Tulip: New skyscraper plans 885ft-high dining in moving pods

Londoners will be able to dine in the ultimate room with a view — if plans for the landmark Tulip building get the go-ahead.

Of the 24 pods that will travel around three tracks fixed to the outside of the concrete and glass building, six have been set aside as dining cars served by restaurants in the City tower.

Diners will be up to 885 feet above the ground at the highest point of their journey.

Architects Foster + Partners worked with experts from the rollercoaster industry to design the tracks, but the pods will travel only at about the same speed as the London Eye, taking roughly eight minutes to complete a full rotation.

They will stop every time they reach the top of the oval-shaped track, allowing staff to whisk away dirty cutlery and plates, and deliver the next course.

The dining cars are designed to take two people, while the other pods hold between eight and 10.

Foster + Partners said the idea came after the owners J.Safra Group asked if there was a way of allowing visitors to be outside the building.

The firm, owned by Brazilian banking billionaire Joseph Safra, bought the neighbouring pine cone-inspired Gherkin for more than £700 million in 2014.

Plans for the Tulip building, which would be the tallest tower in the City of London, are on show in an exhibition on the site.

Visitors can see models of the planned structure and use virtual reality technology to experience what being in the building will be like.

A spokeswoman for the project said: “As part of the planning process, we hope that Londoners will come to the public exhibition and learn more about this exciting proposal.”

The tower will have eight floors of attractions, a bar and a “classroom in the sky”. It will also boast glass-floored internal bridges and slides, and is expected to attract one million visitors a year.

The Tulip will be only one foot taller than architect Eric Parry’s proposed 1 Undershaft nearby.

If planning permission is granted, it could open in 2025.

Some concerns have been raised about the building, as Historic England has said it could harm views of the Tower of London.

The exhibition is open on Friday, from midday to 3pm, and from 10am to 2pm on Saturday, with other dates in February and March.