Land Securities and Canary Wharf Group’s 20 Fenchurch Street is now almost 90 per cent let or under offer, with the first tenants due to move into the property in April. The opening of the City tower – popularly known as the Walkie-Talkie – will be marked by a party in the building’s Sky Garden, which is itself nearing completion.
Among the tenants sharing the 681,000 sq ft of office space are insurance firms Liberty Syndicates, Markel and Tokio Marine Kiln. The rapid take-up of pre-let space is set to make the Walkie-Talkie the first skyscraper since the Gherkin to become an immediate financial success.
A contributing factor to this is the fact that planners allowed the building to swell from the bottom upwards providing an additional 200,000 sq ft of space. A condition of the approval was that the developers provide a free-to-enter public space at the summit adding a further three floors to the 34 storey skyscraper.
The glazed roof of the Sky Garden is due to be bolted into place this week and, when completed, it will feature a landscaped garden on level 35, a bar and viewing area on level 36 and a terrace, restaurant and café on the top floor, all served by two express lifts.
The developers admit that the Sky Garden is a “bit of a loss leader” but, nevertheless, they are looking forward to opening it to the public towards the end of the year. To enjoy the facilities, and the spectacular views of London, visitors will need to book in advance on a soon-to-be-launched website in order to control numbers.
What impact this will have on the number of visitors to the Shard’s viewing platform – which costs £25 a head – remains to be seen, but it is certain that the Sky Garden will be a welcome addition to the growing number of tower-top dining establishments in London.
Last week the developers submitted a planning application to install aluminium fins on the Walkie-Talkie which, they believe, will prevent any future problems resulting from the sun’s rays reflecting from the curved glass exterior.
If approved, the fins will be fitted to the southern side of the building between levels 3 and 34. The work is expected to take around six months to complete.
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