not-allowed-link

40 Leadenhall Street

William Hare worked collaboratively within Trimble to bring the 40 Leadenhall Street 'Gotham City' project to life.

About the project

Project category

Commercial

Company

William Hare Limited

Location

United Kingdom

Images

Finished project (courtesy of Focchi)

Model showing equipment interface

South tower balcony

Close-up of model

Full model

Full model render with glazing

Project in numbers

Height of structure

155m tall

Total project cost

£225m approx.

Trimble products used

Tekla Structures, Tekla Model Sharing, Trimble Connect

‘Project Gotham City' starts to take shape in London

40 Leadenhall Street is one of the largest buildings to have ever received planning permission in the City of London. The scheme’s stepped design cascades down towards the River Thames and has been described as resembling a Gotham City skyscraper, where Batman calls home. The colossal structure has already been earmarked for new offices, with retail units at street level, and is described as a ‘destination office’ that can provide a number of amenities to entice workers back into the office post-COVID.

The sheer scale of this iconic project presented unique challenges, not least that the steel frame superstructure rises to 34 storey height. As such, William Hare had the mammoth task of undertaking the structural connection design, steel fabrication, and steel installation.

 

Challenges and achievements

Due to the complex nature of the ‘Gotham City’ project at 40 Leadenhall Street, there were a number of complex lower floor connections that had to be factored into the fabrication and installation processes. In addition to this, a number of both architecturally and structurally complex elements were designed within the structure, including (among many other elements) a spiral staircase.

Issues have been rare on the 'Gotham City' skyscraper and as of April 2024 the construction has so far kept to schedule. This can be attributed to the interaction of various 3D platforms throughout the construction process, making clash detection and problem solving simple and tracked with ease. An example includes Hare's collaboration with Focchi, principal contractors for the glazing of the colossal structure, where close interaction overcame connection problems with ease.

 

Using Tekla software

  • Almost all of William Hare’s production plant relies on model data (primarily NC data) for cutting and drilling of both profiles and plates. Robotic fabrication undertakes automated assembly and welding that uses XML files extracted from the 3D model.
     
  • Site progress was highlighted via colour coding and metadata within Tekla Structures.
     
  • IFC was the standard format used to import to and from the 3D Tekla model.
     
  • Custom components were used for both standard parts like edge protection, and more complex components, including cellholes and multiple call off pieces.
     
  • Bespoke UDA data was used to allow advance of order steel, intumescent paint data, phasing information, and lotting information.
     
  • Tekla Structures was integral for visualisation and communication between stakeholders, including for: client workshops, internal meetings for fabrication, creation of build sequences of complex nodes, ability to obtain dimensions and weights with simplicity. William Hare also documented ‘almost real-time progress on site’ with interaction of internal applications.

 

What does William Hare Limited say about the project?

“‘Project Gotham City’ is a catchy nickname for the 40 Leadenhall Street project. Trimble software facilitated William Hare’s collaboration with Focchi, MACE, WSP, and MAKE. The steelwork model was given priority for use by other contractors due to the ability of the detailing team to advance the model to be geometrically the same as per the engineer’s model, and sometimes even more advanced due to variations and changes to the geometry via workshops.” 

          - Sian Gilbertson, Bid Manager at William Hare Limited

Tekla BIM Awards

The Tekla BIM Awards honor projects that transform the way the world builds.

See all projects

The Content on this page is provided to Trimble Solutions Corporation ("Trimble") under the Tekla Global BIM Awards Terms and Conditions.

Trimble Logo

INTERNATIONAL (ENGLISH)

globe wireframe
magnifying glass
Tekla logo

Productscaret icon

Tekla Structures skip iconTekla Model Sharing skip iconTekla Structural Designer skip iconTekla Tedds skip iconTekla PowerFab skip iconTrimble Connect skip iconAll products skip icon

Solutions downward-facing caret

Designright caret

Constructible modeling skip iconConceptual design skip iconStructural analysis & design skip iconDesign communication skip iconConnected design skip icon

Detailright caret

Constructible detailing skip iconConstruction documentation skip icon

Fabricateright caret

Production planning & management skip iconAutomated production skip iconConnected project delivery skip icon

Constructright caret

Bid & win skip iconSite planning & coordination skip iconConnected worksite skip icon

Educateright caret

Tekla Campus skip iconTekla for students skip iconTekla for educators skip iconTekla for academic institutions skip iconTrimble student ambassador program skip icon

All solutions

Resourcescaret icon

Articles & blog posts skip iconReferences skip iconWebinars skip iconNews skip iconEvents skip iconeBooks skip iconTekla BIM Awards skip iconAll resources skip icon

Supportcaret icon

Tekla User Assistance skip iconTrimble Downloads skip iconTekla Discussion Forum skip iconTekla Warehouse skip iconTekla Developer Center skip iconTraining skip iconAll support skip icon

Aboutcaret icon

Why Tekla & Trimble skip iconContact us skip iconCareers skip iconTekla Trust Center skip iconLicense compliance skip iconAll about skip icon

| INTERNATIONAL (ENGLISH)

globe wireframe icon

Productscaret icon

  • Tekla Structures
  • Tekla Model Sharing
  • Tekla Structural Designer
  • Tekla Tedds
  • Tekla PowerFab
  • Trimble Connect
  • All products

Solutionscaret icon

Designcaret icon

  • Constructible modeling
  • Conceptual design
  • Structural analysis & design
  • Design communication
  • Connected design

Detailcaret icon

  • Constructible detailing
  • Construction documentation

Fabricatecaret icon

  • Production planning & management
  • Automated production
  • Connected project delivery

Constructcaret icon

  • Bid & win
  • Site planning & coordination
  • Connected worksite

Educatecaret icon

  • Tekla Campus
  • Tekla for students
  • Tekla for educators
  • Tekla for academic institutions
  • Trimble student ambassador program
All solutions

Resourcescaret icon

  • Articles & blog posts
  • References
  • Webinars
  • News
  • Events
  • eBooks
  • Tekla BIM Awards
  • All resources

Supportcaret icon

  • Tekla User Assistance
  • Trimble Downloads
  • Tekla Discussion Forum
  • Tekla Warehouse
  • Tekla Developer Center
  • Training
  • All support

Aboutcaret icon

  • Why Tekla & Trimble
  • Contact us
  • Careers
  • Tekla Trust Center
  • License compliance
  • All about
  1. Home
  2. Tekla BIM Awards
  3. 40 Leadenhall Street
CONTACT US