In 2013, RPBW was appointed by the Sellar Property Group to design a slender residential tower with generous public realm amenities at street level, to complement the now occupied, Shard and Place buildings. The scheme is both respectful of its historic context on St Thomas Street through the choice of facing materials, while clearly acknowledging the cluster established by The Shard. The 26 storey-tower, a third the height of the Shard, steps back in section, maintaining sight lines of The Shard in local views. At the scale of the city, the proportions of The Shard remain unchanged.
The tower is raised 9m above concourse level, and 16m above St Thomas Street, creating new public space with two retail kiosks, public seating and landscaping. This creates a south facing balcony overlooking St Thomas Street. Above this, the 26 storey and 15,000m2 residential tower will contain 148 apartments.
A public stair will connect the two levels bringing a sense of pleasure to moving through and around the site. Clear sight lines will provide a sense of way finding, helping pedestrians to navigate through London Bridge. The stair will mark the entrance to Guy’s Quad, which is proposed to become a public space and new home for the Science Gallery museum.
The apartment building is highly sustainable and will be designed to meet both Code for Sustainable Homes 4 and Breeam Excellent. Apartments will be naturally ventilated with whole house ventilation and all apartments will benefit from either multiple aspect or duplex configurations.
Private amenity space for residents is provided with single glazed winter gardens, naturally heated and cooled spaces, able to be used year round. Communal amenity space is provided in the form of a resident’s garden located on level 16, a south facing space serving as a meeting space for residents together with a children’s play area.