Foggo Rebalance Cannon Place

Foggo Architects have won planning permission for their proposed new office building, Cannon Place, that is set to replace the existing sixties block that occupies the plot.

Located in the heart of the City of London, Cannon Street is one of the most central stations for the district making it an ideal redevelopment site for developer, Hines Europe, and one that has few opponents thanks to the state of 78 Cannon Street.

Problems arose from aspects of the structural frame that support the main bulk of the building. Used in such a way as to utilise the air-rights over the railway track and underground station, the frame has to support the bulk of the weight and cantilevering it in a similar way to Exchange House at the Broadgate Centre.

As if this doesn't complicate things enough, there is also a heritage aspect for the plans to take into account as the site was originally the Roman Governors villa almost 2000 years ago and the ruins are preserved under it.

Unfortunately for Foggo Assiociates it transpired that their plans were not sufficient to keep the structural frame within the necessary limits and so changes have been made, mainly to the positioning of the facades. The west and east sides have been moved forwards by 0.35m whilst the north and south have been set back by 1.15 effectively changing the way the frame balances the load placed on it.

Externally, Cannon Place remains the same as before with the complex latticework of cross-bracing that clearly references similar patterning on the nearby 80 Cannon Street.

When built the scheme will contain a grand total of 58,000 square metres of new space although Hines Europe have yet to announce a likely construction date.