Bloomberg Opens New HQ in London

FINANCIAL data and media giant Bloomberg has just opened its new £1BN London headquarters designed by British architect Foster + Partners.

The ten-storey block will accommodate 4,600 employees in 1.1M square feet of office space.

Above: Bloomberg's European Headquarters (image courtesy of Nigel Young and Foster + Partners).

Occupying a whole city block south west of the Bank of England in the City of London, the European headquarters has achieved a design stage BREEAM "Outstanding" rating with a score of 98.5%. According to Bloomberg this makes it the "most sustainable office building in the world".

Above: The building is located in the City of London, the country's financial heart (image courtesy of Foster + Partners).

Compared with a typical building of its size, the complex is projected to deliver a 35% saving in energy and a 73% saving in water consumption.

Above: A cutaway section of the building showing the central atrium surrounded by open-plan offices (image courtesy of Foster + Partners). Below: The project during construction (image courtesy of Bloomberg ) .

A number of innovative solutions have been used to create these savings; such as integrated ceiling panels that provide heating, cooling, lighting, and act as an acoustic buffer. These panels contain some 500,000 LEDs that reduce energy demand by 40% as compared to conventional lighting.

Above: Ceiling panels with petal-like aluminium components integrate lighting, heating, cooling and act as an acoustic buffer (image courtesy of Nigel Young and Foster + Partners).

Another unusual feature is an on-site power generation unit, which converts natural gas to power. This allows for waste heat to be retained in the winter, so that it can be used to power an absorption chiller in the summer months.

Above: The central atrium aids in natural ventilation (image courtesy of Nigel Young and Foster + Partners).

Natural ventilation is another feature which aids in conserving energy. The large bronze fins along the facade provide an effective protection against solar heat gain, but also incorporate vents, which open up and coupled with the building’s central atrium, providing natural ventilation.

Above: Bronze fins on the facade provide shading and dampen the outside noise (image courtesy of Nigel Young and Foster + Partners).

Water savings are achieved through rainwater capture, reusing greywater and installation of airplane-style vacuum toilets.

This video (again by Inside Bloomberg) explains the various sustainability measures implemented within the building:

The open-plan offices are fitted out with hexagonal work stations arrangements, enabling more individual work, but also allowing for impromptu meetings with nearby colleagues without disturbing the other employees.

Above: A mirroring sculpture by artist Olafur Eliasson is installed in Bloomberg's lobby (image courtesy of Nigel Young and Foster + Partners).

A large number of artworks by artists including Olafur Eliasson, Christina Inglesias and Michael Craig-Martin have been incorporated in the building and remains of an ancient Roman Temple that once on the site have been reinstated and will open to the public next month.