1 Undershaft
General information
StatusProposed
TypeOffice
Address1 Undershaft
Town or cityLondon, EC3
CountryUnited Kingdom
ClientAroland Holdings
Height
Architectural295 m (968 ft)
Technical details
Floor count74
Floor area117,000 m2 (1,259,378 sq ft) (office)[1]
Design and construction
Architecture firmEric Parry Architects
Structural engineerWSP[2]

51°30′51″N 0°04′54″W / 51.514242°N 0.081583°W / 51.514242; -0.0815831 Undershaft is a supertall skyscraper planned for the City of London financial district. The scheme is being developed by Aroland Holdings and designed by Eric Parry Architects. It is set to replace the St Helen's tower, and upon completion will share The Shard's status as the tallest skyscrapers in London and the United Kingdom.

The building is the third design for a skyscraper at 1 Undershaft, replacing two previous proposals designed by architects Avery Associates and Eric Parry themselves respectively. The second proposal, nicknamed 'The Trellis' due to its external cross bracing, was given approval in November 2016, but this design was ultimately discarded in favour of a quad-segmented tower revealed in August 2023.

The substantial changes entailed will result in 1 Undershaft needing to once again apply for planning permission from the City of London Corporation.[3] Construction is planned to take around five years subject to planning, with enabling works starting in 2024, construction work starting in late 2025 after the demolition of St Helen's tower, and completion in 2029.[1][3]

Background

Original proposal (early 2015)

Original design by Avery Associates, to the immediate right of 122 Leadenhall Street

In January 2015, early plans emerged of a replacement office building for the St Helen's tower in Undershaft within London's Square Mile.[4] The proposal, named 1 Undershaft, was designed by Avery Associates; who began working on the scheme in collaboration with the then-owner of the site, Simon Halabi, in 2010.[5] At 270 m (890 ft), it would have become the third-tallest building in London and the United Kingdom, behind The Shard and 22 Bishopsgate.[6]

Second proposal (late 2015)

In July 2015, details of a revised scheme by the new owners of the site, Aroland Holdings, were reported. The plans were for a skyscraper of 304 m (997 ft) designed by Eric Parry Architects.[7] According to some reports, the design could be "modelled on Cleopatra's Needle".[8]

In December 2015, the new design was released for a tower of 294.6 m (967 ft) with 73 floors.[9][10] Subject to planning permission, it was set to become the tallest building in the Square Mile when completed and the second-tallest building in London and the United Kingdom, behind The Shard.[6] A consultation process took place in autumn 2015.[7] On 8 February 2016, a planning application was submitted for the development,[11] with a decision expected to be made in September 2016.[12]

1 Undershaft would replace the St Helen's tower, pictured above

However, a revised planning application was submitted by the developer which reduced the proposed height by 4.66 m (15.3 ft) to 289.9 m (951 ft), due to possible interference with the flight paths of the nearby London City Airport. Each floor was reduced in height by 50 mm and structural floor beam depths were changed. In addition, the level of the soffit was decreased and the viewing gallery height reduced, which was intended to be double height. Despite its height reduction, the proposed height will still make 1 Undershaft the second-tallest building in London and the United Kingdom upon completion.[13]

Following a recommendation by planning officers for approval, the scheme was approved by the City of London Corporation on 28 November 2016, with 19 votes in support and two against; final approval was given by Mayor of London Sadiq Khan on 12 December 2016.[14][15][16] The start date for construction of the scheme has not yet been decided, but building work is expected to be finished anywhere between six and 10 years from its approval date,[17] with demolition of the St Helen's building currently on the site expected to take 18 months and construction of 1 Undershaft due to take between three and four years.[18]

Design

Second 'Trellis' design for 1 Undershaft (centre), to the left of The Gherkin.

The second design's proposed skyscraper is rectangular in shape and slightly tapers as it gets higher.[19] Developer Aroland Holdings originally wanted 1 Undershaft to be taller than the proposed height. However, the height has been limited by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to avoid intruding on flight paths. In addition, the building's crown, which was intended to resemble Cleopatra's Needle, was not accepted by City planners who wanted "a less demonstrative top. They didn't want another overt shape".[19]

The tower is designed to be built 10.5 m (34 ft) off the ground in order to create public space underneath the building. To make room for the public space, the core will need to be positioned to the side of the tower. As a result, bronze-coloured diamond-shaped external cross-bracing will be required, giving the building its nickname The Trellis.[9][20][21]

A public square is also part of the proposed scheme, with 2,178 m2 (23,444 sq ft) of retail space below ground level.[22][19] The top of the skyscraper is set to have London's highest viewing gallery free for public access (which could include a museum run by the Museum of London),[23] and a restaurant.[9][19]

Construction financing scam

In 2017, a bogus bond financing scheme supposedly funding the construction of 1 Undershaft was launched in the United Kingdom. A £30 million tranche of 9-year bonds was issued by Trade Mark International Limited, a Cayman Islands-registered limited company. An accompanying website, www.trademarktint.com, was registered by Paul Mantoura.

A number of investors subscribed for the bonds, yielding 10% per annum coupons and a capital guarantee at maturity, through Paul Mantoura and his Platinum Associates firm in Brazil.[24] However, when investors stopped receiving communications in 2020, Intel Suisse, a financial investigation specialist firm, was called in and discovered the fraud: Trade Mark International never existed. The webhost firm confirmed Paul Mantoura's ownership of the website, which he acquired in 2017 and is now offline.

Third proposal (2023)

In August 2023, Eric Parry Architects revealed a substantially revised design for 1 Undershaft, prompted by changes to working habits following the COVID-19 pandemic,[1] as well as to improve the building's sustainability credentials.[3] In place of the previous cross-braced and tapered tower, this redesign proposes a tower segmented into four vertical blocks, increasing the usable floor area by 30%. At 309.6 m (AOD), the revised configuration will reach the exact same height as The Shard, sharing its status as the United Kingdom's tallest buildings.[25]

A public roof garden on the 10th floor has been added, extending over a curved canopy above the corner of Leadenhall Street and St Mary Axe; several winter gardens up to approximately 1,530 m2, external office terrace spaces up to 1,370 m2, and around 110,000 m2 of workspace, up from the second design's 90,000 m2. The public viewing gallery, shared with the Museum of London, remains part of the proposals.[1]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Spocchia, Gino (25 August 2023). "Eric Parry redesigns plans for City's tallest building". Architects' Journal. Retrieved 7 October 2023.
  2. ↑ Rogers, Dave. "Singapore developer unveils plans for London's tallest tower". Building. Retrieved 24 October 2016.
  3. 1 2 3 Lowe, Tom (29 August 2023). "Eric Parry unveils revised design for City's tallest tower". Building Design. Retrieved 7 October 2023.
  4. ↑ Morby, Aaron (16 January 2015). "Design unveiled for City of London's tallest skyscraper". Construction Enquirer. Archived from the original on 24 March 2015. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
  5. ↑ Stott, Rory (20 January 2015). "Avery Associates Reveals Design for 270-Metre Tower Next to London's Cheesegrater". ArchDaily. Archived from the original on 2 March 2015. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
  6. 1 2 "Skyscraper Center - London". The Skyscraper Center. Retrieved 8 October 2015.
  7. 1 2 Edmonds, Lizzie (6 July 2015). "Plans for skyscraper to rival the Shard to be submitted to City of London". Evening Standard. Retrieved 10 July 2015.
  8. ↑ Wainwright, Oliver (30 June 2015). "22 Bishopsgate – and the steroidal towers set to ruin London's skyline". The Guardian. Retrieved 12 July 2015.
  9. 1 2 3 Tucker, Emma (7 December 2015). "Eric Parry Architects unveils tallest tower in City of London". Dezeen. Retrieved 7 December 2015.
  10. ↑ "No. 1 Undershaft at The Skyscraper Center". The Skyscraper Center. Retrieved 7 December 2015.
  11. ↑ Williams, Richard (8 February 2016). "Plans for City of London's tallest building submitted". Property Week. Archived from the original on 9 February 2016. Retrieved 9 February 2016.
  12. ↑ Bevan, Robert (21 July 2016). "The Shaft will rival the The Shard for coolest skyscraper in London". Evening Standard. Retrieved 23 July 2016.
  13. ↑ Waite, Richard (3 October 2016). "Eric Parry reduces height of tallest tower in City". Architects' Journal. Retrieved 3 October 2016.
  14. ↑ Lynch, Russell (21 November 2016). "Square Mile's tallest tower dubbed the "Trellis", set for thumbs-up". Evening Standard. Retrieved 21 November 2016.
  15. ↑ Bourke, Joanna (28 November 2016). "Plans to build City of London's tallest skyscraper given green light". Evening Standard. Retrieved 28 November 2016.
  16. ↑ Prynn, Jonathan (13 December 2016). "Sadiq Khan gives backing for City's two tallest towers to be built". Evening Standard. Retrieved 27 April 2017.
  17. ↑ Sullivan, Connor (28 November 2016). "City of London approves 73-storey skyscraper to rival Shard". Financial Times. Archived from the original on 29 November 2016. Retrieved 28 November 2016.
  18. ↑ Bury, Rhiannon (28 November 2016). "1 Undershaft, the tallest tower in the City of London, gets the green light". The Telegraph. Retrieved 28 November 2016.
  19. 1 2 3 4 Wainwright, Oliver (7 December 2015). "1 Undershaft, the tallest skyscraper in the City of London, revealed". The Guardian. Retrieved 7 December 2015.
  20. ↑ Heathcote, Edwin (7 December 2015). "City of London's tallest building rises above corporate interests". Financial Times. Retrieved 7 December 2015.
  21. ↑ Morby, Aaron (21 November 2016). "London's second tallest tower set for approval | Construction Enquirer". Construction Enquirer. Retrieved 28 November 2016.
  22. ↑ Waite, Richard; Braidwood, Ella (28 November 2016). "Thumbs up for tallest tower in City". Architects' Journal. Retrieved 29 November 2016.
  23. ↑ Haslett, Emma (2 June 2016). "Could a new City skyscraper host London's highest museum?". City AM. Retrieved 24 November 2016.
  24. ↑ Yan LaSur, Lee (7 July 2023). "Investors in South & Latin America targeted in major UK property scam". St. Vincent Times. Retrieved 1 April 2023.
  25. ↑ Morby, Aaron (29 August 2023). "New One Undershaft tower plan as tall as the Shard". Construction Enquirer. Retrieved 7 October 2023.
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