Archinect - News

Next to the Gherkin, a Tulip-shaped tower designed by Foster + Partners could soon rise

2018-11-19T14:10:00-05:00

British firm Foster + Partners have proposed plans for a Tulip-shaped tower that would rise beside their London landmark, the Gherkin. The new skyscraper, which at 305-meters high would become the city's second-tallest building, is conceived as a state-of-the-art cultural and educational resource by the architects.

Credit: DBOX for Foster + Partners

Also described as 'a classroom in the sky,' the future landmark will include an educational facility for local schoolchildren, with 20,000 free visits offered per year. In addition, the Tulip will have viewing galleries as well as bars and restaurants offering panoramic views of the city.

Visitors will have a variety of noteworthy ways to move about the 12-story observation tower, choosing between sky bridges, internal glass slides and/or a gondola pod ride.

Credit: DBOX for Foster + Partners

Announcing the plans, Norman Foster described the project as "in the spirit of London as a progressive, forward-t...

London office tower 22 Bishopsgate will have a rock climbing window

2017-06-28T14:50:00-04:00

Due to various cultural, demographic, and technological advances, the way people work and live today has dramatically changed. The freelance economy is on the rise, more people are choosing (and allowed) to work from home, and tech and start up companies are foregoing traditional office spaces to set up shop in restored warehouses and adapted historic buildings. These developments have called into question the fate of the high-rise tower as commercial skyscrapers struggle to find enough tenants to fill up their floors.

Image courtesy of Purple PR.

22 Bishopsgate, currently under construction and due to open in 2019, is one approach that responds to these key shifts in the workplace. Located in the heart of London, the 62-story tower will be the tallest building in the Square Mile at 278 meters, eclipsing the nearby Heron tower at 231. The building represents a new approach by offering its professional residents choice. Recognizing the relationship between employee wellbeing and produ...

"Bouncy-house urbanism is on the rise." – Christopher Hawthorne rides the U.S. Bank Tower's 'SkySlide'

2016-06-24T12:53:00-04:00

As white-shoe law firms shrink and expanding tech companies in L.A. increasingly move into restored warehouses or historic buildings, commercial skyscrapers around the country are struggling to find tenants. [...] That leaves the owners of aging all-office high-rises like the U.S. Bank Tower looking for ways to produce new revenue [...] OUE is not the first company to see a possible revenue stream in the desire of adults to pay money to act like children in downtown settings.

More on what's happening in Downtown Los Angeles: