22 Bishopsgate, Modern skyscraper in City of London, United Kingdom.
22 Bishopsgate is a skyscraper in the City of London banking district in the United Kingdom, standing 278 meters high with 62 floors of glass and steel. The postmodern construction sits near Liverpool Street Station and forms a prominent vertical line in the skyline between Tower Bridge and St Paul's Cathedral.
Construction started in 2008 as a project called The Pinnacle but halted during the financial crisis, leaving only a concrete foundation until 2016. Only after a design change could the tower be completed in 2020, replacing an earlier spiral design with a rectangular form.
The name comes from the street that has connected the bishop's seat to the City since medieval times and where bankers and lawyers now work. Visitors can access the viewing terrace open to the public, which offers a circular view over the Thames.
The tower has 28 elevators that carry visitors quickly to the upper floors where the public viewing gallery is located. The easiest way to get here is by underground or bicycle, as the building provides parking for up to 1000 bikes.
The building was originally planned with a helical roof that resembled a helter-skelter slide, but this plan was abandoned in favor of a flat top. Today it is the second tallest structure in the United Kingdom and the seventeenth in Europe by height.
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