One Canada Square, London, England Tourist Information Locals and travelers to connect with About London Borough of Tower Hamlets, London, England 51.505-0.0196 One Canada Square (often incorrectly called Canary Wharf , after its location) is a skyscraper in Canary Wharf, London . It was the tallest building in the United Kingdom from 1990 to 2010, standing at 235 metres (770 ft) above ground level and containing 50 storeys. In late 2010, it was surpassed by The Shard (completed in July 2012) which stands at 309.6 metres (1,016 ft). One Canada Square was designed by principal architect Cesar Pelli, who based the design and shape mainly on the World Financial Center and the Elizabeth Tower. The building is clad with expensive stainless steel. One of the predominant features of the building is the pyramid roof which contains a flashing aircraft warning light, a rare feature for buildings in the United Kingdom. The distinctive pyramid pinnacle is at 240 metres (800 ft) above sea level.

One Canada Square is primarily used for offices, though there are some retail units on the lower ground floor. It is a prestigious location for offices and as of January 2013 was 100% let. The building is recognised as a London landmark and it has gained much attention through film, television and other media when its status was the tallest building in the United Kingdom and continues to gain attention. Map London's Tallest Buildings And How They Got Their Names | Londonist London's Tallest Buildings And How They Got Their Names By M@ Last edited 7 months ago M@ London's Tallest Buildings And How They Got Their Names These are the tallest buildings in the capital in order of height, with explanations of both the official names and nicknames. We've not included the numerous towers that are under construction or in the planning system. The Shard, 309.6 metres Western Europe's tallest building toyed with a number of names and nicknames — London Bridge Tower, the Shard of Glass, Shard London Bridge — before settling down on simply The Shard. Its pointy form resembles a glass shard, and is also supposed to remind us of the sail ships and church steeples of ye olde London.

1 Canada Square, 235 metres Britain's tallest building between 1991 and 2010, the pyramid-topped skyscraper remains the centrepiece of the Canary Wharf estate. Canada Square was originally to be called Docklands Square, then Winston Square, before the North American appellation was settled upon. Why Canada? The site's original developers, Olympia and York , hail from Toronto. The main tower is often referred to as the Canary Wharf tower. This name dates back to the 1930s, when a quay and warehouse were established in the area for fruit trade with the Canary Islands. The Heron Tower, 230 metres The City of London's tallest building (for now), the Heron's muse is not ornithological in origin. Instead, it's named after developer Heron. This company is owned by Gerald Ronson, and is truncated from Henry Ronson, his father. The tower is now officially called 110 Bishopsgate, whose street name derives from an old Roman and medieval gate into the City (though why it was associated with bishops is not certain). The skyscraper also goes by the horrendous name of Salesforce Tower , after its principal tenant.

The Cheesegrater or the Leadenhall Building, 225 metres The City giant's nickname is fairly self-explanatory. Its sloped profile and cross-hatched facade give it the appearance of a giant grater. We've heard, on good authority, that the nickname started with Ruth Rogers, of Hammersmith's River Cafe. Her husband, Richard Rogers, is senior partner of Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners, the firm who designed (and now work in) the Cheesegrater. Its official name of the Leadenhall Building, or 122 Leadenhall Street derives from a medieval hall frequented by lead merchants, which once stood on this street. 8 Canada Square (the HSBC Tower) and 25 Canada Square (the Citigroup Tower), 200 metres Both are 200 metres tall and both are commonly known after the banks which occupy them. See 1 Canada Square for an explanation of the official names. Tower 42, 183 metres You wouldn't guess it to look at the modern skyline, but Tower 42 was once the tallest building in the country.

At 183 metres, it is now the seventh tallest in London, and will probably slip to something like 15th by the end of the decade. The Hitchhiker's Guide-riffing name refers to the number of habitable floors in the building — a champagne bar can be found on the 42nd floor. The skyscraper was formerly known as the NatWest Tower after the National Westminster Bank, for whom it was built. Seen from above, the tower's shape resembles the NatWest logo. St George Wharf Tower, 181 metres The cylindrical tower at Vauxhall made the news for tragic reasons in 2013 when a helicopter hit its construction crane, resulting in two deaths. It is currently the UK's tallest residential tower. The name, somewhat blandly, comes from developers St George. The tower is part of the wider St George Wharf development, which includes those green and white apartment blocks upstream of Vauxhall Bridge. The Gherkin or 30 St Mary Axe, 180 metres Like the Cheesegrater, the Gherkin nickname is easy to fathom. Its cylindrical profile is reminiscent of the maligned pickle.

The scheme was originally dubbed the 'erotic gherkin', when plans were first announced in the year 2000. Various internet sources bestow the coinage on The Guardian, who apparently first used the term to describe an earlier incarnation of the tower in 1996. BT Tower, 177 metres The Fitzrovia landmark is simply named after the BT Group, which owns it. The tower, once the tallest building in the UK, has enjoyed many previous names, including the General Post Office (or GPO) Tower, and the Telecom Tower. We prefer to call it the Sonic Screwdriver. Broadgate Tower, 164 metres Completed in 2008, the Broadgate Tower stands at the very edge of the City of London, a herald for a wave of new skyscrapers that will soon intrude further north into Hackney and Tower Hamlets. Its name comes from the Broadgate Estate, a 1990s office development on the site of the former Broad Street station. Although it sounds like an ancient Roman entrance to the city, there never was a Broadgate before the development of the office estate.

The original Broad Street predates the earliest maps of London and is probably a reference to the road being wider than its neighbours. The Walkie Talkie or 20 Fenchurch Street, 160 metres The building everyone loves to hate has a distinctive top-heavy profile, which earned it the nickname 'Walkie Talkie'. The sobriquet was apparently first coined on the Skyscrapernews website. It's been called many other names — memorably the Fryscraper and Walkie Scorchie after its concave facade focused the sun's rays and melted bits of cars. The official name of 20 Fenchurch Street might recall a time when this part of the City still had a marshy, fen-like character. Alternatively, it might refer to a hay market that once operated here. The 'church' part of the name probably relates to St Gabriel Fenchurch. This stood on the site where Plantation Place can be found today (there's a glazed blue plaque to say so). The church burnt down in the Great Fire. We should also note that the Crystal Palace mast would be fifth in this list at 219 metres. It is generally considered to be a 'structure' rather than a building, however.

See also One Canada Square in London, England | Expedia One Canada Square in London, England | Expedia One Canada Square One Canada Square, current page Previous image, 7 total items. Next image, 7 total items. One Canada Square (Canary Wharf Tower) Enjoy views of the boats in this dockland area while visiting one of the tallest structures in the U.K.’s capital city. One Canada Square is an iconic skyscraper and one of the tallest and most important towers in London. Reaching a height of 770 feet (235 meters), its pyramid-shaped roof and flashing aircraft warning light can be seen from across the city. On a clear day, the structure as well as the surrounding commercial high-rises, can even be seen from the summit of Parliament Hill in Hampstead Heath park in northwest London. People-watch from the docklands for a glimpse into the hectic and vibrant setting of one of London’s leading business and financial hubs. Find out about the construction and history of the building before you go. The building was constructed in 1991 and was based on New York’s Brookfield Place, formerly the World Financial Center.

Though it once had an observation deck on its top floor, this was closed after a few months due to security concerns. Hear how the Shard usurped its position as the tallest skyscraper in London in 2012. The building is primarily made up of office space, although the basement has a commercial area. Stroll alongside business types in the shopping center and browse the upscale products for sale. The building has 50 floors in total, but all levels above the lobby are offices and remain off-limits to the public. Enter the lobby and admire the elegant use of marble and stained glass in the décor. A four-piece sculpture by British artist Keith Milow sits beside the staircases leading down to the basement. Relax with snacks and refreshments at the One Canada Square Restaurant. During the week, the space is a popular setting for business meetings between suited finance workers. Overlooking the adjacent Canada Square Park is the glass Park Pavilion structure, which houses more restaurants. Temporary public art installations can occasionally be seen in the park, lobby and surrounding areas of Canary Wharf. One Canada Square is in the business district of Canary Wharf in east London.

Ride the London Underground or Docklands Light Railway to the modern Canary Wharf Station beside the skyscraper. Alternative methods of transport include buses and taxis. Explore More of London One Canada Square - The Skyscraper Center One Canada Square Cleveland Bridge Ltd.; M.S. Yolles & Partners MEP Engineer Apr 2011 – CTBUH Journal Paper Global News Greenland Investing in Two London Towers 9 Jan 2014 Chinese real-estate giant Greenland Group is planning to build two high-rises in East London, one of which will be the tallest building in Canary Wharf; the other will… Obituary: Paul Reichmann, Canary Wharf Developer 28 Oct 2013 Paul Reichmann, the Canadian tycoon and creator of Canary Wharf, who has died aged 83, transformed the skyline and economy of London's Docklands.

Reichmann and his… Developers Launch Tower at Triangular Site 1 Oct 2013 Developers have set in motion plans to build a tower as tall as 672 feet (205 meters) at a triangular site at 30 Marsh Wall, near Canary Wharf, approximately 1,640 feet (… Canary Wharf | London Wiki | Fandom powered by Wikia HSBC World Headquarters and One Canada Square, from the western end of West India Quay Canary Wharf in the evening Canary Wharf is built on the site of the old West India Docks on the Isle of Dogs. From 1802 to 1980, the area was one of the busiest docks in the world, with at one point 50,000 employed. During World War II, the docks area was bombed heavily and nearly all the original warehouses were destroyed or badly damaged. After a brief recovery in the 1950s, the port industry began to decline.

Containerisation, a limit of 6,000 long tons (6,096 MT) imposed by the dock gates, and a lack of flexibility made the upstream docks less viable than the Port of London dock at Tilbury, and by 1980 these docks were closed. Many traditional local industries closed, with thousands out of work and the 295 acres (1.2 km2) West India Docks lay derelict, and largely unused. The project to revitalise the 8 square miles (21 km2) of derelict London docklands began in 1981 with the establishment of the London Docklands Development Corporation by the Conservative government of Margaret Thatcher. Initially regeneration of the area was focused on small-scale, light industrial schemes. This inward investment was encouraged by low rents, and a remission from business rates. Canary Wharf itself takes its name from No. 10 Warehouse (30 Shed) of the South Quay Import Dock. This was built in 1952 for Fruit Lines Ltd, a subsidiary of Fred Olsen Lines for the Mediterranean and Canary Island fruit trade. At their request, the quay and warehouse were given the name Canary Wharf.

The company moved to Millwall Docks, in 1970. Between 1981–89 this warehouse was converted to television studios, known as Limehouse Studios. At one time this was the largest single project within the LDDC. These were sold to Olympia and York in 1988 for £25m to expand their own development at One Canada Square to the west of the Docklands Light Railway. The origins of the idea for Canary Wharf Edit Canary Wharf, from a high-level walkway on Tower Bridge In 1984 the restaurateurs the Roux Brothers were looking for several thousand square feet of space to prepare pre-cooked meals. The late Michael von Clemm, chairman of Credit Suisse First Boston (CSFB) and also chairman of Roux Restaurants, was invited for lunch by the London Docklands Development Corporation (LDDC) on the boat Res Nova moored alongside Shed 31 at Canary Wharf, to promote the idea of this food packaging factory being based on the Isle of Dogs.

Von Clemm came from Boston and when he looked through the porthole at Shed 31, a simple brick-concrete infill, he commented that it reminded him of the warehouses in Boston harbour which had been converted into back offices and small business premises. Reg Ward, at the time LDDC Chief Executive, remembers him suddenly leaning back and saying: "I do not know why we do not go for a shed like 31 as a 200,000 sq ft (20,000 m2) back office." This led on to discussions at CSFB's offices, during which their American property adviser G Ware Travelstead, said: "We're asking ourselves the wrong question. Of course we can take Shed 31 and convert it into a back office, but we have spent the last five years courting at the Court of the City of London for a new site for a new configuration of building without success. The question is: 'Can we move our front office to the Isle of Dogs?'." This idea came from a basic need. The Big Bang deregulation of financial services in London had radically changed the way merchant banks operated.

Instead of the small, corridor and office based buildings occupied in the traditional square mile, the demand was now for large floor-plate, open plan space which could be used as a trading floor. The Corporation of the City of London had been resisting such development, preferring instead to conserve its historical architecture and views. So banks like CSFB had spent years trying without success to locate suitable space close to the financial heart of London. At the meeting, Travelstead's idea provoked dissent. Reg Ward, however, agreed with Travelstead and pointed out that Citibank had successfully moved into mid-town New York and had also moved from the central business district in Hong Kong, drawing other users with it. (Eventually it would do the same in Docklands, constructing its own building, Citigroup Centre at Canary Wharf). So Von Clemm and Travelstead decided to take this idea on, committing CSFB to both fund and occupy the new development, and persuading another US Bank with the same issues about space, Morgan Stanley, to join them. Travelstead managed to persuade the LDDC and the Government of Margaret Thatcher that a new financial services district of ten million square feet, located at the old West India Docks, was viable.

He was the first to propose a single main tower, which later became One Canada Square. He proposed building the project as part of a consortium led by his own company The Travelstead Group, together with CSFB and Morgan Stanley. He also brought in Canadian developer Olympia and York, who had recently completed the World Financial Center and Battery Park developments in New York. However, Travelstead was unable to fund his project and in late 1986, CSFB and Morgan Stanley pulled out of the consortium, effectively pulling the plug. However, they remained interested in occupying the development if someone else were to build it. On 17 July 1987, Olympia and York Canary Wharf Investments and the LDDC signed the Master Building Agreement for a (1.2 million sq.m (12.2 million sq ft) £3 billion international financial centre.

The price paid for the 20 acres (81,000 m2) of the 71-acre (290,000 m2) site which the LDDC owned was equivalent to £1 million an acre of which £8 million was payable in cash and £12 million was represented by the developer's commitment to various site works of public benefit. Local opposition to the development Edit The idea of a new financial services district was not popular with local residents or their representatives on the Isle of Dogs. Residents' groups including the Association of Island Communities led by individuals such as Ted Johns did not feel that they had been part of the consultation process and did not see that local people would gain any benefit from the development. The expectation was that the development would provide no local jobs or transport improvements. However, over the course of the development relations with the local community have improved and more than 7,000 local (Tower Hamlets) residents now work at Canary Wharf. During a bitter campaign against the LDDC's plans, the residents made their voices heard and gained concessions. One memorable stunt took place at the ground-breaking ceremony for Canary Wharf.

With dignitaries and government ministers in attendance the developers were launching their plans. Local campaigners released a flock of sheep from Mudchute Farm into the audience, followed by thousands of live bees. The result was dramatic and local residents' demands were given attention. In 1997, some residents living on the Isle of Dogs launched a lawsuit against Canary Wharf Ltd. which reached the House of Lords (Hunter v. Canary Wharf 1997 AC 665). They sued for private nuisance because the tower caused interference with television signals from the BBC transmitter in Crystal Palace until a relay transmitter was built to overcome these problems. The court found against the appellants (Hunter and others) as private nuisance generally lies for things emanating from a land, not the blocking of something. Phase one: 1988–91 Docklands Light Railway and entrance to underground station Construction of Canary Wharf began in 1988, with phase one completed in 1991. Critically, Olympia and York agreed to meet half the cost of the proposed Jubilee Line extension, seen as vital to the long-term viability of the project.

When topped out in 1990, One Canada Square became the UK's tallest building and a powerful symbol of the regeneration of Docklands. The other buildings completed in Phase one include those around Westferry Circus and Cabot Square, and two either side of One Canada Square, now housing the Financial Services Authority and Thomson Reuters. Property market collapse Edit The London commercial property market collapsed in the early 1990s, and Olympia and York Canary Wharf Limited filed for bankruptcy in May 1992. Tenant demand evaporated despite the availability of special rent concessions for early occupiers and Jubilee Line work had not started yet, leaving the development accessible only by the under-specified Docklands Light Railway. The scheme went into administration. One Canada Square stood with its top half in darkness, symbolic of the difficulties that had befallen not only Canary Wharf, but also the entire UK commercial property market. Rescue and recovery Edit Canary Wharf construction in October 2000 In December 1995 an international consortium, backed by the former owners of Olympia & York and other investors, bought the scheme.

The new company was called Canary Wharf Limited, and later became Canary Wharf Group, which listed on the London Stock Exchange and later rose to become one of the UK's largest property companies. Paul Reichmann became Chairman again. At the time Canary Wharf came out of administration, its working population was around 13,000 and well over half the office space was empty. However, recovery in the property market generally, coupled with continuing demand for high floor-plate grade A office accommodation, slowly improved the level of interest in the estate. A critical event in the recovery of Canary Wharf was the much-delayed start of work on the Jubilee Line, which the government wanted ready for the Millennium celebrations. In 1998 the Financial Services Authority moved to Canary Wharf, signalling a shift in the centre of gravity within the financial services sector. From this point on tenants and workers began to see Canary Wharf as an alternative to traditional office locations. Not only were the remaining phases completed, but new phases were built. Phase two: 1997–2002 Edit Phase two of Canary Wharf consisted of the construction of the HSBC Tower and Citigroup Centre headquarters buildings, followed by Heron Quays.

From 15,000 in 1999 just before the opening of the Jubilee Line, its working population in 2004 had more than quadrupled to 63,000. Around this time Canary Wharf Group, the scheme's owner became, briefly, the UK's largest property company. In March 2004 Canary Wharf Group plc was taken over by a consortium of investors led by Morgan Stanley using a vehicle named Songbird Estates. Songbird is now listed on the London Stock Exchange's AIM rather than on the Main Market. Present day Entry to the shopping mall Jubilee Place Jubilee Park Canary Wharf tenants include major banks, such as Credit Suisse, HSBC, Citigroup, Lehman Brothers, Morgan Stanley, Bank of America, Northern Trust, and Barclays, law firms such as Clifford Chance, as well as major news media and service firms, including Thomson Reuters, and the Daily Mirror. It has some technology companies, too, including Infosys. It has also gained more tenants from the public sector including the Financial Services Authority and 2012 Olympic Games organisers LOCOG and the ODA.

At the end of 2006 the official number of people employed on the estate was 90,302, of whom around 25% live in the surrounding five boroughs. Increasingly Canary Wharf is becoming a shopping destination, particularly with the opening of the Jubilee Place shopping centre in 2004, taking the total number of shops to more than 200 and increasing employment in retail to around 4,500. About 500,000 people each week shop at Canary Wharf. A panoramic view of Canary Wharf from Stave Hill. A panoramic view of Canary Wharf, seen late evening from the London Docklands Hilton. The future Canary Wharf showing Morgan Stanley in the foreground and Citibank in the background. In 2008 Canary Wharf is surrounded by towers Canary Wharf at twilight Plans are well underway for Canary Wharf to more than double in size again. In 2006 the company announced that State Street Corporation, KPMG, and Bear Stearns had signed deals to move to new HQ buildings on the estate.

In 2007 they were joined by FIMALAC, the parent company of Fitch the ratings agency who took the building next to KPMG. The new State Street, Bear Stearns, Fitch and KPMG Headquarters buildings are currently under construction with work expected to complete in 2009. Planning permission has been granted for the Riverside South development of two towers and a large floor-plate central building linking them, designed by Richard Rogers Partnership (work began in April 2007) and In March 2008 Canary Wharf obtained planning permission for a large building of 40 storeys also designed by Richard Rogers Partnership at Heron Quays West. The site is currently occupied by a low-level 1980s development of small office buildings. Both Riverside South and Heron Quays West are designed for occupation by large banking tenants. Canary Wharf still has planning permission under the old enterprise zone for one additional building of approx 15 storeys next to State Street at Churchill Place, although a larger building might be possible on this site.

Additionally there is planning permission for two large towers and a mid-rise building designed by Cesar Pelli at North Quay, although this site will have to wait until the Crossrail project is completed. Along with the development of the 7,000,000 sq ft (650,000 m2) Wood Wharf project to the east, in which Canary Wharf is a partner (with Ballymore and British Waterways) and neighbouring future sites, these represent another potential 15,000,000 square feet (1,400,000 m2) of development, doubling the existing area of the estate. The SkyscraperNews website describes some of the new building projects underway with a 3d Google Earth model. The number of people working in Canary Wharf is set to rise to 100,000 by 2009 (CWG estimate) and to 200,000 by 2025 (according to the Mayor's London Plan and DCLG's Thames Gateway Interim Development Plan).

Around Canary Wharf, there is also significant commercial and residential development in other Docklands areas such as Silvertown Quays, Greenwich Peninsula, and on the Isle of Dogs at Arrowhead Quay, Crossharbour and Millharbour. Tallest under construction, approved and proposed This is a list of Towers U/C, approved and proposed in Canary Wharf Name Canary Wharf DLR Station Canary Wharf is a major transport hub for connections to central London and elsewhere. Docklands Light Railway runs services from Canary Wharf DLR station, opened in 1991, and Heron Quays DLR station. Canary Wharf tube station opened on the newly extended Jubilee Line in 2000, providing London Underground services to central London and Stratford. River boat connections from Canary Wharf Pier are managed by London River Services and operated by Thames Clipper. Services include a regular commuter catamaran which goes to Greenwich and the O2 in the east, and to the City of London and Embankment, as well as a frequent ferry service to Rotherhithe. London City Airport is a few miles further to the east and can be accessed by bus, taxi and, since December 2005, DLR.

The sustainable transport charity Sustrans has proposed the construction of a bicycle and pedestrian swing bridge from Canary Wharf to Rotherhithe, and a feasibility study is underway. Canary Wharf is one of the most important stations on the proposed Crossrail project, which would link the estate with Heathrow in the West and the Thames Gateway in the East. The Crossrail station, if built, will be situated in the North Dock and linked to the underground malls. Significance Edit One Canada Square from inside the adjacent shopping centre (2003) The most immediate impact of Canary Wharf has been to substantially increase land values in the surrounding area. This means that the Isle of Dogs, which had previously been seen as suited only for low density light industrial development, has been up-rated. Projects like South Quay Plaza and West India Quay are a direct consequence of this. More recently, Canary Wharf has opened the path for other developments in East London such as Stratford City and Greenwich Peninsula. It has given fresh impetus to already well established residential construction, especially of owner occupier apartments and townhouses.

At the metropolitan level, Canary Wharf was, and remains, a direct challenge to the primacy of the City of London as the UK's principal centre for the finance industry. Relations between Canary Wharf and the City of London Corporation have frequently been strained, with the City accusing Canary Wharf of poaching tenants, and Canary Wharf accusing the City of not catering to occupier needs. Canary Wharf's national significance comes from what it replaces: the former docks were, as recently as 1961, the busiest in the world. They served huge industrial areas of east London and beyond. Both the docks and much of that industrial capacity are gone, with employment shifting to the kind of service industry accommodated in office buildings. In this respect, Canary Wharf could be cited as the strongest single symbol of the changed economic geography of the United Kingdom. Its symbolic importance was demonstrated on 9 February 1996 when the IRA detonated a bomb near South Quay DLR station, killing two people, destroying part of the South Quay Plaza development and damaging several nearby buildings. The bomb ended a 17-month ceasefire.

In 2007, the project made headlines again when the tower at 8 Canada Place sold for £1.1 billion, setting a new record for commercial real estate in London. Recently, Canary Wharf has gained unwelcome notoriety by banning a demonstration highlighting poor pay for office cleaners. Director Ken Loach, whose film Bread and Roses inspired the march, denounced the ban as "despicable". External links Edit The website for Canary Wharf is [1] and the history page is [2] One Canada Square : definition of One Canada Square and synonyms of One Canada Square (English) [15] One Canada Square (often incorrectly called Canary Wharf, after its location) is a skyscraper in Canary Wharf in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets . It was the tallest building in the United Kingdom from 1991 to 2010, standing at 235 metres (770 ft) above ground level [16] and containing 50 storeys .

In late 2010, it was surpassed in construction height by the Shard London Bridge , which is currently under construction and will become the tallest completed building in the United Kingdom in mid 2012 at 319 metres (1,047 ft). One Canada Square was designed by principal architect Cesar Pelli , who based the design and shape mainly on the World Financial Center and Big Ben . One of the predominant features of the building is the pyramid roof which contains a flashing aircraft warning light, a rare feature for buildings in the United Kingdom. The distinctive pyramid pinnacle is at 240 metres (800 ft) above sea level . [5] One Canada Square is primarily used for offices, though there are some retail units on the lower ground floor. It is a prestigious location for offices and as of February 2012 was 100% let. [17] The building is recognised as a London landmark and it has gained much attention through film, television and other media because of its status as one of the tallest buildings in the United Kingdom. Contents History and design The original plans The original plans for a business district on Canary Wharf came from G Ware Travelstead .

He proposed three 260 m (850 ft) towers. Travelstead was unable to find the money for his project, so he sold the plans to Olympia & York in 1987. [10] Olympia & York grouped all three towers into an area [10] known as Docklands Square, and the main tower was designated DS7 during planning. Docklands Square was later renamed Winston Square before finally being renamed as Canada Square . Architects / Design The architects chosen to design One Canada Square were Cesar Pelli & Associates, Adamson Associates, and Frederick Gibberd Coombes & Partners. [8] [10] They designed the tower with a similar shape to Three World Financial Center , New York City, which was also developed by Olympia & York and designed by Cesar Pelli. The shape was also made reminiscent of " Big Ben ". [18] Olympia & York wanted to clad One Canada Square in stone , just like the World Financial Center buildings, but the architects first wanted to use aluminium for its low density, before insisting on steel [10] to reflect Britain's heritage as an industrial nation .

[18] The original Canary Wharf Tower by Cesar Pelli was 263 metres (864 ft) at 55 stories. The Canary Wharf Tower penetrated the permitted projection height of the flight obstruction area of the airport approach district to London City Airport , but this was extended to a height of 9.1 metres (30 ft) above curb level in consideration of the fact that the Canary Wharf Tower was on the external zone of the airport approach. To comply with air traffic safety regulations, the architects took off five floors [10] [18] of the tower. The final height of 251 metres (824 ft) was permitted, otherwise, the developers would have had to dismantle what was necessary to fit the height restriction. After losing five floors, Olympia & York insisted the other floors had to make up the lost floor space. [10] [18] The design of the tower received a fair share of criticism. According to Cesar Pelli, the most damaging criticism came from Prince Charles , who said on national television, "I personally would go mad if I had to work in a place like that".

[19] Other criticisms came from former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, who said that the building was "not quite stunning". Construction Construction on the tower began in 1988. [10] Construction was given to Sir Robert McAlpine & Sons in association with Ellis Don of Toronto, [10] but they were slow at building the tower, partly due to building workers going on strike in the Summer of 1989, [20] so Lehrer McGovern took over. [10] Lehrer McGovern contracted out most of the work to Balfour Beatty because the Canary Wharf Tower was a difficult building to build. In total, about 27,500 metric tonnes of British steel and 500,000 bolts were used during construction. [5] On 8 November 1990, the tower was topped out when the top piece of the pyramid roof was put in place by crane. The celebration was attended by many famous architects, recognised engineers and political leaders. Amongst them were César Pelli, Brian Mulroney , Peter Rice , Man-Chung Tang , and Margaret Thatcher .

Paul Reichmann, the owner of Olympia & York gave credit to Pelli for his building design as "this inauguration symbolises the spirit with which buildings can be achieved". Margaret Thatcher told the distinguished audience that the tower can become a "national recognised landmark". Opening In August 1991, One Canada Square was completed [10] and open for business. His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh officially opened One Canada Square on the morning of 26 August 1991, and unveiled a commemorative plaque at the entrance to the building. Hundreds of construction workers attended the opening ceremony. The Duke of Edinburgh addressed some 800 invited guests, many of whom had been involved in the project. He spoke of the "large, airy space and clean, efficient office layout", as he declared the building ready for business. The attendees heard a specially-commissioned piece of music performed by a 30-strong choir. Paul Reichmann, Chairman of Olympia & York said: "The Canary Wharf Tower marks the start of a new beginning for Canary Wharf, for London, and for the United Kingdom. It is by any standard a triumph of ambition, commitment and collaboration.

It will breathe life into Canary Wharf, allowing us to continue our transformation of the rest of the wharf, and will put Canary Wharf at the leading edge of real estate." —Paul Reichmann, Chairman, Olympia & York (1991) And Cesar Pelli, main architect, gave his speech that included: "According to Lao Tse , the reality of a hollow object is in the void and not in the walls that define it. He was speaking, of course, of spiritual realities. These are the realities also of the Canary Wharf Tower. The power of the void is increased and... with its supporting structure creates a portal to the sky ... a door to the infinite." —Cesar Pelli, architect (1991) Post-completion The majority of the tower was empty after opening because most tenants had not moved in yet and there was a global recession . To brighten up the tower, lights and lasers [21] were installed during the Christmas celebrations of 1991. Soon after in May 1992, the original developers, Olympia & York , went into bankruptcy administration. A majority of the tenants who were due to move into One Canada Square refused.

(Only a handful of tenants actually believed in the Canary Wharf project and still moved in despite the bankruptcy situation.) Over the next several years, ultimate ownership of the tower changed several times (see Ownership section). By 2003, One Canada Square was completely let for the very first time. It took 15 years to fill up the tower (as tenants were first sought from the date of construction). Building technical details The name given to the building by the developers is 'One Canada Square' Building height Officially, the Civil Aviation Authority shows the building at 235 metres (771 ft) above ground level, or 245.8 metres (806 ft) above sea level. Pyramid roof The pyramid roof at night The pyramid roof is an important feature of the building, enclosing a maintenance plant and housing facilities for water supply and window washing, and an aircraft warning beacon. The pyramid itself is 40 metres high [22] and 30 metres square at the base. [22] It is made from stainless steel [22] and is held together by 100,000 nuts and bolts, [22] with a weight of over 100 tons.

[22] A louvre access door opens to allow a shining beacon to identify the building to passing aircraft. [22] Water Water is pumped up to the pyramid roof, and is continuously replenished. A common sound that is heard inside the pyramid roof is water being moved around. The water is used for general water requirements, such as toilets, etc. The tower consumes an average of 200,000 gallons of water per day. Window washing machines The machines for washing the building windows are stored inside the pyramid roof. There are two types: one is automatic and the other is manual. The automatic window washing machines runs on rails on the sides of the building. This machine can clean a window in 2.6 seconds. It consumes 426,000 gallons of water per run to clean the entire tower. The other machine is a manual window washing cradle. Both of these machines for cleaning the windows are supported by rails that run around the outside of the pyramid roof and that are bolted down into the maintenance floor itself. Canary Wharf: Aircraft warning lights Aircraft warning lights The aircraft warning light is at the very top of the pyramid.

Access is via a ladder with a warning sign stating that unauthorised entry will lead to dismissal. The tower uses an omni-directional light usual for marking hazards. It has very long life and requires little maintenance. Light intensity achieved is well in excess of the required 2,000 candelas. It uses low power consumption and the unit can be flashing or steady. Electrical equipment There is electrical equipment that regulates the power to the rest of the building on the mezzanine floor. Some of the electrical generators on the mezzanine floor are powered by micro-hydro water turbines, sourced by water pumped up to the roof, making the building one of the most advanced environmentally friendly buildings in the world. Roof material The steel comprises a galvanized steel core, with a multi-layered protective coating and granular finish for better performance characteristics. The tile is in three satin finishes and a high-gloss silver and can be transported in situ in a building's roof. Cleaning the roof The pyramid itself is cleaned by special maintenance personnel who abseil from the light beacon opening at the very top of the roof.

Not only do they have to deal with the height, as well as the winds that interfere with their ropes, but they also need to inspect the steel roof. Pyramid roof lights The pyramid roof lights up in the evenings and can be seen 20 miles (32 km) away. [23] It is a permanent lighting of the Canary Wharf tower pyramid using a thousand electronically controlled fluorescent tubes capable of sequence programming for special occasions and festive seasons. The 4000 lights are highly energy efficient, and have an annual running cost of £23,360, rather than £116,800 if traditional incandescent bulbs had been used. Lightning conductors One Canada Square uses a traditional roof circuit for its lightning protection system. The roof holds 5 lightning conductor rods. This rooftop network of conductors contain multiple conductive copper paths from the roof to the ground. The steel cladding does not form part of the lightning protection system, as it was considered too dangerous. HVAC At the peak cooling times, the HVAC ( climate control ) system requires cooling equivalent to that provided by 2,000 t of melting ice in one day.

The building has a condensate collection system, which uses the hot and humid outside air, combined with the cooling requirements of the building and results in a significant amount of condensation of moisture from the air. The condensed water is collected and drained into a holding tank located in the basement car park. Windows One Canada Square has 3,960 windows [5] and was one of the first buildings to incorporate metallicised windows and other advanced window technologies, to assist with the building's energy efficiency plans. The tower uses super-insulated windows at triple-pane glazing (with a high solar heat-gain coefficient), low-emissivity (low-e) coatings to prevent heat loss in winter months, UV coatings, scratch resistant outer layers, sealed argon / krypton gas filled inter-pane voids, 'warm edge' insulating glass spacers, air-seals and specially developed thermally designed window frames. The windows were manufactured with exceptionally high R-values [low U-values, 0.90 W/(m².K)], thereby the thermal resistance is one of the highest rated in the world for the entire window including the frame. External lighting The tower uses low energy consumption external lighting through intelligent lighting controls systems.

This computer controlled system generates the visually interesting lighting displays on the exterior of the building. The uplighters that are usually seen on the exterior of the building are inductive fluorescent lamps that can be colour rendered and dimmed. The floodlights use compact fluorescent lamps used to provide controlled lighting at the base of the tower. The lighting control system has photocells that will automatically switch on the display when it is dark. The tower also has a synchronised building exterior decorative light and laser multimedia display. The technology was developed by Australian firm Laservision and cost approximately £2 million. However, Lights Out is a campaign group who protest against the city's air pollution. Organisers of the campaign urged people to switch off their lights. Fire system In the event of a fire, One Canada Square is not fully evacuated. The floor that has the fire and all other floors above are evacuated. The air conditioning is set to work in reverse to extract smoke and fresh air is blown into the fire escape staircases to increase air pressure and therefore slow the entry of smoke into these areas. The sprinkler system will not operate unless there is sufficient heat acting on any sprinkler head (which are independent of each other and do not operate in unison).

The only time when One Canada Square was fully evacuated was on 30 October 2001, [24] during a test drill in response to the 11 September 2001 attacks . Procedure for fire alarm When the fire alarm activates on a floor, audio instructions tailored to each floor of the building sound. The floor where the fire alarm originated, and all floors above this level, will receive an evacuation message. On floors below the source of the alarm a stand-by notification is given. Digital signage throughout the building displays alert messages followed by instructions tailored to each floor of the building. On certain floors, the instructions ask employees to leave the floor. Exit signs flash. The access control system unlocks doors as necessary. Fire dampers open. Throughout the building, cameras turn on and look for problems that intelligent video software applications have been programmed to detect. Within 2 minutes, the access control system sends a memo to the Security Director itemising how many people have left the affected floor and how many remain. Tuned mass damper One Canada Square has a steel pendulum that serves as a tuned mass damper . The pendulum sways to offset movements in the building caused by strong gusts of wind.

The building can sway 33.02 centimeter or 13 ¾ inches in the strongest winds. [5] Lobby The lobby is 11 metres (36 ft) high, clad in 90,000 square feet (8,000 m2) of marble imported from Italy, [5] Guatemala [5] and Turkey [10] The stained glass and the roundel in the foyer were designed by Charles Rennie, and are an original design. The design represents Canary Wharf, Water and Boats, illustrating the signs of London Docklands. The slate used here and in various places around the foyer on site is made from the Welsh slate shelving used in the repositories of the original Banana Warehouse at Canary Wharf. Lifts The tower has thirty two lifts for tenants to use, where 8 lifts serve roughly ten floors of the building.

All tenant passenger lifts serve the ground floor and the following groups of floors - floors 5-17, floors 18-27, floors 28-38 and floors 39-50 (note that level 5 is the first office floor, there is no level 13 and that there are no interchange floors apart from the ground floor). In addition there are 2 firemen's lifts which serve all floors in the building. These have colour designations with blue being in the northeast core of the building and green being in the southwest. From the building's initial construction until late 2009 there were 2 large freight lifts at which point another was added. This lift was built inside a vacant lift shaft and has the designation GL37 (GL for goods lift and 37 as it is the 37th lift in the building). [5] The tower uses 'Gearless Traction Elevators' by Otis. These lifts were installed in 1990 (aside from GL37 - 2009) using a gearless traction machine.

They have woven steel cables called hoisting ropes that are attached to the top of the lift cabin and wrapped around the drive sheave in special grooves. The other ends of the cables are attached to a counterweight that moves up and down in the hoistway on its own guiderails. It takes 40 seconds by lift from lobby to top floor [5] (The Canary Wharf website has not been updated to include the new goods lift GL37). Observation floor There is currently no public observation floor. However, there was an exception during 12 October 1992 - 15 December 1992, when bankruptcy administrators for Olympia & York Canary Wharf Limited opened the 50th floor to the public, in order to maintain interest in Canary Wharf. The scheme was stopped on 15 December 1992 when the IRA attempted to bomb the tower [25] (see Terrorism section).

General figures 130,000 deliveries to the loading bay each year [5] Building internal relations Public access A view from the top floor, May 2000 The ground floor, foyer area and basement levels of One Canada Square are open to the general public, having an underground shopping area and a transport interchange from Canary Wharf tube and Docklands Light Railway stations. Access from the basement also links to Canada Square shopping mall. [26] The floors above the lobby are not open to the public, as they contain offices. Environmental rating The international BREEAM standard has awarded One Canada Square for best practice in sustainable design and environmental performance for buildings. To achieve the rating, the building had to meet or exceed a challenging score of 85% against strict criteria, and included environmental innovations such as the use of 80% recycled aggregate within the concrete used, and the recycling of waste heat to cool and warm the building. Aggregates used in the office build were from predominantly recycled sources, part of a strategy to integrate sustainable products and materials throughout the site, delivering both affordable and sustainable environmentally friendly features to the building. Maintenance Canary Wharf Management Ltd are responsible for the maintenance of the building.

There are about 130 in-house and contract staff who maintain, manage, secure and clean the building. There are normally ten maintenance personnel on-site during working hours and three at night to attend to routine repairs and adjustments to the internal environment. Critical spare parts for the electricity, gas and water systems are kept within the building. Light usage Lights left on at Canary Wharf One Canada Square has been 'named and shamed' for being the top building to leave the lights on unnecessarily. [27] The research carried out by the BBC Inside Out team found that on midnight Sunday, One Canada Square left more lights on than any other building in London. [27] However, Canary Wharf Group said that some tenants have staff working around the clock, [27] and 100% of the energy comes from renewable resources .

[27] 13th floor Due to the building's original Canadian developers there is no thirteenth floor (as is the custom throughout North America) and instead the floors are numbered 11, 12, 14, 15.[ citation needed ] The fire escape stairs reveals that the floors go straight from the 12th floor to the 14th floor with no space for an extra floor in between. Tenants Current office tenants (This listing differs from Canary Wharf Group's list [6] as it is outdated. This listing also does not match Royal Mail / The Post Office list when searching for companies in One Canada Square [28] ) Tallest completed building in Canary Wharf 1 Titles Titles such as the 'tallest building in the UK' can be determined by the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) criteria of: when a building is complete, clad and at least partially open for business.[ citation needed ] In accordance to the CTBUH method, One Canada Square achieved the title of tallest skyscraper in the UK in August 1991. It is a record it has held since.

However, other skyscrapers may take this title in the next few years, for example Bishopsgate Tower and The Shard . As for the tallest building at Canary Wharf, One Canada Square is currently the tallest building there, but it may be overtaken as the tallest building by Riverside Tower 1 . As for the tallest building in the European Union, One Canada Square never achieved the title as tallest skyscraper in the European Union's because in accordance to the CTBUH method, a building has to be completed before its receives its title, so as Messeturm in Frankfurt was completed in 1990, and One Canada Square was completed in 1991, it cannot claim that title. Terrorism On 15 November 1992, the Provisional Irish Republican Army attempted to place a large improvised explosive device [25] near the tower. The IRA had already worked out that to cause maximum damage, the bomb had to be placed under the Docklands Light Railway bridge to disrupt infrastructure and near the Canary Wharf Tower for a devastating effect. The bomb was in a van which was driven to the designated place.

As the bombers were about to make their escape, security guards approached the van because it was parked illegally on double yellow lines . Two men got out of the vehicle and pointed machine guns at the security guards. The security guards tried to calm the situation thus challenged the two men, [25] but the men shot the guards in the legs and decided to flee the scene having accomplished their mission. Other Canary Wharf Security guards pursued them as far as the boundary of the wharf, but the men escaped. Armed police were on the scene within minutes and the army bomb squad discovered that the vehicle contained a bomb. The detonator failed to ignite the main charge, [38] and the bomb did not go off, so there was no bomb damage to Canary Wharf. The wharf was sealed off for a couple of days whilst an intensive search took place for further devices. A few days later, the IRA described it as 'sheer ill luck' as the bomb failed to detonate. There was criticism that the intelligence services did not know about this massive bomb travelling through London. As a result of this attempted bombing, the observation floor was closed (see Public access section) and security was dramatically increased at Canary Wharf.

On 9 February 1996, the IRA did detonate a large bomb at South Quay , south of Canary Wharf (outside of Canary Wharf), which killed two people and devastated several buildings. This explosion is commonly, but erroneously, referred to as the "Canary Wharf bomb" . [39] [40] There have been many news articles in recent years stating that the towers at Canary Wharf have been a target for terrorism. [41] [42] [43] However, some of these plots have been denied by the government. [44] One plot was confirmed on 4 April 2008, when a terror cell appeared at Woolwich Crown Court accused of targeting Canary Wharf. The men denied the charges, [45] [46] but were found guilty for planning attacks on the Canary Wharf skyscrapers. [47] Community relations Television interference As the Canary Wharf Tower is the first skyscraper to be clad in stainless steel with metallised windows, this may have caused television reception interference for local people living in the area. In the case Patricia Hunter and others v.

Canary Wharf Ltd.[1997], [48] [49] the House of Lords concluded there is no legal right to receive good television reception. [50] Patricia Hunter and others lost the case because of a variety of reasons that included: the BBC built a new relay station so there was no long-term television interference it was interference with a purely recreational facility, as opposed to interference with the health or physical comfort or well-being of the plaintiffs nothing was emitted from the defendants' land In Spring 2001, the BBC received some television interference complaints from residents in the Poplar area [51] (north of Canary Wharf). A possible cause for the interference are the other Canary Wharf towers being built. [51] Their advice was to get digital television, satellite or cable. [51] Cleaning protest In March 2004, a window was broken in the lobby of One Canada Square during a protest about wages for cleaners. Cleaners were being paid low wages whilst bankers at Canary Wharf were earning £1 million. [52] Although the protest was relatively peaceful, there was some damage.

The shattered glass panel was 12 feet (3.7 m) high and 1 inch (2.5 cm) thick. [52] The window was boarded up and replaced within hours. In popular culture Cinema One Canada Square has been featured in many films. It was featured many times in the movie 28 Weeks Later [53] where the tower and the Docklands area around it are one of the main settings for the post-apocalyptic horror-thriller. Another high profile film was Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix , where Harry and some members of the Order of the Phoenix pass next to One Canada Square as they head to Grimmauld Place near the beginning of the movie on their broomsticks. A further high profile film was Mission: Impossible Ghost Protocol (2012) featuring One Canada Square as the building where the IMF is located. Various shots of One Canada Square was featured including shots of Ethan Hunt climbing on the outside of the building. The tower has also been featured in a few spy films. Exposure was given to the tower in The World Is Not Enough , as James Bond sails past One Canada Square.

[53] Another spy film was The Bourne Supremacy [53] where One Canada Square appeared as the CIA 's London listening station. In the film Johnny English , [53] One Canada Square had another identical building next to it, where one of the One Canada Square buildings was a hospital and the other was villain Pascal Sauvage's HQ. Other films featuring the Canary Wharf Tower can be read from a publication called Canary Wharf And Isle Of Dogs Movie Map. [53] Television One Canada Square has appeared many times on British television. It has appeared in the television series Doctor Who (in the episodes Army of Ghosts and Doomsday ), as the location of the Torchwood Institute , under the name "Torchwood Tower", where at the top of the tower there is a long hall where the barrier to the parallel universe is. [54] It has appeared in the series The Tomorrow People , as the headquarters for Sam Rees. [55] The tower also made multiple appearances on the television show The Apprentice (UK) and the popular BBC soap EastEnders.

[53] During the 1990s, One Canada Square was home to the television station L!VE TV , which broadcast live from the tower. [53] Literature A near future sequence in the novel Freezeframes by Katharine Kerr , shows One Canada Square as a free college and youth drop-in centre. It is nicknamed "Major's Last Erection", referring to John Major . One Canada Square previously appeared in the Virgin Missing Adventures novel Millennial Rites in which the top floor was the headquarters of a yuppie who inadvertently turned London into a " dark fantasy " kingdom in which he was a powerful sorcerer, with the tower as his citadel; and the Past Doctor Adventures novel The Time Travellers , in which it was the headquarters of the British Army in an alternate timeline . One Canada Square also features prominently in an early issue of the Grant Morrison comic series The Invisibles , in which Dane MacGowan is encouraged to jump from the top by his mentor, Tom O'Bedlam, as an initiation rite that will allow him to see beyond reality and join The Invisibles.

Gallery Serge MENDJISKY, Canary Wharf 2002, Photographies marouflées sur toile, 5m x 2.30m (196,9 x 90,6 inch) Street view of One Canada Square Side view of One Canada Square One Canada Square, London A view from the top floor of One Canada Square Sculpture on One Canada Square, London. On the right is the Citigroup building, and on the left is Waitrose. See also List of tallest buildings in the United Kingdom References ^ a b c Canary Wharf Group plc, The Estate > Buildings > One Canada Square > More information > One Canada Square Facts, official Canary Wharf website, Canary Wharf Group plc. Accessed 25 May 2008 14:45 BST. ^ Canary Wharf Contractors Limited, Some of our projects > One Canada Square > One Canada Square, Canary Wharf Contractors website, Canary Wharf Contractors Limited. Accessed 25 May 2008 15:30 BST. ^ a b Canary Wharf Group plc, History, official Canary Wharf website, Canary Wharf Group plc.

Accessed 25 May 2008 14:38 BST. ^ The Open University A-Z Index > From Here to Modernity > Buildings > Canary Wharf > Canary Wharf, Open2 website, The Open University. Accessed 25 May 2008 15:39 BST. WARNING: THIS ARTICLE CONTAINS ERRORS.

Question: What famous London building is officially called 1 Canada Square?
Answer: Canary Wharf Tower