Three Spires | Southwark | 250m/200m/100m | 66/50/31 fl | Pre-planning

[delores]

So are we seeing a render in February? I really hope H&M can pull this off. I can see the headlines in the evening standard already.

[ismail]

The partners in the Law firm EH uses have just ordered a new yacht each, on basis of the amount of money they'll make when ( and not if) EH will get this called in to for PI.
They have already started work on a rendering that shows how this will reuine the views of the the world heritage site of Charles Dickens toilet, and cast a shadow over the vaults under London Bridge!

[Comdot]

"please would you call this in for a PI because we would each like a new yacht"






(yes i did make that quote up)

[Bottlefall]

Originally Posted by ismail

They have already started work on a rendering that shows how this will reuine the views of the the world heritage site of Charles Dickens toilet, and cast a shadow over the vaults under London Bridge!

Another comical rendering,eh? I was kinda hoping for something more realistic....

[Ciudad Bristol]

Originally Posted by delores

So are we seeing a render in February? I really hope H&M can pull this off. I can see the headlines in the evening standard already.

Unless ES's sale makes a change. or did I read somewhere that the Russian chap is anti highrise?

[london lad]

Well as our man in the Standard mentioned a while back . This is supposed to have a planning application lodged tomorrow , the 17th. Guess its not long to find out if he got it right.

http://es.homesandproperty.co.uk/seefrancefromhere.html

[jimbo]

I await with baited breath. My colleague has an penthouse apartment just of Bermondsey Street and was well chuffed to think he'd see the progress of the Shard, and then would get a cracking permanent view of the beast. Sent him the link to this thread, and he was a tad put out, but then I don't think he's seen H&M in the flesh.

[wjfox]

Originally Posted by london lad

This is supposed to have a planning application lodged tomorrow , the 17th.

Nothing on the Southwark website yet.

[delores]

So has this been lodged yet?

[maughr]

Still nothing on the Southwark planning application list, so I assume not.

[london lad]

Little teaser here- But looks like we might have to wait till spring though.

http://www.bdonline.co.uk/story.asp?...de=3134488&c=2

[ismail]

No hurry, Hazel Blairs will want to waste more public money in call it in anyway, because EH will TELL her to.

[london lad]

(bear in mind this is probably a Sunday times mock up & not an official rendering)

From The Sunday Times
February 22, 2009
London tower to boast view of Channel
A new skyscraper will Architecture offer the UK’s highest luxury flat – at a price to match
Chris Gourlay

IT IS the room with the ultimate view. The architects behind the “bird’s nest” Olympic stadium in Beijing want to create Britain's tallest apartment block offering sweeping vistas to the English Channel.

The 932ft tower planned for the south bank of the Thames will be higher than One Canada Square at Canary Wharf, currently London’s tallest building, and will boast a penthouse suite that is likely to become one of the capital’s most desirable addresses.

The glass and steel “spire” by Herzog and de Meuron, the Swiss architects, will be complemented by two smaller towers, forming a new residential complex sitting in the shadow of the “shard of glass”, a mixed-use development already being built at London Bridge railway station.

Despite the recession, planning permission for the £350m trio of spires is due to be submitted within two months. If approved, the complex will take seven years to build, according to the Sellar Property Group, the developer behind the scheme. The same company is responsible for the “shard”, which is being financed by investors from oil-rich Qatar.

Although the 1,017ft “shard” will accommodate some flats, they will not occupy the highest floors of the building.

The Herzog and de Meuron towers will be located in Southwark, directly behind City Hall, obscuring the south-facing view from the office of Boris Johnson, the mayor of London. Johnson will have the final say on whether the spires will be built.

Details of the development, which has angered conservationists, have not been widely publicised. However, designs seen by The Sunday Times reveal three slender towers varying in height. The smallest will have 31 floors; the middle, 50 floors; and the tallest, 66.

Although apartments in the buildings have not yet been offered for sale, the penthouse capping the tallest spire could cost more than the £100m reportedly paid by a Qatari minister in 2007 for a suite at the top of a new block overlooking Hyde Park.

Prospective residents will need a head for heights given the penthouse’s floor-to-ceiling windows. The tallest spire is so thin that it is likely to require a counterbalancing mechanism to prevent it from swaying in heavy winds.

As well as enjoying stunning views – stretching as far as the Channel on a clear day – residents could benefit from a variety of amenities, including high-altitude bars, a cinema and a lido. A luxury hotel may also be incorporated into the plans.

If planning permission is granted, the three spires will become the third big British commission for Herzog and de Meuron, who won critical acclaim for the “bird’s nest” stadium, a £254m steel latticework. The architects are also working on a new extension for the Tate Modern gallery and a futuristic stadium for Portsmouth football club.

Their latest offering, however, is likely to be the most controversial. English Heritage has raised concerns that the three towers will require the demolition of 19th century warehouses within the Bermondsey conservation area. Critics also warn that the spires will interfere with views of the Tower of London, a World Heritage site.

Russell Gray, a property developer, said: “They say this is cutting-edge architecture by cutting-edge architects, but the reality is it will do nothing for the area.”

Zandra Rhodes, the fashion designer, whose studio and home would be overshadowed by the towers, disagrees. “These blocks would be good for the area and will tie in with other things . . . This would fit in with the ‘shard’,” she said.

Although Johnson has said he wants skyscrapers in London restricted to just three “clusters” – in the City, Canary Wharf and Croydon – he has given his backing to new towers outside these zones.

Sellar Property claimed the three towers would “revitalise and rejuvenate” their surroundings. It said it was optimistic that the new flats would pay for the regeneration of a local park and school, and some of the complex’s facilities would be available to the public.

[Smarty]

From today's Sunday Times:


London tower to boast view of Channel

image hosted on flickr


A new skyscraper will Architecture offer the UK’s highest luxury flat – at a price to matchChris Gourlay
IT IS the room with the ultimate view. The architects behind the “bird’s nest” Olympic stadium in Beijing want to create Britain's tallest apartment block offering sweeping vistas to the English Channel.

The 932ft tower planned for the south bank of the Thames will be higher than One Canada Square at Canary Wharf, currently London’s tallest building, and will boast a penthouse suite that is likely to become one of the capital’s most desirable addresses.

The glass and steel “spire” by Herzog and de Meuron, the Swiss architects, will be complemented by two smaller towers, forming a new residential complex sitting in the shadow of the “shard of glass”, a mixed-use development already being built at London Bridge railway station.

Despite the recession, planning permission for the £350m trio of spires is due to be submitted within two months. If approved, the complex will take seven years to build, according to the Sellar Property Group, the developer behind the scheme. The same company is responsible for the “shard”, which is being financed by investors from oil-rich Qatar.

The Herzog and de Meuron towers will be located in Southwark, directly behind City Hall, obscuring the south-facing view from the office of Boris Johnson, the mayor of London. Johnson will have the final say on whether the spires will be built.

Details of the development, which has angered conservationists, have not been widely publicised. However, designs seen by The Sunday Times reveal three slender towers varying in height. The smallest will have 31 floors; the middle, 50 floors; and the tallest, 66.

Although apartments in the buildings have not yet been offered for sale, the penthouse capping the tallest spire could cost more than the £100m reportedly paid by a Qatari minister in 2007 for a suite at the top of a new block overlooking Hyde Park.

Prospective residents will need a head for heights given the penthouse’s floor-to-ceiling windows. The tallest spire is so thin that it is likely to require a counterbalancing mechanism to prevent it from swaying in heavy winds.

As well as enjoying stunning views – stretching as far as the Channel on a clear day – residents could benefit from a variety of amenities, including high-altitude bars, a cinema and a lido. A luxury hotel may also be incorporated into the plans.

If planning permission is granted, the three spires will become the third big British commission for Herzog and de Meuron, who won critical acclaim for the “bird’s nest” stadium, a £254m steel latticework. The architects are also working on a new extension for the Tate Modern gallery and a futuristic stadium for Portsmouth football club.

Their latest offering, however, is likely to be the most controversial. English Heritage has raised concerns that the three towers will require the demolition of 19th century warehouses within the Bermondsey conservation area. Critics also warn that the spires will interfere with views of the Tower of London, a World Heritage site.

Russell Gray, a property developer, said: “They say this is cutting-edge architecture by cutting-edge architects, but the reality is it will do nothing for the area.”

Zandra Rhodes, the fashion designer, whose studio and home would be overshadowed by the towers, disagrees. “These blocks would be good for the area and will tie in with other things . . . This would fit in with the ‘shard’,” she said.

Although Johnson has said he wants skyscrapers in London restricted to just three “clusters” – in the City, Canary Wharf and Croydon – he has given his backing to new towers outside these zones.

Sellar Property claimed the three towers would “revitalise and rejuvenate” their surroundings. It said it was optimistic that the new flats would pay for the regeneration of a local park and school, and some of the complex’s facilities would be available to the public.

Additional reporting: Alasdair Glennie

[Smarty]

Oops - you just beat me to it

[Tony Resta]

If those renders are real then i love it! But we all know how it will end up looking like at the end of years of war with EH and the rest.

[Republica]

Surely EH have to accept that the 'war' is lost. I'm not saying there shouldnt be opposition to towers in sensitive places, but to blindly oppose anything anywhere is getting silly.

[The Sage]

It got silly quite some time ago, IMO...

[Loyalist.]

Heritage groups have not won a single case against tall buildings in London in recent years. Surely we now have enough precedents to not need to go through the same process over and over again for each new proposal.

[potto]

my appetite is whetted