The Scalpel

The Scalpel is a commercial skyscraper in London, United Kingdom. It is located at 52 Lime Street, on its corner with Leadenhall Street, in the City of London financial area. It is opposite the Lloyd's building and adjacent to the Willis Building. Completed in 2018, it is 190 m tall, with 38 storeys, and was designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox.

The "Scalpel" name was originally a nickname but was subsequently designated as its official name, after it was coined by the Financial Times due to the building's distinctive angular design. This follows a trend of nicknaming new buildings based upon their shape; for example, the nearby Leadenhall Building is also known as "The Cheesegrater". The building has also been noted for its similarity to a "play" media button due to how it looks from south of the River Thames.

Planning
WRBC Services Ltd applied to the City of London Corporation for planning permission in September 2012 to demolish Prudential House (52–54 Lime Street and 21–26 Leadenhall Street), Allianz Cornhill House (27-27A Leadenhall Street), and Winterthur House (34–36 Leadenhall Street and 4–5 Billiter Street) and to construct a new building of 38 storeys comprising office and retail uses.

On 15 January 2013, the City of London Planning and Transportation Committee recommended that planning permission be granted for the application. On 11 June 2013, the Common Council of the City of London permitted the development to go ahead subject to certain conditions being met.

Construction
The construction of the tower first required the demolition of three existing buildings on the 0.33 ha site. The building at 38 Leadenhall Street (on the corner of Billiter Street) was not demolished, despite being within the block that the tower occupies.

Skanska were appointed as the main building contractor. In October 2013, the developers informed the Corporation of London that the project would commence on 23 November 2013.

Use
The skyscraper was built for insurance company W. R. Berkley and is the firm's European headquarters, occupying approximately one-quarter of the total office space. Other tenants that have leased space include Axis Novae, National Australia Bank, SAP, Morrison & Foerster, Britannia Financial Group, and Convex.