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London skyscrapers offer the opportunity to take in the London cityscape from a high vantage point. This means you’ll be able to get a panoramic view of the city. In the city of London, summer days are long and you’ll have a large number of hours to look at the London skyline.
According to Britannica, a city skyscraper is a building with up to 40 or 50 stories. London skyscrapers are no exception, standing out against the city skyline with a bold presence.
London skyscrapers are numerous. In fact, the London city skyline has one of the largest numbers of skyscrapers in the EU. While Madrid and Milan both have 5 skyscrapers and Paris 18, there were 26 London skyscrapers in 2018. Each reaches at least 150m.
The future city skyline will be even fuller. There are over 200 London skyscrapers planned, increasing the number drastically. Both private and public interests have converged to overcome the strict legislation which would have reduced the number of city skyscrapers otherwise.
Some absolutely adore the London city scape and cannot wait to see new skyscrapers in London. Others hate the new buildings and would hate to see further London buildings. However, the impressive design and construction of the buildings cannot be denied.
Famous London skyscrapers: London’s tallest attractions.
The Shard
Once known as the London tower building, the Shard is either loved or hated by Londoners. Some people believe it to be a work of art while others believe the building appears to be unfinished. Regardless of aesthetics, however, the Shard is a magnificent building and currently the tallest in both the UK and the EU.
The Shard is placed in central London and has both indoor and outdoor viewing platforms. You can stand on levels 69 or 72 to take in the London cityscape. Given its central location (it is positioned between Westminster, the South Bank, the West End, the city and Canary Wharf), if offers excellent views.
Centre point
Centre Point upholds the spirit of 1960s Britain, and stands out against the more modern London skyscrapers. It is placed in the corner of Oxford Street and Tottenham Court Road, and glistens white against the horizon. The building is finely detailed with attractive architecture.
Centre Point is not as tall as many London skyscrapers at 117m tall. It has 33 floors and was designed by Richard Seifert. The building was completed in 1967 and has recently been converted from an office to a residential building.
Barbican estate
Barbican estate consists of three London skyscrapers and was created from the rubble of a bomb site at the end of WWII. The towers were constructed on the fringe of the city, with the intention of housing London professionals.
The Barbican offers residential living space, shopping, offices and schools. It also offers beautiful cultural spaces, gardens and fountains. At 123m tall, they offer an imposing addition to the London skyline and have been declared to be one of the wonders of the modern world by the English queen.
Trellick tower
Trellick Tower was crested with a brutalist design and has become an icon of West London. In fact, it is one of the London skyscrapers frequently depicted on bags as well as shown on television. The tower soars above the suburb of Notting Hill
This London tower was designed by Goldfinger as a social housing project and contains 200 carefully arranged flats. These flats are arranged in streets, connected by bridges. The block has a sleek service tower with slotted windows, giving a fantasy appearance to this London building.
South Quay plaza
These very refined London skyscrapers have also been known as the ‘toothpick towers’. They house over 900 residential flats and a 1,5 acre public park. These towers are discrete and well designed, connecting at their corners which gives the impression of a number of slender shafts which have been interconnected. The towers have glass facades and are reminiscent of the sophisticated buildings of Manhattan. They are designed by Foster, the architect behind New York’s 610 Lexington Avenue. These towers are certainly very attractive London skyscrapers.
Heron tower
Heron tower is one of the tallest buildings in the London skyline. It is also known as The Salesforce Tower and is the tallest London skyscraper in the financial district.
Heron Tower has a spire in its roof as well as a 70,000 liter aquarium in the foyer. You can check out the 1,200 fish as well as eat at the popular Sushi Samba or Duck and Waffle restaurants.
One Canada square
One CanadaSquare is an office building which adds to the London cityskyline. The building does contain shops and restaurants on the ground floor as well as in the basement.
Canada Square offers visitors a view over Canary Wharf. It is also surrounded by some smaller London skyscrapers . It has a distinctive pyramid shape on the top of the building.
Economist plaza
The Economist plaza is one of the highly successful London skyscrapers which provides civic space at ground level. It was designed by Alison and Peter Smithson, who also designed the Robin Hood Gardens estate in East London. Robin Hood Gardens will soon be broken down but the Economist is still considered to be a masterpiece, and one of the most successful London skyscrapers of the decade.
Natwest tower
The National Westminster (NatWest) Tower is also known as Tower 42. At 183m high, it is the 4th tallest of the London skyscrapers and has an elegant simplicity to its design.
The building took 10 years to construct and at that time was the highest building in England. However it was overtaken in height in 2009 when Heron Tower joined the London skyline.
The building was designed to look like the NatWest logo from above and is complex in design. It was the first building to have double decker lifts as well as a mail train to deliver important documents around the building.
122 Leadenhallstreet
112 Leadenhall is a London city skyscraper which is 225m tall. This makes it the second tallest building in the London.
Also known as the Leadenhall Building, 122 Leadenhall Street opened in July 2014. It has a wedge shape and is sometimes nicknamed the cheese grater. The building was designed Rogers StirkHarbour + Partners. The building is one of a number recently added to the financial district. It joins the Pinnacle and the Scalpel, and is placed opposite the Gherkin, in the centre if Square Mile. The public is welcome to visit the building’s atrium.
Citigroup centre
Otherwise known as 25 Canada Square, Citigroup Centre 2, is located in Canary Wharf. It is 200m tall. The building was built together with HSBC Tower. It is the fourth tallest building on the London skyline . London skyscrapers The Shard, One Canada Square and Heron Tower take the first three places.
25 Canada Square was designed by César Pelli& Associates. Construction began in 1998 and was completed in 2001. The building was purchased in 2004 by RBS.
St George Wharf tower
St George Wharf Tower has also been known as the Vauxhall Towers. At 181m tall, it is the 8th tallest of the London skyscrapers. It is also the tallest residential building in the UK. It has 50 stories and forms part of the St George’s Wharf development.
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