Bloomberg opens £1-bn new office in London

Michael Bloomberg, chief executive of Bloomberg L.P, yesterday said that Bloomberg was not concerned about ''shifts in the political winds'' as he unveiled Bloomberg's London office, near the Mansion House.

The building, estimated to have cost £1 billion, can hold up to 8,000 people. Bloomberg has a 4,000-strong workforce in London at present.

''We built for a lot of growth and we will grow slowly,'' Bloomberg said. Asked whether this would mean thousands more staff, he replied, ''We expect that to happen. I think this is where people want to be.''

According to commentators, the building,  Bloomberg's new headquarters in London's famous Square Mile would be a new role model for green buildings. The huge complex built as the most sustainable office building in the world, has two buildings joined by bridges. It uses 70 per cent less water and 40 per cent less energy than a typical office block.

The complex which measures 1.1 million square feet, is bigger than the Bank of England. But, unlike other recent developments in the city, such as the Walkie Talkie building, the Gherkin and the Shard, the complex spreads horizontally rather than vertically, with public spaces and a huge new pedestrianised walkway.

In his address, in presence of Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London, Bloomberg insisted his company was ''strongly committed to London''.

He added, ''Whatever London and the UK's relationship to the EU proves to be, London's language, timezone, talent, infrastructure and culture all position it to grow as a global capital for years to come. We are very optimistic about London's future and we are really excited to be a part of it.''

Bloomberg who was given an honorary knighthood in 2015, is worth an estimated $47.5 billion (£36.2 billion) according to Forbes. Bloomberg was mayor of New York between 2002 and 2013 before reassuming his position as chief executive of Bloomberg.