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Central St Giles (pictured, above) - 拢450m, ends 2010

Architect Renzo Piano
Developer Stanhope
Contractor Bovis Lend Lease
Engineer Arup
Mix Office, retail, residential and public realm
Area 500,000ft²
Storeys 11/15

Renzo Piano鈥檚 first UK commission is one of the largest and most prominent mixed-use schemes to be developed in the West End in recent years. Its brightly coloured ceramic facades are already a local landmark, and the scheme aims to raise the profile of this district, the location of a notorious 19th-century slum sandwiched between Bloomsbury, Holborn, Soho and Covent Garden. It provides public spaces and capitalises on its proximity to the planned Tottenham Court Road Crossrail station. It also sets a precedent for low-rise, high-density, mixed-use, inner-city development. The proposals were developed in close collaboration with community organisations and local stakeholders.

Heron tower - 拢242m, ends March 2011

Heron tower

Architect Kohn Pedersen Fox
Developer Heron International
Contractor Skanska
Engineer Arup
Mix Offices and restaurant
Area 461,478ft²
Storeys 46

Heron Tower (also pictured right, top) was the first skyscraper in the City to be granted planning approval after the Gherkin. The fiercely contested 2002 planning inquiry that ensued is generally viewed as paving the way for the flurry of tall building applications (and subsequent public inquiries) that followed. Heron Tower aims to provide the first 鈥渟ix-star鈥� office accommodation in the City. Floors will be grouped into 鈥渧illages鈥� and 鈥渟cenic鈥� glass lifts will carry visitors to the public restaurant and sky lobby on the top three floors. The south elevation is clad in photovoltaic cells to enhance environmental performance. At 202m, the Heron has already overtaken Tower 42 as the tallest building in the City, a title it will hold until the completion of the Bishopsgate Tower.

Cannon Place - 拢360尘, ends 2011

Cannon Place

Architect Foggo Associates
Developer Hines
Contractor Laing O鈥橰ourke
Value 拢360尘
Mix Office, retail and transport
Completion 2011
Area 416,994 ft²
Storeys Nine

Cannon Place replaces an undistinguished 12-storey sixties block built over Cannon Street railway station. The development will provide office accommodation in a glazed block set behind a latticework of external structural cross-bracing. As part of a joint venture formed between the developer and Network Rail, there will also be major improvements to the railway station including 17,000ft2 of retail space and a modernised station concourse. Cannon Street station is the second-busiest rail terminus in the City of London and is used by more than 22 million people a year.

New Court - 拢50尘, ends 2011

New Court

Architect Rem Koolhaas
Developer Stanhope
Contractor Bovis Lend Lease
Engineer Arup
Value 拢50尘
Mix Offices
Completion 2011
Area 140,000ft²
Storeys 15

New Court (also pictured right, bottom) is the first UK commission by Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas. It will form the global headquarters for Rothchild鈥檚 Bank and will be the institution鈥檚 third building on the site since it was founded exactly 200 years ago. The development, situated right behind Wren鈥檚 St Stephen鈥檚 Walbrook church, will also enable Rothchild鈥檚 to house all their London staff under the same roof. Located in the Bank Conservation Area and squeezed into one of the densest parts of the City, the building鈥檚 glazed facades and orthogonal form aim to introduce contrast and transparency into its surroundings. It will also provide a rooftop sky pavilion offering views over the City.

One New Change - 拢500m, ends 2010

One New Change

Architect Jean Nouvel
Developer Land Securities
Contractor McGee
Engineer Arup
Value&苍产蝉辫;拢500尘
Mix Office, retail and public realm
Completion 2010
Area 560,000ft²
Storeys Seven

Located directly opposite the east front of St Paul鈥檚 Cathedral, One New Change is not only the first UK commission by celebrated French architect Jean Nouvel but it also lies on one of the most sensitive urban sites in the country. Nouvel鈥檚 controversial response is a futuristic glass structure set at oblique angles and moulded into amorphous blocks. Significantly, it forms a large component of the Corporation of London鈥檚 plans to reinvent this part of the City as a weekend shopping destination. With 220,000ft2 of new retail accommodation, the development aims to become 鈥渙ne of the largest consolidated retail spaces in central London鈥�. Partially due to the premium this places on ground-floor areas, much of the roof has been allocated for public spaces, which offer spectacular views of St Paul鈥檚.

Shard - 拢425m, ends 2012

Shard

Architect Renzo Piano
Developer Sellar Property Group
Contractor Mace
Engineer Arup
Mix Office, retail, hotel, residential and public realm
Area 1.2 million ft²
Storeys 87

When complete, the 310m Shard will be the tallest building in Europe (at least, until the Mercury City tower in Moscow is finished). With an estimated daytime population of 7,000 and a 24-hour mix of uses including offices, hotel, flats, restaurants and public viewing galleries, the tower has been conceived as a 鈥渧ertical city鈥�. Piano drew inspiration for the Shard鈥檚 sculptural, tapered form from the historic church spires that once dominated London鈥檚 skyline and the ship masts that were equally prominent on the Thames. It was also one of the first skyscrapers in the world to incorporate new structural stability technologies proposed in the wake of the September 2001 attacks. The Shard forms the centrepiece of London Bridge Quarter, an urban regeneration scheme for the surrounding area that will include public spaces, leisure amenities and an upgraded transport hub.