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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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#107 ·
We'd need to see more renders before we start throwing nicknames at it. I'm sure the media will label it 'the scalpel' or 'the blade' or something un-creatively similar. Including the plant rooms it's just over 5.1m per floor, which seems high... so it's likely AOD.
 
#111 ·
If you look at the render, the top 7 or 8 (mezzanine levels?) floors seem to be almost double height.

I wonder if that 35 floors includes those?, if not,it could account for the height to low floor count ratio.

There's about 31 floors visible in the render (not including the double height ones), so add in the ones not visible, it could be 35 floors for occupancy plus the top mezzanine levels.????
 
#112 ·
Indeed, I count 32 visible office floors with the bottom levels obscured by the crop of the image. That should come to 35 office floors. I’m guessing the top spire levels are plant floors, of which I count the space for about 9 right to the tip of the spire. Of course the article states that there are only two of these levels, so what is above them, I have no idea. Empty space?
 
#119 ·
The City Corporation knew that there was likely to something of this size slotted into the gap. I am sure it will get going a lot faster than we are used to in London. Looking forward to some more renders, especially in relation to the city cluster but looks very nice from a non stand out and look at me point of view, good filler.
 
#121 ·
The good thing about this is it is client led, like the Gherkin there is less chance of it being dumbed down and more chance it will built when they say it will so hopefully just as 122LH & 20FC finish we can look forward to work starting on this in 2013, something we can’t say for certainty with 100BG & the Pinnacle (although I can see Heron Plaza kicking off by 2013 as well). One thing for sure by 2015 the City Skyline will have made a remarkable transformation from 2011, when Heron really began to make a mark on the skyline, now swiftly followed by 122LH & 20FC.
 
#124 ·
It's a great pity that WR Berkley could not have selected the Pinnacle as their HQ. Their requirement would have seen over half the building pre-let/occupied and would have stimulated a restart of this building. After all, it is a stone's throw from Lloyds and up next to AON. It's also a KPF designed building with its foundations in place. I also feel that wedging in the proposed building on such a small footprint - a sort of glass tombstone - up against Willis is not the best and most resourceful location for such a large - high building. I also fear that the south facade may have an ugly lift shaft enclosure , a la Broadgate Tower.
 
#125 ·
I also fear that the south facade may have an ugly lift shaft enclosure , a la Broadgate Tower.
We'll see what is proposed but yes this is where the lift shaft is located.

"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."
 
#126 ·
Good to see an image of this proposal. First impression is that it looks interesting, though its important to see how this design looks from various angles as well as how does it work at grade. I assume that the City planners have worked with KPF to ensure a design they will support, so maybe this will move quickly with demolition and sub-surface construction starting in 2013 - a new high rise starting when Leadenhall and 20 Fenchurch Street have topped out.
 
#133 ·
If this and the Pinnacle get built, we will have two KPF buildings, two Richard Rogers buildings, and two Lord Foster buildings all visible from that little square. Not forgetting St Helens, and that little church which survived the Great Fire of London, the Blitz and the IRA bomb down the road!
 
#135 ·
I'd actually prefer that the lowrise buildings remained over that :( Just don't think it is the right location for a tower. I think the view from that location is miles better with an intact view of Lime street, together with it giving a little air and space to what is slowly becoming a rather dense cluster of talls around the square. It'd look far better at Canary wharf, just too overbearing for its location.
 
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