Ahead of our 'London’s Growing Up! A decade of building tall’ report launch, Brian Smith of AECOM discusses the evolution of London's tall buildings over the past decade.

When the inaugural London Tall Building survey was conducted a decade ago, we were discussing the first wave of developments that transformed London’s skyline. Schemes like The Walkie-Talkie and The Leadenhall Building were designed to stand out and stand up to architectural scrutiny, achieving iconic status. 

During this time, commercial schemes were about high specification levels and the resilience of service. However, in the decade since, the cost and commercial drivers of tall buildings have changed. Firstly, to accommodate functionality and financial viability, then a growing desire for community spaces and amenities and latterly, ESG and net zero requirements. 

Following the financial crash of 2008, plans for tall buildings pivoted towards economies of scale and efficiency to meet financial viability.

These buildings had functionality at the forefront and needed a more pragmatic approach for delivery. To accommodate this, commercial efficiency drivers resulted in designs that were economical, achieving specification levels while admirably maintaining elegance.

As financial pressures eased and with flexible working on the rise, this eventually gave way to demand for the city to provide amenities and more meaningful spaces in an increasingly competitive market.

The changing requirements of people who work at, live in or own tall buildings began to pose a challenge, which started before, and became even more important after, the pandemic. New plans were driven by an increasing desire for community spaces, as well as buildings that interacted with the local surroundings and public space. 

Incorporating increased amenity requirements into tall buildings – whether that’s by way of a new gym, communal spaces or rooftop garden – is not always aligned to maximising the efficiency of a building’s space or resources. However, the rise in demand for tall buildings with amenities was reflective of the needs of occupants in this new world. 

Having moved through the need for financial viability and the rise of amenities, the UK reaching net zero by 2050 will shape tall buildings delivered in the next couple of decades – fuelled by public perception, demand among occupiers and investors and regulation. 

In the current market that desire for amenities remains but now sits alongside net zero as a commercial driver in the delivery of tall buildings. Embodied carbon and energy use will be as, if not more, important than traditional cost and commercial drivers.

We’ve seen this reflected in changing requirements over the last 15 years, including the introduction of NABERS to the UK in 2020, establishment of the London Energy Transformation Initiative (LETI) in 2017 and ongoing updates to the BREEAM assessment process.

Over the next decade the introduction of the Building Safety Act will be a prominent factor in the delivery of new builds, however, sustainability will also shine a spotlight on the importance of adaptability and the re-use of existing developments. The tall buildings developed from the mid-2000s will be around 20-30 years old and it’s important that we reimagine these existing assets to meet the needs of the next 30 years.