Foggos Arched Glass And Steel
Published on 07-08-2008 by Skyscrapernews.com
Developed by Targetfollow and designd by Foggo Associates, this new 90.6 metre tall building will stand only a short distance north of the Gherkin on 60-70 St Mary Axe and Houndsditch in the very heart of the City of London.
With office space over eighteen floors for offices and four plant levels on the top, this isn't a landmark tower by any means - from many views the relatively short height of the building will hide in between existing buildings but when viewed from Waterloo Bridge it will be visible filling a small part of the gap between the Pinnacle and Tower 42.
It's pitched at both the possibility of being a corporate headquarters for a single occupier with a distinctive visual identity, in this case what we think looks like a Can of Ham, or alternatively a multi-let building with each rectangular floor-plate capable of being split into two.
Originally the architects did consider a taller building in the form of a regularly shaped rectangular tower 40 storeys in height but thanks to the location of the scheme, it would have appeared behind the Tower of London in protected sightlines so this idea was dropped despite having been identified as the optimum building for the site.
Moving on from that, the architects reduced the proposal to 24 storeys but the complete occupation of the site from tip to tip by the building and the monolithic mass it could have taken on were both considered unacceptable.
Foggo Associates saw the project evolve further with the inspiration of an arch. Not only would this reduce the upper levels but it could also allow the ground-level around the proposal to be enhanced as the lower floors shrink inwards. New trees will be planted around the base with LED lights illuminating them at night.
The design is one of slick high-tech. Vertical fins faced with stainless steel run up the curving faces of the building that allow good penetration of the natural light whilst reducing to a minimum solar gain that would see the building require extra cooling.
This is particularly important because the building will be angled 45 degrees due north meaning all four sides of it would be open to direct sunlight during the day and it would naturally heat up if there were not the necessary solar shading.
The other two sides, the north-west and south-east of the building, have flat elevations with semi transparent double skinned glass. The south-eastern side also features solar panels hidden within the double façade.
Below the ground the scheme includes a thermal energy retaining wall and thermal energy boreholes under that, both featuring closed loop ground coupling pipe-work. Combined with the solar panels, these should generate 5.1% of the needed energy on site in the form of renewables.
The end result is something perhaps too short to make a real impact on London's evolving skyline, but of high enough quality to be something of a hidden gem up close that could, if given a good enough finish, compare favourably with its bigger, and snazzier neighbours.
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