1 Canada Square Canary Wharf
London, England · 1988-1991 · Not readily available
The judgement call
Account-gated at launchTuned mass damper: A steel pendulum was incorporated to offset movements caused by strong gusts of wind. - Advanced fire system: Designed for partial evacuation, with air conditioning reversing to extract smoke and fresh air blown into staircases to maintain pressure.
Key engineering challenges
Wind sway: The building can sway 33.02 cm (13 inches) in strong winds, requiring a tuned mass damper. - Energy efficiency: Early adoption of advanced window technologies (metallicised, triple-pane glazing, low-e coatings, UV coatings, argon/krypton gas filled inter-pane voids) for high thermal resistance.
Project facts
- Client / owner
- Olympia & York
- Lead contractor
- Sir Robert McAlpine
- Lead designers
- César Pelli, Adamson Associates Architects, Frederick Gibberd Coombs
- Project type
- new build
- Scale
- Height: 235 m (770 ft), 50 floors, 163,000 m2 (floor space), 3,960 windows, 4,388 steps
- Disciplines
- Structural Engineering; Architecture; Civil Engineering
- Standards & frameworks
- UK Building Regulations (implied)
Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_Canada_Square; https://www.newcivilengineer.com/latest/no-22-one-canada-square-23-08-2012/