As space commands a higher and higher price in our cities, new buildings are being built closer together and with many more storeys. London, with its record land prices, already has the UK’s largest concentration of commercial skyscrapers and the first billion-pound tower – the HSBC building at 8 Canada Water – is valued at £1.1bn.
These impressive feats of engineering and design capture the public’s imagination like never before and have their own iconic names that help define their image even before they are built – the Shard of Glass, the Walkie-Talkie and the Cheese Grater. A quick look at the City’s skyline crammed full of cranes suggests that this trend is not a flash in the pan; many more are on the way, with the Mayor of London predicting 18 to 20 new skyscrapers by 2015.
