One Blackfriars, London

Located at the heart of London’s South Bank, One Blackfriars creates a gateway to the historic borough of Southwark. The tower rises to 50 storeys and 170 metres, making it one of the tallest residential buildings in Europe. Its shimmering facade is already transforming London's skyline. Each of its 274 homes has sweeping views of London designed to maximise reflection and light. Floor-to-ceiling windows bring daylight in and create a sense of openness and connection with the outside.

The tower’s distinctive form is emphasized by its double skin façade. The curved outer skin gives it a smooth and dynamic appearance, and is made up of 5,476 glass panels, most of which are bent into shape as they are installed. The inner façade’s coloured panels, varying from earthy colours at bottom levels to silvery shades at the top, help animate the building. Connecting the two façades are winter gardens, accessible enclosed balconies, which provide residents with extended living areas.

Blackfriars was a complex project comprising of three buildings. All structures are reinforced concrete frame elements. The hotel and tower floors make use of thin post-tensioned slabs for maximum floor to floor height efficiency.

The project broke ground in late 2013 with the excavation of an 18 metre (60-foot) basement, which completed in 2015. The raft slab required over 3,200 cubic metres of concrete and was poured during a single, 24-hour period.

The tower's structure is formed by a concrete core, floor slabs and columns; all together some 57,000 tonnes of concrete was used during construction.