Broadgate Tower and 201 Bishopsgate, under construction
Broadgate Tower
and the neighbouring 201 Bishopsgate are part of the Broadgate estate
(q.v.) and front Bishopsgate itself to the northeast of Loverpool
Street station. These pictures were taken in 2007 as the glass cladding
was being fitted in the latter stages of the buildings' construction.
Both buildings were designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill.
Broadgate Tower is curently the third highest building in the City, at
539ft, though it will not hold that position for much longer.
The sun glints off the glass cladding of Broadgate Tower
The two
buildings have been constructed either side of a concrete raft built
over the railway tracks coming out of Liverpool Street and the load of
Broadgate Tower is partially carried by huge diagonal cross-braces that
span the raft. A glass roof suspended from this frame hangs within
inches of, but does not actually touch, the smaller buiilding. The
space thus created is to be planted with mature trees and will become a
public open space once the buildings are completed.
The UK's tallest tower crane on the south elevation during construction
The diagonal cross-braces spanning the raft over the Liverpool Street tracks
201 Bishopsgate under construction
Northern
Bishopsgate and Bishops Square
Bishopsgate adjacent to the Bishops Square development
250 and 280 Bishopsgate
Just south of
201 Bishopsgate and on the opposite side of the road stand two smart
new glass office buildings, 250 and 280 Bishopsgate; these are the part
of the adjacent Bishops Square development that front the main road
(see also the Spitalfields
Market page). 280 Bishopsgate is the taller and more northern of
the two; it was designed by Foggo Associates for Hammerson and rises to
210ft. The neighbouring 250 Bishopsgate is 161ft tall and was designed
by Foggo Associates for the occupiers, Dutch bank ABN Amro.
The glass frontages of 250 and 280 Bishopsgate
Detailing of 250 Bishopsgate
Further detailing of 250 Bishopsgate including the indented porch and multiple reflections
The
Broadgate Estate and Liverpool Street
155 Bishopsgate
This classically
designed building is actually three properties with a common facade;
nos. 133, 155 and 175 Bishopsgate. The buildings form part of the
Broadgate estate and stand between Bishopsgate itself and Liverpool
Street railway station; the principal tenant is Barings Bank. The
building has been described as "a skyscraper on its side". The
Bishopsgate facade features a mix of polished stone and glass, and is
designed with plenty of modelling and detailing that both pleases the
eye and gives the building a fair amount of gravitas.
The southern frontage, at the entrance to Liverpool St Station.
99
Bishopsgate
99 Bishopsgate
Surrounded as it
is with higher and more famous towers, 99 Bishopsgate does tend to be
overlooked; a pity, as it is rather a gem in its own right. Standing at
the junction of Bishopsgate and Wormwood Street, this 26-floor building
was designed by GMW Architects for Hammerson. The main tower stands
341ft (104 metres) tall, though the podium is extensive and also
contains the seperate premises of 101 Bishopsgate. It was compleed in
1976 and until recently was the corporate headquarters of HSBC. The
dark crown is a facade overrun.
Cladding and detailing of 99 Bishopsgate
Reflections off a neighboring building
99 Bishopsgate seen from the south; the contrast of classical and modern
Tower
42
Tower 42
Tower 42,
originally known as the Nat West Tower, was Britain's first skyscraper.
Designed by Richard Seifert for the National Westminster Bank, it
stands 600ft (128 metres) tall and has a frontage on Old Broad Street.
Construction took 9 years and the building was completed in 1980.
Tower 42 from Bishopsgate
When completed
the building was the tallest cantilevered tower in the worls, and it
stood as the tallest building in London until it was overtopped by One
Canada Square in Canary Wharf ten years later. The oft-held belief that
the shape of the building represents Nat West's logo is an urban myth.
The tower in portrait
The building was
renamed Tower 42 after Nat West moved out. It features an expensive
seafood and champagne bar called Vertigo on the 42nd floor, affording
its patrons exclellent views across central London and beyond.
Southern
Bishopsgate
