25 Bank Street

25 Bank Street stands in Canary Wharf, a business district in London’s Docklands beside the water. The tower was completed in 2002 as part of a five-building office scheme on the Heron Quays site. Designed by Cesar Pelli, it features stainless steel, glass and stone cladding in the International style. Two of the buildings share a glass-enclosed concourse and link to an underground shopping area. The tower has 32 office floors above ground and five basement levels, with no 13th floor. The building became the European headquarters of Lehman Brothers in 2004, just two years after its completion. Before that, it had been planned for Enron’s European arm, but those plans were abandoned in 2001. When Lehman Brothers collapsed in 2008, the tower passed to JPMorgan Chase, which now uses it as its European headquarters. The construction itself was unusual, using barges to deliver materials and a coffer dam to keep the site dry. Inside, the tower offers large trading floors, a 400-seat auditorium and a staff restaurant. Levels three to six once housed trading desks, while the top floors contained executive suites. A 30-metre-high podium spans the Docklands Light Railway, protecting the tracks below. The crown of the building is lit by more than five thousand LED fixtures, adding a distinctive glow at night.