New horizons
for high tech
Designing 22 Bishopsgate – at 278 metres,
the UK’s second tallest skyscraper – required
some blue-sky thinking from the architects
London’s new skyscraper
may only be the second
tallest in the UK (after The
Shard), but its 278 metres
are the height of technology.
The 62 storeys of 22
Bishopsgate, due to open in
autumn 2019, build in a host
of innovations, including a
bespoke app for the 12,000
workers. “We want it to be a
portal into the building, and
a technological environment
to interact with the building,”
says Danny Hall, of Lipton
Rogers Developments.
Adding a tower to a complex
skyline can cause the air to
move in mysterious ways,
so PLP Architecture – which
designed the building –
worked with engineers from
Formula 1 to create large-
scale canopies, similar to
those on the back of a car, to
tamp down wind flow.
The delivery management
system was designed by an
ex-army engineer to reduce
traffic. “Instead of going to
the building, all goods go to a
dispatch centre outside the
City. They are stored until
the tenant requires them,”
explains PLP’s Karen Cook.
Chris Stokel-Walker
ENTRY LEVEL
A biometric
security system,
using facial
recognition, can regulate access
to the building
HEIGHT CLUBThe 42nd floor fitness centre boasts the highest indoor climbing wall in the UK
DRAFT DODGE
Formula 1 engineers
developed an aerodynamic
facade to reduce
downdrafts
PHOTOGRAPHY: MARTIN RICHARDSON
11-19-ST22Bishopsgate.indd 28 13/09/2019 15:58