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One Canada Square

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One Canada Square
1 Canada Square
The tallest building in the United Kingdom
Map
General information
LocationUnited Kingdom London, England, UK
Coordinates51°50′55″N 0°01′97″E / 51.84861°N 0.04361°E / 51.84861; 0.04361 Coordinates: longitude seconds >= 60
{{#coordinates:}}: invalid longitude
OwnerUnited Kingdom Canary Wharf Group plc (current majority shareholder is Songbird Estates plc[14])
ManagementUnited Kingdom Canary Wharf Group plc
Height
Antenna spire244 metres (800 ft) [5] above sea level, or 235.1 metres (771 ft)[6] above ground level.
(See height section for other quoted heights).
Technical details
Floor count50[4]
Floor area115,000 m2 (1,238,000 sq ft)[7]
Lifts/elevators32 + 2 freight + 2 firemen[4]
Design and construction
Architect(s)Argentina César Pelli & Associates[7][8][9][10]
Canada Adamson Associates[11][8][10]
United Kingdom Frederick Gibberd Coombes & Partners[8][12][10]
DeveloperCanada Olympia & York
EngineerCanada MS Yolles & Partners[8]
United Kingdom Waterman Partnership[13][8]

One Canada Square (also known as the Canary Wharf Tower[15]) is a skyscraper in Canary Wharf, London. It is currently the tallest building in the United Kingdom at 244 metres (800 ft)[5] above sea level, or 235.1 metres (771 ft)[6] above ground level (see height section for other quoted heights). It is currently the sixth tallest building in the European Union.

A London landmark

One Canada Square is a conspicuous London landmark, clearly visible at a distance from large areas of East and South London in particular.

It appears that the tower can be seen approximately 30 miles away from the following observations: Its visibility reaches to Gore Hill, Amersham, around 28 miles (45 km) away, from where it, and the rest of Canary Wharf can be seen on a clear day. On a clear evening, the illuminated pyramid which forms the roof of the building can even be seen from ZSL Whipsnade Zoo in Bedfordshire, over 32 miles (51 km) away. The building can also be seen from the hills overlooking Guildford, a distance of around 31 miles (50 km).

A view of the building from the ground up

Facts and figures

  • 40 flashes per minute, 57,600 flashes a day from the aircraft warning light at the top of the building[5]
  • 28,000 square feet average floor size[5]
  • 3,960 windows[5]
  • 4,388 internal steps[5]
  • 13 ¾ inches that the building can sway in the strongest winds[5]
  • 27,500 metric tonnes of British steel used during construction[5]
  • 500,000 bolts used during construction[5]

History and design

The original plans

The original plans for Canary Wharf being a business district came from G Ware Travelstead[10]. He wanted 3 different towers at Canary Wharf being 850 feet high[10]. Travelstead was unable to find the money for his project, so he sold the plans to Olympia & York in 1987[10].

Docklands Square and DS7

Olympia & York concentrated all 3 towers into an area[10] known as Docklands Square. One Canada Square was building number 7, being given a designation known as DS7[16] (D is Docklands[17], S is Square[17], 7 is Building 7). Docklands Square was later renamed as Canada Square.

Architects / Design

The architects chosen for One Canada Square was Cesar Pelli & Associates, Adamson Associates, and Frederick Gibberd Coombes & Partners[10][8].

One Canada Square is remarkably similar in design to Three World Financial Center, New York City, which was also developed by Olympia & York and designed by Cesar Pelli too. Olympia & York wanted to clad One Canada Square in stone, just like the World Financial Center buildings, but the architects insisted on steel[10] to reflect Britain’s heritage as an industrial nation[18].

The architects wanted to reflect the design of the tower like other London landmarks being simple geometric forms[18], such as St. Paul’s and the Houses of Parliament[18].

To comply with air traffic safety regulations, the architects took off 5 floors[10][18] of the tower. After losing 5 floors, Olympia & York insisted the other floors had to make up the lost floor space[10].

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 so slow at building the tower, partly due to building workers going on strike in the Summer of 1989[19], so Lehrer McGovern took over[10].

On 8 November 1990, the tower was topped out when the top piece of the pyramid roof was put in place by crane.

In August 1991, One Canada Square was completed[10].

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[20].

The floors above the lobby are not opened to the public as they contain offices.

Despite its status as the United Kingdom's tallest building, there is currently no public observation floor. However, there was an exception during 12 September 1992 - 15 November 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 November 1992 when the IRA attempted to bomb the tower[21] (see Terrorism section).

Building height

Measurement methods

The height of the building may differ depending on:

  • measurement method (if it was measured to pinnacle height/spire height, highest occupied floor, roof height, pinnacle height)
  • if it is above ground or sea level
  • if the numbers were rounded (and to what extent)

Height of One Canada Square

The height of One Canada Square has been stated differently from many sources. Some of the measurements given to One Canada Square are as follows:

  • Officially, Canary Wharf Group state that the building is 800 feet (244 metres)[5] (Probably this has been rounded down, to the nearest hundredth of a foot, by above sea level)
  • Canary Wharf Contractors[1] and the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat[22] state that the building is 236 metres
    (The criteria is: 1. Height is measured from pavement/sidewalk level of the main entrance to the architectural top of the building, including spires, but not including antennae, signage or flag poles.
    2. A completed building can be considered such if it fulfils all three of the following criteria: a) topped out structurally and architecturally, b) fully-clad, and c) open for business, or at least partially occupied.)
    [Probably this has been rounded up to the nearest metre at above ground level]
  • Skyscraper News (non-official site about Canary Wharf) state that the building is 235.1 metres[6] (Above ground level)
  • A publication called "Modern Docklands: Gazetteer of modern non-housing developments", "Survey of London: volumes 43 and 44" shows that from their research, the building is 824 feet[10], which implies the building is 251 metres. (Probably this is the exact height as given in the Olympia & York days. The figure is probably above sea level)

Other height information

Canary Wharf buildings cannot be much taller due to the interference with flight paths.

One Canada Square was reduced from 55 floors to 50 floors as it got in the way of the flight path[18] to London City Airport. Their management keeps a close eye on the building plans and applications made by Canary Wharf Group.

Pyramid roof

The pyramid roof at night

The pyramid lights

The pyramid roof lights up in the evenings and can be seen 20 miles away[23].

Inside the pyramid

The pyramid roof contains a maintenance plant. The following is what goes on inside.

Water

Water is pumped up to the pyramid roof, and is continuously rotated. A common sound that is heard inside the pyramid roof is water being moved around. There are two possible uses:

1) General water requirements, such as toilets, etc.

2) Water for the fire system. If a fire occurs inside the building, the sprinklers can get the water from the roof, as it is easier for water to flow downwards.

Window washing machines

The machines for washing the building windows are stored inside the pyramid roof. There are two types:

1) An automatic window washing machine that run on rails on the sides of the building. This machine can clean a window in seconds.

2) 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 that are bolted down into the maintenance floor itself.

Aircraft warning light

The aircraft warning light is at the very top of the pyramid. Access is via a ladder with a sign that warns of unauthorised entry will lead to dismissal.

Electrical equipment

There is electrical equipment that regulates the power to the rest of the building on the mezzanine floor.

Facts about the pyramid

  • 40 metres high[24]
  • 30 metres square at the base[24]
  • made from stainless steel[24]
  • a louvre access door opens to allow a shining beacon to identify the building to passing aircraft[24]
  • weighs over 100 tons[24]
  • held together by 100,000 nuts and bolts[24]

Fire system

In the event of a fire, One Canada Square is not fully evacuated. Only the floor that has the fire and the floor above are evacuated. The fire sprinkler system is activated, air conditioning will work in reverse to extract smoke, and air is blown in from the emergency exits (so that smoke does not enter the emergency exits).

The only time when One Canada Square was fully evacuated was on 30 October 2001[25], during a test drill in response to the "September 11, 2001 attacks".

In popular culture

Cinema

In the movie Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, 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.

In the movie The Bourne Supremacy[26], One Canada Square appeared as the CIA's London listening station.

In the movie Johnny English[26], One Canada Square had another identical building next to it. One of the One Canada Square buildings was a hospital and the other was villain Pascal Sauvage's HQ.

The tower and the Docklands area around it are one of the main settings for the post-apocalyptic horror-thriller 28 Weeks Later[26].

Other movies featuring the Canary Wharf Tower can be read from a publication called Canary Wharf And Isle Of Dogs Movie Map[26].

Television
The model in Miniland, Legoland Windsor, UK, showing a small model of a Dalek

In the British television series Doctor Who (as revealed in the episode Army of Ghosts), One Canada Square is the headquarters of the Torchwood Institute. In the series, its true name is "Torchwood Tower" and it was originally built to investigate a hole in reality 600 feet above London created by a Dalek Void Ship. It is the setting for the most of the two-part finale of season 2. This appearance has become so popular among the British public that in the Miniland model of One Canada Square in Legoland Windsor, a miniature Dalek Sec can be seen inside the building.

In the series The Tomorrow People, One Canada Square is the headquarters of Sam Rees, an immortal pharaoh. The pyramid at the building's top is used in the storyline as an ultraprecise pyramid used to harness Pyramid power to enable him to remain immortal.

One Canada Square has appeared in the TV show The Apprentice (UK)[26].

Other

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.

Terrorism

In November 1992, the Provisional Irish Republican Army attempted to place a large bomb next to the tower. However, security guards helped foil the attempt. The bomb did not detonate. The tower itself was not damaged.

In 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"[27]

There have been many news articles in recent years stating that the towers at Canary Wharf have been a target for terrorist[28][29][30]. However, some of these plots have been denied by the government.[31]

On 4 April 2008, a terror cell appeared at Woolwich Crown Court accused of targeting Canary Wharf. The men deny the charges[32][33].

Other names

Official name

The official name given to the building is 'One Canada Square'[4].

The building has also been legally referred to as the 'Canary Wharf Tower'[34], rather than 'One Canada Square'.

Incorrect names used

The incorrect names that have been used are:

The building may have been referred to as the 'vertical Fleet Street', after several of London's newspapers moved from Fleet Street in the City of London to One Canada Square[42].

Building designation

The building designation for One Canada Square is DS7[16][43]. It stands for Docklands Square[17] 7.

The 13th floor mystery

One mystery surrounding One Canada Square is whether or not there is a 13th floor.

Non-believers

One belief is that there is no 13th floor[44] in the tower, and it is numbered 14 instead (in line with a common building superstition). According to this theory, the floor above the 12th floor is the 14th floor. If there was an extra floor, the lifts will take longer to travel between the neighbouring floors, or accelerate, both of which maybe noticed by the riders. It would also be noticeable from the exterior, requiring either an extra row of windows or a conspicuous gap between rows.

Believers

Another belief is that the 13th floor does exist and it is a maintenance floor[6] that contains plant machinery. One Canada Square has plant rooms in the basements (Levels B3 to M1) and above the 50th floor (Level M2), but this does not negate the chances of there being an extra maintenance floor that has not been officially declared, nor a floor made to look like offices.

The environment

Light usage

One Canada Square was 'named and shamed' for being the top building to leave the lights on unnecessarily[45]. 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[45].

However, Canary Wharf Group did say that some tenants have staff working around the clock[45], and 100% of the energy comes from renewable resources[45].

Community relations

Television interference

As the Canary Wharf Tower is the first skyscraper to be cladded 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.[34][46], Patricia Hunter and others lost the case because of a variety of reasons that included:

  • the B.B.C. built a new relay station so there was no long time 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

Tenants

Current tenants

(This listing differs from Canary Wharf Group's list[7])

Previous tenants

The Daily (and Sunday) Telegraph moved to Victoria[47] in late 2006. The Daily Telegraph formerly occupied floors 11-16.

Title dates / other skyscrapers

Tallest skyscraper in Europe 1990/1991

There are two views that separate if One Canada Square was Europe's tallest skyscraper.

If based on topping out date, then One Canada Square was Europe's tallest building[6][18] for a period of about six months before losing this title to MesseTurm, Frankfurt, Germany.

If it is based on completion date, then One Canada Square was never Europe's tallest skyscraper as MesseTurm was completed in 1990, and One Canada Square was completed in 1991.

Date of becoming the tallest building in the UK

There are two views of when One Canada Square surpassed the previous tallest building in the United Kingdom, which was Tower 42 (formerly known as NatWest Tower) (183 m, 600 ft). If based on top out date, then One Canada Square became the tallest building in Britain on 8 November 1990. If based on completion date, then it is August 1991.

Tallest building at Canary Wharf

The building may be overtaken as the tallest building in Canary Wharf by Riverside Tower 1 which maybe 236m, just one meter taller than One Canada Square.[48]

Miscellaneous

Stunts

In 2002, French urban climber, Alain Robert, using only his hands and feet and with no safety devices of any kind, scaled the building's exterior wall to the 35th floor[49], when he gave up and had to be rescued with the window cleaning cradle. However, in 1995, he managed to scale all the way to the top[49].

Surrounding area: Canada Square

The square to the east of the tower was named after Canada[18] because it was built by the Canadian firm Olympia and York, which was owned by the Reichmann family. The company went bankrupt in the face of a property crash which caused the upper half of the tower to stand empty for some time following its completion.

There are two towers alongside, which are not quite as tall (at 200 m, 660 ft, each; the pyramid provides the height advantage): HSBC Tower (8-16 Canada Square) and Citigroup Centre (25 Canada Square).

Gallery

  • One Canada Square (centre) with HSBC Tower to the left and Citigroup Centre to the right
    One Canada Square (centre) with HSBC Tower to the left and Citigroup Centre to the right
  • One Canada Square, London
    One Canada Square, London

See also

Canary Wharf
List of buildings/structures
Other developments

References

  1. ^ a b http://www.cwcontractors.com/projectsOneCanada.asp Canary Wharf Contractors, One Canada Square page
  2. ^ http://www.canarywharf.com/mainFrm1.asp?strSelectedArea=History Canary Wharf Group, History
  3. ^ http://www.open2.net/modernity/3_17.htm
  4. ^ a b c d http://www.canarywharf.com/estate/estate/ds7/info.htm Canary Wharf Group, One Canada Square, Facts
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q http://www.canarywharf.com/factfile/1can_pagr2.asp Canary Wharf Group, One Canada Square, The Estate, Facts page
  6. ^ a b c d e http://www.skyscrapernews.com/buildings.php?id=48 SkyScraperNews.com, One Canada Square
  7. ^ a b c http://www.canarywharf.com/estate/estate/ds7/ds7_r.htm Canary Wharf Group, One Canada Square, Building Profile
  8. ^ a b c d e f http://www.building.co.uk/story.asp?sectioncode=32&storycode=3048265
  9. ^ http://www.cesar-pelli.com/ Projects, office buildings, One Canada Square
  10. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Hermione Hobhouse http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=46550 "Modern Docklands: Gazetteer of modern non-housing developments", "Survey of London: volumes 43 and 44: Poplar, Blackwall and Isle of Dogs", 1994. Accessed April 28, 2008
  11. ^ http://www.answers.com/topic/adamson-associates-2?cat=entertainment
  12. ^ http://www.gibberd.com/ Frederick Gibberd Coombes & Partners are now known as Frederick Gibberd Partnership, Projects, Offices, Canary Wharf
  13. ^ http://www.watermangroup.co.uk/wg/download/book/Chapter4a.pdf The Waterman Story, page 11
  14. ^ http://www.songbirdestates.com/Corporate-Profile/index.asp Songbird Estates plc, Company Overview
  15. ^ http://www.tallestskyscrapers.info/london-skyscrapers.php One Canada Square paragraph
  16. ^ a b http://www.kimdesign.co.za/flash/InteractiveMap/2DMap/2Dmap.html Map of designations (Unable to find official source of the designations. This map is not from an official site)
  17. ^ a b c http://www.istructe.org/thestructuralengineer/HC/Abstract.asp?PID=5419 The Structural Engineer Archive, Canary Wharf, Construction Working Practices
  18. ^ a b c d e f g Canary Wharf Group plc, http://www.visiteastlondon.com/downloads/Leaflets/history.pdf "Arts & Events", "Canary Wharf", "A different perspective", "Self-guided walking tours at Canary Wharf", "Transitions", 'Canary Wharf Group plc', May 2003. Accessed April 27, 2008
  19. ^ http://www.building.co.uk/story.asp?storyCode=1029202
  20. ^ http://www.canarywharf.com/estate/districts/html/cas/index.htm Canary Wharf Group, Canada Square District, District Profile
  21. ^ a b http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm199596/cmhansrd/vo960304/text/60304w13.htm See table entry for 15 November 1992
  22. ^ http://www.ctbuh.org/Portals/0/Tallest/CTBUH_TallestUK.pdf
  23. ^ http://www.art2architecture.co.uk/alighted/canary2.htm art2architecture Millennium Lighting Installation at Canary Wharf Tower pyramid
  24. ^ a b c d e f http://www.coltinfo.co.uk/products-and-systems/architectural-solutions/louvre-systems/projects/canary-wharf/ Stainless Steel Louvre Pyramid
  25. ^ http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2001/oct/31/afghanistan.terrorism
  26. ^ a b c d e London Borough of Tower Hamlets http://static.visitlondon.com/assets/maps/movie_maps/canary_wharf_movie_map.pdf "Canary Wharf And Isle Of Dogs Movie Map", 'London Borough of Tower Hamlets - Investment & Business', unknown publication date. Accessed 4 May 2008.
  27. ^ Carolina Herling, Caroline Liljedahl, http://www.infra.kth.se/BYFA/publikationer/examensarbeten/2005/284.pdf "Canary Wharf - An Establishment of a Major Business District", Page 16 of PDF document, page 15 of document, 'Department of Infrastructure', 'Building and Real Estate Economics', 'Royal Institute of Technology', February 2005. Accessed April 26, 2008.
  28. ^ http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=328011&in_page_id=1770&ct=5
  29. ^ http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4159/is_20060625/ai_n16504673
  30. ^ http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2006/sep/07/alqaida.september11
  31. ^ http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2004/nov/23/terrorism.alqaida
  32. ^ http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/crime/article3671825.ece
  33. ^ http://itn.co.uk/news/5c663579a17df46b4a80e03c381324eb.html
  34. ^ a b House Of Lords http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld199697/ldjudgmt/jd970424/hunter01.htm "Judgments - Hunter and Others v. Canary Wharf Ltd.", 'United Kingdom Parliament',24 April 1997. Accessed 3 May 2008
  35. ^ http://www.tallestskyscrapers.info/london-one-canada-square.php
  36. ^ a b http://www.civil.canterbury.ac.nz/sif/paper11.pdf Resistance of tall buildings to large aircraft impact and fire, page 16 on PDF document, or page 144 on the document
  37. ^ http://www.towerhamlets.gov.uk/data/discover/downloads/secrets-canary-wharf.pdf page 4 of PDF document
  38. ^ Severin Carrell, http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/canary-wharf-more-smoke-and-mirrors-405396.html, "Canary Wharf: more smoke and mirrors?", 'The Independent' June 25, 2006. Accessed April 26, 2008.
  39. ^ http://www.flickr.com/photos/sweetstuff/2238080154/
  40. ^ http://www.1canadasquare.co.uk/home.htm Unofficial site
  41. ^ http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2005/dec/19/telegraphmediagroup.pressandpublishing
  42. ^ http://www.baholidays.com/brochure/product_show.jsp?smap=1&ID=2709&PRODUCTID=1017&CODE=2709MWILON&smapPath=/hotels/London
  43. ^ http://www.kilnbridge.co.uk/_pdf/Fire_Protection.pdf Page 6, second section, see heading for Location
  44. ^ Thirteenth_floor#Conspiracy_theory
  45. ^ a b c d http://www.bbc.co.uk/insideout/content/articles/2007/10/09/london_citylights_s12_w4_feature.shtml
  46. ^ http://www.ipsofactoj.com/international/2000/Part2/int2000(2)-009.htm
  47. ^ http://www.telegraph.co.uk/money/main.jhtml?xml=/money/2005/12/22/cntel22.xml
  48. ^ "Tower Hamlets Council: updated planning application". 2007-03-30.
  49. ^ a b BBC News on climber (Reference required twice in the same paragraph as there is conflicting information with other sources)


External links

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