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#1 · (Edited)
So as not to keep cluttering up the Pinnacle thread; W.R. Berkley in talks with Kohn Pederson Fox (KPF) to design a new 40 story tower on 52-54 Lime Street (27 Leadenhall Street). W.R. Berkley are currently based at 40 Lime Street opposite the Lloyds Building and Willis building and have bought the land.

July 11, 2012 11:30 pm
US insurer to scale up European profile - From ft.com

Do you reckon they might want to build this on the Pinnacle site? They say next door to Lloyds and I can't think of any other locations?

A large US insurer has struck a deal with the City of London to build its own skyscraper, underlining the rapidly growing presence of international insurers in the Square Mile.

WR Berkley, which has a market value of $5.4bn, is understood to have agreed terms with the City’s planning authorities to construct a 40-storey tower next door to the offices of Lloyd’s of London.

WR Berkley is among the largest providers of insurance to midsized companies in the US. The company is scaling up its operations in Europe, with offices in Germany, Ireland, Spain and Norway. The agreement to build its own skyscraper follows a flurry of deals by US insurers to expand their office space in the centre of London, taking advantage of the shrinking of banks, which have long dominated the City office market.

In January, Aon signed a lease on 191,000 sq ft of office space in the nearby Leadenhall building, under construction and nicknamed the Cheese Grater. Meanwhile, Markel took up a 51,000 sq ft pre-let agreement last month on Land Securities’ 36-storey Walkie-Talkie building.

The building would become one of five skyscrapers under construction in the Square Mile, which, in contrast to the low levels of development outside of the UK capital, has seen a spike in demand for new office space. The buildings are expected to capture some of the demand arising from lease expiries and breaks, expected to hit 3m sq ft a year in the City until 2017.

However, the City is undergoing a transformation in terms of its occupiers. Many of the large investment banks have relocated to Canary Wharf, favouring the wide floor plates and ability to have all of their staff in one building. The cost of office space in the City is also a big driver. Prime office rents in Canary Wharf are at £36 per sq ft a year, compared with £55 per sq ft in the City.

The departure of many traditional occupiers has opened the door for other industries, such as technology, media and professional services businesses.

However, it is the rise of the insurance sector in the City market which has spurred on letting activity during the first half of this year. A recent report from CBRE, the estate agents, said that there are 13 insurers actively searching for a combined 1m sq ft of office space in central London.

http://uk.reuters.com/article/2012/0...86B0C220120712

 
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#37 ·
What would be welcome is a building that's not another glass steel affair. I know it won't be, it this mixture of glass and stone in the area which makes the city special. Loosing this building, while some say is nothing special erodes yet another reminder of the old city of London. I would Like to see a tower that is perhaps a mixture of materials. It's going to otherwise become a canyon of dark glass and silver paint.
 
#40 ·
Ok this one is probably going to be more accurate height wise.



It now looks about level in height with 30 St Mary Axe which is 41 stories. There is a bit of persective to deal with as well. Just for comparison, Tower 42 has 47 stories, and is only 2 meters higher than the Gherkin. 20 Fenchurch Street has 36 stories, but has that high roof garden on top which makes it taller than it would otherwise be. We should be looking at a building between 170 and 180 meters. Though a crown of some sort might drag that up a little.

The plot also looks narrow from that angle, so from an east or West elevation it should be quite slender. More so than from a north or south Elevation, though the plot is not particularly big in any direction. We should see somthing quite slender proposed.
 
#55 ·
It now looks about level in height with 30 St Mary Axe which is 41 stories. There is a bit of persective to deal with as well. Just for comparison, Tower 42 has 47 stories, and is only 2 meters higher than the Gherkin. 20 Fenchurch Street has 36 stories, but has that high roof garden on top which makes it taller than it would otherwise be. We should be looking at a building between 170 and 180 meters. Though a crown of some sort might drag that up a little.
average floor to floor height for such an office tower is actually 4.1 metres.
 
#57 ·
I hope it isn't too similar to the Walkie Talkie! I love skyscrapers, but i find the WT to be too bulky at the top and i am finding it hard to like the design. Looking forward to Leadenhall and just wish the Pinnacle would start taking shape... glad a new 170-180m skyscraper is going in though :)
 
#62 ·
Excellent news.
I understand that an agreement with the City of London planning authorities has been reached to develop a 40 storeys skyscraper to replace the existing plain ugly low-rise buildings.
However, it seems that this new planned skyscraper falls into the sightline of St Pauls. I am therefore a little bit confused. Any clarification are welcome in that respect.
 
#69 ·
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