Bloomberg Place was launched on the 24th of October at an event hosted by the founder of Bloomberg Michael R. Bloomberg, in the company of Lord Foster, Founder and Executive Chairman, Foster + Partners and Sadiq Khan, Mayor of London.
Lord Foster, Founder and Executive Chairman, Foster + Partners, commented: “From day one, we talked with Mike Bloomberg about creating an elegant stone building that responds to its historic setting yet is clearly of its own time and which would be a good neighbour in the City of London in every sense of the word. We wanted the building to have an integrity and continuity of expression both inside and out, creating an inspiring, innovative, dynamic and collaborative workplace for Bloomberg that embodies the core values of the company. Above all, we had a shared belief with Bloomberg that we should provide the highest standards of sustainability and wellbeing for its occupants, as well as create major new public spaces at ground level, making a significant contribution to the daily life of the City of London and its inhabitants.
Art plays a central role in the project, with major site-specific commissions in and around the building. Cristina Iglesias’ water sculpture in three parts, ‘Forgotten Streams’ – a homage to the ancient Walbrook River that once flowed through the site – defines the public spaces at each end of Bloomberg Arcade. Other works in the building include pieces by Michael Craig-Martin, Olafur Eliasson, Arturo Herrera, Langlands and Bell, David Tremlett and Pae White.
Michael Jones, Senior Partner at Foster + Partners and Project Architect of Bloomberg’s new European headquarters said: “The design of the building supports the values of Bloomberg as an organisation and the way it operates. The cores have been pushed to the edges of the building to visually open the floors and reveal a spiralling ramp, the heart of the building, bringing together the people who work in it. In a sense, it is all about community and collaboration – both within the building and the way it embraces its surroundings”.