The Pinnacle / The Helter Skelter
Crosby Court
22-24 Bishopsgate
London
EC2N 4BQ
Visitor Information
Architect: Kohn Pederson Fox Associates
Built: expected 2014
Size: 90,000m² / 288 metres high
Developer: Arab Investments
The ‘pinnacle’ or ‘helter skelter’ as this tower on Bishopsgate has been dubbed, will be the tallest and most prominent tower in the emerging cluster of high-rise buildings in the Square Mile. Standing at 288 metres tall, it will contain 90,000m² of office space and form a distinctive spiral created by the glass exterior wrapping around itself and forming a twisting flick shape at the peak. Its tapered geometry comprises inwardly inclined planar surfaces, which are linked by conical surfaces. The upper floors will contain restaurants and viewing decks – the highest observation gallery in the country – accessible to the public.
At ground level a public passage that had been closed to pedestrians since the 1980s by a previous building will be reopened, linking a number of spaces along Bishopsgate and St Mary Axe. Its eco credentials are looking good: it will contain more solar paneling than any other building in the UK, with 2,000m² of photovoltaic solar cells, generating up to 200 kilowatts of electricity. It will also have a double-layered skin, similar to the Gherkin, allowing the building to respond “dynamically to climatic changes and to utilise effective climate control with low energy consumption.”