Octopus tower toned down so M4 drivers won't be distracted

The architect responsible for the Gherkin has unveiled revised plans for an office block called the Octopus.

It is intended to be built beside the M4 in Chiswick. The radical design has been toned down because the Highways Agency feared it would become a "serious safety hazard" for drivers.

Ken Shuttleworth's 49.5-metre tall building aims to create a new gateway into the capital with its innovative shape, said to resemble an octopus's body and legs. The architect, who founded the MAKE practice, was credited with sketching the original shape of the Gherkin when he worked at Foster and Partners. He also worked on City Hall and the arch at Wembley Stadium.

Hounslow council planners rejected the Octopus last year because they felt it would be an "alien addition to the skyline". But the decision was overturned on appeal, and a modified project - with more office space but three metres shorter in height - is being put forward. One of two giant digital advertising hoardings that would have been seen from the elevated M4 has been scrapped amid concerns it would distract drivers.

The unusual shape of the building, to be erected on land opposite Chiswick roundabout, would be accentuated by a "shroud" of LED lights. There would also be a rooftop gallery that the developer, London & Bath Estates, has pledged to open to the public.

Mr Shuttleworth said: "Our revised design has retained its unusual, highly sculptural form but has a far more simple silhouette."

Kim Gottlieb, managing director of London & Bath Estates, said: "I am confident that we now have a scheme that is right for Hounslow council and for the local area."