City Hall, London (Southwark)

Last updated

City Hall
London City Hall.jpg
City Hall, Southwark
Open street map central london.svg
Red pog.svg
Location of City Hall in Central London
General information
Architectural style Neo-futurism
Address110 The Queen's Walk
London, SE1
United Kingdom
Coordinates 51°30′17.26″N0°4′43.13″W / 51.5047944°N 0.0786472°W / 51.5047944; -0.0786472
Current tenantsNone
CompletedJuly 2002;22 years ago (2002-07)
Owner Kuwait Investment Authority
Height45 metres (147.6 ft) [1]
Design and construction
Architect(s) Norman Foster
Architecture firm Foster and Partners
Structural engineer Arup

City Hall is a building in Southwark, London, which previously served as the headquarters of the Greater London Authority (GLA) between July 2002 and December 2021. It is located in the London Borough of Southwark, on the south bank of the River Thames near Tower Bridge. In June 2020, the GLA started a consultation on proposals to vacate City Hall and move to The Crystal, a GLA-owned property in Newham, at the end of 2021. [2] The decision was confirmed on 3 November 2020 and the GLA vacated City Hall on 2 December 2021. [3] The Southwark location is ultimately owned by the government of Kuwait. [4]

Contents

History

The City Hall building was designed by Norman Foster and was constructed at a cost of £43 million [5] on a site formerly occupied by wharves serving the Pool of London. It opened in July 2002, two years after the GLA was created, and was leased rather than owned by the GLA. [6] Despite its name, City Hall did not serve a city (according to UK law). It had responsibilities over Greater London, which should not be confused with the City of London, which has its headquarters at the Guildhall. [7]

In June 2011, Mayor Boris Johnson announced that for the duration of the London 2012 Olympic Games, the building would be called London House. [8]

In November 2020, Mayor of London Sadiq Khan announced plans to vacate City Hall at the end of 2021 and relocate to The Crystal in the Royal Victoria Docks area of East London. [9] [10] [2] Khan cited the high cost of rent as the reason for relocating the GLA headquarters, stating that vacating City Hall in favour of a property owned by the authority would save it £55 million over the course of five years. [11]

Design

The interior helical staircase of City Hall City Hall, London, Spiral Staircase - 4.jpg
The interior helical staircase of City Hall

The building has an unusual, bulbous shape, purportedly intended to reduce its surface area and thus improve energy efficiency, although the excess energy consumption caused by the exclusive use of glass (in a double façade) overwhelms the benefit of shape. Despite claiming the building "demonstrates the potential for a sustainable, virtually non-polluting public building", [12] energy use measurements have shown this building to be fairly inefficient in terms of energy use (375 kWh/m2/yr), with a 2012 Display Energy Performance Certificate rating of "E". [13] It has been compared variously to a helmet (either Darth Vader's or simply a motorcyclist's), a misshapen egg, and a woodlouse. Former mayor Ken Livingstone referred to it as a "glass testicle", [14] [15] while his successor, Boris Johnson, made the same comparison using a different word, "The Glass Gonad" [16] and more politely as "The Onion". [17]

A 500-metre (1,600 ft) helical walkway ascends the full ten storeys. At the top is an exhibition and meeting space with an open viewing deck that was occasionally open to the public. The ramp could not be used as intended for security reasons. [18] The walkway provides views of the interior of the building, and is intended to symbolise transparency; a similar device was used by Foster in his design for the rebuilt Reichstag (parliament), when Germany's capital was moved back to Berlin. In 2006 it was announced that photovoltaic cells would be fitted to the building by the London Climate Change Agency. [19]

The debating chamber was located at the bottom of the helical stairway. The seats and desks for assembly members were arranged in a circular form. [20]

In 2023, St Martins Property announced that the architectural firms of Gensler and LDA Design had completed a plan to redesign the unused structure as a mixed-use office and retail building. It was intended to replace the iconic spiral with leafy terraces [18] and replace the glazing with different materials. [21]

Location

The building is located on The Queen's Walk, a part of the extended pedestrianised south-side embankment of the River Thames in the London Borough of Southwark. It forms part of a larger development called More London, including offices and shops. The nearest London Underground and National Rail station is London Bridge. [22]

In 2015, City Hall acted as location for the fictional HQ of the Joint Intelligence Service in the James Bond film Spectre . The building appeared taller, and in a different Thames-side location in the movie through the use of Computer-generated imagery. [23] In 2016 the walkways were filled with musicians during Open House London in a site-specific work by British composer Samuel Bordoli, which explored the unique acoustic of the structure. [24] In 2018, the final selection for the television show The Apprentice was filmed in City Hall. [25] It is featured in the Mario Kart games Mario Kart Tour and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe  as part of the London Loop racecourse. [26]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Norman Foster, Baron Foster of Thames Bank</span> English architect

Norman Robert Foster, Baron Foster of Thames Bank, is an English architect and designer. Closely associated with the development of high-tech architecture, Foster is recognised as a key figure in British modernist architecture. His architectural practice Foster + Partners, first founded in 1967 as Foster Associates, is the largest in the United Kingdom, and maintains offices internationally. He is the president of the Norman Foster Foundation, created to 'promote interdisciplinary thinking and research to help new generations of architects, designers and urbanists to anticipate the future'. The foundation, which opened in June 2017, is based in Madrid and operates globally. Foster was awarded the Pritzker Prize in 1999.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mayor of London</span> Head of the government of Greater London

The mayor of London is the chief executive of the Greater London Authority. The role was created in 2000 after the Greater London devolution referendum in 1998, and was the first directly elected mayor in the United Kingdom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greater London Authority</span> English devolved regional authority

The Greater London Authority (GLA), colloquially known by the metonym City Hall, is the devolved regional governance body of Greater London, England. It consists of two political branches: an executive Mayor and the 25-member London Assembly, which serves as a means of checks and balances on the Mayor. Since May 2016, both branches have been under the control of the London Labour Party. The authority was established in 2000, following a local referendum, and derives most of its powers from the Greater London Authority Act 1999 and the Greater London Authority Act 2007.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southwark</span> District of Central London, England

Southwark is a district of Central London situated on the south bank of the River Thames, forming the north-western part of the wider modern London Borough of Southwark. The district, which is the oldest part of South London, developed due to its position at the southern end of the early versions of London Bridge, for centuries the only dry crossing on the river. Around 43 AD, engineers of the Roman Empire found the geographic features of the south bank here suitable for the placement and construction of the first bridge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tower Bridge</span> Bascule and suspension bridge in England

Tower Bridge is a Grade I listed combined bascule, suspension, and, until 1960, cantilever bridge in London, built between 1886 and 1894, designed by Horace Jones and engineered by John Wolfe Barry with the help of Henry Marc Brunel. It crosses the River Thames close to the Tower of London and is one of five London bridges owned and maintained by the City Bridge Foundation, a charitable trust founded in 1282.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rotherhithe</span> Residential district in south-east London, England

Rotherhithe is a district of South London, England, and part of the London Borough of Southwark. It is on a peninsula on the south bank of the Thames, facing Wapping, Shadwell and Limehouse on the north bank, with the Isle of Dogs to the east. It borders Bermondsey to the west and Deptford to the south-east. The district is a part of the Docklands area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">8 Canada Square</span> Skyscraper in London, England

8 Canada Square is a 45 floor skyscraper in Canary Wharf, London. The building is the global headquarters of the HSBC Holdings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blackfriars station</span> London Underground and railway station

Blackfriars, also known as London Blackfriars, is a central London railway station and connected London Underground station in the City of London. It provides Thameslink services: local, and regional and limited Southeastern commuter services to South East London and Kent. Its platforms span the River Thames, the only one in London to do so, along the length of Blackfriars Railway Bridge, a short distance downstream from Blackfriars Bridge. There are two station entrances either side of the Thames, along with a connection to the London Underground District and Circle lines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Worshipful Company of Glaziers and Painters of Glass</span> Livery company of the City of London

The Worshipful Company of Glaziers and Painters of Glass is one of the livery companies of the City of London. The Guild of Glaziers, or makers of Glass, the company's forerunner, existed as early as the fourteenth century. It received a royal charter of incorporation in 1638. It is no longer a trade association of glass craftsmen, instead existing, along with a majority of livery companies, as a charitable body.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St George's Cathedral, Southwark</span> Church in Greater London, England

The Metropolitan Cathedral Church of St George, usually known as St George's Cathedral, Southwark, is the cathedral of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Southwark, south London, and is the seat of the Archbishop of Southwark.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Shard</span> Skyscraper in London, England

The Shard, also referred to as the Shard London Bridge and formerly London Bridge Tower, is a pyramid-shaped 72-storey mixed-use development supertall skyscraper, designed by the Italian architect Renzo Piano, in Bermondsey, London, that forms part of The Shard Quarter development. Standing 309.6 metres high, The Shard is the tallest building in the United Kingdom, the seventh-tallest building in Europe, and the second-tallest outside Russia behind the Varso Tower in Warsaw, which beats the Shard by less than half a metre. It is also the second-tallest free-standing structure in the United Kingdom, after the concrete tower of the Emley Moor transmitting station. The Shard replaced Southwark Towers, a 24-storey office block built on the site in 1975.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thames House</span> Office in London, England

Thames House is an office building in Millbank, London, on the north bank of the River Thames adjacent to Lambeth Bridge. Originally used as offices by Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI), it has served as the headquarters of the United Kingdom's internal Security Service since December 1994. It also served as the London headquarters of the Northern Ireland Office (NIO) until March 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tooley Street</span>

Tooley Street is a road in central and south London connecting London Bridge to St Saviour's Dock; it runs past Tower Bridge on the Southwark/Bermondsey side of the River Thames, and forms part of the A200 road.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Contemporary architecture</span> Broad range of styles of 21st-century structures

Contemporary architecture is the architecture of the 21st century. No single style is dominant. Contemporary architects work in several different styles, from postmodernism, high-tech architecture and new references and interpretations of traditional architecture to highly conceptual forms and designs, resembling sculpture on an enormous scale. Some of these styles and approaches make use of very advanced technology and modern building materials, such as tube structures which allow construction of buildings that are taller, lighter and stronger than those in the 20th century, while others prioritize the use of natural and ecological materials like stone, wood and lime. One technology that is common to all forms of contemporary architecture is the use of new techniques of computer-aided design, which allow buildings to be designed and modeled on computers in three dimensions, and constructed with more precision and speed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Silvertown Tunnel</span> Tunnel under construction below the Thames between Sivertown and North Greenwich

The Silvertown Tunnel is a road tunnel under construction beneath the River Thames between the Greenwich Peninsula and west Silvertown.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">County Hall, Kingston upon Thames</span> County building in Kingston upon Thames, Surrey, England

County Hall is a former municipal building in Penrhyn Road, Kingston upon Thames, England. The building, which was the headquarters of Surrey County Council from 1893 to 2020, is a landmark in Kingston and is a Grade II listed building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">City National Plaza</span> Skyscraper in Los Angeles

City National Plaza is a twin tower skyscraper complex on South Flower Street in western Downtown Los Angeles, California, United States. It was originally named ARCO Plaza upon opening in 1972.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">City Hall, London (Newham)</span> Headquarters of the Greater London Authority

City Hall, in the London Borough of Newham in east London, is the headquarters of the Greater London Authority (GLA), the regional government for Greater London. It replaced the previous City Hall, in Southwark in 2022. The building opened in 2012 and was previously an exhibition centre for sustainable architecture, known as The Crystal. Built and opened by Siemens, it was the first building in the world to reach the highest sustainable award level. It was bought by the GLA in 2019 for the docklands redevelopment project.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bloomberg London</span> Building in London

Bloomberg London is an office building in the City of London, which was opened in 2017. It is owned by Bloomberg L.P. and functions as their European headquarters. It is at 3 Queen Victoria Street, to the west of Walbrook, on the site previously occupied by Bucklersbury House.

The following is a timeline of the history of London in the 21st century, the capital of England and the United Kingdom.

References

  1. ↑ City Hall on Emporis.com
  2. 1 2 "Khan proposes moving City Hall to cut costs". BBC News. 24 June 2020.
  3. ↑ "City Hall to relocate from central London to the East End". BBC. 3 November 2020.
  4. ↑ "Kuwait Buys London Mayor's Headquarters For $2.8bn". Gulf Business. 9 December 2013. Retrieved 11 November 2022.
  5. ↑ "SPICe Briefing" Retrieved 1 March 2010
  6. ↑ "Inside City Hall" Retrieved 1 March 2010 Archived 4 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine
  7. ↑ Historic England. "West Wing, Guildhall (Grade II) (1476841)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 22 August 2023.
  8. ↑ "City Hall to be renamed 'London House' during 2012 Olympics". London SE1. 15 April 2011. Retrieved 15 August 2012.
  9. ↑ Peracha, Qasim (24 June 2020). "Sadiq Khan announces plan to leave City Hall and move to East London". MyLondon. Archived from the original on 2 December 2021.
  10. ↑ "London's iconic City Hall set to close in a shock plan to save £11m a year". ITV News. 24 June 2020.
  11. ↑ "Mayor to consult on relocating City Hall to protect services". London City Hall. 24 June 2020. Retrieved 3 March 2022.
  12. ↑ "Foster + Partners". Archived from the original on 2 September 2012. Retrieved 15 January 2013.
  13. ↑ Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images (2 October 2008). "Public building CO2 footprints revealed". The Guardian. Retrieved 14 September 2015.
  14. ↑ Deyan Sudjic (8 July 2001). "A thoroughly modernising mayor". The Observer. Retrieved 23 January 2010.
  15. ↑ "Inside London's new 'glass egg'". BBC News. 16 July 2002. Retrieved 23 January 2010.
  16. ↑ Stephen Robinson (28 December 2008). "Is Boris on an upward spiral at last?". The Sunday Times. Retrieved 23 January 2010.
  17. ↑ "The Onion". Shaftsbury. Retrieved 14 August 2019.
  18. 1 2 Moore, Rowan (2 December 2023). "Testicle reprieved?". The Guardian. Retrieved 2 December 2023.
  19. ↑ "Solar panels to power London's City Hall". Edie. Retrieved 14 August 2019.
  20. ↑ "Is the architecture of Westminster bad for politics?". The Conversation. 29 February 2016. Retrieved 14 August 2019.
  21. ↑ Highfield, Anna (28 November 2023). "Gensler unveils design to remake Foster's City Hall building". Architects Journal. Retrieved 2 December 2023.
  22. ↑ "Nearest station to City Hall". London Town. Retrieved 14 August 2019.
  23. ↑ "Spectre shoots at London City Hall". mi6-hq.com. 18 April 2015. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
  24. ↑ "Foster + Partners". fp-corporatewebsite-prod.azurewebsites.net. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
  25. ↑ "The Apprentice: Finale review – surely time to dismantle this panto?". The Guardian. 16 December 2018. Retrieved 30 September 2019.
  26. ↑ "Tour London Loop - Super Mario Wiki". Nintendo Independent Wiki Alliance. 6 December 2019. Retrieved 29 March 2023.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.