3490
Global
Height rank

One Blackfriars

London
Height 166.3 m / 546 ft
Floors 50
Official Name
The current legal building name.

One Blackfriars

Other Names
Other names the building has commonly been known as, including former names, common informal names, local names, etc.

The Boomerang, Beetham Tower

Type
CTBUH collects data on two major types of tall structures: 'Buildings' and 'Telecommunications / Observation Towers.' A 'Building' is a structure where at least 50% of the height is occupied by usable floor area. A 'Telecommunications / Observation Tower' is a structure where less than 50% of the structure's height is occupied by usable floor area. Only 'Buildings' are eligible for the CTBUH 'Tallest Buildings' lists.

Building

Status
Completed
Architecturally Topped Out
Structurally Topped Out
Under Construction
Proposed
On Hold
Never Completed
Vision
Competition Entry
Canceled
Proposed Renovation
Under Renovation
Renovated
Under Demolition
Demolished

Completed, 2019

Country
The CTBUH follows the United Nations's definition of Country, and thus uses the lists and codes established by that organization.

United Kingdom

City
The CTBUH follows the United Nations's definition of City, and thus uses the lists and codes established by that organization.

London

Postal Code

SE1 9GD

Function
A single-function tall building is defined as one where 85% or more of its usable floor area is dedicated to a single usage. Thus a building with 90% office floor area would be said to be an "office" building, irrespective of other minor functions it may also contain.

A mixed-use tall building contains two or more functions (or uses), where each of the functions occupy a significant proportion of the tower's total space. Support areas such as car parks and mechanical plant space do not constitute mixed-use functions. Functions are denoted on CTBUH "Tallest Building" lists in descending order, e.g., "hotel/office" indicates hotel function above office function.

residential

Structural Material
Steel
Both the main vertical/lateral structural elements and the floor spanning systems are constructed from steel. Note that a building of steel construction with a floor system of concrete planks or concrete slab on top of steel beams is still considered a “steel” structure as the concrete elements are not acting as the primary structure.

Reinforced Concrete
Both the main vertical/lateral structural elements and the floor spanning systems are constructed from concrete which has been cast in place and utilizes steel reinforcement bars.

Precast Concrete
Both the main vertical/lateral structural elements and the floor spanning system are constructed from steel reinforced concrete which has been precast as individual components and assembled together on-site.

Mixed-Structure
Utilizes distinct systems (e.g. steel, concrete, timber), one on top of the other. For example, a steel/concrete indicates a steel structural system located on top of a concrete structural system, with the opposite true of concrete/steel.

Composite
A combination of materials (e.g. steel, concrete, timber) are used together in the main structural elements. Examples include buildings which utilize: steel columns with a floor system of reinforced concrete beams; a steel frame system with a concrete core; concrete-encased steel columns; concrete-filled steel tubes; etc. Where known, the CTBUH database breaks out the materials used in a composite building’s core, columns, and floor spanning separately.

concrete

Height
Architectural
Height is measured from the level of the lowest, significant, open-air, pedestrian entrance to the architectural top of the building, including spires, but not including antennae, signage, flag poles or other functional-technical equipment. This measurement is the most widely utilized and is employed to define the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) rankings of the "World's Tallest Buildings."

166.3 m / 546 ft

To Tip
Height is measured from the level of the lowest, significant, open-air, pedestrian entrance to the highest point of the building, irrespective of material or function of the highest element (i.e., including antennae, flagpoles, signage and other functional-technical equipment).
166.3 m / 546 ft
Occupied
Height is measured from the level of the lowest, significant, open-air, pedestrian entrance to the highest occupied floor within the building.
155.7 m / 511 ft
Floors Above Ground
The number of floors above ground should include the ground floor level and be the number of main floors above ground, including any significant mezzanine floors and major mechanical plant floors. Mechanical mezzanines should not be included if they have a significantly smaller floor area than the major floors below. Similarly, mechanical penthouses or plant rooms protruding above the general roof area should not be counted. Note: CTBUH floor counts may differ from published accounts, as it is common in some regions of the world for certain floor levels not to be included (e.g., the level 4, 14, 24, etc. in Hong Kong).

50

Floors Below Ground
The number of floors below ground should include all major floors located below the ground floor level.

3

# of Apartments
Number of Apartments refers to the total number of residential units (including both rental units and condominiums) contained within a particular building.

274

# of Parking Spaces
Number of Parking Spaces refers to the total number of car parking spaces contained within a particular building.

125

# of Elevators
Number of Elevators refers to the total number of elevator cars (not shafts) contained within a particular building (including public, private and freight elevators).

3

Top Elevator Speed
Top Elevator Speed refers to the top speed capable of being achieved by an elevator within a particular building, measured in meters per second.

4 m/s

Tower GFA
Tower GFA refers to the total gross floor area within the tower footprint, not including adjoining podiums, connected buildings or other towers within the development.

50,081 m² / 539,067 ft²

Rankings
#
3490
Tallest in the World
#
124
Tallest in Europe
#
14
Tallest in United Kingdom
#
12
Tallest in London
#
1171
Tallest Residential Building in the World
#
29
Tallest Residential Building in Europe
#
3
Tallest Residential Building in United Kingdom
#
2
Tallest Residential Building in London
#
1891
Tallest Concrete Building in the World
#
90
Tallest Concrete Building in Europe
#
3
Tallest Concrete Building in United Kingdom
#
1
Tallest Concrete Building in London
Construction Schedule
2006

Proposed

2013

Construction Start

2019

Completed

Main Contractor

The main contractor is the supervisory contractor of all construction work on a project, management of sub-contractors and vendors, etc. May be referred to as "Construction Manager," however, for consistency CTBUH uses the term "Main Contractor" exclusively.

Other Consultant

Other Consultant refers to other organizations which provided significant consultation services for a building project (e.g. wind consultants, environmental consultants, fire and life safety consultants, etc).

Façade

These are firms that consult on the design of a building's façade. May often be referred to as "Cladding," "Envelope," "Exterior Wall," or "Curtain Wall" Consultant, however, for consistency CTBUH uses the term "Façade Consultant" exclusively.

Interiors
Planning
Wind
Material Supplier

Material Supplier refers to organizations which supplied significant systems/materials for a building project (e.g. elevator suppliers, facade suppliers, etc).

Ceiling
Sealants
Owner
St George PLC
Architect
Design

Usually involved in the front end design, with a "typical" condition being that of a leadership role through either Schematic Design or Design Development, and then a monitoring role through the CD and CA phases.

SimpsonHaugh
Structural Engineer
Design

The Design Engineer is usually involved in the front end design, typically taking the leadership role in the Schematic Design and Design Development, and then a monitoring role through the CD and CA phases.

WSP
MEP Engineer
Design

The Design Engineer is usually involved in the front end design, typically taking the leadership role in the Schematic Design and Design Development, and then a monitoring role through the CD and CA phases.

Briggs & Forrester; Hoare Lea
Main Contractor

The main contractor is the supervisory contractor of all construction work on a project, management of sub-contractors and vendors, etc. May be referred to as "Construction Manager," however, for consistency CTBUH uses the term "Main Contractor" exclusively.

Other Consultant

Other Consultant refers to other organizations which provided significant consultation services for a building project (e.g. wind consultants, environmental consultants, fire and life safety consultants, etc).

Cost
Core Five LLP; AECOM
Façade

These are firms that consult on the design of a building's façade. May often be referred to as "Cladding," "Envelope," "Exterior Wall," or "Curtain Wall" Consultant, however, for consistency CTBUH uses the term "Façade Consultant" exclusively.

Arup; Yuanda
Façade Maintenance
WSP
Fire
Hoare Lea
Geotechnical
WSP
Interiors
Broadway Malyan; Tara Bernerd & Partners
Landscape
Fabrik
Planning
DP9 Ltd; CBRE
Wind
(not specified)
Designer Group
Material Supplier

Material Supplier refers to organizations which supplied significant systems/materials for a building project (e.g. elevator suppliers, facade suppliers, etc).

Ceiling
Cladding
Adexsi UK; Guardian Glass
Concrete
Byrne Brothers
Elevator
Mitsubishi Elevator and Escalator
Façade Maintenance Equipment
Integral Cradles Ltd
Fire Proofing
Select Fire Services Ltd
Flooring
Mega Marble Limited
Interior Partition
Swift Construction, LLC; TES Group, Inc.
Joints/Fasteners
Houston Cox Central Ltd
Sealants
Steel
Dearneside Fabrications Ltd
(not specified)
EeStairs; Stair Master Limited

Videos

12 June 2013 | London

Interview: 1 Blackfriars Road

Ian Simpson of Ian Simpson Architects is interviewed by Jeff Herzer during the 2013 CTBUH London Conference at The Brewery, London. Ian talks about 1...

Research

26 October 2015

The Promise of Public Realm: Urban Spaces in the Skyscraper City

Stephan Reinke, Stephan Reinke Architects

This paper will reveal the importance of integrating the Ground Plane, Mid-Level and Rooftop Urban Public Spaces in the City. We will explore the NYLON...

12 June 2013 | London

Interview: 1 Blackfriars Road

Ian Simpson of Ian Simpson Architects is interviewed by Jeff Herzer during the 2013 CTBUH London Conference at The Brewery, London. Ian talks about 1...

12 June 2013 | London

London and Beyond: Regionalism and the British Skyscraper

There are very few architects who have built tall buildings across numerous cities in the UK, and yet several cities outside London have enthusiastically embraced...

11 June 2013 | London

Interview: Heritage and Future of London Tall Buildings

Kamran Moazami of WSP Group is interviewed by Jeff Herzer during the 2013 CTBUH London Conference at The Brewery, London. Kamran discusses the history of...

26 October 2015

The Promise of Public Realm: Urban Spaces in the Skyscraper City

Stephan Reinke, Stephan Reinke Architects

This paper will reveal the importance of integrating the Ground Plane, Mid-Level and Rooftop Urban Public Spaces in the City. We will explore the NYLON...

11 June 2013

The Special Nature of the European Skyscraper

Viewpoints: The London Conference

European architecture is at a crossroads. Its commercial and environmental realities are driving buildings ever-higher, but not all are convinced. In this article – contributed...