Aiming high

With today’s tallest building, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, reaching some 828 metres (2,717 feet) compared to the 310-metre (1,017 feet) height of The Shard (London’s tallest building) it seems topping those charts again might be out of reach for the British capital for now.

Still, the city’s skyline is being redefined with a slew of ambitious projects. Now that the measure of a fireman’s ladder no longer determines the height of a building in the British capital, as it did until 1954 in accordance with the London Building Act, a slew of top architects is pushing the limits.

A March 2016 study by planning and architecture forum New London Architecture found that 436 towers of 20 floors or more were in the works across London at that time. Not everyone thinks this is good. Pressure groups abound, including Skyline Campaign, which last year celebrated the reduction of a proposed 72-floor Renzo Piano tower, the Paddington Pole, to a mere 14 storeys.

But fans say London has lots of high-rise style to offer.

“London is far behind cities like New York, Dubai, and many cities where hundreds of skyscrapers crowd together,” says Herbert Wright, author of London High, Skyscrapers: Fabulous Buildings That Reach for The Sky. “Hong Kong has the most of all. But being ahead is more than just numbers or height. In terms of design and sustainability, London is a leading skyscraper city.”