76 new tall buildings are due to be completed in Greater London by the end of 2019.
The London Tall Buildings Survey [pdf], reports that although applications are down 3.8% on the previous year, the permissions rate for building high rises is up 14%.
Altogether, the number of tall buildings touted for completion is up threefold from 2018. This, then, could be a record year for new skyscrapers in the capital.
What exactly is a tall building?
62% of tall buildings in the pipeline are 20-29 storeys. The remaining 38% are 30-60+ floors. Enough to make an impression on the landscape, provided they aren't already swamped by other architectural behemoths.
The tallest building due to be topped out in 2019 is the 62-storey 22 Bishopsgate, which already looms over the City, and will be 278 m (912 ft) tall when finished. That's 28 metres less than The Shard.
Where are all these tall buildings going up?
Unsurprisingly, east and central London continue to be the focus. 48% of all buildings in the pipeline are in east London, including 22 Bishopsgate and the likes of Herzog & de Meuron's residential One Park Drive in Canary Wharf.
Central London has 18% of planned tall builds. But outer boroughs are beginning to build higher: Ealing got 9 new high rises between 2017-18, while Hammersmith & Fulham had 43.
A tall order?
The London Tall Buildings Survey won't necessarily transpire to be accurate. In 2018, only 25 tall buildings were actually topped out — 50% of the predicted number. Building high is a tall order, particularly in times of economic and political uncertainty. Still, as Peter Murray, Chairman at New London Architecture, says:
This year’s research confirms that tall buildings are now an established component of London’s development programme; in spite of the current political uncertainty the pipeline remains steady. These buildings are not super tall, they are generally between 20 and 30 storeys. Even Westminster, a borough known for its conservative views on tall buildings, has proposed 20 storeys as being acceptable...
Swipe to the future
Swipe to imminent changes to the City of London:
Canary Wharf:
And, Greenwich Peninsula, where The O2 will all but disappear from view, from certain angles: