♪ >> ladies and gentlemen, thentle winner of the stirling prize for architecture 2018 is the bloomberg building! caroline: bloomberg's european headquarters was awarded the stirling prize for the u.k.'s best new building by the world -- the royal institute of architects. on the one-year anniversary of its opening, we look at bloomberg's office in london as a model for workplaces of the future. welcome to this program about bloomberg's new european headquarters. i'm caroline hyde, and i'm excited to take you on the

journey to explore our recently completed office in the heart of london's historic financial district. this amazing building has broken the mold of sustainable design, challenged all those who have contributed to it, and set new standards for the workplace. ♪ >> this building is designed for our employees, so they can be productive, happy in their environment, and be proud of where they work. and for visitors. you want people to walk out saying, "boy, i wish i worked there." >> it is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. >> we had to go literally around the world to find the finest materials. >> this is a major landmark. -- it is a major civic landmark for the city of london. >> this building really does represent a glimpse into the future.

>> it's fantastic. we just want the public to look up at that building and think, wow. caroline: join us as her look through our four-year construction diary and explore the innovation, collaboration, and vision to build the world's most sustainably designed office building. >> london is an engine for the global economy, and it plays a critical role for our company, bloomberg. the new london office was an inspired collaboration which fuels innovation. every decision from designed to construction was made with employees in mind.

the new building reflects our commitment to the surrounding community and the planet, and couldn't be more excited about what is to come. caroline: it was important to mike bloomberg that our new european headquarters in the square-mile,on's respected its surroundings. the entire city block acquired for bloomberg london is surrounded by buildings of incredible architectural and cultural significance. it is the site of 2000 years of history. >> across the period since roman times, for 1600 years, this site has been at the heart of the city of london. from the medieval times, to the georgian period to the growth of commerce in victorian times to the present. this site has enormous significance. caroline: for mike bloomberg, it was important to appoint architects with a sensitivity to the sites incredible history, and an understanding of how bloomberg operates as a business.

>> i came across some notes on the 20th of july 2010, and i am summarizing here, and i say, "respectful, fitting in, understated, conservative, ," and in the outside inside.wow on the enduring materials, improving with age, and in capitals, i wrote sustainable. >> i always thought i made the right choice in architect because you understand the city we are building this. we are guests in this country, we want to respect their traditions, and i want to build a new old building. i think every we do business we have to enhance the host, the city and the country. ♪ caroline: for bloomberg, this sense of responsibility extended

the historical heritage of the site, in particular, to the roman ruins sitting seven meters below ground level. >> bloomberg has been very much of the custodian of this plot of land. it represents a great slice of history, from the blitz, the than oft fire, and course, 2000 years ago, the heart of london. our priority was to enable the archaeologists to explore the ruins. >> the first phase of the project was very exciting. we were doing the roman archaeological dig and simultaneously doing the pile driving. the early stage of the project was really all about what was going on underground from an engineering perspective and a construction perspective and archaeological perspective. the archaeological dig was completed in january 2013. at that point, the foundations could be poured, and that was an all very exciting period of the

project, because for the first time you could start to see the building. >> the below-ground work on this project was particularly complicated. we were building the biggest foundations, the biggest pile to have ever been constructed in london. we had one being over 70 meters. then on top of that, we were working over victorian sewers. we have the london underground, sir christopher wren church. we did the biggest single concrete pour that has ever been done in london on this project, which is nearly 2000 cubic meters of concrete poured in one day. ♪ caroline: with the archaeological dig completed and the foundations in place, the steel framework that would support the façade could be erected. >> it is fabricated off-site and delivered every night. uploaded with the tower crane. the men will then interact to erect the men will then

the steel during the day. we built the steelwork structure, the concrete slabs, and we are about to put the skin on to the building, which is the glass and metal façade. >> to recognize that this is a building in an historic city, you can use historic devices. you can express this with a stone structure, then you want to protect it from the sun. so you can have these large sculpted things in bronze which will age and change gracefully over time. >> the façade is made up of two components, the structural stone frame, literally holding the building up, and a series of bronze in servers which are providing solar shading to the inner spaces. caroline: fitting in was a key theme. just ahead, the materials that made the building part of the neighborhood. ♪

♪ caroline: it was very important to mike bloomberg that the building's façade complement its surroundings. sandstone, bronze, and glass were paramount in achieving this task. >> stone was an important element of the façade. once sandstone was selected, there was only one quarry in all of europe that could produce the quality, color, and the size needed for this building. ied sandstone quarr was processed in yorkshire. here, 10,000 pounds of stone was cut to size and mounted on enormous precut beams and columns made of steel and concrete. >> the brief was that the building was to sit well between the church. the selection of the stone was an integral part in that process.

it is probably the largest stone project in london or possibly the u.k. in over 100 years. we have elements that weigh more than 20 tons each. we haven't beams -- we have beams that are 18 meters long clad in stone. this has never been achieved or constructed before. caroline: the stone on all 380 318 beams and columns was matched by eye to ensure graceful continuity of color before going to site. but the design also required complex curved stones, and to cut these it was necessary to go further afield. the tuscany region of italy has long been associated with the carrara marble made famous by michelangelo. the region is also home to stone specialists. >> what we are here to see is the raw block taken from the quarry in yorkshire. it is here in this particular processing center that all the

complex ships and geometry will be seen. you can see the columns back here which have double curves in the back of them. this is a on the company i am aware of the do that kind of geometrical complexity. caroline: craftsmanship of a different kind was sourced 6000 miles away, in japan. the inspection team led the bloomberg project manager visited tokyo in 2015 to see for the first time, the bronze that provided the solar shading. coloring the bronze involved the finest craftsmanship and a highly specialized process known only to the factory in japan. >> we are looking at the world here. [speaking foreign language]

>> we are looking at the world here, right? wow. caroline: filming this polishing process is strictly prohibited, as it remains a closely-guarded secret. >> no no no. caroline: over 800 bronze fins weighing 600 tons were hand polished with the unique family recipe.

the following day, the inspection team arrived in china. at north glass. of the 160,000 square feet of glass destined for the building's façade, the most specialized is made here. [speaking foreign language] >> north glass is doing special glass sizes and treatment to the glass, which not a lot of companies in the world are doing. large, three very six meters with,

and weighs about 900 kilograms per unit. caroline: test samples of this serrated glass panels are then shipped to germany for impact testing. >> the base testing of the impact test on the type of her found us on the type of glass façade. it was grand an important test, because that glass has never been made for that profile before. really pleased to get a green flag. it was good. caroline: up next, r flourishes with activity, and the unique open design.

♪ ♪ caroline: while the exterior of the building was designed to fit

into its historic surroundings, the interior was designed to reflect bloomberg's culture of innovation, transparency, and openness. translating a business philosophy into a building was to prove a huge challenge for the architects and engineers. the first obstacles, to create a million-square-foot building with as few internal walls as possible. >> bloomberg requires great visibility through the floors. let design direction meant about all the core was pressured the perimeter of the building. we were excited at the opportunity to take building design into a new world. >> if you take a typical office building, it has a core. people move up and down staircases, lifts, elevators, mechanical-equipment, bathrooms, those tend to find their way into one solid core. but in this kind of organization, which is about

social interaction, and the dynamic of decision-making, the heart of the building should be the social heart. the priority of the people who work there, and his activities. caroline: opening up the center of the building created room for impressive and unique features, including the vortex, a complex wooden structure positioned in the double height reception area of the main office. >> we are looking at a bespoke piece of software which was has been written for the definition of the vortex. we worked closely with the architects to develop the form of the vortex. it sits at the base of the ramp, and it allows us to not only design in 3-d but then , eventually extract the information that can be sent to construction. >> this is a very crude model of the structure of the vortex. it relies on all three components to support one another, and this is what happens when you put some weight on top of it. you have a perfectly valid structure holding its weight and the weight of others above.

caroline: sitting on the top of the vortex on level two of the building is the start of the ramp, an asymmetrical steel walkway which expands six floors. it is not just a functional component to the building, it is a sculptural object that salutes bloomberg values by promoting openness and connectivity. >> the brief of bloomberg was to find a way to have people move fluidly through the building but at the same time, to promote and support collaboration as they did so. caroline: to explore the practicalities of the ramp design and other innovative features of the building, foster and partners have set up a testing facility in london. here, a full-sized section of the ramp has been built to structure, scale, and finish. >> the challenges of building something like this, which is the centerpiece of the project, was how to build a subframe and in thew to clad it bronze, to mature sure that it came together as a seamless piece of design. >> the ramp is a very special piece of structure within the building.

it is about 1.8 meters wide and comprises a fabricated steel section that has been molded and bolted together. >> the total ramp comprises 450 tons of steel. in each of the six linked ramps, we are looking at about 35 meters around the outside of distance decline each time to raise one floor. we have in addition got the level seven bridge which connects to the ramp, along allowing people access across the atrium. when finally everything is complete, we will see something which is going to look remarkable. caroline: at the heart of every bloomberg office is the pantry, a meeting area with snacks for employees and clients. it was important to mike bloomberg that the pantry in the new london building was something truly special. ♪ >> to make it a really beautiful

and open space, we have gone to great lengths to take out as much of the structure as possible and create a big double -height column space. >> the building has a direct view onto st. paul's, and also on to saint stephen's church on the northeast corner. so the goal was to remove as many of the internal columns as we could within to maximize the impact of these views. in order to meet this challenge , we provided a series of trusts at roof level that allowed us to remove 40 columns within the main area. this creates a huge amount of space. the trusses we used to support these columns along the pantry are 28 meters in span and three meters deep. this is massive bridge engineering on a huge scale, but the effect in the pantry and the it creates are there for all to see. caroline: revolutionary

engineering was also needed to fulfill the brief upbringing staff and visitors to the pantry level. >> people come in the building at the ground floor and they need to go directly to set. it is a quite simple -- and they need to go directly to 6. it is a quite simple proposition. doesn't matter who you are where you sit in the building, whether you are a guest, an employee. everyone goes to 6. >> normally an elevator would run on an independent structure, but we wanted to make it as clean visually and integrated as possible. so this left, if you imagine it like a forklift truck, up and down the outside walls of the building. that means we don't have the other structural pieces. >> this is probably the most special project that has ever been carried out. the design from foster's was that the car was completely glass, and nothing could be seen. we actually designed the finland helsinki, in

six stories tall, with an exact , replica of the cars we have on site today. caroline: the mockup enabled the engineers to measure the noise and vibration to ensure a comfortable ride for guests and employees. just ahead, mike bloomberg explains what makes this building a perfect fit for bloomberg culture. ♪

♪ caroline: this building was was designed to foster collaboration with clients cooperation among , employees, and reflects the company's values on sustainability that benefits everyone. >> i'm a big believer that this company's main asset is its employees. the space that we built, the

furniture we designed, the layout that we chose is all designed to make the work experience better, happier, more productive, more challenging, more satisfying. you want your people to be happy to come in every day, to tell their friends, "i work in that building. they really care about me." >> when a visitor or a guest first walks into the building, they will know that they are somewhere pretty special. will pass the reception and of the front of house and it literally be swept up into an architectural masterpiece. -- they will then proceed to take a glass lift directly to the sixth floor which is the heart of our building, and which includes the pantry. when you come into this space, you can't help but notice the richness of the interior, from

the hardwood floors, the sandstone walls, the bronze-clad bespoke ceiling. it is here that one senses the energy and dynamism that is bloomberg. >> we want you to come in, grab a cup of coffee, have a snack, stop and private, stand up and share something. when customers come in or potential employees, you say, what's going on here? there's a buzz. >> the internal entry to the pantry is formed by the mezzanine level. that edge is surrounded by a collaborationto really promote this idea of a place or forum where people can come and exchange ideas, and work together. >> the ramp is a very special feature. not only does it have structural significance, it is also very symbolic of who we are as a company. it connects people. >> the whole idea of you walking up and down is to see your fellow associates and to be able to say "hey, joe, how are you, give me a call," that kind of stuff, but just to interact.

pass people on the ramp going up and down. staff area of the building, the design and function were considered with one thing in mind -- collaboration. bloomberg: i really believe that it is the ceo's job to set the tone. the ceo's job is to get the right people income a to get them to work together. i can't think of anything that stops that more than walls, and when it comes down to the desks, we did something very unconventional here. it is not the most efficient use of space if what you are trying to do is reduce the square footage. it is the most efficient use of space if what you're trying to do is enhance the productivity of your people. >> the new bloomberg office demonstrates the new generation of open plan working.

the desks are configured in a and eachpods of six, pod has a small table in the center. to move away from floor meeting spaces and have far more spontaneity. >> you can swing the chair around, roll it over, pull out the drawers and sit on them, write under the desks, >> people can share a keyboard and a screen. that is the whole idea here. our experience in 35 years of open plan at bloomberg and 12 years at city hall, everybody sits at the same desk and the same chairs. everybody feels that they are important. >> if you can improve the quality of the working environment, that is going to circulate all the way through s andrganization, it products, the way it treats its customers, it's attitudes it's , ethics. caroline: in the effort to creating a working environment conducive to the well-being of its staff from bloomberg took an unprecedented step of creating a

breathing building, allowing fresh air into a building of this size had never been achieved before. at the testing facility, a hermetically sealed testing control unit was laid out as part of the office space. this marked a workspace was rigged with air movement and temperature sensors that would capture data for this groundbreaking feature of the new building. >> when the weather outside is temperate enough, the breathing building façade opens and natural ventilation will be brought through into the space. the air will pass across the floor space and up through the spiral ramp in the center of the building and come through the roof at the top of the building. caroline: the truly unique feature is that the air circulates about any mechanical assistance. in a structure with such vast floor spaces, that is an amazing engineering achievement. >> you will not have found an example of a building like this which actually breathes,

reduces the amount of energy, create a fresher environment internally, works with the seasons. that is totally new. >> sustainability has been essential to the london build from day one, from the choice insight, to the design process, and the construction. this building will deliver a 73% reduction in water consumption and a 35% reduction in energy consumption compared to a typical office building. caroline: key to the remarkable savings in energy consumption is the power generation center. one of the advantages of creating our own power is the possibility to reuse the waste heat produced in the process. >> the waste heat in the winter is used to heat buildings and during the summer, it is used to drive and absorption chiller which circulates chilled water around the building. caroline: this chilled water runs through pipes that are integrated throughout the building end the ceiling panels.

>> there's a copper pipe that runs all the way through the ceiling, about 120 meters of pipe in one panel. cold water runs through, and through conduction, it will chill the panel itself, and using convection chill the air , in the room. it has actually been optimized to give us the best possible performance. >> we quickly realized this was to become one of the most complex and challenging projects we had ever done. this the first totally integrated ceiling panel in the u.k., if not worldwide. so it incorporates cooling, lighting, and acoustics into one single panel, which is unique. caroline: these integrated ceiling panels deliver cooling , with more energy efficiency than the conventional air-conditioning. and while they contain half a million led lights, they lose energy than a typical office light. water efficiency is a key

component to the sustainability credentials. reduction in the buildings water consumption is made possible by the capture of rainwater on the roof, the recycling of gray water, and the use of vacuum toilets similar to those found on airplanes. >> these toilets use about a quarter of the amount of water as a regular flushed toilet would use. so the systems we are putting into the bloomberg welding, could become the regular systems of the future. -- into the bloomberg building could become the regular systems of the future. >> in the u.k., measuring sustainability is similar to the system in the united states. this particular building scored outstanding in the system, which is of the highest rating it can get. it is the first office building in london to achieve that status, and we are very proud. if it helps set the bar for other builders here in london and throughout the u.k., then all the better. caroline: coming up, how art is embedded within the bloomberg dna.

♪ caroline: at bloomberg, our responsibility to the environment through sustainable office design is complemented by the desire to improve our immediate surroundings, private and public spaces, through art. >> bloomberg believes that art and culture enrich and enhance our everyday lives. and that within an office environment, you want it to me surprising and provocative and exciting, and creativity is very heart of where you live and work. we approached a series of artists and asked them to think about the building and its location within the city of london and to create spreads between the visible and invisible. caroline: no future is possible without a past.

this danish artist composes two parts for the vortex and the ramp, positioned to the viewer as of the underside and surface of the same pond. those undulating surfaces measure more than 400 square feet and are made from m illed and polished aluminum. the preconference space features "pomona," by an american artist, a tapestry in three parts made almost entirely from metallic , in a variety of tonalities copper, bronze and gold. >> the bloomberg philosophy is creative and bold and exciting, and to think out of the box and take risks. that is what artists do, and that is why we love working with artists, commissioning artists. there is nothing better than having a creative dialogue and partnership with artists in our communities. caroline: the reception area of the south building is graced by

british artist david from let's .olorful mural his response to that juxtaposition of past and present that defines the buildings location. it also seeks to soften the space and create an inviting pathway. >> we believe that art inspires people, but it also brings to life what can be a commercial space and encourage creative thinking and ways to communicate and connect with other employees. caroline: "lexicon" by an irish-born artist features 12 wall sculptures of everyday objects. colorful, irreverent, it creates recognizable landmarks within the vast open panel. -- avast open plan office space. this, by a venezuelan artist, spans over 60 feet. it hangs in the sixth floor.

bloomberg's creation of spaces with art allows not only the -- applies not only to the inside, but to the outside also, with the aim of enriching the area given over to the public. legally, bloomberg can go right to the edge. create, we hold back and additional space around the monuments, the great terminals, spaces to enjoy, inhabited by sculptures, by works of art. >> surprising, stimulating, accessible. public art is where we can bring that creativity and energy into the community and get as wide an audience as possible to engage. caroline: the artist whose work features in the public spaces has created three art installations for the public squares on the east and west sides of the building. her inspiration is the ancient roman river that flowed to the

thames across the site. >> bloomberg has had a long-standing commitment to commissioning and supporting public art. christina's stunning sculpture really provides people with an opportunity not only to enjoy the beautiful work, she has created a space for people to sit and enjoy and reflect on the history of the river. caroline: beyond creating public spaces with artwork, bloomberg has sought other ways to contribute to the life in the community, not the least by respecting the historical significance of the site. >> one of the visions was to continue the line of the old roman road, which had been lost to previous development. and toscover the street create an arcade as an urban shortcut where you could walk through the mass of the building, and to bring that to life with cafés, outdoor

seating, protected from the rain. it is about raising the quality of life through design. >> mike, your thing about fitting in, you can't get more fitting in than to create through the site the extension of the original waddling street. this was the roman road that took you from the south coast to saint albans. >> guests in the city and guests in this country, we want to respect its traditions, and you cannot do more than what we have designed here. caroline: this new street restores the original route from st. paul's cathedral to the station. it respects the long tradition of covered arcades in london, and is home to a range of restaurants creating a new destination in this part of the city. >> there have been arcades in markets of london for hundreds of years, places where people buy cheese and meat in victorian times. with the bloomberg arcades, we are drawing on that history, but

the city has changed. we have to update our concept to serve the needs of the committee. walk into any bloomberg building in the world, and the first thing you come to is a pantry, where people are standing around and sharing food and chatting and having drinks. it is a very hospitable approach to business. we are trying to extend that hospitality to the community. >> we have a dozen restaurants of totally different kinds of food, both outside the building, and in the arcade between our two buildings. we will continue the process of making this more than just a business site where when everybody goes home at 5:00, 6:00, there is nothing left. you want to add culture, you want to add fun, you want to add cuisine, you want a place where people can come and meet. and that is what the design of the building is for. caroline: just ahead, we go underground to discover archaeological treasures that link london's roman past with our architectural future.

♪

♪ caroline: the most unexpected space within our new london headquarters that is open to the public, is found 20 feet beneath street level. -- 23 feet than a street level. its origins date back to an unprecedented archaeological find on the site, discovery with its roots in one of the darkest hours of the war. in the autumn of 1940, nazi germany launched a blitzkrieg on london. a campaign of relentless nightly bombing. by the end of the war, two thirds of the historic square-mile of the city of london lay in ruins. during the postwar reconstruction of london, the most remarkable discovery was

made on what is now the bloomberg site. the remains of an ancient roman temple dedicated to the god, mithras. >> the temple discovered in 1954, generated a huge amount of public interest. on the last day of the exhibition, the head of mithras .ppears the site was opened, and thousands of people queued up. >> it was in september, 1954, i visited the site and found a little roman well. that was the start of my career in archaeology. this wonderful discovery shows that there was a little bit of good that came out of the war. after the temple was found, what they did do, was just break up the walls so it was just lumps of stone, then they came along and put this total travesty of a

temple in queen victoria street, with crazy paving and the stones were in the wrong -- it was awful. >> in collaboration with the city of london, bloomberg was obliged to relocate and restore the temple as close to the original location as possible. for a project of this significance, bloomberg thought it was very important to go the extra mile, and ensure the reconstruction is handled with the utmost integrity and the highest standards. >> we got the brief from bloomberg to make an evocative experience. there is very few people who have connected together archaeology and innovation, and i think that is a big gift that bloomberg is giving, both the creating community here in london, connecting it with ium, and londan also the way that people can experience archaeology. >> it is a happy opportunity to enter the temple and to get a sense of the actual physical reconstruction of the temple.

>> there is an audio experience, which picks up some of the sounds you might've heard in ofan london, but also some the mysterious sounds of ceremonies and rituals that would have gone on in the building. >> as people have this experience of the mithraeum, they will understand much deeper what it was like in the past and how we can reflect on it for meaning in the present. hraeum was notmit only a reminder of the site's roman past. bloomberg's investment in giving time to the archaeological dig paid off in spades. >> when we started the archaeological project in 2012, we were very excited. it was the first time we have been able to see the archaeology in this part of the city in half a century. the size of the excavation were absolutely astonishing. thousands and thousands of

, 65,000 piecess of pottery, thousands of jury tons of animal bone. jewelry, tonsof of animal bone. we had people's shoes, thousands of clothing, all sorts of things. what was really great was knowing that some of these would go on display and be shared to the public. caroline: perhaps the most remarkable find was the 400 wooden writing tablets which give extraordinary insight into the daily life of the roman city almost two dozen years ago. 87 of them contain legible text, including the first ever mention of london, and the first recorded financial transaction in british history, an apt treasure to grace bloomberg's new home in this historic financial district. now, fast-forward nearly 2000 years, to the 24th of october, 2017, the day that march of the end of the seven-year journey of breaking ground on this historic site, a day to celebrate the opening of bloomberg's new european headquarters.

>> this is mike bloomberg. he was mayor of new york for 12 years. ♪ >> i am sure bloomberg's amazing building will inspire collaboration and fuel innovation and be a great example in sustainable office design. >> i would like to pay tribute to that shared civic pride, that social idealism, and the extraordinary collaboration between the public world and the private world. i think that is a great combination to celebrate. >> we wanted to create a place that would be as innovative and forward-looking as our employees. a place that would inspire them and a place that would allow us to continue creating great products and better services for our customers. in designing the building, we wanted to respect london's aesthetic traditions. we have always taken the long view and we have always place great value on being good

neighbors in the cities that host us. we also wanted to bring new life to the community, and that is why much of the arcade on the ground floor is devoted to great food and great public art. we painstakingly worked with the museum of london archaeology and the museum of london to conserve our 14,000 artifacts, restore the temple, and create a new cultural and educational opportunity for the public. >> this neighborhood has been at the center of finance and trade for 2000 years. we are excited to build that history and help london continue growing as an economic and cultural capital. bloomberg is growing, too. the future is wide open, and we couldn't be more excited about what is to come. ♪

♪ announcer: from bloomberg headquarters in new york and london, here are tom keene and francine lacqua. tom: we say good day to all of you around the bloomberg world. tom keene in new york, francine lacqua in london. one of our favorite moments of of year, talking about the year past. more than any year, looking forward to next year. this year it was nuts.