Austrian company Wiehag, the manufacturer, supplier and erector of the glulam roof structure, said thousands of top financiers at the adjacent UK headquarters of Barclays and HSBC could see the structure take shape over the coming months.
John Spittle, Wiehag’s UK and Wales sales director, said 500 people had turned up at an open day at the site recently, reflecting huge interest in the project.
"It’s a very prestigious project and a lot of people are interested in it," he said. "Because Foster + Partners have designed it we’re seeing other architects taking note.
"We think it will also be great for timber in the UK, showing it’s not just swimming pools that are using glulam."
A temporary dock has been constructed to aid the assembly of the roof. A Wiehag team from Austria will be based in the UK for six months to build the roof, which comprises 1,000m3 of glulam.
"We hope that because of the sheer scale, roof design and retail amenities, Londoners will come to regard the Crossrail station at Canary Wharf as one of the capital’s most impressive," said Cliff Bryant, executive director of Canary Wharf Contractors Ltd.
"Putting the Foster-designed roof on top will be the icing on the cake."
