2014 Building
Designed by Richard Rogers and developed by British Land and Oxford Properties, the new Leadenhall Building will be 225 m (737 ft) tall, with 48 floors, when it is completed in 2014. With its distinctive wedge-shaped profile it has been nicknamed the Cheesegrater.
The planning application was submitted to the City of London Corporation in February 2004 and was approved in May 2005. In a statement made to the London Stock Exchange on 14 August 2008, British Land said it was delaying the project, which was due to start in October 2010. On 22 December 2010, the developer announced the project was moving forward with contracts being signed for the 50/50 joint venture with Oxford Properties.
The new tower will feature a tapered glass façade on one side which will reveal the steel bracings, along with a ladder frame that is aimed to emphasize the vertical appearance of the building. It will also appear to anchor the tower to the ground, giving a sense of strength. Unlike other tall buildings, which typically use a concrete core to provide stability, the steel megaframe, designed by Arup, will provide stability to the entire structure and is the worlds tallest of its kind. The base will feature a 30 m high atrium. This will be open to the public and will extend the adjacent plaza. Exterior glass lifts will be used on the building, similar to the neighbouring Lloyd's building designed by the same architect.
This unusual design's main drawback is the building's relatively small floorspace (84,424 m²) for a building of its height. However, it is hoped that the slanting wedge-shaped design will have less impact on the protected sightline of St Paul's Cathedral when viewed from Fleet Street and the west.
The development is expected to cost approximately £286 million.
In July 2011 British Land and Oxford Properties announced Laing O'Rourke as the main contractor for the works of the new Leadenhall Building. Throughout 2011 construction began with the basement floors. As of July 2012 the steel structure is now at around 11 storeys high.
The development has succeeded in attracting tenants thus far, with one-third of the tower already pre-let to insurance broker Aon, which has moved its worldwide headquarters to London from Chicago.
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Famous quotes containing the word building:
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—Eric Gill (1882–1940)