Job now called the Round set to get going this summer with £100m enabling work
Foster & Partners’ £1bn towers scheme at 18 Blackfriars has been renamed the Round, the developer behind it has said.
US firm Hines said the new name had been “inspired by the circular cultural hub at its heart that will host year-round events and cultural programming”.
The firm has released new pictures of how the scheme will look when completed, showing an oval-shaped courtyard, an interior view of a multi-storey office space and the crown of its tallest 47-storey tower.
It will also contain two residential towers, 20,000 sq ft of affordable workspace, a social enterprise-run community cafe and a 300-seat auditorium for local communities and businesses to use. It will also include children’s play areas, cafes, restaurants and shops.
Foster & Partners Head of Studio Nigel Dancey described the scheme as a ”healthy mixed-use development that plugs into - and significantly enhances - the existing urban fabric.
He added: ”Vibrant new public spaces are central to design concept - connecting with a cycle highway and a number of public transport interchanges - to encourage car-free travel. Our proposal aspires to define the office of the future, with flexible floorplates for longevity and cascading green terraces, which bring a social dimension to the workplace.”
Hines said it has agreed a Section 106 package with Southwark council which includes £74m as a Community Infrastructure Levy payment and £12m as an affordable workspace contribution.
Main contractor bids for both parts of the scheme are being worked on by five firms – with Multiplex pricing both the office and residential elements.
Hines is hoping main construction work will start in spring 2027.
The job is one of the largest set to get going in London this year with four firms due to find out this spring who was won the £100m enabling works and basement contract.
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