Befitting its status and design, the 11-storey building is now home to the biggest bank in the world by capitalisation, Wells Fargo, which acquired it in 2016 as its London HQ in its first international property acquisition.
Founded to transport gold miners riches in 19th Century America, Wells Fargo has built a reputation of dependability, security and safety over the years, and safety starts on the doorstep on 33 King William Street’s reception, in the shape of six Securiscape PAS 68 hostile vehicle mitigation street planters.
Sited in three sets of pairs, the planters are finished in brushed stainless steel and each contain a smart display of evergreen plants. Inside, they contain a high-tech steel framework surrounding a tough polyethylene planter, making them capable of stopping a 2.5 tonne truck travelling at 40mph.
This is enough to earn the planters the coveted PAS 68-2010 standard, a remarkable achievement for a product that requires fixings of just 100mm, which is the shallowest on the market and allowed us to retro-fit the products into a gently sloping surface without disturbing underground services.
Mark Stone, managing director of Securiscape, said: “33 King William Street is one of the biggest and most modern developments in the City of London and so we’re honoured and thrilled to have been asked to fit our PAS 68 security planters outside.
“In the current climate, creating a safe, protective space for customers and staff is key, but our street planters ensure that this is possible without compromising on the appearance of the exterior of what is a world-class development.”
The 33 King William Street project is the latest of a number of security planter installations previously undertaken by Securiscape in London, including the headquarters of UBS bank, One Hyde Park luxury apartments and Kings Cross Railway station.
