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The Scalpel is a commercial
skyscraper A skyscraper is a tall continuously habitable building having multiple floors. Most modern sources define skyscrapers as being at least or in height, though there is no universally accepted definition, other than being very tall high-rise bui ...
in
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
, United Kingdom. It is located at 52 Lime Street, on its corner with
122 Leadenhall Street 122 Leadenhall Street, also known as the Leadenhall Building, Leadenhall Tower or informally the Cheesegrater, is a skyscraper in central London. It opened in July 2014 and was designed by Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners. The informal name ref ...
, in the
City of London The City of London, also known as ''the City'', is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county and Districts of England, local government district with City status in the United Kingdom, city status in England. It is the Old town, his ...
financial area. It is opposite the
Lloyd's building The Lloyd's building (sometimes known as the Inside-Out Building) is the home of the insurance institution Lloyd's of London. It is located on the former site of East India House in Lime Street, London, Lime Street, in London's main financial d ...
and adjacent to the Willis Building. Completed in 2018, it is tall, with 38 storeys, and was designed by
Kohn Pedersen Fox Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates (KPF) is an American architectural firm based in New York City that provides architecture, interior, programming and master planning services. They engineer different projects including civic and cultural spaces, com ...
. The "Scalpel" name was originally a
nickname A nickname, in some circumstances also known as a sobriquet, or informally a "moniker", is an informal substitute for the proper name of a person, place, or thing, used to express affection, playfulness, contempt, or a particular character trait ...
but was subsequently designated as its official name, after it was coined by the ''
Financial Times The ''Financial Times'' (''FT'') is a British daily newspaper printed in broadsheet and also published digitally that focuses on business and economic Current affairs (news format), current affairs. Based in London, the paper is owned by a Jap ...
'' due to the building's distinctive angular design. This follows a trend of nicknaming new buildings based upon their shape; for example, the nearby
122 Leadenhall Street 122 Leadenhall Street, also known as the Leadenhall Building, Leadenhall Tower or informally the Cheesegrater, is a skyscraper in central London. It opened in July 2014 and was designed by Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners. The informal name ref ...
is also known as "The Cheesegrater". The building has also been noted for its similarity to a "play" media button due to how it looks from south of the
River Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the The Isis, River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, s ...
.The Londonist, 21 August 2018
/ref>


Planning

WRBC Services Ltd applied to the
City of London Corporation The City of London Corporation, officially and legally the Mayor and Commonalty and Citizens of the City of London, is the local authority of the City of London, the historic centre of London and the location of much of the United Kingdom's f ...
for planning permission in September 2012 to demolish Prudential House (52–54 Lime Street and 21–26 Leadenhall Street), Allianz Cornhill House (27-27A Leadenhall Street), and Winterthur House (34–36 Leadenhall Street and 4–5 Billiter Street) and to construct a new building of 38 storeys comprising office and retail uses. On 15 January 2013, the City of London Planning and Transportation Committee recommended that planning permission be granted for the application. On 11 June 2013, the Common Council of the City of London permitted the development to go ahead subject to certain conditions being met.


Construction

The construction of the tower first required the demolition of three existing buildings on the site. The building at 38 Leadenhall Street (on the corner of Billiter Street) was not demolished, despite being within the block that the tower occupies.
Skanska Skanska AB () is a multinational construction and development company based in Sweden. It was established in 1887 as a concrete product manufacturer. History Aktiebolaget Skånska Cementgjuteriet (Scanian Cement Casting Ltd) was established i ...
were appointed as the main building contractor. In October 2013, the developers informed the Corporation of London that the project would commence on 23 November 2013.


Use

The skyscraper was built for insurance company W. R. Berkley and is the firm's European headquarters, occupying approximately one-quarter of the total office space. Other tenants that have leased space include Axis Novae,
National Australia Bank National Australia Bank Limited (abbreviated NAB, branded and stylised as nab) is one of the four largest Banking in Australia, financial institutions in Australia (colloquially referred to as "Big Four (banking), The Big Four") in terms of mar ...
,
SAP Sap is a fluid transported in the xylem cells (vessel elements or tracheids) or phloem sieve tube elements of a plant. These cells transport water and nutrients throughout the plant. Sap is distinct from latex, resin, or cell sap; it is a s ...
,
Morrison & Foerster Morrison & Foerster LLP (also known as MoFo) is an American multinational law firm headquartered in San Francisco, California, with 17 offices located throughout the United States, Asia, and Europe. History In 1883, Alexander Francis Morrison ...
, Britannia Financial Group, and Convex.


Gallery

File:Scalpel oct.jpg, The Scalpel construction site, October 2016 File:The Scalpel, July 2017.jpg, The Scalpel construction site, July 2017 File:The Scalpel, London, September 2017.jpg, The Scalpel construction site, September 2017 File:The Scalpel.jpg, The Scalpel construction site, April 2018 File:City_of_London_Eastern_Cluster.jpg, Resembling a 'play' button when seen from across the river Thames, 2021 File:Southeastern view from The Look Out, the 50th floor of 8 Bishopsgate, London.jpg, Southeastern view from 50th floor of
8 Bishopsgate 8 Bishopsgate is a 51-storey, tall commercial skyscraper located in the City of London financial district. When it opened in 2023, it was the 11th-tallest building in London. Situated on the corner of Bishopsgate and Leadenhall Street, it nei ...
showing Scalpel (left) - February 2024


See also

*
List of tallest buildings and structures in London At , St Paul's Cathedral was the tallest building in London from 1710 until it was eventually surpassed by the 118 metre (387 ft) Millbank Tower in 1963. This in turn was overtaken by the BT Tower at tall in 1964. Throughout the 1960s and 1 ...
* City of London landmarks *
St Andrew Undershaft St Andrew Undershaft is a Church of England church (building), church in the City of London, the historic nucleus and modern financial centre of London. It is located on St Mary Axe, within the Aldgate ward, and is a rare example of a City church ...
, the church opposite on Leadenhall Street


References


External links

*http://thescalpelec3.co.uk {{DEFAULTSORT:Scalpel, The Skyscrapers in the City of London Kohn Pedersen Fox buildings Office buildings completed in 2018 Skyscraper office buildings in London 2018 establishments in England