2 of office space will be refurbished soon and a 140m glass frontage is due to be constructed before 2012. The final stage of the project involves extending the retail space by 40,000ft2. Almost 90% of the rental income comes from the three principal tenants: Fremantle Media, Ascent Media and S Technologies. Derwent’s Paul Williams says the development is the first of many planned by the property firm with contract bids being sought in June this year. “There will be major demand for refurbishment works at Central Cross,” says WIlliams. “We will likely need a design and build contractor who can work with tenants in occupied buildings.”

More details from Barbour ABI
Alterations and extension to entrance, new canopy, green roof and associated works: £200,000
Architect: Orms Designers & Architects Limited

http://www.building.co.uk/Pictures/web/n/s/a/_MG_7771.jpg

80 Charlotte Street

Developer: Derwent
Value: £125m approx
Ft2: 320,000
Completion: 2015

Details: Derwent has submitted plans to Camden council to part-demolish and redevelop this site. Under the proposals there will be a part demolition of Charlotte Mews and part of the corner of Chitty Street and Whitfield Street. If approved, the mixed-use scheme will include fashion outlets, offices, restaurants and apartments. There are also provisions for a “pocket park”. In total the development will incorporate a 1.4 acre site. Derwent will re-acquire the building in 2013 when the current lease expires. Residents have been invited to view the plans at Derwent’s Fitzrovia Gallery and submit proposal suggestions. Camden council’s development control committee will make a decision on the application later this year.

http://www.building.co.uk/Pictures/web/g/d/s/_MG_7718.jpg

73/77 and 79/89 Oxford Street

Developer: Great Portland Estate
Value: Undecided
Ft2: 82,190
Completion: 2014

Details: Last month Great Portland Estates swapped its freehold interest in 79/89 Oxford Street for a 250-year leasehold interest at both 79/89 Oxford Street and the adjoining 73/77 Oxford Street. Plans for the site have yet to be finalised but a £100m retail development has been mooted. The properties are ideally located at the corner of Oxford Street and adjacent to the Dean Street Crossrail station that is under development. Toby Courtauld, chief executive with GPE, said: “The properties are located in an exciting area of Central London set for major change and which, in the fullness of time, will offer a first class retail and office development opportunity.”

http://www.building.co.uk/Pictures/web/i/l/y/_MG_7676.jpg

18/24 Oxford Street

Developer: Land Securities and Frogmore
Value: £105m shopping centre
Ft2: 141,000
Completion: December 2011

Details: Primark will open its second store on Oxford Street at this site. Occupying 85,000ft2, the new store will be the largest in the area. Oriana JV, a 50/50 joint venture between Land Securities and Frogmore, is behind the development. Small retail units will occupy the remaining space. The development combines the former Virgin/Zavvi store, a new build at 18/24 Oxford Street and a unit fronting onto Tottenham Court Road. McLaren started construction on site early last year and the base shell building is expected to be completed by June. Primark is slated to open before Christmas this year.

More details from Barbour ABI
Contractor: McLaren Construction Limited Head Office
Architect group
Architect: ESA
Quantity surveyor: William G Dick Partnership Head Office
Consultant group
M&E engineer: Hulley & Kirkwood
Structural engineer: Richard Watkins
Demolition contractor: London & Surrey Demolition Company
Plumbing and mechanical subcontrator: Swale Building
Interior fit out and wall & ceiling finishing: MPG Group

http://www.building.co.uk/Pictures/web/g/a/t/crossrail.jpg

Crossrail station TCR

Developer: Crossrail
Value: £200m
M2: 25,000
Completion: 2017

Details: A Vinci/Bam Nutall joint venture won the contract to redevelop the existing Tottenham Court Road tube station. Once complete the ticket hall will be six times larger with twice the capacity for commuters. The new station will be constructed with five levels and have entrances at Centre Point, Soho and Oxford Street. The Centre Point entrance incorporates a key design feature of a public piazza. Crossrail is currently inviting bids for this project with the main construction contract due to be awarded before the end of the year. Eventually the Crossrail and tube stations will connect to form one integrated station. Architects Hawkins Brown designed the station.

Read more ("http://www.building.co.uk/news/regions/london/oxford-street-goes-shopping/5015281.article)

BG_PATRIOT

April 2nd, 2011, 11:41 PM

eHWm31j1I7Q&NR=1

kerouac1848

April 4th, 2011, 05:00 PM

^^Interesting report. However, as usual the term 'Silicon Valley' is being misused here and giving a false impression. This is not a British or London Silicon Valley, not least because the original was - is - primarily involved in the development of computer components, such as microchips, including manufacturing, as well programming, being the base from which later internet groups sprouted from. This is far more like NYC's own high-tech area insomuch as it is overwhelmingly involves internet firms, new media and some IT companies. There also isn't the involvement of large universities and their research centres. If there is a silicon valley here it is probably the cluster around Cambridge.

PortoNuts

April 4th, 2011, 09:54 PM

^^Most certainly, the Cambridge cluster even has its own name, the Silicon Fen. London's high tech is more about services, managing, etc.

SO143

April 5th, 2011, 04:03 AM

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silicon_Fen :okay:

SO143

April 5th, 2011, 08:58 AM

Green Tower Will Save Energy But Suffer Noise Pollution

Planning permission has been granted by the London Borough of Newham for a futuristic 'eco-tower'. Designed by Studio RHE the 24 storey building named Silvertree will be wrapped with coloured panels on 2 sides, which provide not only solar shading but also the electrical power from embedded photo voltaic panels and solar water heating. On the third side, the building opens to reveal a green vertical forest of planting enclosing terraces and balconies. The building incorporates the latest thinking in environmental design to greatly reduce the building’s carbon footprint.

http://www.greenbuildingpress.co.uk/images/articles/large/silvertree.jpg

A distinct façade of curved aluminium bands provide solar and wind protection while also accommodating a vast array of photovoltaic panels producing electricity for the buildings use. Further renewable energy is provided by ground source heat pumps built into the foundations and a central biomass energy centre. High levels of insulation, closable winter gardens and the careful placing of windows and thermal shutters provide improved thermal efficiency.

The scheme will provide 161 large, high quality residential units of various size, with a communal landscaped open deck on the first floor. The lower levels will provide commercial offices, retail and cafés; creating employment opportunities and multiple additions to the current local amenities. The project is described by its architect as an optimistic and aspirational project that aims to become a benchmark for future urban design.

Unfortunately, as has been pointed out by several readers commenting on the article, originally published in World Architecture News, the building will be inside the worst affected area as regards noise from the soon to be expanded London City Airport. As one commentator said "I don't understand why developers are building homes near the London City Airport. This property would be built inside the airport's noise contour. People would not be able to sit on the balcony. Your conversation have to be stopped until passing aircraft have gone. I just hope they fit Sky , so that you can pause live TV. London City Airport, whilst being located in a residential area, is expanding, they recently won planning application to expand from 76,000 to 120,000 flights. This project is dumb as building new homes next to Heathrow".

Read more ("http://www.greenbuildingpress.co.uk/article.php?category_id=1&article_id=819)

SO143

April 5th, 2011, 08:59 AM

Switzerland's 'starchitect' to build in Britain

The enigmatic Swiss architect Peter Zumthor, whose designs sit in unexpected corners of the world – such as remote mountain tops and in fields – is to work in Britain for the first time. He will construct the Serpentine Gallery's temporary pavilion in London this year.

The Pritzker Prize-winner, who has refused to talk about his architectural creations ("Visit them", he simply told an illustrious gathering at the Royal Institute of British Architects 10 years ago) is famously particular about the projects he takes on. As a result, he has limited buildings in urban settings, none of which are in Britain – until now.

This will be the first time that many aficionados will see his work. The pavilion, to be erected in Kensington Gardens, promises to be one of the quirkiest in the gallery's 11-year history of commissioning temporary summer structures.

Zumthor's design will apparently be a composed enclosure focused on a heavily planted garden. Visitors will walk along a dark tunnel, leading out into the light of the garden, which will be created by the influential Dutch designer, Piet Oudolf.

Zumthor says the motivation was to create a place of reflection within an urban context. "The concept for this year's Pavilion is the hortus conclusus : a contemplative room; a garden within a garden. The building acts as a stage; a backdrop for the interior garden of flowers and light," he told The Independent.

"Through blackness and shadow, one enters the building from the lawn and begins the transition into the central garden; a place abstracted from the world of noise and traffic and the smells of London – an interior space within which to sit, to walk, to observe the flowers. This experience will be intense and memorable, as will the materials themselves – full of memory and time."

The timber pavilion, wrapped in a black minimalist surface, will have staggered doorways offering multiple paths to the hidden inner garden.

Zumthor was born in Basel in 1943 and in the 1950s trained as a cabinet-maker with his father, after which he studied in Basel and New York.

The Serpentine project, conceived in 2000 by director Julia Peyton-Jones, has become an architectural experimentation site and follows a decade of structures by top world architects, like Daniel Libeskind, Zaha Hadid and Olafur Eliasson.

Read more ("http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/architecture/switzerlands-starchitect-to-build-in-britain-2261409.html)

SO143

April 5th, 2011, 09:12 AM

Mayor Boris Johnson has announced he wants London to become the “electric driving capital of the world.”

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/articleresources/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/electric-cars-lead-image.jpghttp://www.autotrader.co.uk/articleresources/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/electric-cars-boris-380x249.jpg

The London Mayor was speaking at the launch of the first city-wide electric vehicle charging network, provided by Source London. Source London has committed itself to boosting today’s 250 publicly available charging points in the capital to “at least 1,300” by 2013. Boris Johnson continued:

“This is in support of the expanding range of electric cars coming to market and will deliver a range of environmental benefits in terms of pushing down on pollution in London.”

The government has already pledged £250 million funding for electric vehicles in the form of a £5,000 plug-in car grant to buyers, and there are numerous charging infrastructure projects underway throughout the country.

Despite this, the first batch of family friendly electric vehicles, like the Nissan LEAF for example, remain considerably more expensive than their petrol counterparts. Look beyond the steep sticker price, however, and there are incredible savings to be had from a fuel and maintenance point of view. Electric vehicles also incur no company car tax, no Vehicle Excise Duty and no London Congestion Charge.

Recent research by Citroën shows that the average daily journey in urban areas is 23 miles. The car is at rest for 92 per cent of each day, creating numerous recharging opportunities. The French car maker has recently released the C-Zero, an all-electric supermini that offers a fully charged range of 93 miles.

Read more ("http://www.autotrader.co.uk/articles/2011/04/cars/london-to-become-electric-car-capital)

PortoNuts

April 5th, 2011, 07:47 PM

Croydon offices planning application submitted by developer

A planning application to develop a mixed-use scheme in Croydon comprising offices, residential properties and retail units has been submitted to the local council. Developer Menta's plans for the 750,000 sq ft site on Cherry Orchard Road next to the East Croydon railway station include provisions for 71,000 sq ft of office space aimed at boosting the local economy by targeting start-up businesses, Property Week reports.

Along with the new London offices, other elements of the proposals include a residential tower with 54 floors and a hotel. The development was designed by architects Make with the East Croydon Masterplan - a regeneration scheme for the wider area - in mind. Menta has been working with Network Rail, Croydon Council and Transport for London to come up with the plans.

"Our mixed-use scheme reflects the bold ambitions of Croydon and sits with the borough's masterplan for the station and its environs," remarked Ken Shuttleworth of Make.

Another developer, Stanhope and Schroders, is looking to create around one million sq ft of office space at a site on the other side of the East Croydon railway tracks known as Ruskin Square.

http://www.mellersh.co.uk/News.aspx?ArticleId=800487123

PortoNuts

April 6th, 2011, 03:05 PM

London super-prime property forecast to reach incredible highs

Top properties in the best areas of London are likely to reach £10,000 a square foot within the next few years, according to Knight Frank, the high-end UK property agent. Speaking at the release of Knight Frank's The Wealth Report, Liam Bailey, head of research at the property group, said that top properties in London are approaching £10,000 a square foot.

He said: "Given that top properties were selling for around £1,000 a square foot around a decade ago and that those same properties could now achieve £6,000 a square foot, it's entirely possible that we will see levels approaching £10,000 soon."

This would mean that a 1,000 square foot apartment in an area like Knightsbridge, one of London's most expensive residential property neighbourhoods, could sell for an incredible £10 million in the next few years. Bailey said that London was seeing an unprecedented level of interest from foreign buyers, particularly since the outbreak of unrest in the Middle East.

"Although prime London property took a hit during the financial crisis, prices have since rebounded and are actually higher today than they were at their peak before the crisis," he said. "London is viewed by many buyers as a safe haven." According to Knight Frank, around 50% of the buyers for prime property – those that sell for more than £2 million – are foreigners. A much higher percentage than other top property markets in cities like New York and Paris.

Bailey said this is why top residential property prices in London have rebounded much faster than in New York.

However, Charles McDowell, a property finder for the wealthiest buyers in London, cautioned about getting too over excited about the current property boom in the capital. He said: "Although prices are high and have in some cases returned to their pre-financial crisis levels, vendors are often not able to achieve the prices they had hoped." He added: "There is still not the transactional craziness we were seeing back in 2007."

Despite the boom in prime property in the UK capital, London was still only the second most expensive residential location in the world, beaten by Monaco, according to The Wealth Report. The Knight Frank report also emphasised the importance of property as an investment, saying that on average, property accounts for 35% of the investment portfolios of the ultra-high net worth.

http://www.campdenfb.com/default.asp?title=London_super-prime_property_forecast_to_reach_incredible_highs&page=article.display&article.id=25062

SO143

April 6th, 2011, 05:51 PM

London-based Watkins Gray International has completed an extensive £3 million ($4.9 million) Phase 1 refurbishment project of the Grade II listed pools at Camberwell Leisure Centre in London.

http://static.businessreviewonline.com/brnewsitesimagesrootfilepath/File_root/Article/watkins_gray_refurbishes_camberwell_leisure_centre_in_london_110406/watkinsgray_london.jpg

The refurbishment has been designed to make the historic building energy-efficient. Bringing the building to contemporary standards, the original façade of the building was retained. The original 25m pool has been retiled along with the learner pool, with new changing areas installed. Care was taken to protect the heritage of the building. Other new enhancements included the provision of a remodelled entrance area, reception and café.

Other improvements include an expanded gym and fitness area, dry side changing rooms, restored Warwick Hall multi-purpose studio, and a new youth facility. These are due to be completed by mid 2011.

A major aspect of the renovation was the energy efficient features to reduce the carbon footprint of the building: low energy plant, equipment and fittings, low energy lighting, and materials specified from “A” rating of the Green Guide Specification.

The centre originally opened on 1 October 1892. It has been managed by Fusion Lifestyle for over 10 years. The project was completed on behalf of Southwark Council.

Source ("http://www.worldinteriordesignnetwork.com/news/watkins_gray_refurbishes_camberwell_leisure_centre_in_london_110406/)

SO143

April 6th, 2011, 06:45 PM

Europe's tallest living wall springs into life

http://www.building.co.uk/pictures/800x400fitpad[150]/3/8/7/1690387_mint-green-wall.jpg

Bennett’s Associates use 180,000 plants to create 11th-storey green wall at the Mint Hotel in London

Now Spring is here Europe’s tallest green wall is bursting into life. It covers internal walls in the courtyard of the Bennett’s Associates designed Mint Hotel near the Tower of London which opened earlier this year.

The wall extends from the glass roof of the covered courtyard all the way up to the 11th floor and wraps around the outside of the building and links up with the hotel’s green roof. It provides an attractive backdrop for guests in the reception area under the glass roof and from the bedrooms facing into the courtyard.

Forty different species of plant has been used and are planted into real soil. According to green wall specialist, Frosts Landscape Construction real soil is better for the plants meaning it will last longer than walls using hydroponic planting systems.

A total of 180,000 evergreen plants make up the wall. Different species have been selected depending on the orientation, for example thrifts and red Campion has been used for the south facing element of the scheme while shade loving plants including ferns have been used on the north side.

The wall is made up of 4,100 planting modules which each contain 45 planted cells which are 70mm deep. The plants were established before the modules were fixed to the building. Each module is fixed to a steel frame using a plastic mounting strip; the frame is fixed to the rendered wall of the hotel.

An automatic irrigation system is built into the wall and supplies a combination of water and liquid fertiliser to keep the plants healthy. If anything goes wrong with the irrigation system a text message is automatically sent to Frosts so they can take corrective action before any damage is done.

Read more: http://www.building.co.uk/technical/sustainability/sustainability-news/europes-tallest-living-wall-springs-into-life/5016292.article#ixzz1IlJt6PXj

Rachmaninov

April 6th, 2011, 07:00 PM

^^ Wow... interesting irrigation system they are using too.

PortoNuts

April 6th, 2011, 10:45 PM

Reminds me of that wall in Madrid next to the Caixa Forum. :cheers:

SO143

April 7th, 2011, 04:19 AM

PricewaterhouseCoopers' More London HQ to be powered by chip fat

Recycled cooking oil from bars, restaurants and businesses across London will be used to generate low carbon energy for PricewaterhouseCoopers' new headquarters at More London near London Bridge.

http://www.london-se1.co.uk/news/imageuploads/1301317337_80.177.117.97.jpg

http://www.london-se1.co.uk/news/imageuploads/1301317339_80.177.117.97.jpg

It is four years since PwC announced that it was relocating to 7 More London and marks a return to Southwark for the firm that used to occupy the Southwark Towers complex which was demolished to make way for the Shard.

More than 6000 PwC employees will move to 7 More London over the coming months and the firm is keen to show off the low carbon credentials of the Foster + Partners-designed riverside office block.

Two 6,000 litre tankers a week will be filled with used cooking oil collected by Arrow Oil from offices and restaurants from city centre locations.

The oil will be transported to a Southwark refinery, Uptown Biodiesel, and then on to PwC for use in the firm's state of the art tri-generation facility at Tooley Street.

"When you think of green technologies you don't think of used oil from a kitchen but the reality is these technologies offered us a real low carbon alternative to traditional fuel," says Jon Barnes, PwC's head of building and facilities services.

"It was an ambitious plan, when you realise a small restaurant might use 10 to 20 litres a week, and you see the scale of the deal we're talking about, for just one site."

"Securing the supply within the M25 was essential, as otherwise the carbon footprint for moving the oil increases and would have defeated the purpose of investing in the low carbon technology."

Over 45,000 litres of cooking oil will be sourced per month, equivalent to the oil needed to fill 9,000 average domestic deep fat fryers.

The tri-generation facility will use 100 per cent biofuel and is the largest installation of its type in a commercial office building in the UK.

The oil will be used to fire two large generators creating a quarter of the electricity needed for the building, as well as 20 per cent of its heating and cooling. Overall, 25 per cent of the energy needed in the building will be generated on site.

PwC worked with its catering supplier partner ARAMARK to secure supplies from other offices around the City, and oil collection company, Arrow Oil, to source supplies from a network of restaurants, hotels and bars within the M25. This oil is then delivered to Uptown Biodiesel in Southwark where it is refined for use in the generators.

More than half of the building's energy demand is met from low and zero carbon technologies. Solar panels will be used to heat water. A chiller heat recovery system recycles waste heat from the chiller units and the lighting has daylight saving control.

The 7 More London building includes space for a supermarket with its entrance on Tooley Street but the identity of the future operator is still unknown.

PwC is also working with Beyond Food to open a cooking school and restaurant on the ground floor of the former fire station on Tooley Street.

Source ("http://www.london-se1.co.uk/news/view/5186)