London Bridge Tower
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The London Bridge Tower (commonly known as the Shard of Glass) - is a proposed skyscraper designed by Renzo Piano for a site in London, on the Southwark side of London Bridge, next to London Bridge station at 32 London Bridge Street. It would replace a twenty-four storey building, Southwark Towers, which was completed in 1976. The tower will be 1,016 feet (310 metres) tall and have 66 floors. It was granted planning permission in November 2003. When it was first announced it was hoped that it would be the tallest building in Europe on completion, but this will not be the case as a taller building is already under construction in Moscow. However it remains the tallest active proposal in the United Kingdom.
Construction was expected to begin in 2005, with completion in 2009. However in 2004 PricewaterhouseCoopers, who hold a long-term lease on Southwark Towers, decided that they were not willing to vacate before 2006. This appeared to push the potential completion date back to 2011 at the earliest.
The building project will also involve major improvements to the concourse and facilities of London Bridge station. It will include shops, offices and flats as well as high level viewing galleries, a museum and a public piazza. A hotel is expected to take up around a fifth of the available space.
External links
- Official site (http://www.londonbridgetower.com)
- Skyscrapernews.com page on LBT (http://www.skyscrapernews.com/buildings.php?id=46)
- Story at the Guardian (http://society.guardian.co.uk/urbandesign/story/0,11200,1088537,00.html)
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