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Bridgewater Place, nicknamed The
The building's shape accelerates winds in its immediate vicinity, knocking over pedestrians and even vehicles. One person suffered a torn liver and internal bleeding, and cuts requiring 11 stitches, and a buggy with a three-month-old child was pushed out into the road by a sharp gust. In March 2011, a man was killed by a lorry overturned on him by a gust. The Crown Prosecution Service advised against bringing charges of corporate manslaughter against the architects, Aedas. However, at the inquest in December 2013 Leeds Deputy Coroner Melanie Williamson recommended the roads nearby should be closed to vehicles when wind speeds exceeded . This was done on 6 December, though pedestrians continue being injured by being blown over.
These winds have led to the roads around the building being closed for safety reasons when the wind speed is above 45 mph. Leeds City Council arranges for staff to be present to provide assistance when roads and footpaths are closed.
To rectify these issues in the design may require the addition of 'vertical fins' to the facade of the building. In December 2016, the owners of the building were required to pay £903,000 towards the costs of the wind deflection works.
The safety problems caused by the building have affected proposals for other high-rise developments in the city. In August 2016, when submitting plans for Bridge Street, the developers stated that extensive wind tests were being undertaken to avoid 'another Bridgewater Place'.
Image:The upper parts of Bridgewater Place seen from New Lane.jpg
File:Bridgewater Place from the junction of Victoria Road and New Lane (April 2010) 001.jpg
Image:Great Wilson Street and Bridgewater Place, Leeds - geograph.org.uk - 199854.jpg, Side view of the Bridgewater Place development under construction
Image:Leeds (51), September 2009.JPG, View of the Bridgewater place from Doubletree hotel
File:Bridgewater_Place_Leeds.PNG
File:Bridgewater Place and BMB Group building (19th September 2010).jpg, Contrast of old and new architecture in the area
Image:Leeds building heights (Bridgewater Place).svg, Height of Bridgewater Place compared to the height of other existing and approved tall buildings in Leeds
Aedas Official Website Views of and from Bridgewater Place on Lovin' LeedsSkyscraper News article on Bridgewater PlaceWebsite of artists making atrium sculptureBBC Article on the completion of Bridgewater PlaceBBC News broadcast covering the sculptureLocal newspaper covering wind deflection work
PDF floor plans of some of the residential parts of the building {{UKSkyscrapers Skyscrapers in Leeds Residential skyscrapers in England Buildings and structures completed in 2007 Skyscraper office buildings in England
Dalek
The Daleks ( ) are a fictional extraterrestrials in fiction, extraterrestrial race of mutants principally portrayed in the British science fiction on television, science fiction television programme ''Doctor Who''. They were conceived by write ...
, is an office and residential skyscraper in Leeds
Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by popula ...
, West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire is a metropolitan and ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and Humber Region of England. It is an inland and upland county having eastward-draining valleys while taking in the moors of the Pennines. West Yorkshire came into exi ...
, England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
. It was the tallest building in Yorkshire
Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other English counties, functions have ...
at the time of being topped out
In building construction, topping out (sometimes referred to as topping off) is a builders' rite traditionally held when the last beam (or its equivalent) is placed atop a structure during its construction. Nowadays, the ceremony is often parlaye ...
in September 2005, but is now the second-tallest after another Leeds building, Altus House. Bridgewater Place is visible at up to from most areas.
The building
The development was designed byAedas
Aedas is an architectural firm with eleven International offices founded by the Welsh architect Keith Griffiths. Aedas provides services in architecture, interior design, urban design, masterplanning and graphic design. It was established in 2002 ...
Architects with the developer being Landmark Development Projects and St James Securities with Bovis Lend Lease
Lendlease is a globally integrated real estate company that creates and invests in communities, workplaces, retail, and infrastructure projects, headquartered in Barangaroo, New South Wales, Australia.
History Founding
The company was establ ...
being the contractor. The developer of the residential element of Bridgewater Place was KW Linfoot.
The construction was first announced in 2000 and, following several redesigns and delays with the construction process, began in 2004 and was completed in 2007, when it became the tallest building in Leeds by a significant margin, but it has since been exceeded by Altus House. Bridgewater Place has a height of to roof level. Originally, the tower was to have a spire which would have extended the height of the building to , but this was never built.
Bridgewater Place has 32 storeys, of which two are used for car parking, ten for offices and twenty for residential use. There is of floor space in the building with 200 flats and 400 underground car parking spaces serving both the residential and commercial areas of the building.
Current office tenants include Eversheds Sutherland
Eversheds Sutherland is a global multinational law practice created by a combination of law firms Eversheds LLP and Sutherland Asbill & Brennan LLP, in February 2017, and is one of the 50 largest law practices in the world.
History
1988 to 2 ...
, Ernst & Young
Ernst & Young Global Limited, trade name EY, is a multinational professional services partnership headquartered in London, England. EY is one of the largest professional services networks in the world. Along with Deloitte, KPMG and Pricewat ...
, ghd, BDO Stoy Hayward, 2plan wealth management, DWF LLP and NHS Digital. Retail tenants include Tesco
Tesco plc () is a British multinational groceries and general merchandise retailer headquartered in Welwyn Garden City, England. In 2011 it was the third-largest retailer in the world measured by gross revenues and the ninth-largest in th ...
, Starbucks, Panini Shack and Philpotts.
The major part of the building's construction was completed by late December 2006. The completion of the entire building was commemorated on Thursday 26 April 2007. A special episode of Look North, the BBC's local regional news programme was produced to commemorate the opening of the tower. The tower is illuminated at night with bright coloured lighting effects; colours used so far include blue and purple.
Criticism
Aesthetics
In 2008, ''Building Design'', the architectural journal, shortlisted Bridgewater Place for its annualCarbuncle Cup
The Carbuncle Cup was an architecture prize, given annually by the magazine ''Building Design'' to "the ugliest building in the United Kingdom completed in the last 12 months". It was intended to be a humorous response to the prestigious Stirlin ...
, which is awarded to 'buildings so ugly they freeze the heart'.
Safety issues
The building's shape accelerates winds in its immediate vicinity, knocking over pedestrians and even vehicles. One person suffered a torn liver and internal bleeding, and cuts requiring 11 stitches, and a buggy with a three-month-old child was pushed out into the road by a sharp gust. In March 2011, a man was killed by a lorry overturned on him by a gust. The Crown Prosecution Service advised against bringing charges of corporate manslaughter against the architects, Aedas. However, at the inquest in December 2013 Leeds Deputy Coroner Melanie Williamson recommended the roads nearby should be closed to vehicles when wind speeds exceeded . This was done on 6 December, though pedestrians continue being injured by being blown over.
These winds have led to the roads around the building being closed for safety reasons when the wind speed is above 45 mph. Leeds City Council arranges for staff to be present to provide assistance when roads and footpaths are closed.
To rectify these issues in the design may require the addition of 'vertical fins' to the facade of the building. In December 2016, the owners of the building were required to pay £903,000 towards the costs of the wind deflection works.
The safety problems caused by the building have affected proposals for other high-rise developments in the city. In August 2016, when submitting plans for Bridge Street, the developers stated that extensive wind tests were being undertaken to avoid 'another Bridgewater Place'.
Gallery
See also
* List of tallest buildings in Leeds * Architecture of LeedsNotes
External links
Aedas Official Website
PDF floor plans of some of the residential parts of the building {{UKSkyscrapers Skyscrapers in Leeds Residential skyscrapers in England Buildings and structures completed in 2007 Skyscraper office buildings in England