122 Leadenhall Street, Skyscraper in City of London, United Kingdom.
122 Leadenhall Street is a 230-meter office building in London's financial district with a wedge-shaped glass facade that tapers toward the top and rises 48 floors above street level. The structure displays an external yellow steel framework and service cores visible on the north and south sides, plus a 30-meter-tall public atrium at ground level.
The tower rose between 2011 and 2014 on the site of a demolished 1960s office block formerly owned by the Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company. The design came from architect Richard Rogers, who developed a freestanding steel frame that moves load-bearing elements to the outside.
The wedge shape cuts away to preserve sight lines toward the dome of St Paul's Cathedral, showing how new construction works alongside older landmarks in the City skyline. Visitors can walk through the public passage at street level and experience the tall glass hall that brings daylight deep into the building.
The building sits near the Aldgate and Bank Underground stations in the eastern part of the City of London and is accessible during standard business hours. The public passage and ground floor allow visitors a view of the inner structure, while the office floors are not open to the public.
Unlike most high-rises that hide their technical infrastructure inside, this building exposes all elevators, ventilation ducts, and service lines openly in the yellow-painted towers on the outside. This arrangement keeps the office floors in the core free of columns and shafts and gives tenants continuous flexible floor plans.
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