The Blade, Reading

The Blade, also known as Abbey Mill House, is a high-rise and the tallest building in Reading, Berkshire, England. Used for office space, it is 86 metres (282 ft) tall and is visible from many places in the town. The first tenant to occupy the building was Kaplan Financial, who moved to the building from Thames Tower.[4][5]

The Blade
View from the west
Location within Reading town centre
Alternative namesAbbey Mill House[1]
General information
StatusComplete
Coordinates51°27′20.03″N 0°57′59.15″W
Construction started2007[2]
Completed2009[2]
Cost£32 million[3]
Height
Antenna spire86 m (282 ft)
Roof59 m (194 ft)
Technical details
Floor count15 (14 above ground, 1 below)
Lifts/elevators5
Design and construction
ArchitectSheppard Robson
DeveloperPMB Holdings and Aviva Investors
References
[1]

Building

The high rise building was proposed in 2001, and construction lasted from 2007 to 2009.[6] It cost £32 million to build.[3]

The 86-metre (282 ft) steel building has 14 floors above ground level; the floor-to-floor height is 3.77 metres (12.4 ft). The building's façade is a curtain wall system of aluminium and glass, and the building is strengthened with a pile foundation.[1] The spire atop the building is a lattice frame covered with rainscreen panels.[1] The height of the building is 128m above ground level.[6]

The Blade has 110,000 sq ft for office use, 7,200 sq ft of space of which was let to Gateley, a law firm, for £34 per sq ft, one of the highest rents Reading has achieved.[7]

References
  1. "The Blade". Emporis. Retrieved 13 November 2013.
  2. Skyscrapernews's building database, 23/11/09 version
  3. BBC Berkshire, Places, The Blade, By Linda Serck, April 2009
  4. getreading, "Blade a different class for finance firm" 2 February 2010, retrieved 23 July 2011
  5. Paul Robins, getreading
  6. "The Blade, Reading - Building #1910". skyscrapernews.com. Retrieved 17 July 2019.
  7. "The Blade in Reading is up for sale". Get Reading. 12 July 2017. Retrieved 17 July 2019.

Media related to The Blade Reading at Wikimedia Commons


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