Nine Elms Catalyst Completes
Recently has been completed construction of the tallest residential building in London, designed by Broadway Malyan and realized by contractor Brookfield Multiplex. The Tower, One St George Wharf rises more than 180m above the nearby River Thames and is part of the wider Nine Elms development. The Tower was one of the first major redevelopment schemes in the Nine Elms project, as Pete Vaughan, Director at Broadway Malyan explains.
“The confidence generated by the success of The Tower has encouraged further investment into infrastructure and local transport, as well as the subsequent development of adjacent sites, which will collectively deliver benefits in wider social programmes – affordable housing, education and healthcare provision.”
The Tower is a residential development consisting of 213 apartments on a former brownfield site. Based on the concept of a Catherine wheel, each level is typically split into five flats with dividing walls branching off a central core. This elegant design is crowned by a 10m-high vertical axis wind turbine which generates enough energy to power the lighting in all common areas of the building. At ground level residents will encounter a concierge service with a similar feel to a boutique hotel, a dining room, screening room and private lounges.
On the first floor are further amenities reserved for the use of residents, including a swimming pool, gym and spa with views across the River Thames. A ventilated cavity façade with motorized interstitial blinds, high-performance solar control and low ‘e-coatings’ provides energy savings while the inclusion of sky gardens offers a thermal buffer.
Vaughan draws a parallel with one of the city’s most recognizable towers in a further analysis of The Tower’s impact: “London depends on big ideas to maintain its world status and continue to thrive. Standing still is not an option and while big ideas will always risk courting controversy, ultimately they are constructive and should be welcomed – out of debate comes consensus and progress.
“Broadway Malyan previously illustrated an early idea for a landmark tower at London Bridge – underpinned by an intellectual intent to kick start regeneration and add to London’s aesthetic and commercial vibrancy. Without that initial idea, The Shard might not have been built and the regeneration of London Bridge Quarter may not have been realized.
“It was an opportunity to create a landmark south of the river which would act as a visual and commercial counterpoint to the City of London on the north bank, bringing massive benefits to London as a whole. Similarly, our team had the idea for a landmark tower at Vauxhall and has now delivered The Tower. Again, it was visually the right place in London’s landscape for a tower and it promised to act as a catalyst for the regeneration of the surrounding neighbourhoods.”
Broadway Malyan