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A new tallest skyscraper within the traditional 'City of London' in the heart of the homonymous world-class metropolis has received the blessing of local planning officials. The 73-storey 1 Undershaft scheme drawn up by Eric Parry Architects for Singapore's Aroland Holdings would top out at 290 metres — the original height called for a tower five metres taller but aviation concerns necessitated a trim.
The building's interior program will be similar in function to its slightly taller neighbour across the Thames, The Shard. 1 Undershaft will primarily house office space, with 2,178 square metres of retail space and 1,220 square metres of restaurant space also planned. To rival The Shard's immensely popular observation deck, the new project will contain two floors allocated as free-of-charge public viewing galleries.
A report submitted to the City of London’s Planning and Transportation Committee outlined a number of concerns with the proposal, including shadowing and the tall tower's visual impact on views of nearby landmarks like the Tower of London and St Paul's Cathedral. The highrise St. Helen's Tower, built in 1969 in accordance with classic International Style principles, would be replaced by the new skyscraper. With its charcoal black facade and rectilinear geometry, Gollins Melvin Ward Partnership sought inspiration from Modernist icon Ludwig Mies van der Rohe when designing the 28-storey building. Despite outcry from some heritage preservationists, planning officials recommended the project for approval, arguing that development and growth in the cluster, where many of London's tallest buildings are located, is "inevitable."
Like most recent London skyscrapers, 1 Undershaft has already been given a playful moniker. Locals have taken to calling the tower "the Trellis" in reference of the diagrid bracing that stretches from the ground to the crown. Calling the building "calm and restrained," officials said the tower would consolidate and provide vertical emphasis to the existing cluster.
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