Wilkinson Eyres 20 Blackfriars Approved
Published on 23-01-2008 by Skyscrapernews.com
Two towers designed by Wilkinson Eyre Architects overlooking Blackfriars Bridge on the South Bank in London have been given the go-ahead by Southwark Council.
The scheme at 20 Blackfriars Road features a 43 floor residential tower and a second tower of 23 storeys that will be office use. There will be 243 apartments in the tower and adjacent shorter residential buildings fronting Stamford Street that rise up to seven floors in height. There is also 25,769 square metres of office space, 1,170 square metres of ground floor retail and 82 car parking spaces included in the project.
The maximum height of the two buildings will be 105 metres AOD for the office tower and 148 metres AOD for the residential tower.
It was originally developed by Land Securities PLC who originally planned one single 200 metre tall tower that was dropped before it could be officially be proposed. Land Securities sold the site, and the design on to Israeli company, Circleplane, owned by millionaire Gil Levy last year.
Wilkinson Eyre has designed the proposals to have some of the latest and greatest environmental touches within including green walls on some of the buildings, that is outer walls that are designed to have plants grow on them similar to a hanging garden. These will partially bound the planned public piazza of the scheme that will run from the entrance on Stamford Street into the centre of the site.
The main residential tower will aligned along a north south axis and be clad in double skinned glass with winter gardens between the two skins as pioneered by the likes of One Deansgate in Manchester.
The faceted shape of it will be a direct contrast to the rectilinear shorter office tower that follows through a more conservative look as befitting its commercial uses. This is perhaps also a nod of recognition from the architects that corporate architecture should be more restrained and less flamboyant.
There's no construction date yet for 20 Blackfriars but if the proposals are built they will stand directly alongside a number of other tall buildings including an approved taller tower by Beetham and a 15 floor office tower by architects, Allford Hall Monaghan Morris.
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