MARY AXE BUILDING IN LONDON

Mary Axe Building In London

Skyscraper 30 St Mary Axe building in London

Aim

The aim is for the students to demonstrate a knowledge of the technical issues associated with the construction of a high-rise building.

Objectives

On completion of this assignment the student should be able to:

Understand the integration of services in high-rise buildings.

Understand fire engineering compliance in high-rise buildings

Communicate technical information and design alternatives using a

Professional report that includes drawings and specifications.

Introduction

The City of London building, also known as The Bishopsgate Tower, will be 288m and 63-storeys high, and is due for completion in 2012. It will become the second-tallest building in London after the 310m London Bridge Shard, also expected to open its doors in 2012. The silver logo outlines the building's distinctive design, including its twisting roof. Rather than use previous names, such as The Bishopsgate Tower or The Helter-Skelter, the branding will simply refer to the building as The Pinnacle. Underneath the logo states 'London EC2'. Chris Abel, founding partner at Totality, said: "Branding in the property sector is so important, as almost every project is marketed off plan before there's anything tangible to see.

The Pinnacle right now is just a building site, so a strong identity was a must for the client." The harlequin-patterned glass facade is similar to that of 30 St Mary Axe in London, which is also a spectacular tower. The building's shape has earned it numerous nicknames in the British press, including 'erotic gherkin' and 'towering innuendo'. Plans for 30 St Mary Axe were preceded by the proposal for London Millennium Tower on this same site. This site was formerly occupied by the Baltic Exchange, an historic building damaged by an IRA bomb in 1992. The tower bulges out slightly from its base, reaching its maximum width at the 16th floor. The outside of the building consists of 24,000 square metres of glass arranged in diamond-shaped panes.

Discussion

The 23 lifts vary in velocity from 1 metre per second to 6 metres per second. Windows in the lightwells open automatically to augment the air conditioning system with natural ventilation, an occurrence anticipated to save energy for up to 40% of the year. Floors 38 to 40 hold restaurant, private dining and bar facilities, and are the highest eating establishments in London. Each floor is rotated 5° from the plan of the floor below. The maximum circumference of the tower is only 2 meters less than its height. The floorplans are shaped like flowers, with a circular perimeter indented by 6 triangular light courts. The indentations remain a constant size at each level, while the space between them diminishes.

A 2000 m² public plaza fills out the building's lot, and is enclosed by a low stone wall. Entrances to the building are through high triangular archways cut out of the diamond grid of the facade. The lobby and elevator area at ground level are clad in light-colored aluminum with deep ridges that emphasize the verticality of the high ...