Subway upgrades and tower updates

Renold to Provide Escalator Drives to Busy Tube Station

Renold Plc, headquartered in Manchester, U.K., has been awarded a contract to supply seven bespoke escalator drive packages to the London Tube’s busy Holborn station. Each package includes a heavy-duty TW Series worm-gear unit, motor, brake and baseplate. Gearboxes will boast Renold’s new leak-free design, which Renold states is “an important factor at underground stations for improved safety, reliability, reduced maintenance and a cleaner operating environment.” The drive packages will be assembled by Renold engineers at its factory, undergo testing overseen by London Underground engineers, be disassembled, then be delivered and reassembled onsite. The 14th busiest station in the London Underground, Holborn processes more than 60,000 passengers each weekday, or more than 40 million a year.

Pair of Towers Impacted by Historic View Issue

A pair of towers originally planned at 30 and 40 stories in Stratford, east London, must be redesigned in light of changes to city policy regarding historic views expected to affect approximately six Stratford projects, Architects’ Journal reported. After a row over Manhattan Loft Gardens’ impact on views of St. Paul’s Cathedral (ELEVATOR WORLD, February 2017), London Mayor Sadiq Khan urged councils to carefully consider height when deciding whether to greenlight projects. A project of Allies and Morrison, the Olympicopolis will be home to the Victoria and Albert Museum, Sadler Wells Theatre and a London College of Fashion campus. The project could open in late 2022 and is being designed by O’Donnell + Tuomey.

Residential Stratosphere Nears Completion

London’s Stratford area continues its transformation into a bustling neighborhood with the arrival of the 38- and 12-story residential towers forming Stratosphere, which in February was close to completion, SkyRise Cities reported. Telford Homes is the developer, and Allies and Morrison is the designer of the structures, which will offer luxurious interiors, ample amenities and views that include the city, Canary Wharf and Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. There will be more than 300 apartments. Stratford’s skyline began to transform following the 2012 Olympic Games and has now become London’s “newest hub for leisure and culture.”

Greenwich Momentum Continues

Tall-building momentum in East London’s Greenwich Peninsula that includes plans for a Santiago Calatrava-designed trio of towers (EW, April 2017) is continuing in the form of a quartet of residential towers ranging from five to 28 stories approved by the Royal Borough of Greenwich, World Architecture News reported. All seven are being developed by Knight Dragon, with design of the latest four by Alison Brooks Architects. Consisting of 28- and 17-story towers facing Central Park on the southwest portion of the site and 12- and five-story towers on the northeast, the development is set to include approximately 400 residences. The design takes cues from the area’s industrial past. A construction timeframe was not given.