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The Scalpel | City of London | 190m | 39 fl

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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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#79 ·
The rendering is included in a property sales document designed to illustrate to potential purchasers the form and scale of redevelopment currently possible. that's all - its simply a schematic prepared by KPF. If the new site owners have subsequently agreed (in principle) a 40 floor office building for the site with the City of London, then they have negotiated very well and significantly increased the development potential and value of the property. It may well be that because KPF were familiar with the site in c.2010m that this may be the reason why they were engaged to prepare a design for a 40 floor high rise.
 
#86 ·
Looks like this is the planning application.

12/06379/OBS | Application made under the provisions of the Town and Country Planning (Environmental Impact Assessment) (England and Wales) Regulations 2011 to redevelop the 52-54 Lime Street and 34 - 35 Leadenhall Street with a new office tower comprising approximately 58,000sq.m gross external floor space. The development would comprise with one building with to 34 floors, rising to approximately 206m AOD. | Lime Street City Of London London EC3M 7QD

http://idoxpa.westminster.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do;jsessionid=C31E7F61101626E84EC0385CB41DC02A?previousCaseUprn=010033607072&previousCaseType=Property&previousKeyVal=KHQAYGRP0QQ00&activeTab=summary&previousCaseNumber=KHQAXARP0QQ00&keyVal=M68APORP01R00
 
#92 ·
Wow 192 meters! Looks like my massing guestimate was about right. That is insanely tall for a 34 storey building. It is possible that it could be passed at that height, it is literally across the road from the Leadenhall building after all. If the height does infringe on the view from a park in Westminster it will be less so than the cheesegrater.
 
#94 ·
Wow 192 meters! Looks like my massing guestimate was about right. That is insanely tall for a 34 storey building. .
Allow 4.5m/floor x 34 = 138m therefore 54m extra, perhaps the first floor is significantly above grade as with 122 Leadenhall, and/or perhaps mechanical spaces are vertically stacked with a spire/finial type element at the top, or perhaps its a very tall pole type element; no doubt we'll find out shortly.
 
#100 ·
I don't mind the loss of the buildings highlighted - they're very dull.

But it had better be a good building. This little cluster in the city is finally banishing the bad taste left by the crap that went up in previous decades. The Lloyd's building set the bar high, and recent additions seem to lend additional interest to the area.
 
#104 · (Edited)
So we're looking at 190m and 35 storeys. Render from KPF Architects:




From Dezeen:

W. R. Berkley Corporation to build new European headquarters in the City of London

W.R. Berkley Corporation, one of the world’s premier property casualty insurance providers, has submitted a planning application for a major new European headquarters at 52-54 Lime Street, London EC3, in the heart of the City of London.

Demonstrating the strength of W.R. Berkley Corporation’s commitment to London as one of the world’s leading insurance centres, the company, whose member insurance companies are rated A+ by Standard & Poor’s, will be funding the 35-storey building, which will draw together all of the company’s London presence into one place, from its own balance sheet. W. R. Berkley Corporation London companies will initially be occupying approximately 25% of the building. Other occupiers have already expressed interest in the building.

Designed by multi-award winning international architects, Kohn Pedersen Fox (KPF), who also designed the Heron Tower, the planned building is approximately 190m tall, consisting of 35 floors of offices above ground and mezzanine levels with an additional two basement and two roof plant levels. Entrances to the building would be on Leadenhall Street and from a new public square.

Floor plates will range in size from 9,000 sq ft to 22,000 sq ft and are arranged around a side core located to the south of the building, which optimises floor plate dimensions, limits solar gain and offers views of London to the, north, east, west and south west.

Public space created by the development will include a ‘square’ of approximately 11,000 sq ft which will complement the existing precinct around the Willis Building. The space will include public seating and planting as well as potential space for public art and tables linked to a specialist ground floor coffee shop, echoing the 17th century origins of the specialist insurance markets at Lloyds Coffee House.

With Lloyd’s of London and Willis adjacent to the new public square and Aon to occupy 122 Leadenhall Street, W.R. Berkley’s new European headquarters will effectively create a global ‘HQ’ of the insurance industry in London.

KPF’s work is being led by Bill Pedersen, one of the world’s most decorated architects and seven time winner of the American Institute of Architects National Honour Award.

Subject to planning, work on the project is scheduled to start by 2013 and it is anticipated that the development could be ready for occupation by 2017.

William Berkley, founder and chairman of W.R. Berkley Corporation comments:

“The proposed development of 52-54 Lime Street is an integral component of our international growth strategy. With the continuing expansion of our operations here, it makes sense to invest in a landmark building which will provide a strong base for that growth.

“This major investment is a signal of our belief and confidence in London as the centre of the global insurance market. Creating a new European headquarters on Lime Street, alongside of some of the largest companies in the industry, is an affirmation of the City of London as the centre of the insurance and reinsurance industries.”

About London’s insurance industry

Insurance companies and pension funds are crucial to the UK and City of London economy, accounting for £32.5bn in GDP contributions

The City of London is the home of the specialist insurance sector, with gross premiums on the London market conservatively estimated at £36.9bn in 2010, and Lime Street is the heart of the sector – from historic players like Lloyds, to world leading brands like Willis, Aon, and Aviva
 
#105 ·
Wow, it looks fantastic to me! 190m is a really nice height too, so that'll make it the 3rd tallest in the City behind Leadenhall and Heron Tower (until the Pinnacle - either in its approved form of something of a similar height - is built, of course). Let's just hope it doesn't get the typical cheapening/height reduction, although hopefully it will be OK since it's surrounded by other tall buildings.
Wondering if it'll get a nickname like all the others...
 
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