One Canada Square

One Canada Square was designed by César Pelli with Adamson Associates and Frederick Gibberd Coombes. The building is clad with stainless steel. One of the predominant features of the building is the pyramid roof, which contains a flashing aircraft warning light, a rare feature for buildings in the United Kingdom. The distinctive pyramid pinnacle is above sea level. The building is recognised as a London landmark, and it has gained much attention through film, television, and other media as one of the tallest buildings in the United Kingdom. The ground floor, foyer area and basement levels of One Canada Square are open to the general public, having an underground retail area and a transport interchange from Canary Wharf tube and Docklands Light Railway stations. Access from the basement also links to Canada Square shopping mall. The ground floor lobby has a restaurant and bar, the current tenant is Shutters. There is currently no public observation floor. However, there was an exception from 12 October 1992 to 15 December 1992, when bankruptcy administrators for Olympia & York Canary Wharf Limited opened the 50th floor to the public, to maintain interest in Canary Wharf. The scheme was stopped on 15 December 1992 when the IRA attempted to bomb the tower. == History ==

1987–1990: Design and construction The original plans for a business district on Canary Wharf came from G Ware Travelstead. He proposed three 260 m (850 ft) towers. Travelstead was unable to fund the project, so the plans were sold to Olympia & York in 1987. Olympia & York grouped all three towers into an area during planning. Docklands Square was later renamed Winston Square before finally being renamed as Canada Square. The architects chosen to design One Canada Square were César Pelli & Associates, Adamson Associates, and Frederick Gibberd Coombes & Partners. The final steel clad chosen was Patten Hyclad Cambric-finish stainless-steel. Commenting on the reason for choosing steel for the clad: "We studied the cladding material carefully and chose stainless steel with a linen finish because it seemed to fit the atmosphere of London." :::—César Pelli, architect (2016) Other criticisms came from former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, who said that the building was "not quite stunning". Construction on the tower began in 1988. so Lehrer McGovern took over. and unveiled a commemorative plaque at the entrance to the building. Hundreds of construction workers attended the opening ceremony. The Duke of Edinburgh addressed some 800 invited guests, many of whom had been involved in the project. He spoke of the "large, airy space and clean, efficient office layout", as he declared the building ready for business. The attendees heard a specially commissioned piece of music performed by a 30-strong choir. Paul Reichmann, Chairman of Olympia & York, said: "The Canary Wharf Tower marks the start of a new beginning for Canary Wharf, for London, and for the United Kingdom. It is by any standard a triumph of ambition, commitment and collaboration. It will breathe life into Canary Wharf, allowing us to continue our transformation of the rest of the wharf, and will put Canary Wharf at the leading edge of real estate." :::—Paul Reichmann, Chairman, Olympia & York (1991) The majority of the tower was empty after opening because most tenants had not moved in yet and there was a global recession. To brighten up the tower, lights and lasers were installed during the Christmas celebrations of 1991. On 15 November 1992, the Provisional Irish Republican Army attempted to place a large improvised explosive device and the bomb did not go off, so there was no bomb damage to Canary Wharf. The wharf was sealed off for a couple of days whilst an intensive search took place for further devices. A few days later, the IRA described it as 'sheer ill luck' as the bomb failed to detonate. There was criticism that the intelligence services did not know about this massive bomb travelling through London. On 9 February 1996, the Provisional IRA successfully detonated a large bomb at South Quay, south of Canary Wharf (outside Canary Wharf), which killed two people and devastated several buildings. This explosion is commonly, but erroneously, referred to as the "Canary Wharf bomb". 2000–present: Park Pavilion In 2009, the building was extended with Park Pavilion, a two-story glass structure built on the east side of the building, designed by César Pelli and Koetter Kim. The extension replaced the stainless steel columns, car parking spaces and road leading to Canada Square. The extension was made to create more retail space at street level, where five tenants were chosen to occupy the space: four restaurants and Lloyds Bank. The extension's roof terrace is open to diners and contains a green roof having sedum moss. == Technical details ==

Pyramid roof The pyramid roof is an important feature of the building, enclosing a maintenance plant and housing facilities for water supply and window washing, and an aircraft warning beacon. The pyramid itself is 40 metres high and 30 metres square at the base. Windows One Canada Square has 3,960 windows and was one of the first buildings to incorporate metallicised windows and other advanced window technologies, to assist with the building's energy efficiency plans. The tower uses super-insulated windows at triple-pane glazing (with a high solar heat-gain coefficient), low-emissivity (low-e) coatings to prevent heat loss in winter months, UV coatings, scratch resistant outer layers, sealed argon / krypton gas filled inter-pane voids, "warm edge" insulating glass spacers, air-seals and specially developed thermally designed window frames. The windows were manufactured with high R-values [low U-values, 0.90 W/(m2.K)] for the time; therefore, the thermal resistance is one of the highest rated in the world for the entire window including the frame. during a test drill in response to the 11 September 2001 attacks. The test drill was unsuccessful as tenants were notified beforehand, hence evacuation was much quicker than expected by Canary Wharf Security. Tuned mass damper One Canada Square has a steel pendulum that serves as a tuned mass damper. The pendulum sways to offset movements in the building caused by strong gusts of wind. The building can sway in the strongest winds. Lifts The tower has thirty-two lifts for tenants to use, where eight lifts serve roughly ten floors of the building. All tenant passenger lifts serve the ground floor and the following groups of floors – floors 5–17, floors 18–28, floors 28–39 and floors 39–50 (note that level 5 is the first office floor and there is no level 13). In addition there are 2 firemen's lifts which serve all floors in the building. These have colour designations, with blue being in the northeast core of the building and green being in the southwest. From the building's initial construction until late 2009 there were two large freight lifts at which point another was added. This lift was built inside a vacant lift shaft and has the designation GL37 (GL for goods lift and 37, as it is the 37th lift in the building). The tower uses "Gearless Traction Elevators" by Otis. These lifts were installed in 1990 (aside from GL37 – 2009) using a gearless traction machine. They have woven steel cables called hoisting ropes that are attached to the top of the lift cabin and wrapped around the drive sheave in special grooves. The other ends of the cables are attached to a counterweight that moves up and down in the hoistway on its own guiderails. It takes 40 seconds by lift from lobby to top floor Environmental rating The international BREEAM standard has awarded One Canada Square for best practice in sustainable design and environmental performance for buildings. To achieve the rating, the building had to meet or exceed a challenging score of 85% against strict criteria, and included environmental innovations such as the use of 80% recycled aggregate within the concrete used, and the recycling of waste heat to cool and warm the building. Aggregates used in the office build were from predominantly recycled sources, part of a strategy to integrate sustainable products and materials throughout the site, delivering both affordable and sustainable environmentally friendly features to the building. One Canada Square energy performance has improved by decreasing 30% from 2007 to 2016 by initiatives such as installing LEDs and upgrading HVAC and water services. == Artwork ==

There is artwork on display in the lobby. This includes the stained glass and the roundel in the foyer were designed by Charles Rennie, and are an original design. The design represents Canary Wharf, Water and Boats, illustrating the signs of London Docklands. The slate used here and in various places around the foyer on site is made from the Welsh slate shelving used in the repositories of the original Banana Warehouse at Canary Wharf. The staircases in the four corners of the lobby leading down to the basement floor were originally embellished with a four-piece commissioned sculpture, The 20th Century–Thames by Keith Milow. Around 2014, one of the tondi was removed to make room for a restaurant. The other three remain in situ. Other art works on display included Sergio Germariello's Guerrieri (Warriors) 2013, which is displayed in the lobby. The work is an aluminium laser cut out that has been painted. Blade of Venus 1985, by William Turnbull, is on display, part of a series of bronzes that originated in the shape of Japanese swords and Chinese chopping knives. This was followed by an exhibition of bronze sculptures by Auguste Rodin. Canary Wharf Winter Lights usually are on display during January. During 16 April – 1 June 2018, the lobby hosted a photography exhibition known as AOP50 (Association of Photographers 50 years celebration). Large photographs were on display by famous photographers. Notable works included: • Jullian Edelstein, Nelson Mandela, 1997 • Duffy, Jean Shrimpton, 1963 • Spencer Rowell, L'Enfant, 1986 • Tessa Traeger, Chemistry of Light, No 22 and 23, 2012 • Max Forsythe, Hong Kong, c.1995 • Paul Wakefield, Abraham Lake, 2011 • Anderson & low, NDST Sky No. 27, 2001 • Nadav Kander, Silver Salt Lake Utah, 1997 == Tenants ==

Current tenants The current office tenants according to Canary Wharf Group plc as at 30 June 2022: • Article 25 • Euler Hermes • Telegraph Media Group == Ownership ==

The ownership of One Canada Square has changed since it was constructed. The table below shows who have previously owned One Canada Square, and also who are the current owners. Any use of a holding company has been excluded from this list, as it is easier to trace the true owner. Light usage One Canada Square has been "named and shamed" for being the top building to leave the lights on unnecessarily. The research carried out by the BBC's Inside Out programme found that on midnight Sunday, One Canada Square left more lights on than any other building in London. However, Canary Wharf Group said that some tenants have staff working around the clock, and 100% of the energy comes from renewable resources. == Community relations ==

Television interference As the Canary Wharf Tower is the first skyscraper to be clad in stainless steel with metallised windows, this may have caused analog television reception interference for local people living in the area. In the case Patricia Hunter and others v. Canary Wharf Ltd.[1997], the House of Lords concluded there is no legal right to receive good television reception. Patricia Hunter and others lost the case because of a variety of reasons that included: • the BBC built a new relay station so there was no long-term television interference • it was interference with a purely recreational facility, as opposed to interference with the health or physical comfort or well-being of the plaintiffs • nothing was emitted from the defendants' land In Spring 2001, the BBC received some television interference complaints from residents in the Poplar area (north of Canary Wharf). A possible cause for the interference are the other Canary Wharf towers being built. One Canada Square was used by the Central Intelligence Agency as its London listening station. • In the 2007 post-apocalyptic horror film 28 Weeks Later, the tower and the surrounding Docklands area are one of the main settings for the film. • In the 2007 fantasy film Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Harry Potter and some members of the Order of the Phoenix pass next to One Canada Square as they head to Grimmauld Place on their broomsticks. Other films featuring the Canary Wharf Tower can be read from a publication called Canary Wharf And Isle of Dogs Movie Map. Television One Canada Square has appeared many times on British television. • It has appeared in the television series Doctor Who (in the episodes Army of Ghosts and Doomsday), as the location of the Torchwood Institute, under the name "Torchwood Tower". In the episodes, a hall on the top floor contains a hole to a parallel universe that the tower was specifically built to reach. • It has appeared in the series The Tomorrow People, as the headquarters for Sam Rees. • The tower also made multiple appearances on the television show The Apprentice. • The popular BBC soap EastEnders. • It was also shown as the headquarters of the fictional 'Olympic Deliverance Commission' in the BBC comedy Twenty Twelve, a mockumentary based on the organising committee of the London 2012 Olympic Games. LOCOG, the real-life organising committee of the Games, was in fact based in nearby buildings One Churchill Place, 10 Upper Bank Street and 25 Canada Square. During the 1990s, One Canada Square was home to the television station L!VE TV, which broadcast live from the tower. Literature • A near future sequence in the novel Freezeframes by Katharine Kerr, shows One Canada Square as a free college and youth drop-in centre. It is nicknamed "Major's Last Erection", referring to John Major. • One Canada Square previously appeared in the Virgin Missing Adventures novel Millennial Rites in which the top floor was the headquarters of a yuppie who inadvertently turned London into a "dark fantasy" kingdom in which he was a powerful sorcerer, with the tower as his citadel • The Past Doctor Adventures novel The Time Travellers, in which it was the headquarters of the British Army in an alternate timeline. • One Canada Square also features prominently in an early issue of the Grant Morrison comic series The Invisibles, in which Dane MacGowan is encouraged to jump from the top by his mentor, Tom O'Bedlam, as an initiation rite that will allow him to see beyond reality and join The Invisibles. Video games • One Canada Square is featured in Sim City 3000 as a placeable landmark. ==Gallery==

File:One Canada Square - Canary Wharf.jpg|View from Canada Square File:One Canada Square (24.04.2021) (1).jpg|Street view File:One Canada Square, Canary Wharf (south side).jpg|View from London Underground station File:Canary.wharf.tower.arp.500pix.jpg|Side view File:One Canada Square flickr.jpg|Building clad File:1Canada Square.jpg|Side angle File:London - One Canada Square.jpg|Side clad File:Canada Square - geograph.org.uk - 672423.jpg|Clad with window washing machine File:London MMB »1X0 1 Canada Square.jpg|Upper floors with the window washing machine at the top File:London MMB «K5 1 Canada Square.jpg|Cladding at night File:London MMB «K6 Canary Wharf.jpg|Night view File:One Canada Square foyer.jpg|Street view showing canopy File:One Canada Square entrance - geograph.org.uk - 1738459.jpg|Outside view of canopy File:Pavement on North Colonnade, Canary Wharf - geograph.org.uk - 438646.jpg|Street view on North Colonnade File:Canary Wharf, One-number clocks - geograph.org.uk - 451812.jpg|Clock artwork outside One Canada Square File:London MMB F9 Canary Wharf.jpg|One Canada Square lower level entrances File:One Canada Square.20210429 165414.jpg|Lobby File:One Canada Square.20210429 165416.jpg|Lobby ceiling File:One Canada Square.20210429 165425.jpg|Lobby facing towards street File:One Canada Square.20210429 165423.jpg|Lobby art File:Canada Wharf (6905220480).jpg|Pyramid roof File:London MMB »1K2 1 Canada Square.jpg|Night view with pyramid roof lit up File:Canarywharfview.jpg|View from top floor (May 2000) File:Canary wharf and Canada square.jpg|View from One Canada Square looking west towards central London File:G-LCYD Emb170 BAW (7066902159).jpg|Airplane leaving London City Airport on the flight path near One Canada Square File:London MMB »1V7 Canary Wharf.jpg|Stainless steel clad having a reflective shine on cloudy days File:1 Canada Square From Cabot Square.jpg|View with neighbouring towers File:Canary Wharf Tower from Westferry Circus - geograph.org.uk - 1052773.jpg|View from Westferry Circus File:One Canada Square from the DLR.png|View from West India Quay File:Canary Wharf from Limehouse London June 2016 HDR.jpg|View from Limehouse and the River Thames File:CanaryWharfFromPlane.jpg|Aerial view File:London - 2016 - panoramio - StevenL (11).jpg|One Canada Square pyramid top standing out on the skyline File:Greenwich Park panorama 2017-09.jpg|Skyline view from Greenwich == See also ==