London

Europe’s Tallest Skyscraper – London’s Shard Building

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The Shard building, which is located in London Bridge, is the tallest skyscraper in Western Europe. Designed by world renowned Renzo Piano, the structure, which is still under construction, will comprise of ninety five floors. The Shard will be home to high quality office suites, upmarket restaurants, luxury residential apartments and the 5 Star Shangri La Hotel. The building will eventually tower 310 metres (1,017 feet) over South East London and will provide impressive 360 degree panoramic views over the City. The viewing galleries are expected to receive one million visitors a year and people will be able to see as far as Hampstead, Heathrow and the North Downs, up to thirty miles on a clear day.

An estimated 8,000 people will eventually live and work within The Shard and architect Renzo Piano, who co-designed the Pompidou Centre in Paris, sees the building as a ‘Vertical City’. The idea for the concept was taken to Piano more than a decade ago by property developer Irvine Sellar. According to E&T Magazine, Mr Piano has said he wanted to create ‘a shard of glass, a spire tower of angled planes of glass that will reflect light and the changing patterns of the sky so that it will change according to the weather and the seasons’.

In addition to the premium office space, cafes, restaurants, apartments and shops the Shard will also house exhibition and performance space. The highly sought after premium office suites will be located on floors 2-28 and will include conferencing facilities. The five fine dining restaurants will be situated on floors 31-33 and the Shangri La Hotel will be located on floors 34-52, which will have two hundred luxury five star suites and is located on floors 34-52. The exclusive apartments will be situated on floors 53-65 and will be the highest residences in the UK. The Observatory, which is located on floors 68-72, will house the viewing decks. In addition to the twenty six floors of office accommodation within The Shard, more than fifty five square feet of office and retail space will be provided, attached to the eastern corner of the building, called London Bridge Place or referred to as ‘the Backpack’.

There has been some criticism of the ambitious project, which began in 2009, which once complete will have cost and estimated £450 million. English Heritage has reportedly said the Shard will obstruct the view of St Paul’s Cathedral as well as the Houses of Parliament. The Shard is due to be completed by May 2012.

London Fashion Week — A lot of Fuss or Serious Business?

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Although some may see London Fashion Week as a vacuous show of vanity it should also be remembered that the fashion industry in London contributes an enormous twenty one billion pounds to the UK economy annually.

Now in its 28th Year, London Fashion Week is a six day event which brings in buyers from across the globe who are expected to place orders topping one million pounds. London Fashion week is also a chance for UK designers to showcase this seasons fashion lines, and can make or break a fashion label.

In addition, the fashion industry in the UK is the creative industry’s largest employer, providing 1.3 million jobs, which accounts for approximately 4.5% of the UK’s workforce.

3 Million Sq Ft of Office Space Lost in London’s West End

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According to a report nearly 3 million square feet of London’s West End office space was converted into homes or apartments between 2001 and 2009. The report goes on to say that due to the conversion of West End office space into residential homes, competition by companies looking for new premium office space in the area has increased.

The study, undertaken by H2SO, found that a total over four million square feet of West End office space was converted into homes, leisure facilities, restaurants and other alternative uses. In addition the study showed that the drive to convert office space into residences was largely fuelled by high property values, with homes worth twice that of office buildings in key areas such as St James and Mayfair.

Due to the decline of office space in the heart of the West End a large number of new office buildings and business centres are being developed within the Kings Cross, Paddington and Euston areas, which is good news for companies looking for Grade A office accommodation.

Plans Afoot to keep Watford Metropolitan Station Open

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Watford Borough councillors are planning on petitioning London Underground in the hopes of keeping Watford Metropolitan station open. Due to the Croxley Rail Link plans the Watford line would be redirected to Watford Junction, instead of Croxley Station.

Current plans would see Watford Met closing as a passenger station, however it would still be used as a train storage facility. Representative from the Watford area along with locals would like to see the station remain open hope to convince London Underground chiefs of the merits of keeping the station open for passengers.

Local councillor Peter Jeffree, has said that the Croxley Rail Link is going to greatly benefit the Watford area, however he did hope that residents and rail users would support the plan to keep Watford Met station open.

Further Reading on Transportation in London

Business Parking in London
London Rail Link
London Underground Workers
London Transport Olympic Games
Survival Guide to Working in London During the Olympics

London Transport MP Urges Flexi Time During 2012 Games

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In order to limit the amount of commuters using the London transport network during the London 2012 Olympic Games, the Department for Transport has recommended that businesses allow employees flexible hours or remote working where possible.

Due to the expected influx of tourists and visitors during the London 2012 Olympic Games London Underground and bus services are expected to be stretched to the limit, with overcrowding and delays.

Norman Baker MP, the minister for transport has said that although the transport system has been upgraded and an investment of 6.5 billion pounds has been made, this will not be enough to stop travel delays and issues.

Mr Baker recommended that businesses allow London based office employees work closer to home, use video conferencing facilities or work from home if possible to ease congestion on public transportation during the London 2012 Olympic Games.

London’s High Speed Rail Link

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A second high speed rail link has been approved by the government, which will run from London to Birmingham. This news has been welcomed by industry leaders and is expected to create an estimated 20,000 new job opportunities, which will be a boost for the economy and promote further growth.

Old Oak Common is the proposed location of the interchange for the high speed rail link, along with new city quarter at Park Royal City, which is part of London’s regeneration project. It has been estimated that Old Oak Common would serve an additional 13,000 passengers per hour.

Further proposals include high speed links between Luton, Gatwick and Heathrow, which would further boost employment. It is also estimated that a further 10,000 much needed homes will be created.

Further Reading on Transportation in London

Watford Station
Survival Guide to Working in London During the Olympics
Business Parking in London
London Underground Workers
London Transport Olympic Games

London’s Tech Clusters

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The city of London has become the home of a new breed of Tech Clusters, with a number of major organisations along with small digital business startups establishing themselves. London is the largest hub for tech start-ups in the world, after California’s Silicon Valley.

Facebook, with offices in Covent Garden and Carnaby Street, Google, with offices in Victoria, Apple, Nokia and Groupon are just some of the big names expanding business operations in London. Telefónica, owner of O2, has recently set up new offices in Regent Street in the heart of Central London.

Although demand for central London office space dropped by twenty seven percent in 2011, it has been reported that telecom and Information Technology companies doubled.

In addition to Old Street’s Silicon Roundabout, situated in the Shoreditch area of East London, tech clusters have also been established in Fitzrovia, South Bank, Covent Garden and Clerkenwell. More than one million square feet of office space was acquired by tech companies across London during 2010 and 2012.

Information on Tech News, Technology Issues and Technology Seminars.

London Underground workers seek bonus payments during the 2012 Olympic Games

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According to reports London Underground workers, including drivers, ticketing staff, engineers and station staff have requested bonus payments to work during the London 2012 Olympic Games, in addition to normal pay. Tube workers were offered a five hundred pound bonus for working during the games, however this has been turned down. RMT boss, Bob Crow, was in discussion with Peter Hendy, head of Transport for London, when the breakdown in talks occurred.

District Light Railway workers have been offered a deal worth £2,500 for working overtime during the London 2012 Olympic Games. RMT has stated that tube workers should be offered a similar deal for working during this period. Tube drivers have already been allocated an extra £1,200 for working during the Games. A large number of London Overground staff are also due to receive a £600 bonus.

Transport for London expects increased passenger volume during the London 2012 Olympic Games and commuters are advised to allow extra time for journeys during this period. London office workers are urged to find alternative routes into work and businesses, particularly in the East London and Stratford area where the Olympic Village is situated, have been advised to offer employees flexible work hours or the option to work from home.

Further Reading on Transportation in London

London Rail Link
Watford Station
London Transport Olympic Games
Survival Guide to Working in London During the Olympics
Business Parking in London

Londoners spend less on eating out

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The cost of enjoying a meal at the capital’s restaurants has fallen down for the first time since 1997, a survey of London restaurants shows. Money saving techniques adapted by the Brits in the wake of the credit crunch mean there is less money left to splash out on meals outside of home.

According to the 2010 Zagat London Restaurants Survey, the average cost of a meal fell by 0.4 % to £40.39 in 2009. The cost had been rising at an annualised rate of 3.6 % since 1997.

The survey was carried out at 1100 London’s restaurants, with over five thousand diners revealing they now eat out approximately 2.2 times a week, whilst in 2008 they opted for a meal out nearly 2.5 times a week.

Nearly 50% of diners admitted this was a direct effect of the recession. Even though people are more careful with their money, eating out remains a vital part of London lifestyle.

London is set to get greener

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As many as two million trees will be planted in London by 2025, reports London mayor’s Boris Johnson’s office.
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The capital is set to become greener, cleaner and more civilised, said the mayor’s environment adviser Isabel Dedring.

The 2m tree plan was prepared as it is evident that the city desperately needs more parkland to combat predicted summer temperature increase.

The so called “urban heat island effect” means that buildings absorb and release heat, retaining higher temperatures in cities than suburban areas.

According to officials, by 2080 average summer temperatures in London could be nearly 3.9C higher than today. However, a study from Manchester suggests that increasing green areas in a city by 10% could offset the higher temperatures.

The programme is called Leading to a Greener London and it aims to increase green space in inner London by 5%, including green roofs and more trees in streets.

London consumes roughly £12 billion of energy each year and produces 22 million tonnes of waste.

Further information on saving money on your office energy bills, the ethical office and recycling office furniture in London.