Location: London, UK
Completed: 2017
Floors: 9
Size: 102,000 m²
Bloomberg London connects the past to the present. The European headquarters of the U.S. company – one of the world's most celebrated media organisations, employs over 4,000 people in the building, which is situated on the site of the restored Roman-era Temple of Mithras. Protecting this kind of history, whilst ensuring the highest present-day standards for sustainability is, "a very challenging thing to achieve architecturally,” says Bloomberg Project Director Kathryn Mallon, who oversaw the development.
And yet, the central London edifice is a triumph of modern design innovation. Built around a desire to encourage collaboration, reflect transparency (quite literally), and safeguard the building's functionality and aesthetic appeal for the next generation, the project yielded world first solutions to complex problems with outstanding results. Bloomberg London showcases the very best of KONE's project management, engineering and technical innovation solutions – making people and the planet the central consideration.
Conceptually we understood what we wanted to do, but we didn’t know if it was technically possible.
Michael Jones Foster + Partners
Bloomberg European Headquarters
Form follows function – but for Michael Bloomberg, it was key that execution mirrored the ethos. Transparency and collaboration are the key foundations that have made Bloomberg so successful, and reflecting these factors in the architectural foundations of such an important international outpost was paramount.
Tasked with bringing this brief to life were architects Foster + Partners, whose scheme for the building uplift put people and sustainability first, marrying design ingenuity with visionary aesthetics: "From the outset, we knew we wanted to take the core out of the middle of the building, push it to the edges, and put people at the heart of the structure,” says Michael Jones, senior partner at Foster + Partners and lead architect for Bloomberg. “It’s less about a prescriptive way of moving through buildings, and more about an intuitive way, one that people can enjoy and prosper from.”
“Pushing all the core and vertical elements to the perimeter presented a whole series of different challenges, key to which was delivering a set of lifts that were as clean, transparent and visually permeable as possible,” says Jones. “The all-glass scenic KONE lifts are an integral part of the experience, enabling people to see into and out of the building much more fluidly than you can through a typical lift shaft.”
In 2013, KONE was awarded the contracts to design, develop, deliver and maintain all the lifts for the building, including the 18 unique, scenic lifts. This became one of the most ambitious projects ever undertaken by the company.
The design challenge from Foster + Partners was for the lift cars to be constructed entirely from glass, with no essential equipment visible from the outside or the inside. Other solutions included the building’s firefighting and goods delivery lifts as well as a lift taking visitors to the Temple of Mithras.
The most unusual part of this job was related to the design of the 32-person lifts themselves, where we have what is known as an unbalanced ‘rucksack arrangement’. Here – against all the principles of statically balanced cars required to meet ride comfort criteria – the lift car is hoisted solely by a sling attached to the rear of the 6,000 kg car!
Chris Edwards KONE Senior Project Manager
Thanks to extensive testing and product development, including the construction of a three-stop life-sized prototype, the special arrangement offers an incredibly smooth ride while hiding all of the necessary technology under the floor of the lift car. This allows an unobscured view through the entire glass lift bank.
“All the door gears, air conditioning and Wi-Fi needed to be underneath the car, whereas they would normally be on top,” says Edwards, adding that only a handful of standard lift features could be used.
“These types of lifts had never been engineered before in the history of lift manufacturing. They were a complete innovation,” says Bloomberg’s Mallon. “The ride is fantastic. The way it makes you feel like you’re floating on air, it comes to such a soft landing at every floor plate, it’s quiet, you don’t hear a thing. It’s a really, really unique experience. I wish everyone in London could ride these lifts.”
"Pushing all the core and vertical elements to the perimeter presented a whole series of different challenges, key to which was delivering a set of lifts that were as clean, transparent and visually permeable as possible,” says Jones. “The all-glass scenic KONE lifts are an integral part of the experience, enabling people to see into and out of the building much more fluidly than you can through a typical lift shaft.”
In 2013, KONE was awarded the contracts to design, develop, deliver and maintain all the lifts for the building, including the 18 unique, scenic lifts. This became one of the most ambitious projects ever undertaken by the company.
The design challenge from Foster + Partners was for the lift cars to be constructed entirely from glass, with no essential equipment visible from the outside or the inside. Other solutions included the building’s firefighting and goods delivery lifts as well as a lift taking visitors to the Temple of Mithras.
These glass lifts are my favorite part of the building. I love them. I love that they had never been done before. I love that the KONE engineers decided to take that on as a challenge and decided to innovate and create something different. And partnered with us. They embraced the spirit of the project, which was to create new boundaries, whether it be in architecture or engineering.
Kathryn Mallon Bloomberg Project Director
KONE collaborated closely with Bloomberg and Foster + Partners to deliver bespoke elevator solutions that matched the building’s architectural philosophy and operational needs.
Designed and installed 18 unique scenic lifts constructed entirely from glass, with all essential technology hidden under the car floor. This innovative “rucksack arrangement” allowed unobstructed views while maintaining ride comfort.
Installed six firefighting lifts and nine service/goods lifts to support operational efficiency and safety
Implemented KONE Destination Control System™ to optimize people flow and reduce wait times during peak hours.
Extensive prototyping and testing ensured smooth rides and flawless integration of air conditioning, Wi-Fi, and door gears beneath the lift cars.
Achieved a BREEAM score of 98.5%, the highest ever for a major office development.
Unique glass lifts provide breathtaking views and seamless movement throughout the building.
Destination control systems reduce congestion and improve overall efficiency.
Bloomberg London won Elevator World’s Project of the Year 2019 for Elevators in New Construction.
Bloomberg’s new European headquarters occupies an entire city block in the heart of historic London. Its 18 lifts are a centerpiece of the collaboration-focused design, giving people a window into a building billed as the most sustainable office development in the world.
Bloomberg European Headquarters. London, UK