May 19, 2004

	Courtesy KPF
	Courtesy Richard Rogers Partnership

In 1991 London had but two skyscrapers by global standards: the 800-foot Canary Wharf Tower designed by Cesar Pelli and the 600-foot National Westminster Bank Tower. The city has strict rules on building height, and permission to build city center skyscrapers is granted on a case-by-case basis, meaning the ones that get through are notable landmarks – like Norman Foster’s unique new SwissRe tower. SwissRe’s transformation of London’s skyline unleashes the prospect of a new picture postcard image representing London, as skyscraper development in the city is set to catapault it into a new era.

Renzo Piano’s 1016-foot London Bridge Tower, dubbed ‘The Shard of Glass,’ is as slim and sharp as Foster’s SwissRe is tubby and textured. Its steeply sloping facades of white glass will make the tower seem to partly disappear into the sky. The building sparked controversy and a public enquiry over claims it would spoil the skyline. It has been praised for the elegant and tapering shape that prompted its ‘Shard’ nickname, and is due to provide offices, a hotel, restaurants, apartments, retail and three viewing areas. The decision in November 2003 to give the go ahead to what will be Europe’s tallest building when completed on the grounds that the tower enhanced its setting surprised critics, but was a triumph for Mayor Ken Livingstone’s policy of supporting tall buildings.

One year ago Livingstone announced his plans to add up to 15 new skyscapers in the capital by 2013 – and immediately came under fire from government inspectors. He is responsive to arguments put forward by the Corporation of London (‘Tall Buildings and Sustainability’, 2002) that tall buildings are increasingly necessary for the efficient use they make of the limited land available. "The Corporation of London needs to ensure that demand for office space can be met within the Square Mile (the London area in which much of the city’s financial industry is located)," says Judith Mayhew, in charge of the Corporation’s policy and resources. In this context, tall office buildings are becoming increasingly necessary as a result of the efficient use that make of the limited land available’.

Now skyscapers are a UK reality, resulting from clients wanting the kind of floorspace as well as the iconic glory they bring. Other recent skyscraper projects include Richard Rogers’ 122 Leadenhall Street, which is strikingly similar to Piano’s design. The 48-floor glass tower's high degree of transparency reveals its structural steel frame, with colour and light adding depth and animation to the north-facing façade. Its slender, tapering form rises to a height of 736.5ft in the eastern cluster of tall buildings in the City of London. given in 2002 to go ahead with the Heron Tower in Bishopsgate in the City, following a public enquiry. Designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox, the 727 foot, 37 storey Tower arranges workspaces around a series of 11 triple-height atria, and when completed in 2005 will be one of the tallest building in the City. Mayor Livingstone apparently jokingly said ‘go back and make it bigger’ when KPF presented a 590 foot tower.

A third skyscraper, the Minerva Building, designed by Grimshaw Architects, recently won planning permission. At 217m (50 floors high), it will provide 93,000m2 of office space. Its design is described by the architect as four open books standing with their spines erect, facing one another. A naturally ventilating glass façade is projected to save up to two thirds of energy, eliminating the need for air conditioning most of the year.

Even the architects of the London Eye have proposed a skyscraper design. Marks Barfield’s 72 storey Skyhouse, with shops, health clubs, nurseries, restaurants and gardens. But most of the pressure for skyscrapers at the moment is for commercial rather than to meet residential needs.

Vying to be the highest and the ultimate landmark is a game set to continue globally, and London has clearly now got a thirst for some action. Convincing evidence of the need for new skyscrapers will come as they fill up with tenants. Meanwhile, a confluence of factors: an easing of the restrictions, the rigor of the Mayor’s policies and the Corporation of London’s active advocacy of good design, will hopefully ensure that only the exceptional ones get realised.

"Our skyline has seen exciting and rapid change," says Peter Rees, chief planner at the Corporation. ‘The public can find that hard to accept, because it has been poorly served by architecture in the post-war period. Size isn’t everything. I want to see buildings with flavour, where you can see the architects’ enthusiasm.

Lucy Bullivant

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