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Article from issue 9/2002 »Konzept Office Buildings«

City Hall in London

Drafts
Basement plan 1:3000
Detail 1:5
Details 1:20
Ground floor plan/First floor plan/3rd floor plan/9th floor plan 1:1000
Section 1:1000
Section through office facade 1:10
Vertical section through ramp 1:20

Situated on the south bank of the Thames immediately next to Tower Bridge, London’s new city hall focuses attention on a long neglected corner of the capital. Based on a master plan drawn up by the same architects, a new district is being created here with offices and public amenities. The work of the Greater London Authority (GLA) is made transparent by the large areas of glazing that distinguish this striking new building. Spiralling up through the interior is a ramp that links the various storeys and culminates at the top in “London’s Living Room”, a space for exhibitions and other events. The GLA building, the seat of the mayor and the elected assembly, contains 500 workplaces for the administration. Reminiscent of a beehive, its optimized form and orientation, which reflect solar-energy criteria, make the new city hall an outstanding example of sustainable administration building.