LONDON | 100 Bishopsgate | 172m | 40 fl | Prep

[wjfox]

Published 12 September 2006 at 11:47
New addition planned for City of London skyscraper cluster – images



Allies and Morrison has released these first images of its new skyscraper scheme at 100 Bishopsgate in the City of London.

The showpiece of the 120,000m2 development, which has just been submitted for planning, will be a 40-storey, 165-tall office tower (centre).

Backed by developing giant Great Portland Estates (GPE), there are also plans for two seven-storey buildings on the site, which stretches between Bishopsgate, Camomile Street, St Mary Axe and St Helen’s Place.

As well as creating 73,000m2 of office space, the development will include a replacement for the Leatherseller’s Company Livery Hall, a public library, shops and a new plaza.

The scheme is in the heart of the City’s emerging tall buildings cluster and will sit to the south of the long-awaited 202m-high Heron Tower (right).

The new Allies and Morrison skyscraper will have double-decker lifts that will take people up to the sky lobby on the 15th and 16th floors, where they can transfer to lifts serving the rest of the tower.

According to a design statement, the skyscraper ‘adopts the parallelogram geometry of the site’ becoming rectilinear in shape towards the top, ‘creating the impression of a twist in the form’.

Partner Graham Morrison, said: ‘Working closely with the City planners and a responsive client has been a rewarding process.

‘In the design of a new tower forming part of the City cluster, it has been possible to reconcile the potentially contradictory disciplines of rational floor plates and strong site geometry. The three buildings, which form the development, are separated by a significant new public space, creating a larger and more active public realm.’

Work is not expected to start on site until the current leases expire in 2011.

by Richard Waite

[european]

So does it mean that the construction wont start until 2011.

[BMXican]

judging by the pics it's nothing special - but it's hard to say anything yet. and gee, until 2011 it's still a very long time...it will probably disappear again until then.

[Dale]

There's time ... and there's London time.

[SaRaJeVo-City]

hm seems like a simple & pretty boring building, thats at least for now by looking at these renderings.

[wjfox]

^ To be honest I'm glad it's like that. London desperately needs some "boring" looking skyscrapers. We have so many crazy and wacky designs being proposed... it would be nice to have some normality.

[Jamandell (d69)]

Exactly, something that isn't screaming, but fills out the skyline, certainly isn't "ugly" and all that. It will bulk up the City and make it look more important, which is good. As long as it doesn't end up like another Canary Wharf, I'll be happy.

[scorpion]

just in time for the London Olympics!

[Eastender]

not quite. construction could start 2011 - the earliest date of completion would be 2013 or later...

[nezzybaby]

the critical thing for this building will be the cladding, its very much a box and i think it will only look good if the facade is right, bright shiny glass hopefully

[Skabbymuff]

a agree that london needs some more plain even boxy buildings. i like this one.

[AXISPAW]

^ ill get my tupens worth in as well, i also agree that by those renderings it looks simply but also nice. i think it will build nicely on the cluster, pitty its not till 2011 tho. but there are plenty of other projects started or going to be started anyway so plenty to keep us occupied. and yet again wjfox great work yet again!!!

[Lord_Bertrum]

So what will make this then is the quality of the materials used.

[Harkeb]

nothing exciting looking about it. Nice density the City will become tho.

[wjfox]

More renderings here.

Many thanks to Jimbo for posting these -













And I'll repeat what I said in the UK forum -

This is EXACTLY the kind of skyscraper the City needs... something fairly normal and fairly simple, which isn't too "iconic" or attention seeking, and yet still manages to look reasonably good quality in terms of design, materials, facade, etc.

[AXISPAW]

^ i completely agree, and to be honest maybe a few more, canary wharf style just to bulk it out more, thats why its annoying the minerva is being redesigned, it had a similar effect. nice one again with those renders!!

[european]

Looks very nice, so when will the construction start?

[wjfox]

[european]

I dont have words to describe.

[wjfox]

Here's yet another rendering. It's just to the left of Tower 42 -







^ Mega-density