Bishopsgate Tower
Encyclopedia
The Pinnacle, also known as The Bishopsgate Tower and The Helter-Skelter, is a 288 m (944.9 ft), 63-storey skyscraper
Skyscraper
A skyscraper is a tall, continuously habitable building of many stories, often designed for office and commercial use. There is no official definition or height above which a building may be classified as a skyscraper...

 under construction in the centre of London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

's main financial district, the City of London
City of London
The City of London is a small area within Greater London, England. It is the historic core of London around which the modern conurbation grew and has held city status since time immemorial. The City’s boundaries have remained almost unchanged since the Middle Ages, and it is now only a tiny part of...

. It is one of four major towers under construction in London, others being Shard London Bridge
Shard London Bridge
Shard London Bridge is a skyscraper under construction in Southwark, London. When completed in May 2012, it will be the tallest building in the European Union and the 45th-tallest building in the world, standing tall...

, 122 Leadenhall Street
122 Leadenhall Street
122 Leadenhall Street is an address on Leadenhall Street in the City of London where a 225 metre tall skyscraper designed by Richard Rogers and frequently referred to as "the Cheese Grater" is currently under construction. The site is adjacent to the Lloyd's building, also designed by Rogers...

 and the 20 Fenchurch Street
20 Fenchurch Street
20 Fenchurch Street is a 160 metre , 36-storey skyscraper currently under construction in the City of London. It has been nicknamed the Walkie Talkie. Costing over £200m, it is designed by the Uruguayan born architect Rafael Viñoly and will feature a highly distinctive, top-heavy form which...

 redevelopment. On completion, it will become the tallest building in the City of London and the second tallest building in both the United Kingdom and the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...

, after the 310 m (1,017.1 ft) Shard London Bridge
Shard London Bridge
Shard London Bridge is a skyscraper under construction in Southwark, London. When completed in May 2012, it will be the tallest building in the European Union and the 45th-tallest building in the world, standing tall...

.

Planning and design

The architects of the tower are Kohn Pedersen Fox
Kohn Pedersen Fox
Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates , an architectural firm responsible for several world-renowned buildings, provides architectural, interior and urban design as well as programming and master planning services for clients in both the public and private sectors...

 and the developer is the fund management company, Union Investment Real Estate AG. The tower was originally proposed at 307 metres (1,007 ft), but scaled down to 288 metres (945 ft) following concerns from the Civil Aviation Authority. Once completed, it will contain 88000 square metres (947,224.1 sq ft) of office space.

The tower was submitted for planning permission
Planning permission
Planning permission or planning consent is the permission required in the United Kingdom in order to be allowed to build on land, or change the use of land or buildings. Within the UK the occupier of any land or building will need title to that land or building , but will also need "planning...

 in June 2005 and approved in April 2006. When completed, it will become the second tallest building in the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

, and in Europe the second tallest building outside of Moscow.

The twisting design of its roof, and the curling patterns in the facade, are based on various organic forms in nature - such as armadillo
Armadillo
Armadillos are New World placental mammals, known for having a leathery armor shell. Dasypodidae is the only surviving family in the order Cingulata, part of the superorder Xenarthra along with the anteaters and sloths. The word armadillo is Spanish for "little armored one"...

s, mushroom
Mushroom
A mushroom is the fleshy, spore-bearing fruiting body of a fungus, typically produced above ground on soil or on its food source. The standard for the name "mushroom" is the cultivated white button mushroom, Agaricus bisporus; hence the word "mushroom" is most often applied to those fungi that...

s and seashell
Seashell
A seashell or sea shell, also known simply as a shell, is a hard, protective outer layer created by an animal that lives in the sea. The shell is part of the body of the animal. Empty seashells are often found washed up on beaches by beachcombers...

s. The upper floors will contain restaurants and the second largest public viewing deck in the UK, behind The Shard London Bridge.

The building will contain more solar panelling
Photovoltaic module
A solar panel is a packaged, connected assembly of solar cells, also known as photovoltaic cells...

 than any other building in the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

, with 2000 square metres (21,527.8 sq ft) of photovoltaic solar cells, generating up to 200 kilowatts of electricity. It will have a double-layered skin like 30 St Mary Axe
30 St Mary Axe
30 St Mary Axe, the Swiss Re Building , is a skyscraper in London's main financial district, the City of London, completed in December 2003 and opened at the end of May 2004...

 (The Gherkin), which will allow it to respond dynamically to climatic changes and to utilise effective climate control with low energy consumption. To drive construction costs down, every single panel on the tower will be of exactly the same size.

In August 2006, Keltbray began test piling on site. Demolition began on the smaller of the two buildings in November.

In February 2007, it was confirmed that the Bishopsgate Tower had been purchased by Arab Investments and that the building would be renamed The Pinnacle.

In May 2007, it was confirmed that full funding had been secured and that the tower was likely to be built speculatively.

In June 2007, demolition began on Crosby Court, the larger of the two buildings on site.

In August 2007, Arab Investments signed a pre-construction contract with Multiplex
Multiplex (company)
Brookfield Multiplex is a global contracting and development company that designs, builds and maintains property and infrastructure assets.- History :Brookfield Multiplex was founded as Multiplex in 1962 in Perth, Western Australia by John Roberts...

 to build the tower.

Demolition of previous building

Demolition of the site began in mid-2007. It was scheduled to be completed by February 2008. This however was changed to April 2008 because of an injunction won by insurance company Hiscox
Hiscox
Hiscox Ltd. is a Bermuda-incorporated insurance provider, listed on the London Stock Exchange. An underwriter at Lloyd's of London, the company largely specialises in niche areas of the market, offering property and casualty insurance aimed at companies and high net worth individuals, as well as...

 in December 2007, which is based next door. The company complained about the noise from the site.

The initial injunction, obtained by Hiscox Syndicates & Another against The Pinnacle Ltd & Others in January 2008, afforded protection on 3 points:
  1. Protection of the right of access to the car park entrance from Crosby Square
  2. Protection from water ingress
  3. Protection from vibration by way of set PPV (peak particle velocity) limits at certain times during the working day


The injunction was successfully varied at a hearing on 13 June 2008. An application to vary the terms of the injunction in connection with access was granted and a new Order made by the Technology and Construction Court
Technology and Construction Court
The Technology and Construction Court is a sub-division of the Queen's Bench Division, part of the High Court of Justice, which together with the Crown Court and the Court of Appeal, is one of the Senior Courts of England and Wales...

.

Alternative access across the site ensured that access to the car park entrance is maintained whilst demolition above and adjacent to the highway continues.

Demolition was completed by June 2008.

Construction

In late May 2008, a mobile crane and piling rig were on site, preparing the site for construction. It was reported on 1 September 2008 that law firm Davies Arnold Cooper was to take up 80000 sq ft (7,432.2 m²) of office space and subsequently that the restaurant which will be at the top of the tower was fully let. The tower was well under construction, with steel rebar cages
Rebar
A rebar , also known as reinforcing steel, reinforcement steel, rerod, or a deformed bar, is a common steel bar, and is commonly used as a tensioning device in reinforced concrete and reinforced masonry structures holding the concrete in compression...

 already inserted into the ground, which formed part of the piles that would hold the weight of the tower. In November 2008 another piling rig came into use on the site, as well as huge steel plates for the piles.
On of 30 March 2009, the largest ever piles in the UK had been laid. (The previous record holder was Moorhouse
Moorhouse (building)
Moorhouse is a large office building in the City of London.It is located on the Northern edge of the financial district and is one of the largest buildings in the area, standing tall and with 29,000 square metres of floorspace....

 with foundations 57 metres deep, and these were only built to that depth in 2002 to allow Crossrail
Crossrail
Crossrail is a project to build a major new railway link under central London. The name refers to the first of two routes which are the responsibility of Crossrail Ltd. It is based on an entirely new east-west tunnel with a central section from to Liverpool Street station...

 eventually to pass under it.) The piles were be sunk 48.5 metres below sea level, and 65.5 metres below the site, surpassing Moorhouse's depth by 8.5 metres.

In the summer of 2009, piling had been completed and workers began excavating deep down, ready to begin constructing the basements. The first blue crane base was put into place in October 2009.

In June 2011 Arab Investments announced that they have secured the near half-billion pound shortfall, meaning that construction work can resume

When completed (still pencilled in for 2013), the building will reach 288m, making it the tallest in the Square Mile and second only to the Shard in stature.

See also

  • 30 St Mary Axe
    30 St Mary Axe
    30 St Mary Axe, the Swiss Re Building , is a skyscraper in London's main financial district, the City of London, completed in December 2003 and opened at the end of May 2004...

  • Broadgate Tower
    Broadgate Tower
    The Broadgate Tower is a skyscraper in London's main financial district, the City of London. It was constructed from 2005 to 2009 and is currently the fourth tallest building in the City of London....

  • City of London Landmarks
  • Heron Tower
    Heron Tower
    Heron Tower, also referred to as 110 Bishopsgate, is a skyscraper owned by Heron International in the City of London. It was completed in 2011...

  • Shard London Bridge
    Shard London Bridge
    Shard London Bridge is a skyscraper under construction in Southwark, London. When completed in May 2012, it will be the tallest building in the European Union and the 45th-tallest building in the world, standing tall...

  • Solar power in the United Kingdom
    Solar power in the United Kingdom
    Solar power is a minor source of renewable energy in the United Kingdom. , about 200 megawatts of solar photovoltaic power have been installed in the UK, capable of producing about 200 gigawatt hours per year of electricity. In April 2010, the UK instituted a feed-in tariff, offering at...

  • Tower 42
    Tower 42
    Tower 42 is the second tallest skyscraper in the City of London and the fifth tallest in London overall. The original name was the National Westminster Tower, having been built to house the National Westminster Bank's International Division. Seen from above, the tower closely resembles the NatWest...


External links

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