HSBC UK Headquarters

The practice's headquarters for the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation (HSBC) in Hong Kong was acclaimed as one of the architectural landmarks of the 1980s. The new developer-led London headquarters meets the challenge of creating a very different kind of building, one which is both state-of-the-art and economical, taking the organisation into the new millennium.

The building is located on the DS-2 site at Canary Wharf, part of the original master-plan for the area. HSBC is the second leading bank to move to Canary Wharf under continuing phases of the development. The new building will bring the Bank's 8,000 UK staff together for the first time.

The 200-metre-high tower provides 100,000 square metres of floorspace. All main facilities are configured within a central core, which allows open-plan floors through-out. The tower is given elegant, minimal expression through its sheer glass surface treatment. Curved corners soften the form and its transparent shaft is capped with an illuminated 'halo'.

Below ground there is a direct link to Canary Wharf Underground station, together with three levels of private car-parking. The entrance lobby soars to 28 metres in height and provides direct escalator access to three double-height trading halls. A sophisticated vertical transportation system provides rapid transit to the 39 office floors, with three transfer floors allowing easy movement between lift groups.

Client: Canary Wharf Contractor (DS2) Ltd , HSBC Holdings plc
Consultants: Arup , Davis Langdon & Everest, Arup , Claude R Engle Lighting