(continued)

The Structure: Visible and Invisible

The building comprises 18 superstructure stories and two basement levels. The main superstructure frame is formed from reinforced concrete with post-tensioned, ribbed slab floors. The six core structures are located outside the main floor plate and are constructed in steel.

Stability of the concrete superstructure is achieved through an externally braced structure in the east-west direction and through the rigid connection between the concrete beams and columns in the north-south direction.

With its columns set inboard of the perimeter, 88 Wood Street was built on a site previously occupied by a 1920s telephone exchange.

A self-contained British Telecom cable chamber still exists beneath the street along with the Mailrail tunnels, which run under the site and connect to the basement chambers via shafts. These installations are structurally independent of the new building.

Office and Service Areas

The increase in space was achieved in the 1993 redesign with slimmer floors spanning 60 feet (18 meters) and providing a floor-to-floor height of just over 13 feet (4 meters).

The highly flexible working office space, particularly at the upper levels, allows maximum penetration of daylight and creates a secondary aspect for areas immediately adjacent to neighboring buildings, with the introduction of roof terraces offering fantastic views of the city.

The principal vertical circulation towers each contain four passenger lifts, as well as toilet facilities and emergency stairs. These towers are largely transparent with a steel support structure, incorporating slender elevators within glazed shafts thus creating a dynamic presence on London Wall.

A trait common to RRP's work is the drama of movement in a building, a theme that has its roots in Richard Rogers' love of early twentieth-century futurist and constructivist experiments. This does, however, have its victims, as an elevator ride will illustrate for those with delicate stomachs.

The service plant accommodation is concentrated in the basement beside the existing British Telecom chambers. Cooling towers, smoke and plumbing vents, and elevator machine rooms are located at roof level above the cores.

This 355,000-square-foot (33,000-square-meter) building has proved to be a welcome addition to a high-profile skyline, adding versatility and a welcome reprise from the normal speculative office block.

Don Barker is a freelance writer and photographer in London, UK, who has lived and worked in Europe, Australia, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Hong Kong, and Singapore.

Architect: Richard Rogers Partnership
Turnkey Contractor: Kajima UK Engineering Limited
Structural Engineer: Ove Arup & Partners
Building & Services Engineer: Ove Arup & Partners
Construction Manager: Laing Management Limited
Design & Build Manager: Kajima/Hazama Joint Venture
Designer: Kajima Management Limited
Construction Manager: Laing Management Limited
Landscape Architect: Edward Hutchinson
Concrete Superstructure: John Doyle Construction

The 18-story step of 88 Wood Street. Photo: Don Barker One of the principal vertical circulation/service towers next to the main entrance, with its brightly painted steel structure. Photo: Don Barker The main entrance of 88 Wood Street as seen from Alban Gate. Photo: Don Barker The view from London Wall reveals RRP's trademark use of color, with red and blue for services and yellow for the structure. Photo: Don Barker   Click on thumbnail images to view full-size pictures.