Work has started on 115 towers, also a record. Two of Europe’s tallest residential towers in Canary Wharf are expected to be completed by 2020, but the Shard is expected to remain the tallest building in western Europe, at 310m.
London’s tallest towers
310m The Shard
290m 1 Undershaft (the Trellis) (planned)
278m 22 Bishopsgate (under construction)
263m The Diamond (planned)
235m One Canada Square
235m Spire London (under construction)
233m Landmark Pinnacle (under construction)
231m Heron Tower
225m Cheesegrater
Amongst the new buildings is a 56-storey tower called The Diamond which is set to join the growing cluster of skyscrapers in the City of London and will be the financial district’s third-tallest building when completed.
The planned 263.4m tower at 100 Leadenhall Street will rank behind 1 Undershaft at 290m, nicknamed the Trellis, where work is yet to start, and 22 Bishopsgate, the reworked Pinnacle at 278m, which is under construction. All three will eclipse the nearby Heron Tower, currently the tallest building in the Square Mile at 231m.
The new tower will have 102,000 sq m of office space to house more than 6,000 workers, with a free public viewing gallery, restaurant, bar and shops.
The wedge-shaped glass tower, which will have a facade made up of elongated diamond shapes, is being funded by the Hong Kong company Lai Sun Development, founded by textiles magnate Lim Por-yen. The skyscraper has been designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, the architects behind One World Trade Center in New York and the tallest building in the world, Burj Khalifa in Dubai.
The Diamond, previously dubbed “Cheesegrater 2”, will be built next to the 225m Cheesegrater once three smaller buildings have been knocked down. Their tenants’ leases expire in 2023 but the developers will negotiate with them and hope to start construction sooner. It is expected to take four years to build.