Bridgewater Place

Bridgewater Place
Bridgewater Place
General information
Status	Complete
Location	Leeds, England
Coordinates	53°47′31″N 1°32′52″W / 53.7920°N 1.5479°WCoordinates: 53°47′31″N 1°32′52″W / 53.7920°N 1.5479°W
Estimated completion	2006
Opening	2007
Height
Roof	112 metres (367 ft)
Technical details
Floor count	32
Floor area	40,000 m2 (430,000 sq ft)
Design and construction
Main contractor	Bovis Lend Lease
Architect	Aedas
Developer	KW Linfoot

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Bridgewater Place, nicknamed The Dalek,^[1]^[2] is an office and residential skyscraper development in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It is the tallest building in Yorkshire, and has held this record since being topped out in September 2005. It is visible at up to 25 miles (40 km) from certain areas.

[edit] The building

The development has been designed by Aedas Architects with the developer being Landmark Development Projects and St James Securities with Bovis Lend Lease being the contractor.^[1] The developer of the residential element of Bridgewater Place is KW Linfoot.

It was first announced in 2000 and, following several redesigns and delays with the construction process, construction of the building began in 2004 and was completed in 2007. It became the tallest building in Leeds, by a significant margin, and Yorkshire (although this does not take into account structures such as Emley Moor). Bridgewater Place has a height of 112 metres (367 ft) to roof level. Originally the tower was to have a spire which would have extended the height of the building to 137 metres (449 ft), however this was never built.

Bridgewater Place has 32 storeys, of which two are used for car parking, ten for offices and twenty for residential purposes. There is 40,000 square metres / 430,560 square feet 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, Ernst & Young, ghd, BDO Stoy Hayward and DWF LLP. Retail tenants include Tesco, Starbucks, Casa Mia, Panini Shack and Philpotts. The residential element of the development has proved to be one of the most prestige city centre addresses. Apartments in the development are currently letting through the letting agent owned by Jordan Yorath, brother of TV presenter Gabby Logan. His company Flatsinleeds are letting studio, one and two bedroom apartments from £450 per calendar month.

The atrium of Bridgewater Place hosts the 17.5 metre column sculpture called 'Hello Friends' by artists Bryan Davies and Laura Davies, which is tallest sculpture in Yorkshire^{[citation needed]}. Created as a reinterpretation of Constantin Brâncuşi's Endless Column from Târgu Jiu^{[citation needed]}, Romania 50 years after the artist's death, it houses illuminated photographs showing a science fiction narrative.

The major part of the building's construction was completed by late December 2006.^{[citation needed]} 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^[when?] include blue and purple.

The building's shape appears to be accelerating winds in its immediate vicinity to the extent that pedestrians have experienced severe difficulties walking past. These winds have led to some of the entrances to the building being closed for safety reasons.^[3] To rectify these issues in the design may require the addition of 'vertical fins' to the facade of the building.^[4]

[edit] Criticism

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'.^[5]^[6] The building has often been criticised for creating a dangerous wind tunnel and as of 10 March 2011 is involved in the investigation of a death caused by a falling lorry.^[7]

[edit] Investigation for Corporate Manslaughter

On 10 February 2012 the West Yorkshire Coroner Melanie Williamson halted her inquest into the 10 March 2011 incident saying: “I’m concerned having heard all the evidence there may be an offence of Corporate Manslaughter by one or more of the organisations."^[8]

[edit] Gallery

Bridgewater Place at night in October 2007
Side view of the Bridgewater Place development under construction
View of the tower element of the development
Under construction in October 2006
Nearing completion
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