As part of a rapidly developing area of London the project will extend the New Street Square development towards The City delivering 325,000ft² of office and retail accommodation. It will replace The International Press Centre (IPC) building designed in the late 1960’s by Richard Seifert with one that will deliver office accommodation to the very highest standards and achieve a BREEAM ‘Excellent’ rating. The unique configuration of the building respects the protected view corridor from Primrose Hill which cuts diagonally across the site towards St. Paul’s cathedral. This resulting Pas de Deux form with a lower portion addressing the adjacent building on Shoe Lane, complimented by a taller partner rising to a pinnacle looking towards St. Paul’s, successfully responds not just to the local context but also to the London skyline. Modern office buildings often have to respond to conflicting requirements, and in this case the external envelope successfully balances the benefits of good daylight and external awareness with the need to control solar gain to reduce cooling loads, by using external shading in the form of elegant ‘butterfly fins’ that incorporate vertical slots that not only protect the full height glass from solar gains but also allow generous views to the outside. CGI images courtesy of The Neighbourhood/Land Securities.