A new office and retail development with spectacular winter garden spaces at roof level moderates the urban scale between tall commercial buildings and the neighbouring conservation area.

The building is located adjacent to Fenchurch Street station and is part of a cluster of relatively tall office buildings around the landscaped station forecourt. Immediately to the south is a conservation area containing a number of listed structures of much smaller scale including the church of St Olave, Hart Street.

One of the key design strategies was to develop a building which could resolve these contrasting scales appropriately. In elevation, the building steps down from a maximum height of 15 storeys to 8 storeys at its southern boundary. Oversailing this stepped profile is a continuous plane of glass louvres. The spaces under this enclosure provide dramatic winter garden break-out spaces for office users, with panoramic views towards the Tower of London, Tower Bridge, the Thames and south London. The winter gardens also act as environmental ‘buffer zones’ to moderate heat gains and losses within the office space.

At ground level, new retail provision is maximised and New London Street, which forms the eastern site boundary, is remodelled to provide an active, pedestrian retail environment. The building achieved practical completion in December 2014.