Bloomberg London
Where hi-spec means low impact
When Bloomberg came to Stanhope to help oversee the development of its European HQ in London, sustainability was a defining principle from the outset. Bloomberg’s HQ is one of the finest examples of using high-spec sustainable building materials to create a building with a low ecological footprint.
Where we started
In December 2010, Bloomberg embarked on the construction of a new building in the heart of the City of London. Stanhope was appointed to manage and coordinate the development of what would become an iconic scheme that pushes the boundaries of sustainable office design.
What we did
Included in the building plans were integrated ceiling panels that would incorporate 500,000 LED lights, helping use 40% less energy than a typical office. Water conservation systems were installed all throughout the building, helping save 25 million litres of water each year. A Derbyshire sandstone frame supports bespoke bronze fins that give the building a breathable membrane, aiding ventilation and shading.
But creating the best office environment for supporting Bloomberg’s 4,000 London-based employees was equally important. At the focus of the design was creating a working environment that could facilitate and fuel collaboration. Sit-stand working areas and communal working stations were used to better foster these attributes amongst Bloomberg workers.
Bloomberg needed the complex 3.2-acre site to provide over 1 million square feet of office. Whilst meeting these requirements, the development would also need to negotiate regulations around the Bank Conservation Area.
As part of the work to construct Bloomberg’s new HQ, Stanhope undertook a much-needed new entrance for Bank Station. The new entrance is part of TfL’s £600m revamp of Bank and is streamlining a notoriously knotty station experience.
In addition to being in a conservation area, the building would also take place on the site of one of the most important finds from Roman Britain: the Temple of Mithras. The Museum of London Archaeology (MOLA) came on board to excavate the site fully by hand from 2012-14.
Working with conservationists, artists and archaeologists, Bloomberg has restored the Temple of Mithras to the site of its discovery, 7m below modern street level (roughly street height in Roman times), and created a gallery space where a collection of Roman writing tablets and other artefacts uncovered on the site can be found on display.
What makes
this place great
Bloomberg’s HQ opened in 2017 and has since received a range of awards, including the 2018 RIBA Stirling Prize for architecture, the London Planning Award for ‘Best Mixed Use Scheme’, and BREEAM awards at an international level.
The building scored 98.5% in its BREEAM assessment at design stage – making it the most sustainable commercial building in the world on the BREEAM scale. The building delivers a 73% saving in water consumption and a 35% saving in energy consumption and associated CO2 emissions.
