ONE FOR HEAVY METAL FANS

摘要

When the site hoardings obscuring 122 Leadenhall Street come down next year, office workers may be surprised to see three years of carefully orchestrated construction activity has translated into a nice square where they can enjoy their sandwiches. Few will have been aware that the bulk of the enormous Leadenhall Building, known by most people as the Cheesegrater, terminates above ground level to create a new public square. The architect, Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners, has minimised the building footprint at ground level including suspending the lift pits above the heads of the public to create a generous space that varies in height from one to five storeys. According to director Graham Stirk, 100,000ft2 of potential office space, the equivalent of Channel 4's entire HQ, has been sacrificed for the greater public good. "It's quite a gesture," he says.