黑洞社区

Contractor Brookfield Multiplex is set to build the tower at 22 Bishopsgate under a fixed-price contract for less than the reported 拢575m cost of the Pinnacle tower the scheme is replacing, according to the developer of the scheme.

Speaking exclusively to 黑洞社区, Peter Rogers, founding partner at developer Lipton Rogers, confirmed that Brookfield had been appointed on a pre-construction contract to develop plans for the scheme, on a construction management basis.

However, he said that when the scheme design was tied down and specialist packages had been let that Brookfield would be tied into delivering the scheme under a fixed-price lump sum deal.

Rogers said that Brookfield helped Lipton Rogers work up its plans for the site, and that he had 鈥渓iked their style鈥� and consequently not talked to any other contractors about taking on the contract.

Brookfield had been engaged by the site鈥檚 previous owners, a consortium of special purpose vehicles led by Saudi Arabian investor Sedco, to build the scheme for a reported 拢575m. But it had to take the owners to court for 拢16m in fees after the scheme stalled after just nine storeys.

Rogers said work on demolishing the 鈥渟tump鈥� would begin in the next two to three months, and that a planning permission for a new tower 鈥渟lightly smaller鈥� than the original, would be submitted 鈥減robably just after the election鈥�.