New plans revealed for London’s next £400,000,000 mega skyscraper

The architects behind one of London’s tallest proposed skyscrapers that will cost £400,000,000 have unveiled a new design.

One Undershaft in the City of London would be 1,016 feet in height and would rival The Shard which stands at 1,017 feet.

But it comes at an expensive price and is already a few years behind development.

The 74-storey building would include a viewing area at the top as well as outdoor amenity spaces.

In the new design, the two highest storeys have been widened to give the building a more coherent and tapered appearance.

Size of the windows have also been increased on the upper viewing platforms after Historic England raised concerns about the initial design.

It said in a statement: ‘We consider that permitting this scheme would be a serious missed opportunity to achieve an exemplar building at the apex of the cluster, respecting the rich history of the City of London and maintaining or enhancing the public spaces from where most people experience it.’

Other major developments in the redesign include allowing more daylight into the building at ground level.

More space for the public and an urban green area have also been included.

On floor 72 and 73, an education centre in partnership with the Museum of London will be built.

Eric Parry, the architects behind the building, told Architects Journal the new design was prompted by changes to working habits following the pandemic, noting ‘the ways that we use buildings have evolved significantly’.

‘In light of this, we are currently working with our client to explore opportunities to enhance the consented scheme through the provision of new flexible workspaces and expanded civic and business functions.

‘The new scheme will still be the tallest in the city cluster and retains the upper floors for educational and public access through a collaboration with the Museum of London. The revised proposals will enable us to deliver a more sustainable building with enhanced urban greening.’

If plans go ahead, construction of the skyscraper will start as early as this year and will be expected to be built by 2029.

But this is behind the original schedule for One Undershaft which was previously meant to be built by the mid-2020s.

If it does get built, it will sit alongside and higher than The Gherkin (591 feet) and the Leadenhall building (738 feet).

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