The first images have been released of a proposed skyscraper in the City of London that would be nearly as tall as The Shard. The tower, planned to replace the current Exchequer Court, a seven-storey office building, is being proposed by leaseholder insurers AmTrust.
Height and Design Details
According to the Financial Times, the tower would be 70 storeys and 300 metres tall. This would make it nearly as tall as The Shard, which stands at 306 metres, and it would tower over the nearby Gherkin (180 metres) and Cheesegrater (225 metres) buildings.
While the exact height has not been confirmed by the scheme, model photos were released this week from architects Wilkinson Eyre. The firm was behind the recent renovation of Battersea Power Station and also designed the Wellcome Collection and the nearby office block 8 Bishopsgate. The new photos show a glass ribbed tower with a curved roof rising up behind the Gherkin.
Public Spaces and Office Space
The building at 33 St Mary Axe would create 100,000 square metres of office space, but it would also make areas available to the public, including a rooftop garden and cultural spaces on the ground floor. In the Exchequer Court consultation document, it said the public will be able to use the first seven storeys of the tower. This will be “topped by a free publicly accessible landscaped garden at the seventh floors” which will have “views of the Gherkin”.
The report also said the building will “be designed to respond positively to the scale and character of the surrounding skyline”. It added: “The initial architectural ideas for the building are being developed to create a lighter and more refined presence when viewed from across the City, helping the building sit comfortably alongside nearby landmarks such as the Gherkin and contribute to a coherent and evolving cluster of tall buildings.”
Project Oversight and Timeline
Last week, The Standard reported that property giant Sir George Iacobescu is overseeing the project. He was responsible for pushing the transformation of Canary Wharf from a derelict area to the financial centre of London.
A planning application is set to be submitted to the local authority early next year. If plans get the green light, the tower would be finished by 2033. Public consultation runs until November 6.
