SOM's Public Space Enhancements at Broadgate have re-activated this important financial district of London, animating the area and maximizing its appeal to office workers and visitors alike. Through a range of imaginative solutions, SOM has developed the unique identities of Finsbury Avenue Square, the Octagon, and Broadgate Circle, and re-established the status and reputation of each as a valid, attractive venue both during the working day and as a leisure destination.

Project Facts

Completion Year: 2002
Project Area: 5,278 m²

Project Awards

2008 • AIA • Excellence in Design Awards Commendation
2006 • Internazionale Marmi e Macchine Carrara SpA • MAA Award - Urban Landscape
2005 • FX Magazine • FX Awards Highly Commended for Best Office or Public Lighting Scheme
2004 • City of London Corporation • New City Architecture Award: Commended
2004 • International Association of Lighting Designers • IALD Award of Excellence
2004 • Lighting Industry Federation • LIF Exterior Lighting Category
2004 • The Illuminating Engineering Institute of Japan • IEIJ Japan Exterior Lighting Category

The re-activation of three key spaces within this important London financial district has animated the area, maximizing its appeal to workers and visitors alike.

Key challenges facing SOM at Finsbury Avenue Square were the surrounding office buildings, which restrict daylight and dictate narrow entrances to this important thoroughfare and destination. SOM’s solution—a dramatic use of carefully selected materials and implementation of an eye-catching LED light grid program—entices pedestrians into the animated central space, and invites them to engage with their surroundings. SOM’s scheme also provided a 550 square meter, 250-seat restaurant, ingeniously located below the square and accessed through an all-glass pavilion on the square.

Richard Serra’s “Fulcrum” sculpture was commissioned specifically for the Octagon, which is located at the west entrance of Liverpool Street station, one of the busiest stations in London. The urban space, anchored by the sculpture and surrounded by buildings, connects commuters to the station and provides a key gateway into Broadgate. SOM enhanced the vibrancy of the space by improving access from the south, opening views into Broadgate while allowing retail and public seating to be fully integrated into the new design.

SOM also undertook a series of strategic enhancements that manipulate the existing structure of Broadgate Circle’s amphitheater and maximize the appeal of the space through enhanced facilities. Working with rather than against London’s contrasting seasons, SOM generated flexible design solutions that allow the space to facilitate an interesting schedule of public events throughout the year.

As Broadgate’s entertainment hub, the Broadgate Circle is now one of the liveliest and most successful venues in the City.