Plans have been unveiled for a new London skyscraper which will rival The Shard and become one the tallest buildings in Western Europe.

New designs have been unveiled for 1 Undershaft, nicknamed the Trellis, which will sit at a height of 309.6 meters.

At the top of the towering structure will be a free public viewing gallery, an education centre that will host school trips along with a restaurant.

Eric Parry Architects, who have designed the plans for Singapore firm Aroland Holdings, say the skyscraper will have the highest occupied floor height in the UK, providing nearly 2m sq. ft of space.

The tower will feature an 11-storey podium whilst the top two floors will be fully glazed. 

New designs have been unveiled for 1 Undershaft, which will sit at a height of 309.6 meters

At the top of the towering structure will be a free public viewing gallery as well as other outdoor spaces 

The architects said the design of the scheme aims to provide an ‘efficient, refined and timeless’ building

The plans, Eric Parry say, follow ‘a re-evaluation and response to the post-pandemic needs, revised market demands, and the changing context and aspirations of the City of London’.

The architects said the design of the scheme aims to provide an ‘efficient, refined and timeless’ building which is of ‘exceptional quality when seen from anywhere within London, at close quarters, in glimpsed views, and in the grander set piece of London’s skyline’.

Documents submitted to the City of London Corporation seen by MailOnline add: ‘The new stepped massing of the building introduces improvements to the public and workplace offer in terms of wellbeing and urban greening by providing outdoor amenity spaces throughout the building.

‘Exciting new public realm experiences are provided at ground and at an elevated public podium garden at level 11, supported by new food and flexible cultural spaces at levels 10, 11 and 12.

‘The top section of the building retains the consented volume and tapered profile, and at its top two levels retain the free-to-visit public viewing gallery along with dedicated education spaces, both curated by the London Museum.’

Plans have been unveiled for a new London skyscraper which will rival The Shard at a height of 309.6 meters and become one the tallest buildings in Western Europe

Construction of the tower is expected to start in 2026 and be completed in 2030

It will join other famous landmarks in the area, sitting between the Gherkin and the Cheesegrater buildings

Construction of the tower is expected to start in 2026 and be completed in 2030, according to technical documents submitted with the application.

More than 170,000 tonnes of concrete, 12,200 tonnes of steel, 2,000 tonnes of glass and 2,600 tonnes of plasterboard will be used to build the skyscraper. 

It will join other famous landmarks in the area, sitting between the Gherkin and the Cheesegrater buildings, and will stand out as the tallest in the City’s financial sector.

The new site is around 5m taller than Eric Parry’s earlier vision for the site which was approved in 2016 but was deemed as not sustainable enough to attract occupiers.

The plans include the demolition of the 28-storey Aviva Tower, which was built in the 1960s.

It comes after the surprise rejection of The Tulip in 2021, a ‘phallic-shaped’ observation tower. 

The proposed development would have been the second tallest building in western Europe, standing at 305.3 metres high.

Concerns were raised that the building, featuring a viewing platform with rotating pods and a sky bar, would overshadow the Tower of London, a World Heritage Site. 

The proposed development, dubbed The Tulip, would have been the second tallest building in western Europe after the Shard, also in London, standing 305.3 metres high

Speaking in 2021, Chief executive of Historic England, Duncan Wilson, said: ‘We have always opposed the proposal, mainly due to the impact it would have on the Tower of London, and so are pleased with this decision.

‘We have long been of the opinion that the Tulip would be visually intrusive and highly incongruous from key viewpoints of the Tower, detracting from the experience of visiting the site for millions of tourists and Londoners.

‘It is also our view that it would harm the extraordinary significance of the Tower of London as a World Heritage Site, and therefore the proposals ran contrary to local and national planning policies.

‘We welcome this outcome, which will help to protect one of the world’s great historic monuments that has provided a stage for our shared history for over 900 years.’