In the five months since our last update, London's skyline-altering Twentytwo has continued its breakneck speed of construction towards its pinnacle. Now capping off its crown 62 storeys above the city's historic financial district, the 278-metre-tall tower has become the second-tallest building in Greater London, behind only The Shard.

Twentytwo construction, image by DAVID HOLT via Creative Commons

PLP Architecture devised the steel and glass office scheme for AXA Real Estate and Lipton Rogers Developments. The 202,000-square-metre complex is expected to house approximately 11,500 people from over 100 companies. Its interior will be defined by 25,000-square-foot flexible floor plans featuring three-metre-high ceilings, with more than ten percent of total internal space devoted to a number of amenities—including business lounges, a full-service spa and a gymnasium—designed for employee comfort and convenience. The result is less of a traditional workplace and more of an "integrated vertical community," according to PLP.

Twentytwo dominates the London skyline, image by DAVID HOLT via Creative Commons

The building's plinth is characterized by a four-storey-high glazed lobby featuring a juxtaposition of public amenities, including a library and art gallery. The second floor is fully laid out as a food market connected to event spaces and an outdoor terrace. Employee amenities are then separated evenly across the rise of the tower, until the pinnacle gives way to a free public viewing gallery and the highest public restaurants in London. 

Twentytwo construction, image by DAVID HOLT via Creative Commons

Advertised as a "smart" building, Twentytwo will offer WiFi throughout, with a smart lobby check-in system and a downloadable app that allows occupants to book services and events digitally. 

Twentytwo's massive footprint overwhelms its neighbours, image by DAVID HOLT via Creative Commons

For more information, check out the associated Database file and Forum thread, and as always, feel free to join the conversation in the comments section below.