Client focus drives TCIB design of landlord wifi network for 22 Bishopsgate

26/1/18 : 22 Bishopsgate aims to redefine the standard for city workspaces and our clients are focusing a great deal of investment and thinking into making that happen. TClarke Intelligent Buildings (TCIB)’s network design team at 22 Bishopsgate, led by Glenn Cowell and Alex Champion aren’t just designing a world class data infrastructure, with all the technical requirements that involves.

They are actively working to understand and deliver an experience for employees of tenants and for members of the public who visit the space. This customer focus, requiring our technical teams to understand our client’s visions for end users, may seem unusual in construction where success is traditionally defined in terms of construction milestones, cost targets and programming challenges.

For TClarke however, this deep customer focus is very often the norm in projects across sectors from transportation and healthcare to FM and commercial office spaces.

As Glenn Cowell says, this project is an exciting one in many ways.

“We really are engineering the future here, The developer team at 22 Bishopsgate has a vision for this building to be futuristic and in many ways the ultimate in terms of workspace. They are looking to achieve the Well Building certification – a standard that’s focused on health and wellbeing outcomes for users of the building. As construction goes forward, buildings which achieve this standard will raise the bar for what people expect when they enter a workspace. This is a new standard globally and relatively few buildings have achieved it so far. 22 Bishopsgate will be one of the very largest and most complex buildings anywhere in the world to meet this standard.

“We’re designing a wifi network that fits within that ambition and so, when we take the consultant’s conceptual specification and work along with Cisco to specify the design, we have to think in detail – space by space – about the client’s vision for a user experience in each area.

“So for example, if we are looking at one of the public areas which might be full with restaurants and food outlets, we need to consider the peaks of demand and how to meet them. Deep down inside the building we need to differentiate between needs in a plant room and needs in a bike storage area – where an employee might want to jump off their bike and immediately use their mobile device.

“TCIB sees 22 Bishopsgate as a great opportunity for us to show the world our capabilities. We’re delighted that we’re on target with the project, and that the network we have designed has just passed its Factory Acceptance Testing. That was a moment of confidence building between ourselves and our clients, where for the first time we deployed the network offsite and tested it.”

As Alex Champion says, a project of this scale and importance sets high standards.

“We have to build a network that will have a very high level of security. We have to build a network which has been thought out, space by space in a 278m, 62 Storey tower. We have to build a network that takes account of future devices and mobile operators requirements. One key challenge for us is to ensure that wherever you are, your call won’t be dropped.”

Chris Harris, Director of TCIB is proud of his team’s work:

“TCIB’s in-house team has the capability and expertise to deliver on any scale and this project is a great opportunity for us to demonstrate that fact. Our team needs to get inside the minds of the eventual users of the building and work to deliver what they will want and need. 22 Bishopsgate is a great project with which to be associated and I’m delighted that the FAT testing has been successful.”