British firms Squire and Partners and SOM have completed a slender skyscraper just north of the City of London, which at 117 metres is the tallest tower in the borough of Islington.

As the borough's tallest building, the Lexicon is intended to act an icon for its location on the west side of the City Road Basin – part of the Regent Canal.

Squire and Partners designed the 36-storey tower, which was later detailed by Skidmore Owings and Merrill (SOM), with curved corners and a slanted roof that cuts through the upper floors to allow for terraces.

The tower designed for property developers Mount Anvil and Clarion Housing includes 300 apartments – of which 35 per cent are considered affordable – and a five-story, 405-square-meter penthouse with 360-degree views from all levels.

Shops and restaurants are located on the ground floor of the building, which is accompanied by a pair of low-rise apartment buildings set around a landscaped public courtyard.

After planning, SOM designed the glass curtain wall to allows unobstructed views of London's skyline and add to the project's sustainability credentials.

The system features glass channels set within a ventilated cavity to allow floor-to-ceiling glazing.

Flats located facing the City Road Basin in the low-rise development also have generous balconies that provide views over the water.

There are several hundred new towers currently in the pipeline for London. The number is so great it has attracted considerable criticism, with the city's residents calling for height caps and no-build zones.

Eric Parry recently got the go ahead for City of London's tallest skyscraper, while Wilkinson Eyre and Brisac Gonzalez have revealed plans for a pair of skyscrapers near London's Blackfriars Bridge.

Photography is by James Jones.