122 Leadenhall Street
Encyclopedia
122 Leadenhall Street is an address on Leadenhall Street
in the City of London
where a 225 metre (737 ft) tall skyscraper
designed by Richard Rogers
and frequently referred to as "the Cheese Grater" is currently under construction. The site is adjacent to the Lloyd's building
, also designed by Rogers. Prior to 2007 the site was occupied by a building owned by the developer British Land
and designed by Gollins Melvin Ward Partnership that was constructed in the 1960s. That building was demolished in 2007-8 in preparation for redevelopment of the site. By December 2009, the site was cleared but construction had stalled. The project, initially delayed due to the economic climate, was revived in October 2010, and Oxford Properties
is now co-developing the property in partnership with British Land. In May 2011, it was announced that the lower 10 floors of the property have been pre-let to Aon Corporation.
for over a century. Since 1840, P&O had worked in rent-free offices of Willcox & Anderson. However, business east of the Gulf of Suez
increased in 1846 resulting in the company needing newer and larger offices. It was the MDs' obligation to provide new offices. In November 1845, the King's Arms Inn and Hotel was put up for sale. The whole estate freehold was bought by the MDs for £7,250, who then commissioned architect, Mr. Beachcroft, to design a new building. The cost of the new building was estimated at £8,000. In March 1848, P&O moved into new offices at 122 Leadenhall Street.
The MDs volunteered to pay £1,000 of the rent per annum out of their commissions. In 1854, the MDs unsuccessfully attempted to purchase 121 Leadenhall Street. However, they were able to take a lease from the charity which held it. They also bought leases of 80 years from St Thomas's Hospital on the residential properties at numbers 123, 124 and 125 Leadenhall Street which were demolished to create a new frontage at number 122. The new building provided more office space, some of which was for rent, and a spacious new courtyard.
By the mid 1960s Peninsular and Oriental needed to redevelop the site to provide increased office space. At the same time, the Commercial Union Assurance Company was also planning a redevelopment on an adjacent site. However, due to a number of issues affecting both sites, notably poor access to the Commercial Union site and the restricted width of the Peninsular and Oriental site, it was not possible to obtain planning consents that would optimise the amount of floor space desired by either company. As a result, the two companies decided to participate in a joint development that would involve the reallocation of site boundaries and the creation of an open concourse area at the junction of Leadenhall Street
and St Mary Axe
. Both companies would have frontages to the new concourse and would retain site areas equivalent to those enclosed by the original boundaries.
. The building was designed by the Gollins Melvin Ward Partnership, who acknowledged the influence of Mies van der Rohe.
The building was extensively damaged by a Provisional Irish Republican Army
bomb attack in the early 1990s and subsequently had to be reclad. It was occupied by various tenants until November 2006, including Italian International Bank and Calyon
.
. The demolition was undertaken by McGee Group Ltd, with Bovis Lend Lease
acting as construction manager. The contract value was £16 million. The first phase of demolition was conventional: after securing the site, the contractors performed a soft strip of the interior and an asbestos
survey prior to demolishing the low level structures up to podium level.
After this point, the suspended structure of the building required an unconventional demolition approach that successively dismantled each office floor from the lowest upwards. To achieve this, the contractors installed a structural deck that acted both as a work platform for the demolition work and as a safety barrier. This was jacked upwards as each successive office floor was removed. When all the office floors and upper support truss
es had been removed, the concrete core was de-stressed and demolished. Concurrently, the 25,000 cubic metre basement was propped and excavated. The contract took 105 weeks to complete.
and developed by British Land
and Oxford Properties
, the new tower will be 225 metres (737 ft) tall, with 48 floors. With its distinctive wedge-shaped profile, it has been nicknamed the Cheese Grater.
The planning application was submitted to the City of London Corporation in February 2004 and was approved in May 2005. Demolition of the previous building commenced December 2006 and was completed in late 2008. In a statement made to the London stock exchange on Thursday 14 August 2008, the developer, British Land, said it was delaying the project, which was due to start October 2010. On 22 December 2010, British Land, did announce the projects moving forward with contracts being signed for the 50:50 joint venture with Oxford Properties.
The new tower will feature a tapered glass façade
on one side which will reveal the steel bracings, along with a ladder frame that is aimed to emphasize the vertical appearance of the tower. It will also appear to anchor the tower to the ground, giving a sense of strength. The base will feature a 30 metre high atrium
. This will be open to the public and will extend the adjacent plaza. Exterior glass lifts will be used on the building, similar to the neighbouring Lloyd's Building
designed by the same architect.
This unusual design's main drawback is the building's relatively small floorspace for a building of its height (84,424 m²). However, it is hoped that the slanting wedge-shaped design will have less impact on the protected sightline of St Paul's Cathedral
when viewed from Fleet Street
.
The development is expected to cost approximately £286 million.
122 Leadenhall is just one of several skyscrapers planned for or under construction in the area - which include the Bishopsgate Tower
, Heron Tower
, 20 Fenchurch Street, 100 Bishopsgate
and Shard London Bridge
- marking a period of dramatic change for the city's skyline.
British Land
and Canada's Oxford Properties
are expected to announce that building work will commence on the Leadenhall Building in January 2011.
In July 2011 British Land and Oxford Properties announced Laing O'Rourke
as the Main Contractor for the works of The Leadenhall Building.
Leadenhall Street
Leadenhall Street is a street in the City of London, formerly part of the A11. It runs east from Cornhill to Aldgate, and west vice-versa. Aldgate Pump is at the junction with Aldgate...
in the City of London
City of London
The City of London is a small area within Greater London, England. It is the historic core of London around which the modern conurbation grew and has held city status since time immemorial. The City’s boundaries have remained almost unchanged since the Middle Ages, and it is now only a tiny part of...
where a 225 metre (737 ft) tall skyscraper
Skyscraper
A skyscraper is a tall, continuously habitable building of many stories, often designed for office and commercial use. There is no official definition or height above which a building may be classified as a skyscraper...
designed by Richard Rogers
Richard Rogers
Richard George Rogers, Baron Rogers of Riverside CH Kt FRIBA FCSD is a British architect noted for his modernist and functionalist designs....
and frequently referred to as "the Cheese Grater" is currently under construction. The site is adjacent to the Lloyd's building
Lloyd's building
The Lloyd's building is the home of the insurance institution Lloyd's of London, and is located at 1, Lime Street, in the City of London, England.-Design:...
, also designed by Rogers. Prior to 2007 the site was occupied by a building owned by the developer British Land
British Land
The British Land Company plc is one of the largest property development and investment companies in the United Kingdom. The firm switched to Real Estate Investment Trust status when REITs were introduced in the United Kingdom in January 2007. It is headquartered in London...
and designed by Gollins Melvin Ward Partnership that was constructed in the 1960s. That building was demolished in 2007-8 in preparation for redevelopment of the site. By December 2009, the site was cleared but construction had stalled. The project, initially delayed due to the economic climate, was revived in October 2010, and Oxford Properties
Oxford Properties
Oxford Properties is an investor, owner, developer and manager of commercial real estate of more than . of commercial & industrial space, more than half of it in the city of Toronto and its suburbs, from where the company is based, but also has regional head offices in New York and London...
is now co-developing the property in partnership with British Land. In May 2011, it was announced that the lower 10 floors of the property have been pre-let to Aon Corporation.
History
Prior to the site's previous redevelopment in the 1960s, it had been used as the head offices for P&OPeninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company
The Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company, which is usually known as P&O, is a British shipping and logistics company which dated from the early 19th century. Following its sale in March 2006 to Dubai Ports World for £3.9 billion, it became a subsidiary of DP World; however, the P&O...
for over a century. Since 1840, P&O had worked in rent-free offices of Willcox & Anderson. However, business east of the Gulf of Suez
Gulf of Suez
The northern end of the Red Sea is bifurcated by the Sinai Peninsula, creating the Gulf of Suez in the west and the Gulf of Aqaba to the east. The Gulf of Suez is formed within a relatively young, but now inactive rift basin, the Gulf of Suez Rift, dating back about 28 million years...
increased in 1846 resulting in the company needing newer and larger offices. It was the MDs' obligation to provide new offices. In November 1845, the King's Arms Inn and Hotel was put up for sale. The whole estate freehold was bought by the MDs for £7,250, who then commissioned architect, Mr. Beachcroft, to design a new building. The cost of the new building was estimated at £8,000. In March 1848, P&O moved into new offices at 122 Leadenhall Street.
The MDs volunteered to pay £1,000 of the rent per annum out of their commissions. In 1854, the MDs unsuccessfully attempted to purchase 121 Leadenhall Street. However, they were able to take a lease from the charity which held it. They also bought leases of 80 years from St Thomas's Hospital on the residential properties at numbers 123, 124 and 125 Leadenhall Street which were demolished to create a new frontage at number 122. The new building provided more office space, some of which was for rent, and a spacious new courtyard.
By the mid 1960s Peninsular and Oriental needed to redevelop the site to provide increased office space. At the same time, the Commercial Union Assurance Company was also planning a redevelopment on an adjacent site. However, due to a number of issues affecting both sites, notably poor access to the Commercial Union site and the restricted width of the Peninsular and Oriental site, it was not possible to obtain planning consents that would optimise the amount of floor space desired by either company. As a result, the two companies decided to participate in a joint development that would involve the reallocation of site boundaries and the creation of an open concourse area at the junction of Leadenhall Street
Leadenhall Street
Leadenhall Street is a street in the City of London, formerly part of the A11. It runs east from Cornhill to Aldgate, and west vice-versa. Aldgate Pump is at the junction with Aldgate...
and St Mary Axe
St Mary Axe
St Mary Axe was a medieval parish in London whose name survives on the street it formerly occupied, St Mary Axe. The church itself was demolished in 1561 and its parish united with that of St Andrew Undershaft, which is on the corner of St Mary Axe and Leadenhall Street...
. Both companies would have frontages to the new concourse and would retain site areas equivalent to those enclosed by the original boundaries.
1960s building
When completed in 1969, it was 54 m (177.2 ft) tall with 14 storeys above and three storeys under ground. It originally was designed as a pair with the Commercial Union headquarters building (now renamed St Helen's) by the architects Gollins Melvin Ward Partnership. The two buildings have a central compressional concrete core and have suspended floors which hang using the steel 'chords' visible on the exterior of the building, which are hung from power trusses at the top of the building (and in the case of 1 the Undershaft, a further central power-truss). It is an example of a tension structure. At the time, it was considered one of the most complex glass fronted buildings in the United KingdomUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. The building was designed by the Gollins Melvin Ward Partnership, who acknowledged the influence of Mies van der Rohe.
The building was extensively damaged by a Provisional Irish Republican Army
Provisional Irish Republican Army
The Provisional Irish Republican Army is an Irish republican paramilitary organisation whose aim was to remove Northern Ireland from the United Kingdom and bring about a socialist republic within a united Ireland by force of arms and political persuasion...
bomb attack in the early 1990s and subsequently had to be reclad. It was occupied by various tenants until November 2006, including Italian International Bank and Calyon
Calyon
Crédit Agricole Corporate and Investment Bank is Crédit Agricole's corporate and investment banking entity. With a staff of 13,000 employees in 58 countries, Crédit Agricole CIB is active in a broad range of capital markets, investment banking and financing activities...
.
Demolition
In 2007-2008, the building was demolished to make way for a new tower development designed by Sir Richard RogersRichard Rogers
Richard George Rogers, Baron Rogers of Riverside CH Kt FRIBA FCSD is a British architect noted for his modernist and functionalist designs....
. The demolition was undertaken by McGee Group Ltd, with Bovis Lend Lease
Bovis Lend Lease
Lend Lease Project Management & Construction is the international project management and construction division of Lend Lease Group.-History:...
acting as construction manager. The contract value was £16 million. The first phase of demolition was conventional: after securing the site, the contractors performed a soft strip of the interior and an asbestos
Asbestos
Asbestos is a set of six naturally occurring silicate minerals used commercially for their desirable physical properties. They all have in common their eponymous, asbestiform habit: long, thin fibrous crystals...
survey prior to demolishing the low level structures up to podium level.
After this point, the suspended structure of the building required an unconventional demolition approach that successively dismantled each office floor from the lowest upwards. To achieve this, the contractors installed a structural deck that acted both as a work platform for the demolition work and as a safety barrier. This was jacked upwards as each successive office floor was removed. When all the office floors and upper support truss
Truss
In architecture and structural engineering, a truss is a structure comprising one or more triangular units constructed with straight members whose ends are connected at joints referred to as nodes. External forces and reactions to those forces are considered to act only at the nodes and result in...
es had been removed, the concrete core was de-stressed and demolished. Concurrently, the 25,000 cubic metre basement was propped and excavated. The contract took 105 weeks to complete.
The Leadenhall Building
Designed by Richard RogersRichard Rogers
Richard George Rogers, Baron Rogers of Riverside CH Kt FRIBA FCSD is a British architect noted for his modernist and functionalist designs....
and developed by British Land
British Land
The British Land Company plc is one of the largest property development and investment companies in the United Kingdom. The firm switched to Real Estate Investment Trust status when REITs were introduced in the United Kingdom in January 2007. It is headquartered in London...
and Oxford Properties
Oxford Properties
Oxford Properties is an investor, owner, developer and manager of commercial real estate of more than . of commercial & industrial space, more than half of it in the city of Toronto and its suburbs, from where the company is based, but also has regional head offices in New York and London...
, the new tower will be 225 metres (737 ft) tall, with 48 floors. With its distinctive wedge-shaped profile, it has been nicknamed the Cheese Grater.
The planning application was submitted to the City of London Corporation in February 2004 and was approved in May 2005. Demolition of the previous building commenced December 2006 and was completed in late 2008. In a statement made to the London stock exchange on Thursday 14 August 2008, the developer, British Land, said it was delaying the project, which was due to start October 2010. On 22 December 2010, British Land, did announce the projects moving forward with contracts being signed for the 50:50 joint venture with Oxford Properties.
The new tower will feature a tapered glass façade
Facade
A facade or façade is generally one exterior side of a building, usually, but not always, the front. The word comes from the French language, literally meaning "frontage" or "face"....
on one side which will reveal the steel bracings, along with a ladder frame that is aimed to emphasize the vertical appearance of the tower. It will also appear to anchor the tower to the ground, giving a sense of strength. The base will feature a 30 metre high atrium
Atrium (architecture)
In modern architecture, an atrium is a large open space, often several stories high and having a glazed roof and/or large windows, often situated within a larger multistory building and often located immediately beyond the main entrance doors...
. This will be open to the public and will extend the adjacent plaza. Exterior glass lifts will be used on the building, similar to the neighbouring Lloyd's Building
Lloyd's building
The Lloyd's building is the home of the insurance institution Lloyd's of London, and is located at 1, Lime Street, in the City of London, England.-Design:...
designed by the same architect.
This unusual design's main drawback is the building's relatively small floorspace for a building of its height (84,424 m²). However, it is hoped that the slanting wedge-shaped design will have less impact on the protected sightline of St Paul's Cathedral
St Paul's Cathedral
St Paul's Cathedral, London, is a Church of England cathedral and seat of the Bishop of London. Its dedication to Paul the Apostle dates back to the original church on this site, founded in AD 604. St Paul's sits at the top of Ludgate Hill, the highest point in the City of London, and is the mother...
when viewed from Fleet Street
Fleet Street
Fleet Street is a street in central London, United Kingdom, named after the River Fleet, a stream that now flows underground. It was the home of the British press until the 1980s...
.
The development is expected to cost approximately £286 million.
122 Leadenhall is just one of several skyscrapers planned for or under construction in the area - which include the Bishopsgate Tower
Bishopsgate Tower
The Pinnacle, also known as The Bishopsgate Tower and The Helter-Skelter, is a , 63-storey skyscraper under construction in the centre of London's main financial district, the City of London. It is one of four major towers under construction in London, others being Shard London Bridge, 122...
, Heron Tower
Heron Tower
Heron Tower, also referred to as 110 Bishopsgate, is a skyscraper owned by Heron International in the City of London. It was completed in 2011...
, 20 Fenchurch Street, 100 Bishopsgate
100 Bishopsgate
100 Bishopsgate is a skyscraper under construction in the north eastern part of London's main financial district, the City of London. It will stand in a prominent location on Bishopsgate, just a short walk from Liverpool Street station...
and Shard London Bridge
Shard London Bridge
Shard London Bridge is a skyscraper under construction in Southwark, London. When completed in May 2012, it will be the tallest building in the European Union and the 45th-tallest building in the world, standing tall...
- marking a period of dramatic change for the city's skyline.
British Land
British Land
The British Land Company plc is one of the largest property development and investment companies in the United Kingdom. The firm switched to Real Estate Investment Trust status when REITs were introduced in the United Kingdom in January 2007. It is headquartered in London...
and Canada's Oxford Properties
Oxford Properties
Oxford Properties is an investor, owner, developer and manager of commercial real estate of more than . of commercial & industrial space, more than half of it in the city of Toronto and its suburbs, from where the company is based, but also has regional head offices in New York and London...
are expected to announce that building work will commence on the Leadenhall Building in January 2011.
In July 2011 British Land and Oxford Properties announced Laing O'Rourke
Laing O'Rourke
Laing O'Rourke is a multinational construction company headquartered in Dartford, United Kingdom. It was founded in 1978....
as the Main Contractor for the works of The Leadenhall Building.
See also
- City of London landmarks
- St Helen's BishopsgateSt Helen's BishopsgateSt Helen's Bishopsgate is a large conservative evangelical Anglican church, in Lime Street ward, in the City of London, close to the Lloyd's building and the 'Gherkin'.-History:...
- a neighbouring Anglican evangelical church - Aviva TowerAviva TowerSt Helen's is an office tower in the City of London. It is tall and has 28 floors...
- a neighbouring office tower - Tower 42Tower 42Tower 42 is the second tallest skyscraper in the City of London and the fifth tallest in London overall. The original name was the National Westminster Tower, having been built to house the National Westminster Bank's International Division. Seen from above, the tower closely resembles the NatWest...
- 30 St Mary Axe30 St Mary Axe30 St Mary Axe, the Swiss Re Building , is a skyscraper in London's main financial district, the City of London, completed in December 2003 and opened at the end of May 2004...
- Tall buildings in London
- Leadenhall MarketLeadenhall MarketLeadenhall Market is a covered market in the City of London, located at Gracechurch Street but with vehicular access also available via Whittington Avenue to the north and Lime Street to the south and east and additional pedestrian access via a number of narrow passageways.-History:The market dates...