From Skyscraper News:The nascent cluster of tall buildings at Vauxhall in London could be getting another tower if plans by Amin Taha Associates and Carey Jones are approved.
Vauxhall Sky Gardens is being developed by Fairbriar Projects. The scheme will sit on a site off Wyvil Road and Wandsworth Road about a third of a mile south west of Vauxhall Station. The plot already has a number of tall buildings in the immediate vicinity including Keybridge House practically next door and Market Towers only 100 or metres to the north.
The scheme features a 35 storey tower rising to 120 metres in height with attached 3 to 6 storey tall podium. It will offer 9,000 square metres of office space plus accommodation for 178 new apartments, 229 square metres of retail and 33 spaces for cars to park in.
The scheme will be clad entirely in glass of varying shades creating a patchwork of differing transparencies although the notable part of the design is two very visible skygardens.
These are not intended to just be the odd fake plastic tree but rather triple height communal areas tall enough to plant trees in and serve all year round as winter gardens. The lower garden level will be on the 8th floor whilst the upper one stands on the top of the tower, something that along with the glass should provide a living translucent green crown.
Adding even more greenery to the interior of the building will be mini winter gardens contained in balconies that all the apartments will have, even the affordable ones.
Above the roof the aim is to cover much of it in solar panels to generate electricity, some 300 square metres in all which will generate enough electricity for 1% of the schemes power requirements. Underground further power generation will be made from a combined heat pump generating an additional 1% of the building power.
Added up with improvements to the design of the scheme over the average today there should be total savings in emissions of 30%.
The end result is a tower, that if approved will be highly visible behind St George Wharf when viewed from places Westminster Bridge making it rather uncontroversial. Environmentally it may be killer, but in skyline terms it's no thriller.
It's just another proposed tower to add to the list and it's probably never going to happen, the general feeling being that Vauxhall's transport infrastructure can't support more people. Especially if we end up having an embassy move into the area.
And anyway the world is ending. Or has less money to throw around, anyway.
Vauxhall Sky Gardens - urgh! Where do they get these crappy names from? It may look sort of OK in the architect's sketch book, but just wait until that blue sky with fluffy clouds is replaed by Vauxhall drizzle.
ReplyDeleteLike you said - never gonna happen ;)
For better or for worse, I doubt this plan will go very far - it would be difficult to find funds to see through the planning process at the moment, much less actually build gigantic new skyscraper. Personally, I wonder how they are going to find tenants for the new additions to Saint Georges Wharf. Imagine how that will look if funds were to run out halfway into the construction.
ReplyDeleteIn more mundane news, I just received a letter saying that the planning request for the former Di Lieto location had been withdrawn. Guessing lack of funds, rather than any particular concerns we raised.
mattmcconnell (at) hotmail.com
I thought that there was already approved building at that place - 8 floors, mixed flats with offices..
ReplyDelete