22 Bishopsgate, London

22 Bishopgate is the second tallest skyscraper in London, standing at 278 m/912 ft tall. Engineering company, WSP, partnered with Victaulic at a very early stage to support on drawing designs for the pipe work. After visiting Victaulic’s Belgian offices to assess the capabilities of the company’s grooved mechanical joints, WSP wrote them into the design specification after concluding they would handle needed pressure up the CHW and CDW risers as compared

to traditional flanges.

Due to the skyscrapers' height and total area, the amount of water to be moved around for heating and cooling purposes is much larger than most buildings. Taking into account the extreme dimensions of the high riser, 24-inch diameter pipework was required, which was quickly and easily joined using Victaulic's Advanced Groove System

(AGS). As the pressure at the top floors of the skyscraper must reach 25 bar, these large diameter pipe joints undergo a lot of strain. The ability to provide strong support at high pressures was a major benefit that Victaulic W07 AGS rigid couplings and Series 762 butterfly valves delivered. These were the primary products utilized by WSP.

To provide further support as the piping ascends, mechanical rooms were built in stages. Starting with a plant room at the basement, further plant rooms are situated at Level 25 and 41 along with a Level 7 heating room and Level 8 mezzanine. In these locations Victaulic products, including flexible couplings and suction diffusers, played a key role in accommodating noise and vibration while guaranteeing efficiency.

Construction in London's financial district brought the challenge of operating on a crowded jobsite. To address this, while meeting the tight deadlines set by project owner and global construction company Multiplex, the decision was made to prefabricate a majority of the piping offsite and then install it onsite. In the case of 22 Bishopsgate, where up to 70% of the pipework was prepared offsite, prefabrication helped the team navigate the congested worksite

by cutting down on both manpower and the time needed for construction. The project was a resounding success, achieving all objectives on time and under budget, while exceeding stakeholder expectations.