The Tower, One St George Wharf
Why is it significant?
The Tower at One St George Wharf is a 181-metre, 50-storey residential skyscraper in London that became the United Kingdom's tallest purely residential building upon its completion in 2014. Designed with a Catherine wheel floor plan, the building features a 10-metre wind turbine on its roof to power internal lighting and draws from the ancient London Aquifer for temperature control.
Key Facts
| Place | The Tower, One St George Wharf |
|---|---|
| Address | 1 St George Wharf, London SW8 2FC |
| Geo Coordinates | 51.48505, -0.12773 |
| Audio Duration | ~2 min |
| Part of Walk | Vauxhall to Battersea: Riverside Modern Marvels |
| Generated | Generated |
What to look for?
- Completed in 2014, The Tower at One St George Wharf reaches a height of 181 metres across 50 storeys.
- Each floor of The Tower at One St George Wharf arranges five luxury apartments in a Catherine wheel design.
- A 10-metre vertical axis wind turbine sits atop One St George Wharf to generate electricity for common lighting.
- The penthouse pool at One St George Wharf sits 45 metres higher than the top of the London Eye.
Photo: Google
What unique feature sits on the roof of The Tower at One St George Wharf?
Look up at this sleek glass cylinder rising dramatically above the river bank. This is The Tower at One St George Wharf, standing fifty storeys high and reaching one hundred and eighty-one metres into the London sky. When completed in two thousand and fourteen, it claimed the title of the tallest purely residential skyscraper in the United Kingdom, firing the starting gun for the total transformation of the Vauxhall and Nine Elms riverside. Architecturally, its shape is quite remarkable. If you were looking down on it from above, you would see a floor plan modeled after a Catherine wheel. Five luxury apartments stretch out on each level like spokes from a central core, framed by stepped glass winter gardens that give the building its distinct, spiraling silhouette. But look all the way up to the very top. Do you see that ten-metre structure sitting right on the roof? That is a vertical axis wind turbine, engineered to capture the breezes whipping off the Thames and generate green electricity for the common lighting inside. Below ground, the engineering is just as clever. The tower reaches deep into the ancient London Aquifer, using natural underground water to help cool and heat the apartments. High near the summit, the luxury reaches dizzying levels, including a penthouse with a private swimming pool sitting forty-five metres higher than the top of the London Eye! Yet despite these green innovations, the skyscraper sparked immense debate. With penthouses selling for tens of millions of pounds and concierge services run by Harrods Estates, it became a flashpoint in discussions about London property. When it opened, land registry records revealed that nearly two-thirds of the flats were owned by offshore companies, leaving whole floors dark and silent most of the year. Whether viewed as an eco-friendly engineering triumph or a playground for global wealth, One St George Wharf undeniably reshaped this bend of the river, setting a bold new architectural tone for your journey toward Battersea.