renzo piano receives final approval for 'paddington cube' in london

renzo piano’s plans for a glass office building in central london have received final approval, with construction work now set to begin in earnest. the building, which forms part of a development known as ‘paddington square’, was first unveiled as a cylindrical tower in 2015 before major revisions were made to the design. the £825m transformation of the site around paddington railway station will include new offices, shops and restaurants as well as a new bakerloo line station.

all images and video courtesy of paddington square

the renzo piano-designed office building — known as ‘the cube’ — will be paddington square’s centerpiece. permission for the build to go ahead was given in 2017. however — according to local sources — westminster city council was asked to consider amendments to the design and facilities, which included increasing the height of the building by 2.5 meters. other minor changes involved a slight increase in office and retail spaces, and changes to the underground station’s ticket hall. the project is being overseen by development group sellar, on behalf of owners great western developments limited.

the site around paddington railway station will include new offices, shops and restaurants

‘paddington square will dramatically improve transport connectivity with a new bakerloo line station and a new public space,’ said james sellar, CEO of sellar, when the project was officially launched earlier this year. ‘with the arrival of the new elizabeth line, paddington will become one of the capital’s major transport hubs with direct fast links to heathrow, the west end, the city and canary wharf. we believe paddington square will complement the station’s status as a key hub and will seamlessly blend the historic buildings with the new and make this ‘gateway to the world’ one that london can be proud of.’

each level of the office building will be naturally and brightly illuminated

it is estimated paddington’s local economy will benefit by as much as £350m a year following completion of the project. the development will also bring in as many as 4,500 new jobs to the area. demolition of the site’s existing buildings will be completed by the end of 2018, with construction starting in early 2019. the building’s practical completion is scheduled for the end of 2021.

the building’s practical completion is scheduled for the end of 2021