Plumtree Court

A building bigger than 26 football pitches

The design for the New European Headquarters of global investment bank Goldman Sachs involved besides the Kohn Pederson Fox (KPF) led design team a multiple of other architect’s firms, developing the design of the interiors and exteriors and knitting these spaces into the overall building narrative. GROSS. MAX was working on both the surrounding streetscapes and the design of a large rooftop garden and terrace. GROSS. MAX. won the commission when asked during the interview to summarize our approach by dead pan answering: “You speculate with money, we speculate with images”. The rooftop event space and ‘infinity’ gardens features views stunning panoramic views across the City of London, including The Shard and St. Paul’s Cathedral. The green roof contributes to the building’s focus on wellness and achieving a BREEAM rating of Excellent for its sustainability. The building’s external spaces encompass several well-known London streets within the Square Mile-Plumtree Court, Stonecutter Street, Shoe Lane and Farringdon Street. The levels difference at Stone Cutter Street is represented of large cut ribbed granite blocks reminiscent of a quarry face. The plantings at the Shoe Lane entrance and the roof gardens are by Piet Oudolf.

The fashion photographer Juergen Teller produced a photographic book which traces the five-year construction of Plumtree Court. Rather than making pristine images that celebrate the formal precision and artistry of the finished structure, Teller finds beauty in the organized chaos of construction. “I liked the diggers, cranes, cables, concrete and dirt. Not in a macho or childish way but appreciating how all this construction produces such a beautiful mess,” he writes in the introduction to ‘Plumtree Court’.