Designed by Foster + Partners, Bloomberg?s new London facility sets a benchmark for green architecture and design When Bloomberg, the news and financial tech giant, decided to build a new European headquarters in London in 2010, it had a chance to not just build a home, but make a statement for sustainability. After all, that?s one of the pet causes of founder and former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
According to one of the architect who helped design the new facility, which just opened, the company embraced the opportunity, not just aiming to be environmental stewards, but investing in bespoke technology to showcase a new level of energy efficiency.
?One of the key objectives was for it to be an exemplar of sustainability in every aspect of its design and operation,? says Michael Jones, a senior partner and project architect at Foster + Partners, who designed the facility. Set on 3.2 acres located between the Bank of England and St. Paul?s Cathedral in London, the new 10-story facility achieved the highest-ever BREEAM score for office buildings, earning a 98.5 percent rating based to the global sustainability standard. The exceptionally green project got there, in part, by utilizing traditional sustainability solutions, such as a grey water collection system on the roof and vacuum-drainage toilets?just like the ones found on passenger jets?that dramatically reduced water usage. But the commitment to new, custom technology pushed the building from merely c...