The Shard remains London's tallest completed building at 306 metres under the current Council on Vertical Urbanism architectural-height standard. 22 Bishopsgate is second at 278.2 metres, followed by One Canada Square at 236 metres.
Height tells only part of the story. The ranking below also identifies the architects, structural engineers and main contractors behind the 20 tallest completed buildings in Greater London, from Renzo Piano, WSP and Mace at The Shard to the teams behind Canary Wharf's residential towers and the City's latest office buildings.
The Shard at London Bridge remains London's tallest completed building. Photo: London Construction Magazine.
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London's tallest completed buildings
Ranked by architectural height. Tap a building to see who designed, engineered and built it.
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1 The ShardSouthwark · Mixed-use · Completed 2013 306m · 1,004ft
Floors
73 above ground
Architect
Renzo Piano Building Workshop
Structural engineer
WSP
Main contractor
Mace
2 22 BishopsgateCity of London · Office · Completed 2020 278.2m · 913ft
Floors
62
Architect
PLP Architecture
Structural engineer
WSP
Main contractor
Multiplex
3 One Canada SquareCanary Wharf · Office · Completed 1991 236m · 774ft
Floors
50
Architect
César Pelli & Associates
Structural engineer
M.S. Yolles & Partners
Main contractor
Sir Robert McAlpine
4 Landmark PinnacleTower Hamlets · Residential-led · Completed 2020 233.2m · 765ft
Floors
77
Architect
Squire & Partners
Structural engineer
WSP
Main contractor
Chalegrove Properties
5 Salesforce Tower110 Bishopsgate / former Heron Tower · Office · Completed 2011 230m · 755ft
Floors
46
Architect
Kohn Pedersen Fox
Structural engineer
Arup
Main contractor
Skanska
6 The Leadenhall BuildingCity of London · Office · Completed 2014 224.5m · 737ft
Floors
52
Architect
Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners
Structural engineer
Arup
Main contractor
Laing O'Rourke
7 Newfoundland PlaceCanary Wharf · Residential · Completed 2020 219.7m · 721ft
Floors
59
Architect
Horden Cherry Lee; Adamson Associates executive architect
Structural engineer
WSP
Main contractor
Canary Wharf Contractors
8 Aspen at Consort PlaceTower Hamlets · Residential / hotel · Completed 2024 215.8m · 708ft
Floors
67
Architect
Pilbrow & Partners
Structural engineer
WSP
Main contractor
Midgard, JRL Group
9 Valiant TowerSouth Quay Plaza · Residential · Completed 2020 214.5m · 704ft
Floors
68
Architect
Foster + Partners
Structural engineer
WSP
Main contractor
Laing O'Rourke
10 One Park DriveWood Wharf · Residential · Completed 2021 204.9m · 672ft
Floors
58
Architect
Herzog & de Meuron; Adamson Associates executive architect
Structural engineer
AKT II
Main contractor
Canary Wharf Contractors
11 8 BishopsgateCity of London · Office · Completed 2023 203.7m · 668ft
Floors
51
Architect
WilkinsonEyre
Structural engineer
Arup
Main contractor
Lendlease
12 25 Canada SquareCanary Wharf · Office · Completed 2002 201m · 659ft
Floors
42
Architect
César Pelli & Associates; Adamson Associates architect of record
Structural engineer
M.S. Yolles & Partners
Main contractor
Canary Wharf Contractors
13 8 Canada SquareCanary Wharf · Office · Completed 2002 199.5m · 655ft
Floors
42
Architect
Foster + Partners
Structural engineer
Arup
Main contractor
Canary Wharf Contractors
14 City TowerOne Nine Elms · Residential · Completed 2023 199.4m · 654ft
Floors
57
Architect
Kohn Pedersen Fox
Structural engineer
AKT II
Main contractor
Multiplex
15 Harcourt GardensSouth Quay Plaza · Residential · Completed 2024 192.4m · 631ft
Floors
56
Architect
Foster + Partners; Axis delivery architect
Structural engineer
WSP
Principal contractor
Berkeley Homes (SQP) Ltd
16 The Scalpel52 Lime Street · Office · Completed 2018 190.1m · 624ft
Floors
39
Architect
Kohn Pedersen Fox
Structural engineer
Arup
Main contractor
Skanska
17 Wardian East TowerTower Hamlets · Residential · Completed 2020 187.2m · 614ft
Floors
55
Architect
Glenn Howells Architects
Structural engineer
WSP
Contractor
Ballymore
18 Icon TowerOne West Point · Ealing · Residential · Completed 2022 184m · 604ft
Floors
52
Architect
BUJ Architects
Structural engineer
Manhire Associates
Main contractor
O'Shea Construction
19 Tower 42Former NatWest Tower · City of London · Office · Completed 1980 182.9m · 600ft
Floors
43 under current CVU floor methodology
Architect
R. Seifert & Partners
Structural engineer
Pell Frischmann
Original main contractor
John Mowlem & Co.
20 Amory TowerFormerly The Madison · Tower Hamlets · Residential / office · Completed 2021 182m · 597ft
Floors
55 under current CVU methodology
Architect
Make Architects
Structural engineer
WSP
Main contractor
Balfour Beatty
Ranking uses architectural height and completed status. The historic NatWest Tower database record is not counted separately from the present Tower 42 because it refers to the same physical tower before renovation.
The 20 tallest completed buildings in London
| Rank | Building | Height | Floors | Completed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Shard | 306m / 1,004ft | 73 | 2013 |
| 2 | 22 Bishopsgate | 278.2m / 913ft | 62 | 2020 |
| 3 | One Canada Square | 236m / 774ft | 50 | 1991 |
| 4 | Landmark Pinnacle | 233.2m / 765ft | 77 | 2020 |
| 5 | Salesforce Tower | 230m / 755ft | 46 | 2011 |
| 6 | The Leadenhall Building | 224.5m / 737ft | 52 | 2014 |
| 7 | Newfoundland Place | 219.7m / 721ft | 59 | 2020 |
| 8 | Aspen at Consort Place | 215.8m / 708ft | 67 | 2024 |
| 9 | Valiant Tower | 214.5m / 704ft | 68 | 2020 |
| 10 | One Park Drive | 204.9m / 672ft | 58 | 2021 |
| 11 | 8 Bishopsgate | 203.7m / 668ft | 51 | 2023 |
| 12 | 25 Canada Square | 201m / 659ft | 42 | 2002 |
| 13 | 8 Canada Square | 199.5m / 655ft | 42 | 2002 |
| 14 | City Tower | 199.4m / 654ft | 57 | 2023 |
| 15 | Harcourt Gardens | 192.4m / 631ft | 56 | 2024 |
| 16 | The Scalpel | 190.1m / 624ft | 39 | 2018 |
| 17 | Wardian East Tower | 187.2m / 614ft | 55 | 2020 |
| 18 | Icon Tower | 184m / 604ft | 52 | 2022 |
| 19 | Tower 42 | 182.9m / 600ft | 43 | 1980 |
| 20 | Amory Tower | 182m / 597ft | 55 | 2021 |
How LCM ranks London's tallest buildings
The ranking uses architectural height, the standard used by the Council on Vertical Urbanism for its tallest-building tables. The measurement starts at the lowest significant open-air pedestrian entrance and runs to the architectural top. Permanent architectural spires count; antennas, signage, flagpoles and functional technical equipment do not.
This explains why figures found elsewhere can differ. The Shard is often described as 309.6 metres high, but the current CVU architectural-height record used for this ranking is 306 metres. LCM uses one measurement system throughout rather than mixing roof, tip and architectural heights.
A building also has to be complete. Under the CVU completion criteria, it must be structurally and architecturally topped out, fully clad and open for business or at least partially occupiable. A tower that has simply reached its highest structural level does not enter this list.
The geographic scope is Greater London, following the CVU London dataset. It therefore includes the City of London, Canary Wharf, Southwark, Nine Elms and North Acton rather than restricting the ranking to the Square Mile.
The Shard remains London's tallest building
The Shard has held first place since completion in 2013. Its 306-metre architectural height leaves it 27.8 metres above 22 Bishopsgate and 70 metres above One Canada Square.
Renzo Piano Building Workshop designed the tower for Sellar Property Group. WSP was structural engineer and Mace delivered the main construction works. The building mixes offices, restaurants, hotel accommodation, apartments and public viewing levels within the tapered structure.
The structural design changes as the tower rises. WSP describes a building that moves through different structural systems to suit the changing floorplates, with a concrete core and a prefabricated steel pinnacle at the top.
22 Bishopsgate is the City's tallest completed tower
22 Bishopsgate stands at 278.2 metres and is the tallest completed building wholly within the City of London. PLP Architecture designed the 62-storey office tower, WSP provided structural engineering and Multiplex completed the £591 million construction contract in December 2020.
Its engineering is tied closely to the failed Pinnacle development that previously occupied the site. WSP reused all of the existing foundations and half of the basement, with new structural work threaded through the retained substructure. Multiplex records the completed building at 1.275 million sq ft.
One Canada Square still ranks third after 35 years
One Canada Square reached 236 metres in 1991 and remains London's third-tallest completed building. César Pelli & Associates designed the tower for Olympia & York, with M.S. Yolles & Partners among the structural engineers and Sir Robert McAlpine delivering the main construction work.
It was London's dominant height benchmark until The Shard overtook it. Its continued third-place position also shows how unusual London's tallest three buildings remain: only two completed towers have passed 250 metres.
Who built London's tallest towers?
The top 20 shows a small group of engineering and construction firms recurring across several generations of London high-rise work. WSP appears on The Shard, 22 Bishopsgate, Landmark Pinnacle, Newfoundland, Aspen, Valiant Tower, Harcourt Gardens, Wardian and Amory Tower. Arup's structural work includes Salesforce Tower, the Leadenhall Building, 8 Bishopsgate, 8 Canada Square and The Scalpel.
The contractor list is more fragmented. Mace delivered The Shard; Multiplex delivered 22 Bishopsgate and One Nine Elms; Skanska built Salesforce Tower and The Scalpel; Laing O'Rourke delivered the Leadenhall Building and Valiant Tower. Canary Wharf Contractors appears repeatedly across the docklands generation.
LCM has examined the engineering side of this market separately in its analysis of the structural engineers behind London's tallest buildings.
Canary Wharf dominates the Top 20 by number
Eleven of the 20 buildings are in Tower Hamlets, principally Canary Wharf, the Isle of Dogs and Marsh Wall. Six are in the City of London. The remaining three are The Shard in Southwark, City Tower at One Nine Elms in Wandsworth and Icon Tower in North Acton.
That concentration also shows the shift in building use. The older City and Canary Wharf generation is dominated by offices, while much of the post-2020 high-rise growth around the Isle of Dogs is residential.
Tallest office and residential buildings
22 Bishopsgate is the highest office-only building in the ranking at 278.2 metres. Landmark Pinnacle is the highest residential-led entry at 233.2 metres, while Valiant Tower at 214.5 metres is the highest entry in this ranking classified as residential-only.
The Shard remains the tallest mixed-use building and the tallest building overall.
What could change the ranking next?
London's next wave is still outside this table because completion status is the dividing line. One London, the redesigned 1 Undershaft scheme, is planned at about 309.6 metres but remains in demolition and pre-construction. Other large City proposals and live projects could eventually enter the upper half of the ranking.
LCM tracks those schemes separately in its guide to the biggest London skyscrapers under construction. Buildings approaching handover are tracked in the separate London skyscrapers completing in 2026 list.
Frequently asked questions
What is the tallest building in London?
The Shard is London's tallest completed building. Its current CVU architectural height is 306 metres, or 1,004 feet.
The Shard is London's tallest completed building. Its current CVU architectural height is 306 metres, or 1,004 feet.
What is London's second-tallest building?
22 Bishopsgate is second at 278.2 metres. It is also the tallest completed building wholly within the City of London.
22 Bishopsgate is second at 278.2 metres. It is also the tallest completed building wholly within the City of London.
What is the tallest building in Canary Wharf?
One Canada Square remains Canary Wharf's tallest completed building at 236 metres.
One Canada Square remains Canary Wharf's tallest completed building at 236 metres.
Who built The Shard?
Mace was the main contractor. Renzo Piano Building Workshop was the architect and WSP was the structural engineer.
Mace was the main contractor. Renzo Piano Building Workshop was the architect and WSP was the structural engineer.
Last checked: 25 October 2026. The ranking should be reviewed whenever the Council on Vertical Urbanism changes a London tower from under construction or architecturally topped out to completed status.
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