Greenland Group, Shanghai’s biggest property developer, is moving forward on an £800 million (US$1.066 billion) project in London that could be the tallest residential building in western Europe.
Spire London, as it’s being called, will rise 235 meters, or 771 feet, near the City’s Canary Wharf. Ninety-six of the building’s 861 apartments will be priced affordability and have access to third-floor communal amenities such as meeting rooms, games room, and a music/learning/cultural space.
However, so-called “social” tenants housed on the lower floors will enter the 67-story building through a separate door. Affluent private buyers will be ferried to their ritzier apartments, ranging in size from 50 to 150 sm (538 to 1,614 sf) and in price from £595,000 to £3 million, on the upper floors and penthouse via nine dedicated elevators. Their amenities include a 35th-floor club, infinity pool, and cinema.
(To put these prices into some context, the average price of a home in London in August, unadjusted for seasonality, was £206,145, according to the Nationwide House Price Index.)
HOK is the architect for Spire London, and Greenland Group released renderings of the building yesterday. Its design is said to be based on the nautical history of the dock site, and by the orchid, which China first cultivated more than 3,000 years ago.
The building’s angled roof creates terraces for upper-level apartments, and louvers will provide natural ventilation.
Spire London is one of 400 towers 20 stories or more that are either under construction or in the planning stages in London. Image: Greenland Group
Construction work on Spire London is scheduled to begin in January and be completed by 2020. This is one of 400 high rises over 20 stories tall that are in construction or planning stages in London, 270 of which would be in the inner boroughs. Last month, an Ipsos Mori survey of more than 500 Londoners, commissioned by the anti-skyscraper Skyline Campaign, revealed that nearly half (49%) think that’s too many skyscrapers, versus 34% in outer boroughs who feel the same way.
Nearly three-fifths of all Londoners support restrictions on the number of skyscrapers that can be built, partly because they remain unconvinced that these tall buildings are meeting the City’s housing needs. Nearly three-quarters of respondents also want their communities to have more say in the design of these high rises.
However, foreign investment in UK real estate is not likely to be discouraged at a time when the country is trying to sort out where it stands, post-Brexit, in terms of international trade and commerce.
Where Spire London would stand compared to other tall buildings in London. Chart: The Guardian
Related Stories
Adaptive Reuse | Aug 14, 2024
KPF unveils design for repositioning of Norman Foster’s 8 Canada Square tower in London
8 Canada Square, a Norman Foster-designed office building that’s currently the global headquarters of HSBC Holdings, will have large sections of its façade removed to create landscaped terraces. The project, designed by KPF, will be the world’s largest transformation of an office tower into a sustainable mixed-use building.
High-rise Construction | Jul 29, 2024
Safdie Architects’ Shanghai office tower features glass-enclosed corner garden that ascends the 35-story structure
Safdie Architects has announced the completion of LuOne Mixed-Use Complex—a business, retail, and entertainment development in the Luwan district of Shanghai, China. The mixed-use complex consists of an eight-level retail galleria, which opened in 2018, and a 35-story office tower, which recently reached completion.
Great Solutions | Jul 23, 2024
41 Great Solutions for architects, engineers, and contractors
AI ChatBots, ambient computing, floating MRIs, low-carbon cement, sunshine on demand, next-generation top-down construction. These and 35 other innovations make up our 2024 Great Solutions Report, which highlights fresh ideas and innovations from leading architecture, engineering, and construction firms.
Adaptive Reuse | Jun 13, 2024
4 ways to transform old buildings into modern assets
As cities grow, their office inventories remain largely stagnant. Yet despite changes to the market—including the impact of hybrid work—opportunities still exist. Enter: “Midlife Metamorphosis.”
Urban Planning | May 28, 2024
‘Flowing’ design emphasizes interaction at Bellevue, Wash., development
The three-tower 1,030,000-sf office and retail development designed by Graphite Design Group in collaboration with Compton Design Office for Vulcan Real Estate is attracting some of the world’s largest names in tech and hospitality.
Mixed-Use | Apr 4, 2024
Sustainable mixed-use districts: Crafting urban communities
As a part of the revitalization of a Seattle neighborhood, Graphite Design Group designed a sustainable mixed-use community that exemplifies resource conversation, transportation synergies, and long-term flexibility.
Office Buildings | Apr 2, 2024
SOM designs pleated façade for Star River Headquarters for optimal daylighting and views
In Guangzhou, China, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) has designed the recently completed Star River Headquarters to minimize embodied carbon, reduce energy consumption, and create a healthy work environment. The 48-story tower is located in the business district on Guangzhou’s Pazhou Island.
High-rise Construction | Feb 23, 2024
Designing a new frontier in Seattle’s urban core
Graphite Design Group shares the design for Frontier, a 540,000-sf tower in a five-block master plan for Seattle-based tech leader Amazon.
Luxury Residential | Feb 1, 2024
Luxury 16-story condominium building opens in Chicago
The Chicago office of architecture firm Lamar Johnson Collaborative (LJC) yesterday announced the completion of Embry, a 58-unit luxury condominium building at 21 N. May St. in Chicago’s West Loop.
Biophilic Design | Jan 16, 2024
New supertall Manhattan tower features wraparound green terraces
At 66 stories and 1,031.5 ft high, The Spiral is BIG’s first supertall building and first commercial high-rise in New York.