Willis Building, Ipswich

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Willis Building
Willis Building Ipswich.jpg
The Willis Building, Ipswich
Willis Building, Ipswich
General information
TypeOffice
Architectural style High-tech architecture [1]
Location Ipswich, Suffolk, England
Coordinates 52°03′20″N1°09′03″E / 52.0556°N 1.1507°E / 52.0556; 1.1507
Construction started1970 [1]
Completed1975 [1]
Opened2 June 1975 [2]
ClientWillis, Faber and Dumas [1]
Technical details
Structural systemReinforced-concrete frame [1]
Design and construction
Architect Foster Associates [3]
Structural engineer Anthony Hunt Associates [1]
Designations Grade I listed building (25 April 1991) [1]

The Willis Building (originally the Willis Faber & Dumas regional headquarters) is a Grade I listed office building in Ipswich, Suffolk, designed by Norman Foster and Wendy Cheesman after establishing Foster Associates. [3]

Contents

Constructed between 1970 and 1975 for the insurance firm now known as Willis Towers Watson, it is widely considered a landmark in the development of the 'high tech' architectural style. The building houses some 1,300 office staff in open-plan offices spread over three floors. [1] [3]

Location

The bulbous floor plan of the office block reflects the layout of the available site in the centre of Ipswich, which is sandwiched between several road junctions and the Grade I listed Unitarian Meeting House. Thus two of the town's Grade I listed buildings stand side by side.

Design

Window support detail. Foster - Willis building - window support detail.jpg
Window support detail.

The centre of the building is constructed from a grid of concrete pillars, 14 m (46 ft) apart, supporting cantilevered concrete slab floors. The curtain wall exterior is clad in panels of dark smoked glass. The use of dark glass, a curtain wall and lack of right angle corners mirrors the art deco Express Building in Manchester, cited by Norman Foster as one of his favourite buildings and a design influence. [4] The central escalator well leads up to a rooftop staff restaurant surrounded by a rooftop garden (360 panorama).

Originally, there was also a swimming pool for employees to enjoy during their lunch break. This has now been covered up (and preserved, rather than filled in, due to it being a listed building) and the space is used for more offices. The swimming pool can be seen underneath the false floor.

History

The Willis Building was commissioned by John Roscoe, chairman of Willis, Faber & Dumas, in the early 1970s. [5]

The architectural firm of Norman Foster was selected after a shortlist was provided by the Royal Institute of British Architects. Foster's design, inspired by a glass-clad office building he had recently completed, featured innovative energy-conscious elements and open-plan floor spaces. The building was officially opened on June 2, 1975, by former Prime Minister Harold Macmillan. [2]

In 1991 the Willis building became the newest building to be given Grade I listed building status in Britain. At the time it was one of only two listed buildings under 30 years of age. [1] [6]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "The Willis Building (List Entry 1237417)". Historic England. 25 April 1991. Retrieved 10 November 2025.
  2. 1 2 Kindred, David (30 August 2017). "Days Gone By: The history of the town's iconic Willis building". East Anglian Daily Times. Retrieved 10 November 2025.
  3. 1 2 3 "Willis Building". Foster + Partners. Retrieved 10 November 2025.
  4. ↑ Sudjic, Deyan (2010). Norman Foster. p. 11.
  5. ↑ "Heritage Icons » WTW (Willis Building)". The Ipswich Society. Retrieved 10 November 2025.
  6. ↑ "Pioneering management guidelines for modern listed buildings". Context (Institute of Historic Building Conservation). September 1995. Archived from the original on 4 November 2007. Retrieved 10 November 2025.
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