Paddington Tower
It was recently announced a new Renzo Piano’s tower is going to be built in London, where his previous work, the Shard skyscraper – London’s highest tower, was completed back in 2012. The proposal is expected to be presented to the Westminster council sometime next month. The building site is in Paddington, a poorly represented area in terms of architecture. As one of the investors has stated “The only reasons to go to Paddington today are to catch a train or to meet someone in hospital. It’s a 50s time warp but it’s an unbelievably good location.” so it’s time to change that.
Courtesy of Renzo Piano Building Workshop
The 65-story building will have mixed function. It will host more than 200 homes, about 14,000 sq m of office spaces, and 4,645 sq m of restaurants and shops – on the 60th, 61st and 62nd floors, along with the inside and outside public spaces. With the height of 224 m it will get directly into the top five tallest London buildings.
Courtesy of Renzo Piano Building Workshop
A main concern for the planners was the design of the public spaces surrounding the new building. It aims at creating links between the important locations near the site, while providing spaces for people to enjoy. A beautiful view other the city will be possible from the top floor, where a 465 sq m roof garden is going to be built.
Courtesy of Renzo Piano Building Workshop
The new Paddington Tower has already been nicknamed as the “skinny Shard” due to its simple and elegant approach, that reminds of Renzo Piano’s earlier work near the London Bridge. The new skyscraper has a slim cylindrical shape, with a delicate facade structure, that offers the illusion of transparency, while at the same time creating a visual anchor point for the neighborhood. If the project is getting approved, it is expected to be completed in 2020.
