The roof top ceremony celebrated the triumphant emergence of one of London's most striking 21st Century buildings, designed by world renowned architect Renzo Piano. The building on St Giles High Street has brought what Piano calls a "joyous vibrancy" to this overlooked area of central London, with its dramatic infusion of red, orange, green and yellow glazed ceramic cladding.
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The building boasts impressive green credentials with a BREEAM Excellent Rating.
David Camp, chief executive of Stanhope, added the last shovel of concrete at the Topping Out ceremony for Legal & General Property and Mitsubishi Estate Company's Central Saint Giles mixed-use development in London.
Maurits van der Staay, of Renzo Piano Building Workshop, said: "We worked a long time on getting the right palette so it goes very well with the natural colours around the building. That's why the colours are not shocking, they're just joyful, they work with the trees and the old brick buildings next to it."
The entire scheme, being delivered by Stanhope on behalf of Legal & General and Mitsubishi Estate Company, is due for completion in March 2010. Bovis Lend Lease is the construction manager.
Stanhope development director Mike Knowles said: "The building is a fantastic design icon for London, not only has it utilized the most cutting edge construction processes but it also boasts impressive green credentials with a BREEAM (BRE Environmental Assessment Method) Excellent Rating."
Simon Wilkes, L&G project director, pictured behind Camp said: "We wanted to create a dramatic new heart for the St Giles area by creating a fantastic place to live, as well as a stimulating work environment served by fantastic places to eat around a brand new central London piazza".
Central Saint Giles incorporates 392,000 ft² (36,600 m²) of offices, 24,000 ft² of retail, as well as 56 private and 53 affordable apartments. Renzo Piano's eye-catching design has made the building permeable and inviting. The floating island of offices and apartments above a lively public piazza will become an exemplar for high-density, mixed-use development in the city.
Source: Brown Lloyd James Financial
