Situated in Cheapside next to St Paul’s Cathedral in the city of London, One New Change is the City of London’s newest shopping and office complex. Tracy Tran looks at the building, which has been nick-named the “Stealth Bomber”...
Built following an architectural design competition by landowners, Land Securities, in 2003, One New Change is the competition winning design of French architect, Jean Nouvel.
Opened in October 2010, the building offers great office space, superb shopping facilities seven days a week and an inspiring roof top terrace. It scooped the MIPIM Architectural Review Future Project Award before it was even built, and in short, fulfils a local need. As one local puts it, “Anybody who works in the area would tell you there are too few shops… at the weekend it’s dead.”
Nouvel’s design was said to be the proposal that best respected the surrounding area and St Paul’s Cathedral, but it was also the use of modern innovative glass techniques, that won Nouvell the project. The external cladding – made up of 6,500 glass panels of different shapes and sizes, of which 4,300 are individually hand-crafted – allows natural light to flood into the building. Glass panoramic elevators, directly across from St Paul's Cathedral, provide an elevating 360º view, and overall it is a modern design that doesn’t take away from the beauty of the surroundings. However Prince Charles is not a fan of Nouvel’s design and tried to stop it from being developed in favour of something more “traditional”. He of course failed.
As well as the view of St Paul’s Cathedral, the building’s 6th floor is home to an extensive roof-top terrace, which allows for breath-taking views of London including elevating views of the Barbican, Renzo Piano’s unfinished Shard, and City Hall, so visitors can appreciate all manner of architecture from this new building.
One New Change oozes class and is another triumph for Nouvel, who in 1994 established Ateliers Jean Nouvel, one of the largest architectural practices in France, with offices worldwide. The Pritzker Prize winning architect has designed over 200 buildings, in cities including Paris, Madrid, New York, Tokyo and Beijing, so it’s perhaps surprising that this is Nouvel’s first permanent building in the UK.
Construction started in 2007, and the building was completed on time, at a cost of £500 million. Nouvel worked closely with Sidell Gibson Architects (SGA), who were commissioned by Land Securities because of their reputation for professionalism, having completed another Land Securities mixed-use development at 30 Gresham Street, in the City of London, on time and on budget.
Eco-credentials of development
Both Nouvel and SGA were keen to ensure that One New Change was environmentally friendly. Environmental considerations include the installation of a geothermal ground source heating and cooling system. The glass building complies with BREEAM (Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method) requirements, achieving an “excellent” efficiency rating.
One New Change has reduced its carbon footprint by at least 10 per cent through the use of renewable sources on site. This equates to a saving of around 900 tonnes of CO2 emissions annually.
The exterior skin of the building, with its pioneering glass coated in solar control glazing, limits heat gain which in turn reduces the amount of cooling required during the warmer months. The design has also set an air tightness target for the façade, which exceeds the current minimum requirements, to prevent heat escaping.
No longer a weekday destination
One New Change fulfils a real need, it brings to life an area that is quiet during the weekends and offers a range of shops that cater to all. It also fulfils the architects and landowners goals. As SGA lead architect, Sanya Tomic, who led the team of architects working closely with Nouvel, said, “The aim was to create a shopping destination, a meeting point, and a place to socialise. To interject new life into this historic corner of the City, restoring Cheapside to its rightful place as one of London’s great thoroughfares; reinstating lost pedestrian routes, opening new routes and views, and creating a seven-day destination for hundreds of thousands of workers, shoppers and visitors to enjoy. It shows every sign of achieving this goal triumphantly.”
A lot of thought has gone into the design of One New Change – to relieve congestion and minimise the impact on the local community, One New Change has the largest single basement within the City at two levels below ground for deliveries to be made for both office and retail.
Nouvel described the building as “calm” and deferential to St Paul’s; this is true and the rooftop gardens will be a real joy to local workers, shoppers and tourists on a summer’s day.
If you haven’t gone to marvel at the design, and think you would prefer something more tranquil than Westfields or Bluewater, it’s a shopping destination worth checking out!
Interesting facts and figures
• One New Change includes 220,000 sq feet of retail space and 330,000 sq feet of office space.
• 9,200 people currently live within the City.
• 340,000 people work in the City of London, and 112,000 of those are based within a 10-minute walk of One New Change.
• One New Change will be home to 3,400 office workers.
• The centre offers 60 popular fashion retailers and restaurants including Jamie Oliver and Gordon Ramsay.
One New Change, London
Architect: Jean Nouvel, and Sidell Gibson Architects
Contractor: Bovis Lend Lease
Designer: Jean Nouvel