22 Bishopsgate to house 20,000 sq ft food hub
The space will be run as a partnership between foodservice firm Rhubarb, grassroots talent champion Young British Foodies (YBFs) and building owner and developer AXA IM - Real Assets.
Occupying the 62-storey skyscraper's second floor communal space, the Market will include a restaurant and adjoining terrace, a wine bar, street-food style kiosks and pop-ups that are continually rotated. The 450-cover space will also house an events and cultural area for talks, music and private events.
Only accessible to the 22 Bishopsgate community during the day, it will open its doors to the public outside business hours and on Saturdays and will also offer food and catering services directly to the 12,000 people working at 22 Bishopsgate.
The YBFs will select operators for the kiosks, while Rhubarb will oversee the wider culinary offering and management. The design of the market is a collaboration between New York's the MP Shift and Brighton's Design LSM.
Amy Morris, co-founder and creative director of the MP Shift, said the aim is to create spaces that "invite collaboration and spark ideas"; while Karen Taylor, projects director at Design LSM, said the development will be a "highly polished and thoughtful aesthetic capturing the spirit of a modern day guild".
Lily Jones, co-founder of the YBFs and founder of the acclaimed Lily Vanilli bakery in East London, said 22 Bishopsgate would create a permanent platform "to incubate concepts from the food and drink stars of the future".
Harry Badham, UK head of development at AXA IM - Real Assets, said: "We want the offer to stay relevant over time, adapting and evolving in response to trends and tastes to best serve 22 Bishopsgate's community, and we believe we have created a unique collaboration that will achieve this aim."
22 Bishopsgate will also house a gym and wellbeing retreat, a curated 'art walk', a business club, auditorium, meeting spaces, cycle hub, and London's highest free public viewing gallery.
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