8 Bishopsgate Tower is a new 50-storey mixed-use project being developed in London, UK. It will replace the existing 6-8 Bishopsgate and 150 Leadenhall Street buildings and provide 560,000ft² of office, retail, and public space.
Mitsubishi Estate London is developing the new 221.3m (726ft) tower with an estimated investment of £300m ($396m). Planning permission for the project was granted by the City of London Corporation in October 2017. The permission was for a revision to the original consented scheme, which was approved in 2015 with 40 storeys.
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The project broke ground in March 2019 and is expected to be completed by the end of 2022.
8 Bishopsgate tower location
The 8 Bishopsgate tower site covers an area of 0.34ha on the corner of Bishopsgate and Leadenhall Street. It is bounded to the north by the 22 Bishopsgate site and to the east by the 122 Leadenhall Street development site.
The site is accessible by the London Underground transit network and bus services.
8 Bishopsgate tower design
The new 8 Bishopsgate tower will comprise 50 storeys that are divided into a series of stacked blocks reflecting the region’s urban culture. The blocks gently narrow and reduce in size as the tower reaches full height, making it slender with height. The design enables the creation of terraces and outdoor spaces for the residents.
The tower also includes a pavilion at the top and retail units on the ground floor. The innovative double-skin facade with an automated interstitial blind provides fabulous views with ample daylight while limiting solar gain and reducing glare.
8 Bishopsgate tower details
The building is expected to provide approximately 86,000m² (925,000ft²) of Class B1 office space, 445m² gross external area (GEA) of retail space, and 199m² GEA of mixed retail/office space at the ground and mezzanine levels.
The pavilion at level 50 will be a mixed-use space covering an area of 819m² and comprising a public viewing gallery and tenant meeting rooms. The viewing gallery will be open, free of charge, to a maximum of 50 members at a particular time during visiting hours. It can be accessed through a separate entrance lobby and lifts.
The project also includes more than 961 cycle parking spaces with 961 lockers and 96 showers at the lower ground level.
8 Bishopsgate tower construction details
Clearing and demolition works at 6-8 Bishopsgate and 150 Leadenhall Street site were started in January 2018.
Initial works will include the construction of reinforced concrete core, followed by that of the steel structure of the building and concrete floor slabs.
The final phase of construction will include the installation of mechanical and electrical plant and fit out of the interiors to make them ready for occupancy.
Sustainable features
High-end sustainability and low-energy initiatives have been incorporated in the design of the tower to achieve BREEAM ‘Excellent’ rating. Advanced rainwater storage and harvesting systems will be employed to achieve sustainable urban drainage.
Passive design and energy efficiency measures will be implemented to achieve 26.5% carbon emissions savings, in accordance with the guidelines mentioned in the Building Regulations 2013-compliant baseline scheme.
Louvres with photovoltaic panels are proposed to be installed on the roofs of the plant room, the pavilion, and level 48 to reduce carbon emissions. Heat exchanger rooms for future connection into a district heating network are also proposed to be installed to increase the energy savings.
Contractors involved
Stanhope is the development manager, while Lendlease was engaged as the construction manager for the mixed-use tower.
WilkinsonEyre is the project architect while Arup is responsible for the structural and mechanical engineering works.
Gerald Eve is the planning consultant, while Alinea Consulting is the cost consultant. Keltbray carried out the demolition works of the 6-8 Bishopsgate/150 Leadenhall Street buildings.
