Redesign Plans for London’s 70 Gracechurch Approved

The City of London has approved Kohn Pedersen Fox (KPF)’s proposals for a 32-story tower – a redesign of consented proposals from 2021, Architects’ Journal reports. The 132-m-tall scheme includes the part-retrofit of a 23-year-old Marks & Spencer’s store and office building at 70 Gracechurch Street, north-west of the Walkie Talkie, to create 50,000 m² of office floor space. KPF’s proposal also features a rooftop public gallery, garden terrace and cultural ground floor space. The scheme also reintroduces a pedestrian route through the site. The scheme is a redesign of a 33-story proposal approved in 2021, but KPF had to consult on revised plans in 2024 after the developer sold the site in 2022. KPF now proposes cladding the existing building in stone while cladding the office floors above in large glass panels and textured horizontal metal spandrels, according to consultation documents. Completion is scheduled for 2032.