The Taller, The Better? List Of London’s Tallest Buildings
What is fascinating about London is that it combines modern with old. There is something for absolutely everyone and you can never go bored. 21st century is all about architecture achievements and thinking outside the box. No wonder London hosts the tallest building in Europe-The Shard. So, lets see which are the rest of the tallest buildings in London.
#1 The Shard(London Bridge Quarter)
As I already mentioned, The Shard is not only the tallest in London but the tallest in whole Europe. Built in 2013, The Shard has 87 floors and height of 310 metres. The huge glass surfaces make the building the most noticeable landmark. The skyscraper has been designed by an Italian architect Renzo Piano. It is a home of offices, restaurants, a viewing gallery, a hotel and residences. The spire is actually formed by the last 15 levels, which only 6 of them can be used.
#2 One Canada Square
You can see this skyscraper in Canary Wharf, London. It’s 235 metres helped it remain the tallest building in London until the creation of The Shard. The architect who designed it is called Cesar Pelli. It contains mainly offices and it is one of the most prestigious office buildings. By the end of January the whole building was let. One Canada Square still gets a lot of attention with it’s strange pyramid roof even if it is no longer the tallest skyscraper. It has been a landmark of a lot of films, television and other media. It is the 21st tallest skyscraper in Europe. An interesting fact is that the windows don’t get cleaned by rope access window cleaners. The building has it’s own window washing machines — automatic and manual ones.The machine needs 426,000 gallons of water to clean the entire tower.
#3 Heron Tower
Only 5 metres lower than the One Canada Square, the Heron Tower is the third highest building in London. It is the tallest one in City of London though. The construction of the tower was started in 2007 and finished in 2011. Although it’s been 3 years now, parts of the skyscraper are still empty. 67% of the building is leased or being under offer. It is designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox. An interesting fact is that the aquarium placed in the entrance is the biggest private one in the United Kingdom and it has over 60 species of fish.
#4 The Leadenhall Building
The Leadenhall skyscraper is placed on the 122 Leadenhall street. It’s height is 225 metres and it’s currently under construction. The architect who designed the building is called Richard Rogers. A nickname people call the building with is the Cheesegrater because of it’s wedge shape. It is definitely an unique addition to the City of London and attracts many passengers.
#5 Crystal Palace Transmitter
The Crystal Palace transmitting station is placed in the London Borough of Bromley and it is the 5th tallest building in the United Kingdom. The station is constructed in the 1950s replacing the remains of the Crystal Palace. The transmitter was the tallest building in London until 1991 when One Canada Square in Canary Wharf was built.
#6 8 Canada Square and 25 Canada Square
8 Canada Square is also known as the HSBC Group Head Office or the HSBC Tower. 25 Canada Square known as the CGC2. They are also located in the Canary Wharf. The construction of the buildings started in 1999 and it was finished in 2002. The skyscrapers were designed by the team of architects of Sir Norman Foster. Both 8 and 25 Canada Square’s height is 200 metres and they have 45 floors. They form the Citigroup Centre complex in London.
#7 Tower 42
Tower 42 is the second-tallest skyscraper in the City of London and that makes it the 7th tallest in London. The original name of the skyscraper was the National Westminster Tower because it was built in order to house the National Westminster Bank. It’s design was made by the designer Richard Seifert and it was engineered by Pell Frischmann. It was built in 1980 and it was officially opened in the following year. It is 183 metres high.
#8 St George Wharf Tower
The elegant tower is 181 metres high and is a residential skyscraper in Vauxhall. That makes St George Wharf Tower the highest residential building in the United Kingdom. It has 52 floors and 223 flats with 5 apartments per floor. What is interesting is that the tower has it’s own sky garden which provides the residents with some place to relax in. The skyscraper’s architect is Broadway Malyan.
#9 30 St Mary Axe
The 30 St Mary Axe building is also known as the Gherkin. It is located in the financial district of City of London. It was built on 2003 and officially opened in 2004. It’s hight is 180 metres and it has 41 floors. The building was designed by Norman Foster and it is a symbol of London’s contemporary architecture. Many people call it the “Swiss Re Tower” because it is occupied by the global reinsurance company Swiss Re.
#10 BT Tower
The 10th tallest building in the United Kingdom is also known as the Post Office Tower and the London Telecom Tower. The height of the main structure is 177 metres and it has 37 floors and 2 elevators. The construction of the BT Tower was finished on 1964. It was the tallest building in UK until the NatWest Tower took it’s place on 1980. The main purpose of the building was to to carry telecommunications traffic to the rest of the United Kingdom.
