Bridgewater Place

Bridgewater Place, nicknamed The Dalek,[2][3] is an office and residential skyscraper in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It was the tallest building in Yorkshire at the time of being topped out in September 2005, but is now the second-tallest after another Leeds building, Altus House. Bridgewater Place is visible at up to 25 miles (40 kilometres) from most areas.

For the skyscraper in Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA, see Bridgewater Place, Grand Rapids.

Bridgewater Place
General information
StatusCompleted
TypeSkyscraper[1]
LocationLeeds, England
Coordinates53.7920°N 1.5479°W / 53.7920; -1.5479
Estimated completion2006
Opening2007
Height
Roof112 m (368 ft)
Technical details
Floor count32
Floor area40,000 m2 (430,000 sq ft)
Design and construction
ArchitectAedas
DeveloperKW Linfoot
Main contractorBovis Lend Lease

The building

The development was designed by Aedas Architects with the developer being Landmark Development Projects and St James Securities with Bovis Lend Lease being the contractor.[2] The developer of the residential element of Bridgewater Place was KW Linfoot.

The construction was first announced in 2000 and, following several redesigns and delays with the construction process, began in 2004 and was completed in 2007, when it became the tallest building in Leeds by a significant margin, but it has since been exceeded by Altus House. Bridgewater Place has a height of 112 m (367 ft) to roof level. Originally, the tower was to have a spire which would have extended the height of the building to 137 m (449 ft), but this was never built.

Bridgewater Place has 32 storeys, of which two are used for car parking, ten for offices and twenty for residential use. There is 40,000 m2 (430,000 sq ft) of floor space in the building with 200 flats and 400 underground car parking spaces serving both the residential and commercial areas of the building.

Current office tenants include Eversheds Sutherland, Ernst & Young, ghd, BDO Stoy Hayward, 2plan wealth management, DWF LLP and NHS Digital. Retail tenants include Tesco, Starbucks, Panini Shack and Philpotts.

The major part of the building's construction was completed by late December 2006. The completion of the entire building was commemorated on Thursday 26 April 2007. A special episode of Look North, the BBC's local regional news programme was produced to commemorate the opening of the tower. The tower is illuminated at night with bright coloured lighting effects; colours used so far include blue and purple.

Criticism

Aesthetics

In 2008, Building Design, the architectural journal, shortlisted Bridgewater Place for its annual Carbuncle Cup, which is awarded to 'buildings so ugly they freeze the heart'.[4][5]

Safety issues
Warning sign for pedestrians

The building's shape accelerates winds in its immediate vicinity, knocking over pedestrians and even vehicles. One person suffered a torn liver and internal bleeding, and cuts requiring 11 stitches, and a buggy with a three-month-old child was pushed out into the road by a sharp gust.[6] In March 2011, a man was killed by a lorry overturned on him by a gust.[7] The Crown Prosecution Service advised against bringing charges of corporate manslaughter against the architects, Aedas.[6] However, at the inquest in December 2013 Leeds Deputy Coroner Melanie Williamson recommended the roads nearby should be closed to vehicles when wind speeds exceeded 45 mph (72 km/h; 20 m/s). This was done on 6 December, though pedestrians continue being injured by being blown over.[8]

These winds have led to the roads around the building being closed for safety reasons when the wind speed is above 45 mph.[9] Leeds City Council arranges for staff to be present to provide assistance when roads and footpaths are closed.[10]

To rectify these issues in the design may require the addition of 'vertical fins' to the facade of the building.[11] In December 2016, the owners of the building were required to pay £903,000 towards the costs of the wind deflection works.[12]

The safety problems caused by the building have affected proposals for other high-rise developments in the city. In August 2016, when submitting plans for Bridge Street, the developers stated that extensive wind tests were being undertaken to avoid 'another Bridgewater Place'.[13]

  • Side view of the Bridgewater Place development under construction
  • View of the Bridgewater place from Doubletree hotel
  • Contrast of old and new architecture in the area
  • Height of Bridgewater Place compared to the height of other existing and approved tall buildings in Leeds

See also

Notes
  1. Under the Emporis Standards Committee, a skyscraper is defined as a multi-storey building which is at least 100 m tall. Any building from 35 m to 100 m tall is generally considered to be a high rise building.
  2. "Building - 734 - Bridgewater Place - Leeds". SKYSCRAPERNEWS.COM. Retrieved 2 August 2008.
  3. "Why we should all love Leeds's Dalek". Yorkshire Evening Post. Retrieved 27 November 2009.
  4. "A Bridgewater too far?". BBC Leeds. Retrieved 11 February 2009.
  5. "Who will get the wooden spoon in BD's Carbuncle Cup this year?". BD: The architects' website. 3 October 2008. Retrieved 11 February 2009.
  6. "'Killer towers': how architects are battling hazardous high-rises". The Guardian. 14 August 2014. Retrieved 12 September 2020.
  7. "Police investigate 'Dalek' after man killed by overturned lorry". Telegraph. 11 March 2011. Retrieved 18 March 2011.
  8. "Bridgewater Place inquest: Coroner calls for road closure". BBC News. 3 December 2013. Retrieved 12 September 2020.
  9. "The answer is blowing in the wind". Yorkshire Post. 10 July 2008.
  10. Leeds City Council, Roadworks and closures, accessed 10 March 2022
  11. "Fins may solve Aedas towers wind grief". Architects Journal. Retrieved 10 July 2008.
  12. "Leeds' Bridgewater Place owners to foot £900,000 wind bill". BBC News. 1 December 2016. Retrieved 26 April 2017.
  13. Iqbal, Aisha (22 August 2016). "Leeds supertowers proposal 'must not repeat wind tunnel chaos'". Yorkshire Evening Post. Retrieved 30 November 2016.
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