20 Fenchurch Street is a commercial skyscraper under construction on Fenchurch Street in central London.
20 Fenchurch Street is a commercial skyscraper under construction on Fenchurch Street in central London. It has been nicknamed The Walkie-Talkie because of its distinctive shape. Upon completion in 2014 the building will be 160 m (525 ft) tall with 37 storeys. Designed by architect Rafael Viñoly and costing over £200 million, it features a highly distinctive top-heavy form which appears to burst upward and outward. A large viewing deck and 'sky gardens' will be included on the top three floors; these will be open to the public. The tower was originally proposed at nearly 200 m tall but its design was scaled down after concerns about its visual impact on the nearby St Paul's Cathedral and Tower of London. It was subsequently approved in November 2006. Even after the height reduction there were continued concerns from heritage groups about its impact on the surrounding area. The project was subsequently the subject of a public inquiry. In July 2007, this ruled in the developers' favour, and the building was granted full planning permission. In their preliminary results for 2007, joint-developers Land Securities and Canary Wharf Group said 20 Fenchurch Street would be completed in 2011, however in 2009 during the depths of the Great Recession, the completion date was delayed to 2014. It is one of a number of new tall buildings for the City of London financial district; others include The Pinnacle, the Leadenhall Building, and an as yet unnamed project at 52-54 Lime Street. Several insurance companies have agreed to become tenants of 20 Fenchurch Street upon its completion.
Size: 5762px × 3846px
Location: London City Center
Photo credit: © Rik Hamilton / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No
Keywords: 20, 37, 160, 2014, building, central, commercial, completion, construction, distinctive, fenchurch, london., nicknamed, shape., skyscraper, storeys., street, tall, walkie-talkie
