Contract and tower news from London, Manchester and Liverpool

London Crossrail Escalator Installation Past Halfway Point

More than half the escalators at stations on London’s new Crossrail railway line, which will become Elizabeth Line in December 2018, have been installed, marking a milestone for the project, various news outlets, including Rail Technology Magazine, reported. At the Canary Wharf station, 17 escalators had been installed as of August, with the framework for an additional 37 units complete at Paddington, Bond Street, Tottenham, Court Road, Farrington and Liverpool Street. This represents a total length of approximately 1.6 km of what will eventually be nearly 3 km and 81 escalators. All 40 stations will also have elevators. Here are some additional facts:

• Otis is supplying more than 100 units to Crossrail (ELEVATOR WORLD, October 2013 and March 2017).
• At 60 m, the escalator at the Bond Street station is the longest in the system.
• All escalators except the ones at Canary Wharf (which have one less flat step at the top and will travel at 0.75 mps) will travel at 0.5 mps.

Manchester Plan for 26-67-Story Towers Progresses

Trinity Islands, a plan by Allied London for five Child Graddon Lewis (CGL)-designed towers ranging from 26 to 67 stories in the city center of Manchester looks to be moving forward despite opposition from historic preservationists concerned about its scale, Building Design reported. This past summer, officials had planned to recommend it to the Planning and Highways Committee, observing that its high design quality and public benefits will outweigh any “minor and moderate” impact to the surrounding landscape. The development would include approximately 1,400 homes and Manchester’s tallest building at 237 m. Construction could start by the end of the year.

Liverpool Council OKs Towers at Historic Dock

The city council in Liverpool approved 31- and 15-story towers at the historic Princes Dock, which opened in 1821, Building Design reported. The taller tower, Hive City Docks, was designed by Brock Carmichael Architects and is set to have 278 apartments and amenities such as a rooftop restaurant. The shorter tower will have approximately 100 apartments. Despite concern about the impact of high rises on the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization World Heritage site, a historic adviser to the council praised the plan, stating it will “preserve and enhance the character” of the area that includes a recently approved 34-story building. The pair of buildings is part of Peel Land and Property’s 60-ha Liverpool Waters development.

Six Buildings Up To 53 Stories for London’s South Bank

A 53-story, 183.5-m-tall residential tower with ground-level retail designed by Wilkinson Eyre is part of a six-building, mixed-use plan for 18 Blackfriars Road on London’s South Bank, Building Design reported. A 34-story office building by Brisac Gonzalez Architecture, as well as hotel and residential buildings ranging from 12-19 stories, is part of the scheme. All buildings would be linked by a four-story, underground basement. The 53-story tower will stand above its 50- and 49-story neighbors and dwarf a nearby historic pub and 1960 church deemed significant because of its stained glass.

Manchester Proposal Calls for 30-Story Student Residence

A proposal for a 30-story student-housing tower in Manchester has been submitted to the Manchester City Council for approval, bdonline.co.uk reports. The building, designed by SimpsonHaugh, would offer a variety of apartment sizes with a total of 573 student bedrooms. The plan also calls for common areas, bicycle parking and commercial space. The project would require demolition of two buildings at the New Wakefield Street site, a music venue and vacant industrial building that both date to the late 19th or early 20th centuries, but the application suggests that neither holds historical significance.