HSBC started looking for a new headquarters in the City back in the early 90s. Having taken over Midland Bank succesfully they wanted a skyscraper to crown their achievements. After five years of looking for a suitable site in the City they gave up and made the decision to move their staff to Canary Wharf - the result is this 210m tall office building, the first British skyscraper to be designed by leading architect Norman Foster as one of the triumvirate of main towers that flank each other on the Canary Wharf estate.
Construction didn't go precisely to plan with the collapse of a crain leading to the death of three workers, and then split watermains which flooded the building and delayed the opening by several months but as 2002 becomes 2003 the building has finally been occupied and is now the U.Ks joint second tallest.