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The 'can of ham' to go with Gherkin
Martin Bentham and Mira Bar-Hillel11 Aug 2008
A new skyscraper dubbed the "can of ham" because of its distinctive shape is being planned for the heart of the City of London.
The 295ft (90m) tower would be made of glass and steel and lie in the shadow of the Gherkin in St Mary Axe.
The developer says it would be a "stunning and spectacular" addition to the capital's skyline and would fit in well with tall buildings nearby.
The plans have still to be considered by the City of London, while another potential obstacle is the faltering economy, which is making it tougher to find tenants for new office blocks. But Julian Wells of developer Targetfollow said he was optimistic.
"The design is spectacular and we think it will add a huge amount to the City skyscape," he said. "It has been designed to sit in the foothills of the major tower cluster in this part of the City and we think it will fit in very neatly and add to that view.
"It is a truly stunning building - grade A - and we are very excited about it."
The company's planning application says the tower would have 18 storeys of offices plus retail space at ground level. The design features vertical steel fins running up the building's curved faces to shelter it from excessive sunlight and minimise the amount of air cooling needed inside.
There would be solar panels and thermal heating features to allow the use of some renewable energy. The original intention was to build a larger building on the site but the plan was s c a l e d back after talks between Targetfol low, the designers Foggo Associates and City planners. DP9, planning consultants for the project, said officials from the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment and English Heritage had also been consulted.
Although Boris Johnson and others have raised concerns about the impact of tower blocks on London's skyline, it is unlikely the "can of ham" would be vetoed on size grounds because it would be in a cluster of skyscrapers.
The scheme's biggest challenge is likely to be that City office rents have been falling and are now well below levels of 20 years ago.
As a result, funding commercial development is becoming increasingly difficult and several office schemes have already been frozen. The planning application is expected to be decided upon in the autumn. If it is approved, construction is likely to take two to three years to begin, with a similar period before completion.
