Follow the winding path through the Bloomberg, London office by Foster + Partners — a 2018 Stirling Prize finalist

Bloomberg makes its presence known in London with their new office headquarters. Occupying an entire block in the city, the building is large enough to accommodate all of the company's employees under one roof for the first time. While its exterior may not seem too flashy at first glance, the interior is a different story. Designed by Foster + Partners, the project is one of six shortlisted contenders for the coveted 2018 RIBA Stirling Prize.

Read on for more about the project.

The objective of Bloomberg, London was to avoid designing a standard office space. Its exterior is deemed an appropriate size for its location, and it aims to create a dialogue with older neighboring buildings. 

The building creates a covered walkway along its perimeter, and features commercial spaces at ground level. A new "street" carves the building into two blocks that are connected by bridges.

Once you pass security, you walk farther into the building through an architectural procession that leads to the elevators. The procession includes several art pieces such as "the vortex".

As you ride up the elevator, you'll see the main concourse and cafe area at the mid-level floor, and clusters of office spaces and desks that can be accessed through a curved ramp, which winds through the building and connects different floor levels.

"The process of moving through the architectural procession and up the elevators creates a completely immersive environment in the building's 66,354 m² interior. The concourse level is very vibrant, buzzing with activity and isolated from its surroundings," RIBA describes. From there, the building is full of unique details like aluminum ceiling "roses" and magnetic floorboards.

"Overall the project is a tour-de-force. This is the opposite of a quiet understated building. In fact the multiplicity of invention at numerous levels is carried through with such conviction that you cannot fail but be impressed by it."

All photos courtesy of RIBA.