An important completion, work underway and hotly debated plans for more tall construction

Final Tower of Principal Place Completed

Construction of the 50-story Principal Tower, the final piece of the Principal Place project that borders the City of London, has completed, the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) reported in January, citing Foster + Partners. Principal Place, a comprehensively planned mixed-use project on the border of Shoreditch near the heart of London, creates a new neighborhood that draws on the industrial heritage of the area. The project includes a 15-story office building that hosts the London headquarters for Amazon, which sits next to Principal Tower, one of London’s tallest residential buildings. There are also six eateries and a bar.

High-Rise Plan Supported in Kensington

A planned 27-story tower that is part of a project to bring 462 residential units to the Kensington district appears poised for approval, the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat reports, citing MyLondon. The plan originally included a 22-story tower, plus seven other buildings ranging from 11 to 14 stories but was rejected by Kensington and Chelsea Council in May 2019. Dutch developer Meyer Bergman, hoping to develop the large site at 100 West Cromwell Road, agreed to changes that include a larger proportion of affordable homes and an increase in the height of the tallest tower. Councilors have decided to encourage Mayor Sadiq Khan to approve the plan.

New Phase of Multibuilding Project Underway

Wembley Park Plot EO5, a multibuilding project near Wembley Stadium, is showing progress, with the latest phase underway in January, the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat reported, quoting Electrical Times. The project to transform an abandoned 85-acre industrial area into a public- facing mixed-use space will include the construction of three towers ranging from 10 to 22 stories high and encompassing 458 apartments. The development will feature basement parking for bicycles and cars, coach parking at ground level and two levels of accessible stadium parking, as well as 7,755 m2 of outdoor amenities. Completion is planned for spring 2021.

Tulip Team to Appeal Rejection by Mayor

The development group behind Foster + Partners’ controversial Tulip tower (ELEVATOR WORLD, February 2019) plans to appeal Khan’s rejection of the tourist attraction, the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat reported in January, citing Architects’ Journal. In 2019, Khan overturned the City of London’s earlier approval for the proposed 305-m-tall skyscraper, saying he had several concerns about the project, including its design. He criticized the structure for being “a vertical solid shaft” that ended abruptly and that did not “represent world-class architecture.” The project is backed by the J Safra Sarasin Group, a banking giant that owns the neighboring 30 St Mary Axe, an office tower commonly referred to as the Gherkin. Khan’s rejection of the plan for the Tulip, at 20 Bury Street in London’s Square Mile, came after the project received heavy opposition from Historic England and Historic Royal Palaces.