Plans for a new high rise office development in City of London unveiled

DBOX for Henderson Global Investors and MAKE

Plans for a new high rise office development in the City of London have been unveiled by Henderson Global Investors. Designed by Make architectural practice, the high buildings at 40 Leadenhall Street, EC3 will vary in height between 7 and 34 office storeys, with two additional basement levels, a roof level plant, and café and restaurant uses at ground floor level.  The total size of the building is 910,000 sq ft, split between 890,000 sq ft office and c. 20,000 sq ft retail. A grade II listed building at 19-21 Billiter Street, built in 1865, will be restored and integrated in the proposed scheme, which it is estimated will create 390 construction jobs, with around 7,000 people expected to work in the completed building.

The building is located in the City of London’s insurance district of EC3 and within the Eastern Cluster of tall buildings and is formed of vertical slices arranged around the listed building to create a vertical composition to complement the more curved and leaning buildings on the London skyline. The tallest part of the building is positioned at the northern end of the site to take account of neighbouring tall buildings and steps down in height toward the River Thames and Tower of London to the south.

Henderson acquired the ‘Leadenhall Triangle’ site on behalf of clients in May 2011, and has since been working on viable options for the site. Following pre-application consultation with the major statutory bodies and stakeholders, the plans for the building went on public exhibition this week.

Nick Deacon, Director of Property, Central London Offices, Henderson Global Investors, said: “Henderson’s plans for a new high quality office building on Leadenhall Street will be a fantastic addition to London’s dynamic insurance district.  It will sit within the City’s eastern cluster of tall buildings and it has been designed as a series of vertical elements to complement the other taller and adjacent buildings in the heart of the City.”

Paul Scott of Make, added:  “At the heart of the City’s insurance district, the shifting vertical planes of our scheme rise to complement the cluster of tall buildings on the skyline and sensitively terrace down in southern views from and across the River Thames. An exemplar of environmentally progressive design, the building will reduce carbon emissions by over 40 per cent compared to current regulations and lead the next generation of city centre office buildings.”