Skyscrapers rise at such a pace in the City of London, it can be difficult to recall what the skyline looked like, even a few months ago.
Thanks to these CGI images — commissioned by the City of London Corporation — we can at least see how the City might appear in 2026. (SPOILER: it's a glass jungle, thronging with skyscrapers, a few of which have interesting designs.)
13 skyscrapers, due to be completed by or before 2026, will transform the City horizon as we know it, as space for up to 100,000 extra City workers is expected to be required.
Among the new skyscrapers set to form the glassy new horizon are:
- Twentytwo — which will rise 62 storeys high on 22 Bishopsgate, and include a climbing wall set into the windows on one of the floors.
- 52 Lime Street — AKA the Scalpel. The 36-storey building will slice into the firmament, and for our money, is one of the more imaginative projects.
- 100 Bishopsgate — which boasts on its website of a "0.5 acre public realm". Hmm.
- 70 St Mary Axe — a new neighbour for the Gherkin, which is uncannily shaped like a tin of ham. A tasty pair.
- 1 Undershaft — a boxy, 289.9-metre-tall behemoth with criss-cross detailing, already nicknamed The Trellis. It will include a Museum of London gallery at the top, as well as London's highest restaurant. It's still subject to final approval.
- 1 Leadenhall — a 37-storey tower that will be practically dwarfed by its lofty neighbours. But is still lofty.
Six of the 13 planned skyscrapers will have public viewing galleries. Check out a full list of the buildings and their specs here.
Says Chris Hayward, Planning Committee Chairman at the City of London Corporation:
It is unprecedented to see such a scale of development taking place at one time in the Square Mile. There are now more cranes in the City sky than in recent decades.
Let's revisit this in nine years' time and see how the CGI guys did...
All images © City of London Corporation
