This 26-storey office tower stands close to the iconic City core that includes the Bank of England, the Mansion House and the Royal Exchange; an important area of townscape and symbolism acknowledged as containing some of the most historically significant buildings in the City.

Hammerson UK Properties purchased the site in 2004 and appointed GMW Architects to secure revisions to a planning consent, previously obtained by Grimshaw, and to deliver the project.

The existing cladding was removed, as were intermediate semi-structural mullions. Additional structure was added both to the central cores and between the existing perimeter columns and this enabled new floor space to be cantilevered two metres beyond the original building line.

The new cladding to the tower is made up of seven distinct planes, each of which is divided by vertical channels. Where these planes meet, the junctions are expressed by recesses running the full height of the building, reinforcing the verticality of the tower and giving the building an elegant, contemporary appearance.

At the top of the building, the cladding continues beyond the final floor slab to screen the rooftop plant. These uppermost translucent panels are also intended to soften the transition between building and sky.

The original podium, at the junction of Throgmorton Street and Old Broad Street, has been demolished and a new seven-storey building constructed in its place. This is clad in the same materials as the tower and provides the six lower levels with floors of approximately twice the area of the tower floors above.

The development of 125 Old Broad Street and the neighbouring building offered the opportunity to introduce a new pedestrian route across the site. This links Old Broad Street and Threadneedle Street to Throgmorton Street and opens up the ground floor of the building for retail and restaurant use, potentially adding a lively urban focus for the area.

The main entrance has been repositioned in a more prestigious location at the junction of Old Broad Street and the new pedestrian route.