Timber iQ August - September 2019 // Issue:45 | Page 24

PROJECTS
Two buildings divided
by a pedestrianised
dining arcade provide
about 1.1m ft 2 of
office and retail
space for
Bloomberg's
4 000 London-
based
employees.
The timber will need maintaining, but this should be minimal
thanks to the combination of oil finish on the floor, lacquer
on panelling and the material’s inherent natural durability.
And if additional testimony is needed, it is also housed in the
new building. It’s constructed on the site of the Roman
temple of Mithras and fresh remains, including structural
timber elements, were uncovered during foundation
excavations. Among other discoveries were 400 timber
writing tablets and some of these and other artefacts are now
on public display in what Bloomberg describes as a ‘free new
cultural destination’, the London Mithraeum, deep in their
building’s basement.
As to whether the project will inspire Foster to use red oak
again, Jones’ response is why not? “We used to be best known
for our use of steel and glass, but the commercial market is
changing and we’re using more timber generally,” he says.
“Businesses now want their buildings to have a different
sense of personality and be more responsive to people who
work in them. Timber is rather successful in delivering both
these things. People warm to it and it makes them feel better
about their environment. And, while each building is the
result of conversation between client and architect, for sure
we may use more red oak. Bloomberg loves the result it’s
delivered and so do we.”
THE USE OF RED OAK WORLDWIDE
Bloomberg Arcade, a pedestrianised dining arcade, will feature
10 independent restaurants, breathing new life into the City and
serving as a new pedestrian thoroughfare.
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AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2019 //
The European market must, until recently, have been quite
frustrating for US red oak suppliers. The species is America’s
most prolific hardwood, so, in those terms, it’s most sustainable.
In the US uses it extensively in a huge range of
construction, interiors and manufacturing applications, while
other markets, such as China and Japan, also can’t get
enough. But in Europe red oak has lagged some way behind
its ubiquitous US white cousin in popularity.
Admirers of the US red oak say that the newly-opened
Bloomberg HQ is a major showcase project that demonstrates
its aesthetic and performance appeal.
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