2 Finsbury Avenue (2FA) at Broadgate is located at the largest pedestrianised neighbourhood in Central London. The project consists of a 12-storey podium with a 35-storey East Tower and 20-storey West Tower. In line with the client’s sustainability strategy, the building will target net zero carbon in construction and operation as well as a BREEAM ‘Outstanding’ certification. To achieve this ambitious goal, a series of forward-thinking environmental initiatives will be incorporated. To ensure flexibility for current and future needs, the offices have been designed with behavioural scientists from GXN and are interspersed with healthy, green areas and terraces to inspire creative collaboration and social interaction.
A design inspired by the campus
2 Finsbury Avenue is located in the North-West corner of the Broadgate mixed-use campus in the City of London next to the busy transport hub of Liverpool Street.
“Our design takes its starting point in our analysis of the campus. The Broadgate campus offers a diverse offering of amenities, spaces to interact, dwell and work and we wanted to introduce these qualities to the building. Therefore, the building is perceived as a series of interconnected volumes, where the connecting points are the social spaces, amenities, green spaces, etc.”, says Audun Opdal, 3XN Senior Partner in charge of the London project.
The project is part of British Land's Broadgate Regeneration and will include flexible workspace suitable for a range of occupiers, including incubators, start-ups and medium sized businesses. It will also house an open learning hub on the ground level to provide local communities with access to formal learning programmes, informal networks and talks from institutions.
“Broadgate is a really special site, given that it is the largest pedestrianized neighbourhood in London. We believe that every new building should contribute real value to its community. This project delivers with thoughtful design that complements this bustling urban neighbourhood. We are thrilled that British Land has trusted us to design this high profile project,” Kim Herforth Nielsen, Founder and Creative Director at 3XN.
Connected to the the largest pedestrianized neighbourhood in London
Connecting to the existing neighbourhood is a central element of the design and a public route under the building will extend Finsbury Avenue to create a new route from Eldon Street to Sun Street via Finsbury Avenue Square.
Public access to the building will be delivered through the inclusion of a new learning hub fronting on to Sun Street and Wilson Street.
The proposal is part of an evolution of Broadgate in line with the vision to transform the area into a world class, seven-day, mixed-use central London destination, which is achieved through the creation of flexible, high-quality working environments, with a diversified occupier base, enhanced retail, leisure and cultural offer and exemplary public realm.
