London Bridge Tower, London, United Kingdom

London Bridge Tower will be the city's first truly mixed-use building. Designed by Renzo Piano, the structure will be constructed on the site of an existing 1970s office building adjacent to London Bridge station. It will provide a mix of shopping, office, hotel, leisure and residential uses, as well as offering a variety of public spaces, including viewing galleries.

Central London has been the focal point for many prestigious developments in recent years, but while the Swiss Re Tower development has taken its fair share of headlines, the south bank of the Thames is also attracting plenty of attention.

The Greater London Authority (GLA) headquarters set the tone for flagship buildings south of the river, but the London Bridge Tower project may yet put it in the shade, dramatically altering the face of the south bank in the process.

After a public inquiry and almost three years of public consultation, the London Bridge Tower project finally got the go-ahead. In November 2003, the project received planning permission from the UK Government, and the wheels of change were set in motion for another striking addition to London's skyline.

LONDON BRIDGE TOWER CONCEPT

The 66-storey tower, which is to be developed on the site of an existing 1970s office block bordering London Bridge station, will be a multi-use structure standing a little over 1,000ft tall. It will incorporate around 600,000ft² of modern, high-spec office space, along with a 185-room hotel and a range of shopping, leisure, residential and public spaces, and will be a lynchpin of the local economy.

The Sellar Property Group, which is backing the project, believes it will be London's only truly mixed-use building, as nowhere else has such a blend of shops, office space, residential units, and leisure and visitor facilities. The site is easily capable of servicing such diverse needs, partly due to the existing train, bus and underground rail links.

Prior to construction, Foster and Partners' Swiss Re Tower was receiving mixed reviews. However, since completion Londoners have embraced it as an integral part of the city skyline. As the first green skyscraper, the Swiss Re Tower has raised the bar for all future developments in the city.

London Bridge Tower has similar aspirations, and will be judged according to these high standards. However, despite the long period of consultation between the public, the government and the designers, only once the building has actually been completed will it become clear whether or not it has been a success.

WEALTH OF EXPERIENCE

Much of that success will depend on the architect, Renzo Piano. Piano first came to prominence through his collaborations with Richard Rogers on high-profile projects such as the Centre Pompidou in Paris.

Now, almost 30 years after they went their separate ways, Piano's firm, the Renzo Piano Building Workshop, is flourishing. Based in Genoa and Paris, it is currently working on a number of major developments, such as the New York Times Building, as well as many civic projects.

The Sellar Property Group appointed its development team in 2004, bringing in Arup as design engineers, WSP Cantor Seinuk as civil and structural engineering design engineers and Davis Langdon & Everest as cost consultants.

'They are all leaders in their respective fields with a wealth of experience, ready to move forward a development that will redefine London's skyline and be a symbol of the capital that is recognisable throughout the world,' said Irvine Sellar, chief executive of Sellar Property Group, at the announcement of the team.

'We are looking to design a building that is both economical and innovative from a structural point of view, while adhering to the overriding architectural concept of London Bridge Tower,' commented Kamran Moazami of WSP Cantor, the firm that will provide civil, structural, geotechnical and infrastructure engineering.

A MIXED BLESSING

Seen from the outside, London Bridge Tower will be a tapering, glazed spire dominating the surrounding area. Further east is the Tate Modern building, but in terms of height the only competition is over the bridge in the City.

The tower will be made of granite, glass and steel. Its surface will help it blend in with the skyline by reflecting the sky and the surrounding buildings. Its shape and appearance, as much as its function, will distinguish it from many of the taller buildings across the river.

'I don't believe it is possible to build a tall building in London by extruding the same shape from bottom to top,' says Piano. 'It would be too small at the bottom and too big at the top. Likewise, symbols are dangerous. Often tall buildings are aggressive and arrogant symbols of power and ego, selfish and hermetic. The tower is designed to be a sharp and light presence in the London skyline.'

A VERTICAL TOWN

The design for the interior of the building has to cater to many different users. The huge office space and the sizeable residential space are intended to be versatile and high spec, providing leisure and retail opportunities for the general public as well as viewing decks for tourists.

The design for the tower is as much about building a community as constructing a viable commercial structure. The mixed-use facilities show that the building is one step ahead of its skyscraper counterparts elsewhere in London, in function as well as location. However, it will also surpass many of them in terms of visual impact.

'I see the tower as a small vertical town for about 7,000 people to work in and enjoy, and for hundreds of thousands more to visit,' explains Piano. 'This is why we have included shops, museums, offices, restaurants and residential spaces. The shape of the tower is generous at the bottom and narrow at the top, disappearing in the air like a sixteenth century pinnacle or the mast top of a very tall ship.'

A remodelled entrance to London Bridge station at the level of the station concourse will lead out onto a public piazza, where there will be cafes, restaurants, a health club and the much-vaunted Learning Centre. The idea for the Learning Centre grew from the recognition that London Bridge Tower will be a focal point for the local community as much as the businesses renting its office space.

The developer has made premises available for a drop-in and training centre for those looking for work opportunities. The tower's Business Centre could also figure in this effort, and incoming office tenants would be encouraged to participate in education schemes.

On the 26 floors above the piazza there will be offices, followed by a three-storey public space at mid-level. This is designed to provide spectacular views of London as well as space for leisure activities, performances and exhibitions, and bars and restaurants.

The floors above, from 37 to 51, will house a five star hotel with 200 rooms. From the 52nd to the 63rd floor there will be residential apartments, some occupying an entire floor in their own right. Again, most of the accommodation will have superb views of London, with visibility of up to 30 miles on clear days.

A LANDMARK FOR LONDON

'London Bridge Tower is a landmark building for both the capital and the UK, and will be comparable to a number of other world-class buildings such as the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur and the Bank of China Tower in Hong Kong,' says Stephan Miles-Brown, head of residential development at Knight Frank, which has been appointed to manage residential lettings in the tower.

'The demand for residential apartments in this scheme is set to be high, attracting a global market that is drawn to living in a world-class building with unparalleled views of London and the countryside beyond.'

The final two floors of the building will house a public viewing gallery, allowing visitors to enjoy a unique view of the city below. Above this, at the very pinnacle of the building, will be the cooling radiator. There will be up to 39 lifts in the tower, including 11 double-decker lifts for the office area. High-speed lifts will move visitors rapidly up the outside of the building to the mid-level piazza and the top-level viewing gallery.

The designs for the public spaces have been developed with one eye on their anticipated patterns of usage. For instance, a key determinant of the model for the lower piazza is the fact that London Bridge station is a busy transport interchange with high levels of through-traffic. Electronic screens will therefore be installed so that commuters can see breaking news during rush hour, while ambient images will be displayed at other times to create a more relaxing environment.

COMMUNITY

In creating a world-class address at London Bridge, the members of the design team have had to think very carefully about what they can offer the surrounding community beyond retail and business space. Many of the initiatives to deliver infrastructure and facilities that will benefit the local community have centred on London Bridge station and the tower's proximity to it.

The project will enhance the transport interchange at the station, providing a new bus station that will service new routes. Pedestrian access to the rail and tube platforms will be improved, and there will be extended taxi facilities and an enhanced cycle network.

The transformation of the station concourse will be complemented by a significant amount of improvements at street level, particularly at St Thomas Street and Joiner Street. The building is designed to be a global attraction, bringing visitors to the area to see it and to use its viewing platforms. As such, it is expected to support its own commercial and leisure facilities as well as those in the surrounding area.

The tower itself will also require a significant management infrastructure, and this alone is expected to create over 300 jobs in engineering, administration and security. It is thought that much of this workforce could be sourced locally and trained during the construction period.

During the construction phase, contractors are required to appoint local people first, and positive discrimination towards the local workforce is encouraged. It is anticipated that in total, thanks in part to its development as a major tourist attraction, the tower will help create 1,000 new jobs locally, with local people ideally filling at least 50% of the positions.

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT

As with other major projects of recent times, both on the south bank and elsewhere in London, the environment has been key concern throughout the design stage. The new City Hall building, for instance, designed by Foster and Partners for the GLA, is a prime example of how energy-efficiency can be maximised through use of materials and innovative design.

The team behind the London Bridge Tower has also gone to great lengths to ensure that the structure is sensitive to the environment, on both a local and a global level. From a very early stage strict targets were set for minimising the impact on the immediate environment and maximising energy efficiency.

In terms of local impact, the project is seen as paving the way for future investment in the surrounding area, which could potentially create a business development area that would support the long-term sustainability of such a flagship project.

Exceptional green credentials are also crucial. 'London Bridge Tower will be the first multi-use tower and the greenest building in London,' says Arup director Alistair Guthrie. 'The strategy is to reduce the energy consumption of a conventional London office tower by at least 30%.'

In order to assess the environmental performance of the design, the plans have been subject to a pre-assessment using the Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM), which provides authoritative guidelines for minimising the adverse effects of buildings on global and local environments, and for promoting a healthy and comfortable indoor environment. The results of the investigation painted a very positive picture of the structure's environmental impact.

Due for completion in 2009, the London Bridge Tower looks set to be a welcome and visually arresting addition to the London skyline, and will cement the city's reputation for modern, environmentally aware and socially responsible buildings. It will also help to bring the wealth of the city south of the river and act as a benchmark for future mixed-use developments.