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Two skyscrapers proposed for London's Blackfriars

Wilkinson Eyre and Brisac Gonzalez have revealed plans for a pair of skyscrapers near London's Blackfriars Bridge, providing 52 floors of housing and 32 storeys of offices.

The skyscrapers are to form part of the 18 Blackfriars Road masterplan designed by London studio Wilkinson Eyre Architects for a site just south of the River Thames.

Wilkinson Eyre Architects has designed a 178.5-metre-tall residential tower for the northern side of the site, while London firm Brisac Gonzalez has proposed a 136-metre-high office block. The site is also intended to include entertainment and shopping areas, and landscaping.

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Sections of the residential tower are boxed out to lend it the appearance of a stack of glazed blocks. Each glazed facade is intended to be slightly angled to catch the light in different ways, visually breaking up the form of the tower.

Indents between each block will host winter gardens to provide residents with access to outdoor space.

While apartments will occupy the majority of the tower, hotel rooms will be located on levels one to eight. Shops will be set at ground floor level, while lounges, pool, a gym and external terraces will be dispersed throughout.

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On the eastern part of the site, fronting Blackfriars Road, Brisac Gonzalez's 32-storey office block will also feature shops on the ground floor, and a publicly accessible rooftop restaurant with an exterior terrace.

Its eastern facade will be clad in a pleated glass, while a smooth glazed skin with textured metal grooves will cover the western side.

The 18 Blackfriars Road scheme proposed by Malaysian property developer Black Pearl also includes a 548 -bedroom hotel and a further residential block by Wilkinson Eyre Architects.

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If approved, the development will add to an ever-growing number of skyscrapers being erected in and around the City of London. Eric Parry recently unveiled plans for a 73-storey skyscraper that is to become the tallest in the capital's financial district.

But the skyscrapers have received considerable criticism from the city's residents, who are calling for height caps and no-build zones.