1-2 Broadgate is located in the southern part of the Broadgate campus in the City of London, and provides flexible accommodation for a mix of uses including 50,000 square feet of retail space arranged around a new retail arcade over two levels, and 500,000 square feet of new office space above.
In plan, the building form maintains the principles and geometry of the original masterplan by framing the public space around Broadgate Circle, formally addressing the southern edge of Finsbury Avenue Square, and clearly defining the north-south pedestrian axis along Finsbury Avenue.
The massing and articulation help to break down the perceived scale of the building, particularly when viewed from street level. Lower-level volumes pull apart to create entrances and retail arcades through the building, whilst defining its pedestrian edges; these also establish a form of retail podium on which the office uses are stacked. Generous terraces and balconies provide a total of 45,000 square feet of amenity and green space for users of the building.
The building envelope is developed around a ‘kit of parts’ applied in response to building uses, floor level, orientation and envelope performance requirements, allowing the building to adapt and respond to future needs. The colours of the elevations are taken from the earthy and autumnal colours of the buildings in the surrounding area; the metal fins are coloured to express the building’s stacked volumes, gradually darkening from the base to the top.
