1980s London Buildings to Make Way for New Tower Plan

Skidmore, Owings and Merrill (SOM) has devised a plan to replace Linklaters’ 1980s headquarters (HQ) at 1 Silk Street in London, England, with two 20-story towers, Building Design reported in June. The legal services firm plans to move from the mid-rise linked buildings into a new HQ at a 25-story building in East London by 2026. SOM designed the new Silk Street towers for 22 Bishopsgate developer Lipton Rogers to provide 91,000 m² of commercial space, 2,200 m² of retail and 2,400 m² of public space. The old buildings will soon become “unlettable due to requirements for commercial buildings to have a minimum EPC (Energy Performance Certificate) rating of C,” set to be enforced in 2026. Only the basement and foundation of the existing property will remain, with a foliage-filled, terraced structure in its place that Lipton Rogers said would yield a biodiversity increase of 352%. The completed towers are set to open in 2032.