A unique “bottoming-out” ceremony at a City of London site has revealed incredible images of  a 700-year-old church tower on stilts in the heart of the project.

Innovative engineering at AXA IM Alts’ Fifty Fenchurch Street development allows the Tower of All Hallows Staining Church to remain suspended above 60,000 sq ft of excavation following the removal of over 125,000 tonnes of earth and ground material.

The bottoming-out of the scheme marked a significant construction milestone for the site which will be home to a 36-storey flagship development.

Photo by Owen Billcliffe • owenbphoto.com

YardNine is development delivery partner on the project with Arup as the lead engineering consultant and Multiplex Construction Europe as the main construction works contractor.

John O’Driscoll, Global co-Head of Real Estate at AXA IM Alts, said: “In addition to the uniqueness of being set below a 700-year-old church tower suspended on 45-foot tall stilts, this ceremony marked a major construction milestone for Fifty Fenchurch Street.

“Fifty Fenchurch Street is a remarkable project, blending state-of-the-art, Grade A workspace with the site’s rich historical features – a development that will set new benchmarks for years to come.”

A CGI of the completed scheme