Mark Timms
05-08-2005, 16:09
Building:
City Hall
Architect:
Foster & Partners
Concept:
“City Hall houses the assembly chamber for the twenty-five elected members of the London Assembly and the offices of the mayor and staff of the Greater London Authority. Located on the south bank of the Thames, alongside the new More London development, it is one of the capital’s most symbolically important new projects. Advancing themes explored earlier in the Reichstag, it expresses the transparency and accessibility of the democratic process and demonstrates the potential for a sustainable, virtually non-polluting public building.
Designed using advanced computer-modelling techniques, the building also represents a radical rethinking of architectural form. It has no front or back in conventional terms. Rather, its shape is derived from a geometrically modified sphere, a shape that achieves optimum energy performance by minimising the surface area exposed to direct sunlight. Analysis of sunlight patterns throughout the year produced a thermal map of the building’s surface, which is expressed in its cladding. A range of active and passive shading devices is also employed: to the south the building leans back so that its floor-plates step inwards to provide shading for the naturally ventilated offices; and the building’s cooling systems utilise ground water pumped up via boreholes from the water table. These energy-saving techniques mean that chillers are not needed and that for most of the year the building requires no additional heating. Overall, it uses only a quarter of the energy consumed by a typical air-conditioned office building.
The chamber faces north across the river to the Tower of London, its glass enclosure allowing Londoners to see the Assembly at work. Members of the public are also invited to share in the life of the building. At its base, opening on to a piazza is a café overlooking the river; and from the entrance foyer, gentle ramps allow visitors to move up through the building. A flexible public space on the top floor – ‘London’s Living Room’ – can be used for exhibitions or functions, while its riverside terrace allows visitors to enjoy unparalleled views out across the city.” F&P
http://www.fosterandpartners.com/
Access:
Limited internal access 8am to 8pm Mon to Fri
Full access to all areas, see occasional weekend opening to the public http://www.london.gov.uk/gla/city_hall
Location:
City Hall
110 The Queens Walk
London SE1 2AA
United Kingdom
Getting there:
See attached map!
Nearest Tube stations:
London Bridge Station
City Hall
Architect:
Foster & Partners
Concept:
“City Hall houses the assembly chamber for the twenty-five elected members of the London Assembly and the offices of the mayor and staff of the Greater London Authority. Located on the south bank of the Thames, alongside the new More London development, it is one of the capital’s most symbolically important new projects. Advancing themes explored earlier in the Reichstag, it expresses the transparency and accessibility of the democratic process and demonstrates the potential for a sustainable, virtually non-polluting public building.
Designed using advanced computer-modelling techniques, the building also represents a radical rethinking of architectural form. It has no front or back in conventional terms. Rather, its shape is derived from a geometrically modified sphere, a shape that achieves optimum energy performance by minimising the surface area exposed to direct sunlight. Analysis of sunlight patterns throughout the year produced a thermal map of the building’s surface, which is expressed in its cladding. A range of active and passive shading devices is also employed: to the south the building leans back so that its floor-plates step inwards to provide shading for the naturally ventilated offices; and the building’s cooling systems utilise ground water pumped up via boreholes from the water table. These energy-saving techniques mean that chillers are not needed and that for most of the year the building requires no additional heating. Overall, it uses only a quarter of the energy consumed by a typical air-conditioned office building.
The chamber faces north across the river to the Tower of London, its glass enclosure allowing Londoners to see the Assembly at work. Members of the public are also invited to share in the life of the building. At its base, opening on to a piazza is a café overlooking the river; and from the entrance foyer, gentle ramps allow visitors to move up through the building. A flexible public space on the top floor – ‘London’s Living Room’ – can be used for exhibitions or functions, while its riverside terrace allows visitors to enjoy unparalleled views out across the city.” F&P
http://www.fosterandpartners.com/
Access:
Limited internal access 8am to 8pm Mon to Fri
Full access to all areas, see occasional weekend opening to the public http://www.london.gov.uk/gla/city_hall
Location:
City Hall
110 The Queens Walk
London SE1 2AA
United Kingdom
Getting there:
See attached map!
Nearest Tube stations:
London Bridge Station