The City of London Corporation has revealed renderings how showing how the Square Mile will look like by 2026, by which time 13 office buildings will be complete, ranging in height from 14 to 73 storeys.
The towers, which will be mostly in the City’s "eastern cluster", include 22 Bishopsgate, designed by PLP Architecture, Eric Parry’s 1 Undershaft and Kohn Pedersen Fox’s 52-54 Lime Street, aka "The Scalpel".
The City’s optimistic growth expectations are being made despite indications that Brexit will hit London’s role as a global financial centre.
As of September 2017, there were more than 1.4 million sq m of office space under construction in the City, able to accommodate 85,000 workers. This compares with 1.2 million sq m in March 2016, before the vote to leave.
London 2026 aerial view (City of London)
Chris Hayward, planning committee chairman at the Corporation, said: "The City’s occupier base is becoming more dynamic, with SMEs and media companies choosing the Square Mile as their home.
"Over the next 30 years, I expect that we will need to deliver office space for up to 100,000 extra City workers. Iconic buildings such as TwentyTwo will lead the way in ensuring the City remains competitive as a leading financial centre."
The eight buildings under construction are:
- 22 Bishopsgate by PLP Architecture: 62 storeys
- 6-8 Bishopsgate by WilkinsonEyre: 50 storeys
- 150 Bishopsgate by PLP Architecture and MSMR, 41 storeys
- 100 Bishopsgate by Allies and Morrison: 37 storeys
- 52 Lime Street (the Scalpel) by Kohn Pedersen Fox: 36 storeys
- 70 St Mary Axe by Foggo Associates, 21 storeys
- 120 Fenchurch Street by Eric Parry Architects: 15 storeys
- 80 Fenchurch Street by TP Bennett: 14 storeys
The five buildings with planning consent are:
- 1 Undershaft by Eric Parry Architects, 73 storeys
- 1 Leadenhall Street by Make Architects: 36 storeys
- 40 Leadenhall Street by Make Architects: 34 storeys
- 2-3 Finsbury Avenue, by Arup Associates: 32 storeys
- 130 Fenchurch Street by Farshid Moussavi Architecture: 17 storeys
Some 400,000 people commute into the City every day for work and 10 million visit as tourists every year.
Three tall buildings were completed in the 2016/17 financial year.
Top image: London 2026 viewed from City Hall (City of London)
