Revised designs have been released for 22 Bishopsgate in London. The tower will sit at the center of a cluster of high-rises in the City financial district, which includes high-profile buildings such as the Leadenhall Building and 20 Fenchurch Street. It will be the second tallest building in the UK behind the Shard.
Planning permission for the original tower to be built at the site, the Pinnacle, was awarded in 2006 and the foundations, basements and lift core up to level nine were constructed. Work stopped in 2012, however, due to the prevailing economic conditions.
The newly released design follows the acquisition of the site by a consortium earlier this year. Designed by PLP Architects, it will retain the foundations and basements that were built in order to minimize disruption.
The tower will be 278 m (912 ft) and 62 storeys tall, making it 10 m (33 ft) shorter than the proposed Pinnacle. Despite that, it will still be the tallest skyscraper in the City of London, according to skyscrapercenter.com.
A press release announcing the designs says that 22 Bishopsgate will be the first building in London to adopt the WELL Building Standard. The standard aims to encourage the use of design to promote the health and wellbeing of building occupants.
These features include a host of facilities for cyclists, aimed at encouraging people to commute via bike. There are over 1,500 spaces for parking bikes and over 100 showers, as well as hire, repair, sales, safety training, spinning class, laundry and drying facilities.
22 Bishopsgate is designed to achieve BREEAM Excellent certification and will apparently make a 25 percent carbon saving compared to the Pinnacle, based largely on an efficient triple-glazed façade. It is also claimed that it will be the first major office building in London to use an off-site consolidated delivery center, with supplies to and waste from the building dropped at the center outside London before being relayed to 22 Bishopsgate in order to minimize traffic, particularly at peak times.
The tower will house cafés, food outlets, a conference center, a medical center, a library, a wellness suite and sports facilities. It will also host art installations, events and seminars and there will be a public viewing gallery at the top as well as a two story public restaurant and bar.
A planning application for the new design is expected to be submitted later this year.
Source: 22 Bishopsgate
