St George Wharf Tower
| St George Wharf Tower | |
|---|---|
 The tower as seen in August 2012 |
|
| General information | |
| Status | Topped-out |
| Location | St George Wharf, Nine Elms Lane, Vauxhall, London |
| Coordinates | 51°29′6″N 0°7′38″W / 51.48500°N 0.12722°WCoordinates: 51°29′6″N 0°7′38″W / 51.48500°N 0.12722°W |
| Construction started | March 2010 |
| Estimated completion | 2013-2014 |
| Height | |
| Roof | 181 metres (594 ft) |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 52 |
| Floor area | 223 flats |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Broadway Malyan |
| Structural engineer | Robert Bird Group |
| Main contractor | Brookfield Multiplex Construction Europe Ltd |
St George Wharf Tower, also known as the Vauxhall Tower or The Tower, is a residential skyscraper under construction in Vauxhall, London, as part of the St George Wharf development. When built, it will be 181 metres (594 ft) tall with 50 storeys, making it the tallest solely residential building in the UK.[1][2]
The building's construction crane was hit by a helicopter in January 2013, causing two deaths.[3]
Contents |
[edit] Design features
The structure will be topped by a wind turbine, which will power the tower's common lighting. At the base of the tower, water will be drawn from the London Aquifer and heat-pump technology will be used to remove warmth from the water in the winter to heat the apartments. In comparison to similar buildings, the tower will require one third of the energy, and will produce between one-half and two-thirds of normal CO2 emissions. It will be triple-glazed to minimise heat loss in winter and heat gain in summer, with low-e glazing and ventilated blinds between the glazing to further reduce heat gain from direct sunlight.
[edit] Planning
Following ongoing advice from the government architectural body, CABE (Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment), two revised planning applications were submitted and subsequently withdrawn. A final decision was made by the Deputy Prime Minister in April 2005, and the tower was approved. This has been the subject of considerable controversy, owing to the tower's height and its proximity to the Palace of Westminster.
[edit] Construction
-
Area before construction in September 2009 -
November 2011 -
February 2012 -
May 2012 -
September 2012
As of October 2011, the concrete core had reached level 22. Glass curtain wall construction began in September 2011, with floors 1 & 2 completed by October.[4] As of March 2012, the core had risen beyond the 44th floor. By October 2012, the steel and the core had reached full height, and the installation of the wind turbine began with the glass a few floors below the top of the tower.
[edit] 2013 Helicopter crash
On 16 January 2013, at approximately 08:00 GMT, two people died when an AgustaWestland AW109 helicopter struck the construction crane attached to the near-complete building and then crashed onto Wandsworth Road, hitting two cars and igniting two nearby buildings. One of those killed was the helicopter pilot, who was flying alone. The crane was seriously damaged in the incident, but the crane operator was late for work, and so not in the cab as he would otherwise have been.[5][6]
[edit] References
- ^ http://www.skyscrapernews.com/news.php?ref=2482
- ^ Norwood, Graham (01 Aug 2011). "Living the high life: homes in skyscrapers". Telegraph.
- ^ Helicopter Crashes Into Crane In London
- ^ http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=221585&page=69
- ^ Two die in helicopter crane crash in Vauxhall, London
- ^ Helicopter Crashes Into Crane In London
[edit] External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: St George Wharf Tower |
- Official homepage of the development
- Development's Property Management homepage
- News and discussions on the tower
- Broadway Malyan project details
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
