Paddington is getting a glow-up ... from a giant glass cigarette

SO, Renzo Piano's stumpy cigarette is almost open. Aflame, maybe. Lit. It's actually called the Paddington Cube, but it's almost ready to go.

- Dylan Jones

This beautiful 18-storey, cube-shaped redevelopment next to Paddington Station, designed by Shard architect Piano, had originally been given a late 2021 target date for practical completion when it was approved in 2017. Because of Covid, and the unhelpful collapse of the development's M&E (mechanical and electrical services) contractor Michael J Lonsdale (owing creditors £65 million), it is way overdue, although no less anticipated.

The £350 million Paddington Square project has endured a troubled development process since it was first proposed in 2015 as a highly controversial 65-storey, 224m-tall cylindrical tower dubbed the "Paddington Pole". The original plans were withdrawn amid huge protests from locals and campaign groups due to its location next to Brunel's Grade I listed station. Consequently, the scheme was eventually chopped down to 18 floors, flipped from residential use to commercial, and redesigned as a "floating" cube in 2016.