London Bridge’s New Office on Stilts

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16 September 2022

A London Bridge development that will be raised 18m above ground level by steel stilts has been granted planning approval by Southwark Council.

Described as “the new gateway to London Bridge”, Colechurch House will provide 48,180 square metres of business space, including plans for offices, shops and a home for Southwark Playhouse. There will also be a new park at street level, with a green wall and installations by local artists.

Owner and developer CIT is targeting a net-zero carbon development and hopes to “bring new life" to Duke Street Hill and Tooley Street, an area that is currently “uninviting and in very poor condition.”

A new minimalist footbridge from London Bridge station will also open up views of Southwark Cathedral, replacing the current structure at London Bridge Walk.

At its highest point, the building will sit 22 storeys high.

Picture: a render showing an outdoor area with people dining at tables. Image Credit: Foster + Partners

Sustainable Features

Foster + Partners has designed the façade of the building to reduce energy consumption, supported by mixed-mode ventilation (opening windows), ground source energy piles, vacuumed drainage used in toilets and on-site green energy generation through photovoltaic panels.

Winter gardens will feature on every floor and verdant roof terraces will ensure there’s plenty of green space. There will also be an automated underground cycle storage system with over 200 spaces and end-of-journey facilities for commuters.

Southwark Playhouse

The scheme will also see Southwark Playhouse return to its London Bridge roots. The theatre will have two venues of different capacities, 250 people for the main theatre and 150 for the second theatre where both are proposed to have flexible configurations.

Luke Fox, Head of Studio, Foster + Partners said. “As architects, we have a responsibility to leverage the power of design to positively influence public life and steer urban development towards a more sustainable, diverse and equitable future. Colechurch House is an exemplar project in this regard, and we look forward to working with CIT to make this pioneering project a reality.”

Picture: a render showing the proposed exterior of the new development. Image Credit: Foster + Partners

Article written by Ella Tansley | Published 16 September 2022

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