Report - 20 Fenchurch Street (Walkie Talkie), the crane, London - March 2012

[OliverT]

I've been patiently watching this rise since I watched them erect the first crane back in November. Since then, the core has shot up, working around the clock going at least two floors a week.

It's now more or less topped out; the core currently sits on 34, with it's final height being 36storeys, the last two floors being a rooftop garden.

I first came to do this during the week, but as I previously said, they currently work around the clock, so it was a no-go. So after meeting up with Ratfink and AndrewB last night, we realised no one was in, and the crane hatch was unlocked
We were actually only going to take the core, but they haven't completed any of the stairways yet, and you can only get about two/thirds of the way up.. So we took the crane, with Andrew waiting at the bottom.

This was a long one, but I'd been looking forward to doing it. The views certainly didn't dissapoint.

20 Fenchurch Street is a skyscraper under construction in the City of London. It has been nicknamed the Walkie Talkie and the Pint because of its bulbous top. Upon completion, the building will be 160 m (525 ft) tall, with 36 storeys.

Costing over £200 million, it is designed by the Uruguayan-born architect Rafael Viñoly and will feature a highly distinctive, top-heavy form which appears to burst upward and outward. A large viewing deck and 'sky gardens' will be included on the top floor; these will be open to the public.

The tower was originally proposed at nearly 200 metres tall, but was scaled down after concerns about its impact on St Paul's Cathedral. It was subsequently approved in November 2006. Even after the height reduction there were continued concerns from heritage groups about its impact on the surrounding area. The project was subsequently the subject of a public inquiry. In July 2007, this ruled in the developers' favour, and the tower was granted full planning permission.

In their preliminary results for 2007, Land Securities confirmed the tower would be completed in 2011, however in 2009 this date was pushed back to 2014.

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Thanks for looking.
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