Designing a Vertical Transportation Strategy in the Largest and Tallest Building in the City of London

This paper will cover the various stages of creating the largest and tallest building in the City of London. The paper will be presented from the perspective of a specialist vertical transportation consultant. The area around Bishopsgate and Leadenhall is the central hub for the insurance and legal professions in the City of London and over the past 10 years, it has seen substantial growth in the number of tall buildings to provide modern commercial accommodation. The development was originally known as “The Stub” and had aspirations of being the tallest building in the City. It was properly known as the “Helter-skelter” due to its articulated top. The development failed for various reasons including being over ambitious, inefficient and poorly-funded. A number of attempts were made to bring the project to fruition and the current professional team were able to put together a scheme which was far more appealing and responded to the reasons why the original scheme floundered. A feasibility study for a commercial building designed to extend up to 309m in height was subsequently commissioned. As with most large projects there were extensive exchanges and discussions looking at new ideas and how they affected the core as well as the height and efficiency of the building. It was crucial that the lifting strategy was developed at an early stage as the height and efficiency of the building would be materially affected by the design. This paper sets out the journey through the whole design process from concept to delivery.