Irvine Sellar’s £1bn “Paddington Pole”, set to be the tallest skyscraper in London, has been chopped to less than a quarter of its original proposed height and renamed the Paddington Cube.
The thin glass pole, which was planned to stand at 254m, has been transformed into a 360,000 sq ft, 14-storey cube, floating 12m above street level.
From February: Can a shorter Paddington Pole win the day?
Great Western Developments and Sellar Paddington submitted the revised proposal for the redevelopment of the Royal Mail Sorting office adjacent to Paddington Station today.
The £775m Renzo Piano-designed structure will hover over 1.35 acres of public space and provide 80,000 sq ft of shops and restaurants over five levels.
The scheme also includes improved access to Paddington Station and a £65m investment in a new Bakerloo Line station and ticket hall.
Piano described the current Bakerloo entrance as a cramped and claustrophobic “kingdom of darkness”.
He said: “Our design of the new public realm creates a new spacious entrance, physically and directly connected to the main station. Our ambition is to make it a truly outstanding place for people to work and visit, adding new life and vibrancy to the Paddington area.”
The new proposals follow consultation with residents and stakeholders after the previous plan was withdrawn following protests against the development and its height.
Sellar said: “We wanted to create a building that reflected the needs of the local community but also gave visitors to London something special to welcome them. Paddington is an international gateway to the capital. We want to deliver a beautiful building and a dynamic new public space that will become a destination in its own right.
“Renzo Piano Building Workshop has perfectly balanced the desires of the community, the constraints of the site and the need for commercial viability to produce a scheme that will transform Paddington Station’s front door and the immediate area around it.”
The proposals will be unveiled at a public exhibition this Saturday 16 July and will continue on Monday 18 and Tuesday 19 July, with a further exhibition in September. Full details are available at www.PaddingtonQuarter.co.uk.
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