The IYLO building finally puts its past behind it

It is frequently said that if you don't know where you come from, you also won't know where you're going - a saying that can certainly be strongly applied to the one-time IYLO building in Croydon, London. This structure had seemingly everything to recommend it to prospective residents of one of the world's very greatest capital cities.

The initial graphics were certainly impressive, suggesting a structure that was elliptical in plan, with two equal halves 'sliding' past each other. Interested observers were promised an elegant 20-storey building, but far from just another anonymous addition to the London skyline, it also promised to make luxurious living in the capital surprisingly attainable.

Alas, the IYLO building's conception went rather smoother than its realisation, at least at first. The most unforeseeable chain of events brought on by the late 2000s economic crash made obtaining credit for ambitious projects like IYLO all the more difficult, and the original funding source for the building was one victim, sliding into administration in 2009.

Construction of the IYLO building had barely recommenced when the construction company entered administration itself, and by 2012, vandalism and graffiti was threatening to make the structure an eyesore - not the beacon of hope for Croydon that it had always been intended to be.

However, as if to show that there's always a chance no matter how ill-starred one's past, matters have turned around drastically for the building. It was passed to new owners, who took advantage of improving economic conditions in the early 2010s to ensure that the project's funding was on as solid foundations as the building itself.

The news keeps getting better, however. Despite suggestions at the time construction began again in 2013 that work would be complete by 2015, that date can now be brought forward to November 2014 - and potential buyers or renters of its impeccably-appointed apartments and penthouses can now truly get excited.

That means getting excited about such generous specifications within the living spaces themselves as engineered wooden flooring, spot light fittings, chrome-plated taps and quality integrated appliances - to say nothing of the impressive double-height entrance lobby with its floor to ceiling windows, marble flooring and stone-finish walls.

But most importantly of all, it means getting excited about what such a development truly means for Croydon and wider London - the opportunity to enjoy all of the excitement and stimulation of living in the capital, at staggering levels of luxury for the price tag. That is at least the case for as long as apartments and penthouses at the former IYLO building remain available - which might not be for long.

Editor’s Note: ISLAND (http://www.islandcroydon.com/) are represented by the search engine advertising and digital marketing specialists Jumping Spider Media. Email: info@jumpingspidermedia.co.uk or call: +44 (0)20 3070 1959 / +34 952 783 637.