8 Bishopsgate

8 Bishopsgate is a distinctive addition to the City of London's skyline. The building is characterised by its attention to detail, holistic approach to sustainability and rigorous integration of structure and services into the overarching architectural vision. The site is located within the City of London cluster, moderated by the constraints of the London View Management Framework and a local view from Fleet Street, where the new building could not impinge into the ‘skyspace’ around the dome of St Paul’s. In response, a stepped profile successfully satisfied the requirements and broke down the overall scale and mass of the building into a legible form. The three blocks are differentiated by scale, material and structural requirements. The building’s stepped form is accentuated by terraces and cantilevers that contribute to a cohesive and visually dynamic composition. 8 Bishopsgate is a structurally light tower, accomplished in part by the utilisation of materials. The steel-braced box in the building's core played a significant role by allowing cantilevers on the west façade, effectively creating additional space while circumventing the need for transfers. This had a minimal impact on steel tonnage and associated carbon. Steel sections throughout were calculated to be no larger than required by their individual loads. Rationalising the building’s frame has reduced the amount of steel by 25% against a typical tower of similar size. The innovative double-skin closed cavity façade prioritises energy efficiency with high thermal performance. The building envelope and façade performance were optimised to provide thermal comfort, which delivers energy savings and provides a greater level of daylight internally. Adaptive shading that responds to the weather conditions reduces the total building cooling demand by a further 530kW (5%). Building users have access to a range of amenities (approximately 10% of the building area) including the ground floor public café, upper floor mezzanine café with lounges and break-out workspaces, and a flexible flat floor gathering space that can revert to a 200-seat auditorium with retractable seating. The Lookout is an admission-free public viewing gallery at the top of the building with uninterrupted views of many City landmarks. The UN sustainable development goals have been at the heart of project decision-making, resulting in a tower that demonstrates holistic sustainability, balanced with occupant health, wellbeing and operational needs. This user-centric building has been designed to enhance health and wellbeing, offering adaptability through smart building systems, flexible HVAC design and a wide range of tenant amenities. Cycle facilities cater for nearly 1,000 bikes including generous provisions for showers, lockers and maintenance. The tower is understood to be the most sustainable speculative tall commercial scheme in the UK, accomplished in part by the optimisation of materials and structure, adaptive façade and innovative building services. Embodied carbon was calculated following the RICS professional statement methodology and at each design stage to identify opportunities for reduction.