HSBC Tower, London
| 8 Canada Square | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| General information | |
| Location |
Canary Wharf London, E14 United Kingdom |
| Construction started | 1999 |
| Completed | 2002 |
| Height | 200 m |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 45 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Foster and Partners |
8 Canada Square (also known as the HSBC Tower) is a skyscraper in Canary Wharf, London. The building serves as the global headquarters of the HSBC Group.
The tower was designed by Sir Norman Foster's team of architects. Construction began in 1999 and was completed in 2002. There are 45 floors in the 200-metre-high (656 ft) tower, the joint fourth tallest in the United Kingdom with the nearby Citigroup Centre, and the second tallest in Canary Wharf.
With the movement of HSBC Group's headquarters from Hong Kong to London in 1993, the firm decided that having thousands of employees scattered across the City of London was not an ideal situation. Between 1995 and 1997 a number of proposals were considered, including the redevelopment of the previous Group Head Office at 10 Lower Thames Street, London. However the DS-2 plot at Canary Wharf was chosen for the location and space available.
Having been commissioned by the owners of the Canary Wharf Site to do the outline design prior to gaining site-wide outline planning permission, and because he had designed HSBC's last head office at 1 Queen's Road, Central, Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong, Sir Norman Foster (now Lord Foster of Thames Bank) was appointed as architect.Arup became structural engineers for the project, and Davis Langdon & Everest (now Davis Langdon) quantity surveyors.
Construction began in January 1999, with work beginning on the installation of the 4,900 glass panels commencing in summer 2000. The work was carried out by Canary Wharf Contractors. In May 2000, three workmen were killed in a crane accident.
The topping out ceremony took place on 7 March 2001, with the hoisting in of the final steel girder attended by bankers, journalists and contractors. The first HSBC employees began work in the building on 2 September 2002, with phased occupation completed by 17 February 2003, and the building's official opening, by Sir John Bond, taking place on 2 April 2003.
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