Bishopsgate Tower - "The Pinnacle"
City of London, England
Height: 288m
Floors: 63
Architect: Kohn Pederson Fox
Developer: Arab Investments
Links:
Promotional video (YouTube)
SkyscraperNews page
Notes:
At 288m, the Bishopsgate Tower will form the dramatic centrepiece and soaring pinnacle of London’s financial district.
It will be over 100 metres taller than the City's current tallest building,
Tower 42.
Plans for a tower on this site have been around since 2002. A previous design by Helmut Jahn was rejected after concerns
about the base and top, and its bulky appearance on the skyline. This new design, however, is more sleek and elegantly
proportioned. The architects of this new version, Kohn Pederson Fox, have created a tower which is more sensitive to the
City skyline, especially from Fleet Street, and complements the neighbouring proposals.
A planning application for a 307m tower was submitted in June 2005. Following concerns about flight paths from the Civil Aviation Authority,
a revised planning application with a 19m height reduction was submitted and given final approval in April 2006. In November 2006, the
developers secured funding for the project.
Current Status:
Demolition has now begun, and with funding and contracts secured, it has been confirmed that the tower will be
built speculatively. Actual construction is expected to begin in Easter 2008, with completion in 2011.
The full planning report for the tower can be accessed by
clicking here.
