Everything
Commissioned by leading architecture firm Foster + Partners, plans were put in place late last year for London to receive a new addition to its famous skyline. Set to serve as the city’s newest tourist attraction, the 1,000-foot tower has been aptly dubbed, ‘The Tulip’ and after its proposal, it has now been confirmed that the impressive project will move ahead following the approval by the City of London Corporation’s planning committee.
Described as “a new public cultural and tourist attraction,” the skyscraper will feature a number of different experiences open to the city and its countless tourists. From top-level viewing galleries, the structure is also set to boast gondola pod rides on the building’s facade, sky bridges, a “pocket park,” and an accessible rooftop garden. And if that’s not enough, the space will be eco-friendly as its unique design uses high-performance glass and optimised systems to reduce its overall energy consumption.
Another aspect of the building that has proved to be popular amongst officials and the general public is a proposed education facility that will provide 20,000 free places a year for children in the UK capital’s state school. It is also hoped that the building will provide economic advantages to the surrounding communities.
“One of my key objectives as chairman of the planning and transportation committee has been to enable the continued transformation of the City of London into a place which welcomes members of the public on weekends as during the week,” said Chris Hayward, chairman of the planning committee. “This building has the potential to play an important role in realising our vision of the Square Mile as a vibrant 24/7 city.”
A proposed completion date has not yet been set. Stay tuned for more and in the meantime check out an artist interpretation of the project below.
