Plans Submitted for London Building Transformation

Kohn Pedersen Fox’s Old Street roundabout tower has been submitted for planning, Building Design reports. The City fringe scheme would transform the 1990s Inmarsat building at 99 City Road in London into a 36-story office by inserting a new core into the existing building while keeping the majority of its structure, including the foundations and basement. The 154-m-tall scheme would start construction next year. Application approval is expected this summer. The project team currently includes structural engineer AKT II, Atelier Ten on MEP (mechanical, electrical and plumbing), Publica on public realm design, planning consultant DP9, townscape consultant Montagu Evans, Sweco on vertical transportation, project manager Avison Young and cost consultant Arcadis. The new tower would provide approximately 65,000 m² of office space and is intended to serve as a gateway to the City of London and a shot in the arm for Old Street roundabout’s flagging tech cluster, known as “Silicon Roundabout” or “Tech City.” A tall building study carried out by Islington council in 2018 argued the site should become the “focal point” of the tech cluster and said any tall building would need to be of “outstanding architecture” that adds a “distinctiveness” to the area.