Skanska has been awarded the £242 million contract to construct Heron Tower by the trustees of the Heron Tower Property Unit Trust.

Located on an island site on Bishopsgate, the building will be one of the tallest towers in the City of London upon completion.

The 202 metre tall office building will be topped with a spire, pushing its height further to 246 metres.

Demolition of the existing buildings is already underway, with the main construction works starting in January 2008, commencing with enabling works in readiness for the main piling operations which will start in the spring of 2008.

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This will be followed by construction of both the sub-structure and super-structure works in parallel, commonly referred to as ‘Top Down’ construction. The project is scheduled for completion during the first quarter of 2011.

David Fison, Chief Executive of Skanska UK said: “Heron have been very clear from day one what they wanted - a construction partner who adds real value and who works as part of the team to create the overall success of the project.

“At Skanska, our whole focus is on integrated project management and eliminating waste so we are delighted that we have been chosen by Heron to do exactly that on this most prestigious of contracts.”

Swedish firm Skansa have already left their mark on the City of London skyline, having previously constructed the 30 St Mary Axe - better known as 'The Gherkin'.

(NS/SP)