AXA has unveiled plans for its replacement for the ill-fated Pinnacle tower in the City of London with the design aimed squarely at the upcoming X and Y Generation of workers.The proposed tower at 22 Bishopsgate will become the Square Mile’s tallest building.
The new design follows the acquisition of the site earlier this year by a consortium of international investors led by AXA Real Estate and Lipton Rogers acting as development partner. At 912ft, the £500m building will eclipse the nearby Heron Tower and Leadenhall Building by more than 150ft.
With planning approval granted in 2007, work came to a halt on the Pinnacle in 2012 because of the recession, leaving just the nine-storey concrete core, nicknamed “the stump”. The existing foundations and basements will be retained, but AXA’s new 62-storey scheme will be 32ft lower.
Overall the building will provide more than 1.4m sq ft of office space with the floor plates shaped to reduce the mass of the building, whilst offering the optimum size and configuration for potential occupiers, explained AXA in a press release.
At the top of the building will be a public viewing gallery, which will have dedicated lifts, be free to the public and sit alongside a two-storey public restaurant and bar, the highest in London.
“On completion, 22 Bishopsgate will be an integrated vertical city which accommodates over 12,000 people, and has been conceived to provide an exceptional work environment including an extensive range of amenities, services and facilities, arts and entertainment,” adds AXA.
“In the nine years since the previous design was approved, both business and employee expectations for their workplaces have led to increased standards in office design and management. The proposals for 22 Bishopsgate have taken a fresh look at this new environment based on international best practice and aim to create a better place for people to experience whether at work, at play or when visiting.”
Designed to serve the so-called Generation X and Y of future workers, many employed in the financial and information technology sectors, the developer says it wants to “create a community in the sky” which, in addition to the traditional leisure facilities, would offer amenities such as a medical centre, a library, a wellness suite and specialised sports rooms. Ground floor events would include a programme of coached sessions ranging from cookery through to language lessons.
“The building will also set new standards in promoting cycling, providing a parking facility on site for over 1,500 bikes and more than 100 showers, along with hire, repairs, sales, safety training, spinning classes, laundry and drying facilities,” said AXA.
Speaking about the proposal Stuart Lipton, of Lipton Rogers, said: the tower would be the first of a new type of “more relaxed, less stressful” vertical office villages. “You might want to go to a lecture on the second floor, a debate, a TED talk. All the way up through the building there will these places to stop.
“The feel will be not unlike a British Airways lounge where there are people sitting at desks, some at a bar, some on a settee, others around a table,” added the veteran developer. “On the way in you will be able to tap an app and say ‘deliver a latte to my desk on floor 37 at 9.20am’.”
Anne Kavanagh is global head of asset management and transactions at AXA Real Estate. “Our commitment to develop 22 Bishopsgate is driven by London’s status as one of the preeminent world cities and its continued capacity to generate employment and growth,” she said.
“As with our other projects, 22 Bishopsgate has an underlying commitment to create a sustainable building environmentally, socially and economically. This investment is being made for the long term and – along with public and private investment into the local transport and infrastructure – we believe will continue to strengthen central London’s position as an international business location.”
The new scheme is being displayed at an exhibition at the 22 Bishopsgate site and comes ahead of the anticipated submission of a new planning application later this summer.
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