Engineering One Blackfriars

An iconic, mixed-use development situated on the south side of Blackfriars Bridge overlooking the River Thames.

Location

London, United Kingdom

Client

St George

Project status

Completed

Every Floor is a Different Size and Shape

One Blackfriars is a new iconic, mixed-use development situated on the south side of Blackfriars Bridge overlooking the River Thames. Its prime location has unobstructed views of St Pauls Cathedral and views along the river towards Westminster and Tower Bridge.

The centrepiece of the development is a stunning 170m tower, a geometric masterpiece which creates an elegant silhouette on London’s skyline. The tower’s slender shape minimises its footprint and maximises the extent of the public realm at street level where it meets a landscaped piazza. The 50-storey tower accommodates 274 homes, a private viewing lounge and a multi-level penthouse crowned within the glass rooftop structure.

The scheme also features a boutique hotel in an adjacent low-rise block incorporating retail and gym facilities. The entire development is built over a three storey basement structure housing swimming pool and spa facilities. A private cinema, wine storage and resident car parking are also provided in the basement.

A top-down construction sequence for the basement saved time on construction. The piling configuration was arranged to enable temporary and permanent works to be combined in order to increase efficiency.

All structures are reinforced concrete frame elements. The hotel and tower floors make use of thin post tensioned slabs for maximum floor to floor height efficiency.

The tower’s stability system adopts staggered outrigger elements strategically placed to control the tower’s movement with minimum impact on apartment layouts. The tower’s column configuration was optimised for the complex 3D geometry ensuring the best solution for apartment layouts.