A new skyscraper, set to tower above the Gherkin and the Leadenhall building, is changing the game for modern workspaces – with an epic climbing window!
22 Bishopsgate – set to open in the City of London in 2021 (having been delayed from summer 2020 thanks to the pandemic) – will contain workspace for up to 12,000 people, as well as one of the city’s biggest food markets. But really, all you want to know about is that incredible climbing window, isn’t it? Located twenty-five storeys above terra firma, climbing holds will be installed directly to the inner face of the skyscraper’s exterior wall, resulting in the country’s highest climbing wall. Which looks pretty exhilarating, to be honest!
This unusual workout space is the city’s first ever climbing window, and since it and the rest of the gym will be 125 metres from the ground, employees will be able to work on their inner core whilst admiring stunning views of London. That is, of course, if the vertigo doesn’t hit too hard. Besides the wall and the fresh food market, 22 Bishopsgate will feature a wellbeing retreat and spa, London’s highest free public viewing gallery, and an ‘art walk’ on the ground floor.
This innovative concept stemmed from the major changes in the way people live and work, caused by various cultural, demographical, and technological advances – remember, this was before we were all forced to work from our pyjamas for a year, so those priorities may have changed. The designers, PLP Architecture, imagined somewhere they would love to work, and ultimately created a building that we’d all desperately love to work in. It’s designed to increase productivity, wellness and engagement and, as it turns out, the odd stroll to Pret just isn’t quite enough. As a matter of fact, a climbing window is exactly what we’re missing…
An exact opening date hasn’t been announced yet – although their Instagram page is pretty confident it’ll be early this year – but you can be sure that come hell or high water, we’ll be plotting a way to test out that climbing wall!