KPF set to cut terraces into Foster + Partners' HSBC skyscraper

Architecture studio KPF has unveiled plans to turn the Foster + Partners-designed HSBC tower in Canary Wharf, London, into "a blueprint for the highly sustainable, mixed-use building of the future".

Kohn Pedersen Fox (KPF) will turn the office building at 8 Canada Square, which is owned by Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) into a mixed-use development in that development partner Canary Wharf Group (CWG) calls "one of the world's largest redevelopment projects".

Once completed, the building will have workspaces, as well as cultural and leisure destinations and entertainment spaces.

Renders show the 200-metre-tall skyscraper, which currently has a closed steel-and-glass facade, given multiple cut-out terraces that will function as breakout spaces.

Visuals also show an outdoor basketball court and a pink outdoor spiral staircase.

At the highest levels of the 45-floor building, multiple floors will be carved out to create set-back terraces and a design that leaves the top floor partly "floating" above the rest, supported by slim pillars.

"We are extremely excited to collaborate with Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) and CWG to reimagine the single-use office building as a blueprint for the highly sustainable, mixed-use building of the future," design principal at KPF Elie Gamburg said.

"This transformation embodies the ethos behind much of our work, we see it as an integral part of the evolution of today's single-use neighbourhoods into vibrant mixed-use neighbourhoods of tomorrow – an evolution of which CWG is already leading the way."

The redesign of 8 Canada Square will also create a new publicly accessible route between the nearby Elizabeth Line station and Canada Square Park.

"This redevelopment is another step in Canary Wharf's evolution into a vibrant mixed-use neighbourhood offering workspace, retail, homes, leisure and amenities all in one location – a true 15-minute city," CWG CEO Shobi Khan said.

The redevelopment will also focus on fulfilling environmental, social and corporate governance credentials (ESG).

"The investment from QIA to transform 8 Canada Square is a flagship example of the sovereign fund's vision for multi-use real estate of the future, ensuring that the iconic building has world-class ESG credentials and meets the changing requirements of business for the long term," CWG said.

The 1.1 million-square-feet (92,900-square-metre) building at 8 Canada Square was designed by Foster + Partners to hold the global headquarters of the HSBC bank.

It was finished in 2002 and is known as the HSBC tower. KPF won a global competition run by CWG and the QIA to create the 8 Canada Square project, which will begin in 2027 when the HSBC lease expires.

Other recent projects by the firm include an Abu Dhabi airport with an undulating roof and a supertall skyscraper being constructed in Midtown Manhattan.

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