Broadgate Development, City of London

Location: Bishopsgate, London, EC2, England.

Client:Rosehaugh Stanhope Developments in partnership with British Rail Property Board.

Architects: Phases 1-4; Arup Associates, Phases 5-14; Skidmore, Owings and Merrill.

Quantity Surveyor: V. J. Mendoza.

Construction Management:Bovis-Schal.

Structural Engineer: Skidmore, Owings and Merrill.

Services Engineer: Jaros Baum and Bolles.

District Surveyor:City of London.

Budget: £125,000,000.

Access: all external spaces have 24 hour public access.

Description:

With around four million square feet of office space, Broadgate is to date the largest, single office development in Europe. Located between Liverpool Street Station, Eldon Street, Finsbury Street and Sun Street, phases one to four of the scheme are comprised almost exclusively of a large public square enclosed by office buildings at the north east corner of the now, larger development. Hidden beneath the square are restaurants and a shopping centre. Phases five to fourteen start with 1 Appold Street, down onto Worship Street and run up and along the length of Bishopsgate to meet the Great Eastern Hotel, enclosing Liverpool Street Station.

Constructed in the late eighties the current scheme was not the first major proposal for the site, its predecessor’s progress was annulled in 1975. The original scheme included the demolition of the neo-Gothic office buildings, the station train sheds and a substantial portion of the Great Eastern Hotel, all constructed in the nineteenth century. The DoE, Robert Dashwood of British Rail Property Board and the site’s developers, Fitzroy Robinson,were intent on pursuing the redevelopment, with the support of Margaret Thatcher, until Anthony Crosland, the labour politician, listed the buildings.

The piazza - the element most users recognise as the heart of the Broadgate development - is still owned and managed by Rosehaugh Stanhope. In the summer months, from May to September, it is used as an arts centre with musical performances ranging from soul and rock concerts to classical and jazz recitals at lunch-times, with tables and chairs form the neighbouring restaurants spilling over into the space. In the winter months the arena is converted into a skating rink. Access through the site is open to the public twenty four hours a day. The high, structured planting scheme forms a visual barrier between the offices and the public space as well as providing a soft edge to the hard architectural forms and sculptures.

All pictures are taken from Broadgate (1991) by John Davies and Brian Griffin, Davenport Editions; by kind permission of the authors.

(Click on the images below for a larger view. In the popup window click on medium at the bottom of the window to get larger image)

General view of the development
General view of the development

General view of the development

(Larger image not available)

Arena used as ice-rink
Arena
Shops, restuarant and champagne bar

Arena with canopy
Fulcrum by Richard Sera
3 Broadgate

100 Liverpool Street
Finsbury Avenue Square
Landscape feature

Sculpture
Exchange Place
175 Bishopsgate

Panorama
General view
155 Bishopsgate

Refferences

Architects' Journal, (1989) ‘Urban transitions: city offices, London’ 22nd Feb

Architettura, (1992) ‘A giant by the name of Big Bang’ Feb

Butler, G., (1996) ‘Hazards and hindrances’ in Fire Prevention

Butina Watson, G., (1993) ‘The Art of Building Cities: Urban Structuring and Restructuring’ in Hayward, R., & McGlynn, S., (eds.) Making Better Places. Urban Design Now

Dietsch, D. K., (1990) ‘Americans in London’ in Architecture Sept.

Hannay, P., (1985) ‘Squaring up to Broadgate’ in Architects Journal 25th September

Holden, R., (1992)‘Green fringe in the city’ in Landscape Design April

Jencks, C., (1991) ‘Broadgate - The city in the city’ in Architectural Design vol. 61., no. 5-6

Lueder, C., (1993) ‘Exchange House’ in Deutsche Bauzeitschrift

Marmot, A. F., & Worthington, J., (1986) ‘Great Fire To Big Bang: Private and Public Designs in the City of London’ in Built Environment

Murray, C., (1990) ‘The art of development’ in Architects' Journal 24th October

Pawley, M., (1990) ‘A special relationship’ in Blueprint May

Planner, (1992), ‘Award for planning achievement 1992’, 11th December

Rabenek, A., (1990) ‘Broadgate and the Beaux arts’ in Architects' Journal 24th October

Selwood, S., (1995) The benefits of public art: the polemics of permanent art in public places, Policy Studies Institute, London.

Spring, M., (1988) ‘Stretching city limits’ in Building 14th October

Swenarton, M., (1988) ‘Full circle at Broadgate’ in Building Design. 4th March

Thorne, R., (1992) ‘Epic journey’ in Architects' Journal. 6th May

Wagner, F., (1991), ‘Making light of quality: John Lewis and beyond’ in Architects' Journal. 10th April

Wride, C., (1991) ‘La creazione di un nuovo ambiente urbano’ in Parametro Sept/Oct