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Force no longer with Foster's 'Darth Vader' skyscraper
Mira Bar-Hillel, Property Correspondent04.08.09
One of Lord Foster's most daring designs to date - an office block resembling Darth Vader's helmet - is unlikely to be built after its developers fell victim to the credit crunch.
The world-renowed architect's design for the £600 million project involved erecting four buildings near St Paul's Cathedral and topping them with a "cloud-like structure" some had likened to the helmet worn by the Star Wars character.
Lord Foster worked on the design - which had to be modified after complaints - with French "starchitect" Jean Nouvel. The complex, which would have reached to 22 storeys and provided a home for insurance firm Legal & General, was to replace two Sixties buildings on 3.7 acres in Walbrook.
Metrovacesa, a Spanish development company, has paid site owner Legal & General a £100 million penalty to get out of its commitment to build the scheme, officially known as Walbrook Square.
The Spanish firm had committed to invest more than £600 million in the development at the height of the property boom two years ago. But it has been forced to rethink its investments in a bid to reduce debts.
Metrovacesa had been trying to find another equity investor but there was little interest, according to Property Week magazine. It has been negotiating the exit penalty since June.
The news will delight campaigners who warned that the building would damage views of St Paul's as the office complex would have been only 600 yards from Sir Christopher Wren's masterpiece.
The scheme was approved by the City of London Corporation and was the first to take advantage of an easing of restrictions on building in protected "viewing corridors" of St Paul's and other landmarks.
These reduced restrictions, instigated and pushed through by former Mayor Ken Livingstone, are now being reversed by Mayor Boris Johnson.
Martin Stancliffe, Surveyor to the Fabric of St Paul's, had warned that the building would have "formed a new edge only three dome-widths away from the dome of St Paul's and almost as tall".
The City Heritage Society branded the building "crude and oppressive". The group added: "The architects were trying too hard to be different and 'unique' and it did not succeed."
Reader views (6)
lord foster has all ready produced his swan song with the gerkin.
there is so much history and pride of being a londoner and
it starts with St.Pauls
- John Spreadbury, ontario canada
The combination of the credit crunch and Boris has meant these Ken 'ego-scrapers' will thankfully never see the light of day. As demonstrated countless times and as recently as the fire in Camberwell putting people in tower blocks is inhumane, life threatening and wreck havoc on a London's picture postcard setting. History is London's reason for being, not Tesco-glass buildings.
- Gail, Croydon
Sarah, unless Boris is responsible for the credit crunch, he's not responsible for this building not going ahead. Seemed fairly clear from the article.
- Aidan Reid, london, uk
Sarah, "Thank god Boris has spared us from what sounds like another tower block monstrosity ruining our city" - the article says this tower was stopped by the recession not Boris...
But it does say Boris is changing viewing corridors...
- Chris, London
Thank god Boris has spared us from what sounds like another tower block monstrosity ruining our city. He's turning out to be the best thing to happen to London in a long, long time.
- Sarah, London
Good.
- Stephen, London
