Insurance giant AXA has given main contractor Multiplex the go-ahead to start main works on its 650,000 sq ft 50 Fenchurch Street office tower in the City of London.

Kelbray finished enabling work last month allowing piling to get underway on what will be one of the lowest carbon and most biodiverse high-rise towers in the country.

Designed by architect Eric Parry, the building will give the impression of a hanging garden across the facade, pioneering extensive urban greening in the Square Mile.

The development also includes the retention of the Medieval Tower of All Hallows Staining and Lambe’s Chapel Crypt, which will form part of the extensive public realm being built alongside a new subterranean Livery Hall for The Clothworkers’ Company.

Rob Samuel, UK head of development at AXA IM Alts, said: “Commencing construction with Multiplex marks a significant milestone in the realisation of what we believe is a one-of-a-kind development in the City of London.”