Is this what the BT Tower transformation could look like? Inside the crazy properties designed by Thomas Heatherwick, who will turn the landmark into a luxury hotel after a £257m deal
London’s famous BT Tower landmark will be transformed into an ‘iconic hotel’ after the sale of the Grade II listed building was agreed to a US company for £275 million.
The communications tower, which has been one of the most memorable places in London’s skyline, was sold to MCR Hotels.
Renowned British architectural firm Heatherwick Studio has teamed up with MCR to reimagine space in central London’s Fitzrovia district.
Thomas Heatherwick, head of the architectural firm, is responsible for some of the most unusual and crazy buildings in the world.
As the BT Tower is set to undergo a transformation, FEMAIL takes a look at all the crazy properties Heatherwick Studios has designed.
Vessel – New York, United States
As famed British architecture firm Heatherwick Studio teams up with MCR to reimagine the BT Tower, FEMAIL takes a look at all the crazy properties Heatherwick Studios has designed
The ship is a 50-meter-high structure that stands in the middle of Hudson Yards Public Square in New York.
The ode mode building, conceived by Thomas Heatherwick, has 154 stairs – which amounts to a whopping 2,500 steps and 80 landings.
Inspired by Indian stairwells, the stairs are reminiscent of a jungle gym and are over a mile long.
The structure, built as part of the Husdon Yards Redevelopment Project in Manhattan, overlooks the famous Hudson River.
The unique building was originally planned to carry a price tag of $75 million, but Heatherwick eventually revised the cost to $200 million due to the difficulty involved in building the steel pieces.
Parts of the ship were built in Monfalcone, Italy and then transported in sections to the Hudson River docks.
Google Bay View – Mountain View, United States
Designed by the famed architect who will redesign the BT Tower and Danish studio BI, the Google Bay View campus in Califronai spans a whopping 1.1 million square feet
Located in Mountain View, California, the immense Google Bay View building was built in 2015.
The campus, designed by the famous architect who will redesign the BT Tower and the Danish studio BIG, measures a whopping 1.1 million square meters.
The three domed structures are draped with tent-like roofs that descend to the floor.
The entire roof contains 50,000 inward-sloping olar panels that have the capacity to produce almost seven megawatts of energy.
Inside, there are numerous curtains and transparent walls that follow a square layout to create a sense of community.
“The idea of the ‘office’ has been stuck for a long time,” Thomas Heatherwick, founder of Heatherwick Studio, told Dezeen:
‘Yes, people have done different aesthetic treatments. But no fundamental question has yet been asked about the workplace on this scale.’
‘Our approach focused on the emotions of individuals and the imagination of teams and how to create a completely different working atmosphere.’
Learning Center – Singapore
The beehive, which has been named the dim sum basket building, at Nanyang Technological University
Just a week after unveiling their ambitious plans for the Google Campus in 2015, Thomas Heatherwick Studios completed one of their biggest projects.
The green-draped building is part of the Nanyang Technological University in Singapore.
The avant-garde structure, dubbed the “dim sum basket building” for its resemblance to a steam basket, cost a total of $45 million to build.
The university facility has 12 floors and was built with the public atrium at its heart.
The various towers surrounding the atrium slope towards the center, closer to the base.
Between the towers there are concrete stairs and elevators decorated with more than 700 drawings by the British artist Sarah Fanelli.
Austin Williams out Architecture overview joked that there was “a lot to admire,” noting that it also “had something of an abandoned parking garage aesthetic.”
Bombay Sapphire Distillery – Hampshire, United Kingdom
The Bombay Sapphire Distillery commissioned Heatherwick to devise a new building for their own production facility, which eventually came to fruition in 2010.
The Bombay Sapphire Distillery commissioned Heatherwick to devise a new building for their own production facility.
Formerly a water-powered paper mill, the area originally consisted of more than 40 abandoned buildings.
However, they all received new impetus after Heatherwick Studio’s masterplan came to fruition in 2010.
Included in the studio’s plans was the construction of two new greenhouses to house the ten exotic plants used for the distillation of Bombay Sapphire gin.
Influenced by the rich history of various greenhouses in Great Britain, the architects opted for a building that was fluid in form.
Aberyswyth Artist Studios – Aberystwyth, United Kingdom
The architecture group won a competition so they could build the eight low-cost stainless steel units at Aberystwyth University
The eight cheap examples with a silver foil-like exterior can be found in the heart of Wales.
The units, designed by Heatherwick and built at the Aberyswyth Arts Centre, were intended for use by arts businesses.
The architectural group had won a competition so they could build the facilities at Aberystwyth University.
However, instead of building one block with multiple units in it, the design studio decided to build eight smaller buildings in 2009.
They chose a single block because Heatherwick believed it would dilute the wooded landscape of the area.
The units are covered with stainless steel sheets, as thin as baking foil, and sprayed with insulation so that the buildings retain their shape.
East Beach Cafe – Littlehampton, United Kingdom
The seaside café in Littlehampton, West Sussex, was the first building Heatherwick ever designed
The seaside cafe in Littlehampton, West Sussex is owned by Jane Wood and Sophie Murray.
The business owners commissioned Heatherwick to create the iconic building – which was his first ever.
The café, which is 40 meters long, was built so that customers could still enjoy beautiful sea views, while protecting the view from a nearby nature reserve.
The structure, made up of steelworks from Littlehampton Welding Ltd, was awarded the award by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) in 2009.
Paperhouse – London, United Kingdom
In 2009, Heatherwick was commissioned by the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea to design a series of copper newsstands across London.
In 2009, Heatherwick designed a series of copper newsstands across London.
The designer was commissioned by the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea to create the kiosk, which ditches the usual rectangular boxes found on the streets of London.
The kiosk was made with a steel frame structure and decorated with wood covered with patinated brass. It had rotating sections that allowed sellers to display their inventory more efficiently.
The special kiosk was equipped with windows and lighting, allowing light to enter all day long.
British Pavilion – Shanghai, China
The British Pavilion in China, also known as the Seed Cathedral, is located along more than 60,000 fiber optic pathways with a plant seed at the end of each.
In May 2010, one of Heatherwick’s most bizarre constructions was made available to the public.
The British Pavilion, also known as the Seed Cathedral, is located along more than 60,000 fiber optic roads with a plant seed at the end of each road.
Although 60,000 rods may seem excessive, their fiber optic technology brings light into the building during the day and radiates it out when it gets dark.
The exhibit was eventually taken apart, with some of the rods given to schools across China and to botanical institutions in both China and the United Kingdom.
Most of it was sold at auction on Chinese online shopping platform Tabao, raising 2.63 million yuan for Shanghai Cerecare, a nonprofit organization that helps children with cerebral palsy.
Azabudai Hills – Tokyo, Japan
The Heatherwick-designed buildings consisted of three skyscrapers, including the Azabudai Hills Mori JP, which was the city’s tallest building when it was completed in 2023.
The Azabudai Hills, also known as the Toronamon-Azabudai District, are an amalgamation of three skyscapers in the heart of Tokyo.
The Heatherwick-designed buildings included the Azabudai Hills Mori JP, the city’s tallest building when completed in 2023, standing at over a thousand feet tall.
The two additional buildings in the collection are called Azabudai Hills Residence A and B and are both located at a height of 230 and 250 meters respectively.
The greenery-dotted area contains shops, restaurants, a school, art galleries, two temples and offices.
It also features a public green space of 258 square meters.