20 Fenchurch London aka 'The Walkie Talkie'
20 Fenchurch Street is a commercial skyscraper under construction in London. It takes its name from its address on Fenchurch Street in the City of London financial district and it has been nicknamed The Walkie-Talkie because of its distinctive shape. Upon completion in spring 2014 the 37-storey building will be 160 m (525 ft) tall, making it the fifth-tallest completed building in the City of London. 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 (656 ft) 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 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 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 estimated completion date was changed to 2014.
Size: 5616px × 3744px
Location: London England UK
Photo credit: © Neil Setchfield / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: 20, aka, architecture, building, construction, fenchurch, high, hirise, london, modern, rafael, rise, skyscraper, talkie, viñoly, walkie
