In 1990 there were just ten ‘megacities’ (cities of over 10 million). By 2015, that figure had jumped to 28, accounting for 12% of the world’s urban inhabitants. People are moving to urban centers attracted by the lifestyle and range of opportunities they offer, however more people on the pavements and soaring land prices mean new buildings need to head skywards.
The British capital has a record 510 towers over 20 stories either in planning or under construction according to the latest annual Tall Buildings survey conducted by independent industry forum New London Architecture (NLA) and real estate consultancy GL Hearn. This is up from 455 tall buildings in 2016.
When completed next year, Twentytwo, an innovative new development located minutes from the new London Liverpool Street Crossrail station, will stand 278 meters tall and showcase a number of new construction solutions in a challenging historical and densely populated urban environment. Developers, planners, and architects around the world can turn to Twentytwo as a model case in building smarter, faster and safer.
Twentytwo has over 1,100 men, women and engineers working on the site, and when fully occupied will be home to 12,000-strong workers and visitors. Finding a solution to the elevator situation was critical. For this reason, the developers turned to Otis for its SkyBuild® elevator system. When complete, the SkyBuild elevators at Twentytwo will quickly transition for service as SkyRise® elevators, Otis’ premier elevator for the world’s tallest buildings, bringing the Twentytwo’s total elevator count to 57.
Twentytwo will be 130,000 sqm of offices, social spaces, and public realm and brings with it designs aimed to reflect changes in the workplace, the City and its tenants. With this in mind, the team behind Twentytwo designed the 62-story building mindful of what the occupiers of the 2030s and beyond will want. Twentytwo signals to the world that London is active and that the city welcomes people to come here and work, to learn, to have fun. – GM
Photography and video courtesy of TVC.
