City Hall (London)

City Hall (London)
City Hall

Viewed from Tower Bridge
City Hall (London) is located in Central London
Location of City Hall in Central London
General information
Location Southwark, London, England
Address 110 The Queens Walk, LONDON, SE1 2AA
Coordinates 51°30′17″N 0°04′42″W / 51.50472°N 0.07833°W / 51.50472; -0.07833
Current tenants Greater London Authority
Completed 2002
Design and construction
Owner More London Development Ltd.
Architect Norman Foster
Architecture firm Foster and Partners
Structural engineer Arup
Website
www.london.gov.uk/city_hall

City Hall is the headquarters of the Greater London Authority (GLA) which comprises the Mayor of London and London Assembly. It is located in Southwark, on the south bank of the River Thames near Tower Bridge. It was designed by Norman Foster and opened in July 2002, two years after the Greater London Authority was created.

Contents

Background

City Hall was constructed at a cost of £65 million [1] on a site formerly occupied by wharves serving the Pool of London. The building does not belong to the GLA but is leased under a 25-year rent.[2] Despite the name, City Hall is neither located in nor does it serve a city (as recognised by English constitutional law), often adding to the confusion of Greater London with the City of London, whose headquarters is in the Guildhall, north of the Thames. However, in June 2011 Mayor Boris Johnson announced that for the Olympic Year 2012 the building would be called 'London House', leading to speculation that this name may be retained thereafter.

The predecessors of the Greater London Authority, namely the Greater London Council and the London County Council, had their headquarters at County Hall, upstream on the South Bank. Although County Hall's old council chamber is still intact, the building is unavailable for use by the GLA due to its conversion into, among other things, a luxury hotel, amusement arcade and aquarium.

Design

The interior helical staircase of London City Hall
Model of London City Hall in Legoland Windsor

The building has an unusual, bulbous shape, intended to reduce its surface area and thus improve energy efficiency. It has been compared variously to Darth Vader's helmet, a misshapen egg, a woodlouse and a motorcycle helmet. Former mayor Ken Livingstone referred to it as a "glass testicle",[3][4] while the present mayor, Boris Johnson, has referred to it as "The Glass Gonad"[5] and more politely as "The Onion". Its designers reportedly saw the building as a giant sphere hanging over the Thames, but opted for a more conventionally rooted building instead. It has no front or back in conventional terms but derives its shape from a modified sphere.

A 500-metre (1,640 ft) helical walkway, reminiscent of that in New York's Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, ascends the full height of the building. At the top of the ten-story building is an exhibition and meeting space called "London's Living Room", with an open viewing deck which is occasionally open to the public. 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) in Germany. In 2006 it was announced that solar photovoltaic cells would be fitted to the building by the London Climate Change Agency.

Location

Southwark bank of the River Thames, near Tower Bridge
Tower Bridge and Canary Wharf viewed from the balcony around the top of the building.

The building is located on the River Thames in the London Borough of Southwark. It forms part of a larger development called More London, including offices and shops. Next to City Hall is a sunken amphitheatre called The Scoop, which is used in the summer months for open-air performances; it is not, however, part of the GLA's jurisdiction. The Scoop and surrounding landscape were designed by Townshend Landscape Architects. The nearest London Underground and National Rail station is London Bridge.

References

External links

Coordinates: 51°30′17″N 0°04′42″W / 51.50472°N 0.07833°W / 51.50472; -0.07833


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно сделать НИР?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • City Hall (London) — Die City Hall, von der Tower Bridge aus gesehen Wendelt …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • City Hall (disambiguation) — City Hall is the headquarters of a city or town s administration. City Hall may also refer to: City Hall (London), the headquarters of the Greater London Authority and the Mayor of London City Hall, Singapore, a national monument in the Central… …   Wikipedia

  • City Hall (Begriffsklärung) — City Hall hat folgende Bedeutungen: ein Film mit Al Pacino in der Hauptrolle, siehe City Hall City Hall ist die englischsprachige Bezeichnung für Rathaus und ist auch der Name entsprechender Gebäude: Boston City Hall Buffalo City Hall City Hall… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • City University London — Motto To serve mankind Established 1966 – gained University Status by Royal Charter 1894 – Northampton Endowment …   Wikipedia

  • City of London — Not to be confused with London. City of London The City • Square Mile Aerial view of the City of London …   Wikipedia

  • City Temple (London) — For the Temple Church in the City of London, see Temple Church. City Temple Holborn Photo of the City Temple Country England Denomination …   Wikipedia

  • City of London School — Motto Domine Dirige Nos Established 1442 Type Boys …   Wikipedia

  • City of London Police — Logo of the City of London Police. Agency overview …   Wikipedia

  • City Hall And City Duma — Usage(s) Centre de conférence, jardin, gouvernement Localisation Krasnopresnenskaya embankment Moscou (District fédéral central)  Russie Dates 2005 2009 …   Wikipédia en Français

  • City hall and city duma — Usage(s) Centre de conférence, jardin, gouvernement Localisation Krasnopresnenskaya embankment Moscou (District fédéral central)  Russie Dates 2005 2009 …   Wikipédia en Français

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”