68-Storey Tower Topped Out In London

A new landmark residential tower in London has reached its highest point of construction.

The Berkeley Group's new South Quay Plaza, the tallest building its ever constructed, will comprise 888 homes and significantly enhance the surrounding area with 2.6 acres of new public realm and green space. Further facilities include the highest club lounge in Europe, a 20m swimming pool overlooking South Dock, a cinema room, spa, meeting rooms and expansive outdoor terrace for alfresco dining.

Ray O'Rourke, CEO of Laing O'Rourke and Sean Gavin, Operations Director for Berkeley Homes (South East London) were on hand to mark the milestone at a topping out ceremony.

Ray O'Rourke said: "Laing O’Rourke is proud to be working once again with The Berkeley Group. The delivery of South Quay Plaza has been optimised through early engagement, with our teams digitally engineering the project from the outset, determining the most suitable construction methods for a project of this scale on a tightly constrained site. An Innovative, offsite-manufacturing approach has kept us on track and the team is due to complete construction well in advance of the contractual handover date. I look forward to seeing this exciting 68-storey addition to the changing skyline of London."


Justin Tibaldi, Divisional Managing Director of Berkeley Homes (Capital), added: "South Quay Plaza is a landmark development for Berkeley Homes and at 68 storeys this is the tallest building we have ever developed. This is a significant project for us, and we were delighted to have worked successfully with Laing O'Rourke on this engineering challenge. Although the height of the building is momentous, we are incredibly excited about the way South Quay Plaza will enhance the area; opening up the streetscape in a way previously unseen. We saw this as an opportunity area almost a decade ago and we are proud to be playing an integral part in the redevelopment of South Dock, creating new quality homes as well as amenities for locals to use."

The topping out comes after South Quay Plaza won the prestigious multi-storey award at the National House Building Council's (NHBC) annual National Health and Safety Awards in July.

(CM/MH)