Bloomberg’s European headquarters has been named the UK’s best new building, winning the 2018 RIBA (The Royal Institute of British Architects) Stirling Prize.  

Thought to be the largest stone building in the City of London since St Paul’s Cathedral (c. 1675), Foster + Partners set about radically re-thinking the standard ‘office-in-the-city’ format developing ground-breaking systems to make it the most sustainable in the world.

At 1.1 million square feet, Bloomberg occupies a whole block in the City and currently provides a workplace for 4,000 staff. Bloomberg comprises two buildings, connected by a bridge, which sit either side of newly created public arcade. The arcade reinstates an ancient Roman road called Watling Street, which originally ran through the site.

Even though Foster + Partners originally obtained permission to design a building over double the height, Bloomberg sits at a much more appropriate scale – at a modest ten stories – and seeks to create a dialogue with the City that surrounds it.

This complex scheme also incorporates new access to Bank Underground station, cafes and restaurants, and a museum displaying the Roman Temple of Mithras, which was discovered on the site sixty years ago.

Photos: Nigel Young (courtesy of RIBA)