St George Wharf Tower

St George Wharf Tower, also known as the 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 49 storeys, making it the tallest residential building in the United Kingdom.^[1]

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. The tower will require one third of the energy compared to a similar building and CO₂ release will be between one half and two thirds of normal emissions. It will be triple-glazed to minimise heat loss and gain, with low 'e' glazing and ventilated blinds between the glazing to further reduce heat gain.

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for Architecture and the Built Environment), two revised planning applications were submitted and subsequently withdrawn.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, due to the tower's height and its proximity to the Palace of Westminster.

Construction

As of October 2011 the concrete core has reached level 22. Glass curtain wall construction began in September 2011, with floors 1 & 2 completed by October.^[2]

References

External links

• Official homepage of the development
• Development's Property Management homepage
• News and discussions on the tower
• Broadway Malyan project details