The Shard is going to have to share its title of the UK’s tallest building after planning permission was granted for a new skyscraper in the City of London.
When it is completed early next decade, 1 Undershaft will be 309.6m tall, matching the height of the Shard to the centimetre, the maximum allowed due to civil aviation rules.
However, the designers of 1 Undershaft, Eric Parry Architects, are aiming to get one up on their rival south of the River Thames by building Europe’s highest publicly-accessible viewing gallery.
The building will also offer a free-to-access public garden on the 11th floor as well as an educational space, curated by the London Museum and dubbed a “classroom in the sky”, on the uppermost floors, giving visitors the chance to learn about London.
At street level, on St Helen’s Square, a 12.5 by 7 metre public screen and temporary stage will be at times used to show productions, concerts, talks and sporting fixtures to the public.
On completion, 1 Undershaft, which is being built on the site currently occupied by insurer Aviva’s former headquarters, will provide almost 13% of the office space required in the City of London to 2040.
“As another, much-needed office development gets approved in the City of London, it speaks to the confidence that global investors have in the London real estate market and the UK economy more widely,” said Shravan Joshi, chair of the City of London Corporation’s planning and transportation committee.
Stanhope, which has worked on projects including Tate Modern, will act as development manager for 1 Undershaft on behalf of Aroland Holdings.
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Aroland Holdings is a British Virgin Islands registered company whose beneficial owner is listed as Kuok Khoon Hong, the co-founder of Singapore’s Wilmar International, one of the world’s largest oil palm plantation owners.