This is the incredible new 1016ft English skyscraper that will match the UK’s tallest building to the inch. 1 Undershaft will be the same height as The Shard and when completed, will usher in a whopping 13 percent of the office space the City of London needs to 2040.
The gigantic structure, which was given planning permission on Friday, will sit at the site of insurer Aviva’s former headquarters and should be complete by the early 2030s. The height of building is the maximum allowed due to civil aviation rules.
The designers of 1 Undershaft, Eric Parry Architects, has bettered The Shard with plans to build Europe’s highest publicly accessible viewing gallery. There will also be a free-to-access public garden on the 11th floor and an educational space curated by the London Museum.
Visitors will also be able to enjoy a “classroom in the sky” on the uppermost floors, where they will learn about London. At ground level, on St Helen’s Square, a large 41ft by 22.9ft public screen and temporary stage will be set up for concerts, talks and live sports.
Shravan Joshi, chair of the City of London Corporation’s planning and transportation committee, which approved the mammoth structure on December 13, said the building is a show of confidence in the UK economy.
He said: “As another, much-needed office development gets approved in the City of London, it speaks to the confidence that global investors have in the London real estate market and the UK economy more widely.”
But the project was opposed by Historic England and Tower Hamlets Council on the grounds it could impact heritage assets such as the Tower of London.
A spokesperson for Historic England said: « We are disappointed that this scheme has been approved because the people of London deserve better. The proposed building will have a harmful impact on precious public space, as well as on the important listed buildings beside the development site and the Tower of London World Heritage Site. »
London City Airport and Heathrow Airport originally opposed the plans, saying it posed a safety risk, but successfully lobbied for a series of conditions to be included on the application.
The building was designed by Eric Parry Architects on behalf of Aroland Holdings Ltd. Founder Eric Parry said: « Tall buildings can generate huge amounts of value in our cities.
« We’re grateful that the City of London Corporation’s planners and policymakers have worked with us to realise this significant project, which will support the City’s ambitions in the capital. »
Stanhope, which worked on projects like Tate Modern, will be the development manager on behalf of Aroland Holdings. Aroland Holdings is a British Virgin Islands-registered company whose beneficial owner is listed as Kuok Khoon Hong, the co-founder of Singapore’s Wilmar International, one of the world’s largest oil palm plantation owners.
The Shard was built in 2012 and was largely constructed using recycled materials from the remains of Southwark’s Tower office building. It consists of 95 storeys and is the tallest building in the UK and the fourth tallest in Europe.
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