110 The Queen's Walk

Former headquarters of the Greater London Authority April 2022 April 2022 110 The Queen's Walk City Hall London City Hall.jpg The former City Hall building pictured in 2011 Central London Location of 110 The Queen's Walk in Central London Neo-futurism 110 The Queen's WalkLondon,England Kuwait Investment Authority None 51 30 17.26 N 0 4 43.13 W type:landmark_region:GB title 2002 07 yes 45 m ft 1City Hall on Emporis.com Norman Foster Foster + Partners Arup 110 The Queen's Walk, formerly City Hall, is a building in Bermondsey, London, that served as the headquarters of the Greater London Authority (GLA) between July 2002 and December 2021. It is undergoing partial demolition and reconstruction. Originally, designed by Norman Foster, it is located on the south bank of the River Thames near Tower Bridge. The site, which forms part of the More London development, has been owned by the State of Kuwait since 2013.https://gulfbusiness.com/kuwait-buys-london-mayors-headquarters-for-2-8bn/ Kuwait Buys London Mayor's Headquarters For $2.8bn 9 December 2013 Gulf Business 11 November 2022 In June 2020, Mayor of London Sadiq Khan proposed a relocation of the GLA to The Crystal, a GLA-owned property in Newham.https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-london-53164416 Sadiq Khan proposes moving City Hall to cut costs BBC News 24 June 2020 28 April 2026 Khan confirmed the decision on 3 November 2020 and the GLA vacated City Hall on 2 December 2021.https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-54783565 City Hall to relocate from central London to the East End BBC News 3 November 2020 28 April 2026 History The City Hall building was designed by Norman Foster and was constructed at a cost of £43 million"SPICe Briefing" Retrieved 1 March 2010 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."Inside City Hall" Retrieved 1 March 2010 https://web.archive.org/web/20110604132134/http://www.london.gov.uk/learning/docs/inside_city_hall.pdf 4 June 2011 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.1476841 West Wing, Guildhall II 22 August 2023 In June 2011, Mayor Boris Johnson announced that for the duration of the London 2012 Olympic Games, the building would be called London House.http://www.london-se1.co.uk/news/view/5238 City Hall to be renamed 'London House' during 2012 Olympics 15 April 2011 London SE1 15 August 2012 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.https://www.mylondon.news/news/zone-1-news/sadiq-khan-announces-plan-leave-18479216 Sadiq Khan announces plan to leave City Hall and move to East London Qasim Peracha 24 June 2020 MyLondon live https://web.archive.org/web/20211202210159/https://www.mylondon.news/news/zone-1-news/sadiq-khan-announces-plan-leave-18479216 Dec 2, 2021 https://www.itv.com/news/london/2020-06-24/londons-iconic-city-hall-set-to-close-in-a-shock-plan-to-save-11m-a-year/ London's iconic City Hall set to close in a shock plan to save £11m a year ITV News Harris, Simon 24 June 2020 28 April 2026 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.24 June 2020 Mayor to consult on relocating City Hall to protect services https://www.london.gov.uk//press-releases/mayoral/mayor-to-consult-on-relocating-city-hall 3 March 2022 London City Hall en-GB In 2023, the St Martins Property Group 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 and replace the glazing with different materials.Highfield Anna Gensler unveils design to remake Foster's City Hall building Architects' Journal 28 November 2023 https://www.architectsjournal.co.uk/news/gensler-unveils-design-to-retrofit-fosters-former-city-hall-building 2 December 2023 The proposals were approved by Southwark Council in December 2024. Around 3,800 sqm of floor space – 452 sqm of office space and 3,300 sqm of retail space – would be added to the building, following straightening of the slant on its southern side, extending the footprint of the building by 14.2m.Lowe Tom Plan to straighten Fosters' former City Hall building gets green light https://www.building.co.uk/news/plan-to-straighten-fosters-former-city-hall-building-gets-green-light/5133329.article 11 December 2024 Building 11 December 2024 The Twentieth Century Society added the building to its Risk List of architecture at risk of being lost in 2021.Buildings at Risk https://c20society.org.uk/buildings-at-risk Twentieth Century Society 31 March 2026 https://web.archive.org/web/20260221033547/https://c20society.org.uk/buildings-at-risk 21 February 2026 As of October 2025, the building was undergoing major demolition and refurbishment works to accommodate office and retail space, retaining the core of the building,Spocchia Gino 2025-10-14 Photos show deconstruction of Foster + Partners’ City Hall building https://www.architectsjournal.co.uk/news/photos-show-deconstruction-of-foster-partners-city-hall-building 2025-10-23 Architects' Journal enRogers Dave Mace set to turn London’s former City Hall building into offices under £150m deal https://www.building.co.uk/news/mace-set-to-turn-londons-former-city-hall-building-into-offices-under-150m-deal/5137824.article 2025-10-23 Building en but straightening its distinctive leaning profile.Morby Aaron Mace to start £150m former London City Hall retrofit https://www.constructionenquirer.com/2026/07/15/mace-to-start-150m-former-london-city-hall-retrofit/ 15 July 2026 Construction Enquirer 15 July 2026 Design thumb|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",http://www.fosterandpartners.com/projects/1027/default.aspx Foster + Partners 15 January 2013 https://web.archive.org/web/20120902035606/http://www.fosterandpartners.com/Projects/1027/Default.aspx 2 September 2012 dead 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".https://www.theguardian.com/environment/gallery/2008/oct/02/energyefficiency.carbonemissions?intcmp=239#/?picture=338198107&index=5 Public building CO2 footprints revealed Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images The Guardian 2 October 2008 14 September 2015 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",https://www.theguardian.com/education/2001/jul/08/arts.highereducation Sudjic, Deyen A thoroughly modernising mayor The Observer 8 July 2001 23 January 2010http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/2129199.stm Inside London's new 'glass egg' BBC News 16 July 2002 23 January 2010 while his successor, Boris Johnson, made the same comparison using a different word, "The Glass Gonad"http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article5394230.ece Stephen Robinson The Sunday Times Is Boris on an upward spiral at last? 28 December 2008 23 January 2010September 2024 medicmedic and more politely as "The Onion".https://www-theshaftesbury-co-uk.cdn.ampproject.org/v/www.theshaftesbury.co.uk/blog/%E2%80%9Cthe-onion%E2%80%9D-or-london-city-hall/?amp_js_v=a2&amp_gsa=1&amp&usqp=mq331AQA#referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com&amp_tf=From%20%251%24s&ampshare=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.theshaftesbury.co.uk%2Fblog%2F%25E2%2580%259Cthe-onion%25E2%2580%259D-or-london-city-hall%2F The Onion Shaftsbury 14 August 2019 A 500 m on 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.Moore Rowan Testicle reprieved? https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/dec/02/ridley-scott-napoleon-is-no-macbeth-history-architecture-film 2 December 2023 The Guardian 2 December 2023 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.https://www-edie-net.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/www.edie.net/amp-news/2/Solar-panels-to-power-Londons-City-Hall/11996/?amp_js_v=a2&amp_gsa=1&usqp=mq331AQA#referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com&amp_tf=From%20%251%24s&ampshare=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.edie.net%2Fnews%2F2%2FSolar-panels-to-power-Londons-City-Hall%2F11996%2F Solar panels to power London's City Hall Edie 14 August 2019June 2026 InternetArchiveBot 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.https://theconversation-com.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/theconversation.com/amp/is-the-architecture-of-westminster-bad-for-politics-55427?amp_js_v=a2&amp_gsa=1&usqp=mq331AQA#referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com&amp_tf=From%20%251%24s&ampshare=https%3A%2F%2Ftheconversation.com%2Fis-the-architecture-of-westminster-bad-for-politics-55427 Is the architecture of Westminster bad for politics? The Conversation 29 February 2016 14 August 2019June 2026 InternetArchiveBot 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.http://www.londontown.com/TransportInformation/Sights_and_Attractions/City_Hall_Real/37bd/ Nearest station to City Hall London Town 14 August 2019 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20190814185821/http://www.londontown.com/TransportInformation/Sights_and_Attractions/City_Hall_Real/37bd/ 14 August 2019 In popular culture 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.https://www.mi6-hq.com/news/index.php?itemid=11734 Spectre shoots at London City Hall MI6 18 April 2015 24 July 2023 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.Open House: Live Music Sculpture concert held at the GLA, City Hall September 16, 2016 https://www.jesticowhiles.com/news/open-house-live-music-sculpture-concert-held-at-the-gla-city-hall/ 2024-01-10 Jestico + Whiles en dead https://web.archive.org/web/20240110163745/https://www.jesticowhiles.com/news/open-house-live-music-sculpture-concert-held-at-the-gla-city-hall/ 2024-01-10 In 2018, the final selection for the television show The Apprentice was filmed in City Hall.https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2018/dec/16/the-apprentice-finale-review-surely-time-to-dismantle-this-panto Tim Dowling Tim Dowling The Apprentice: Finale review – surely time to dismantle this panto? The Guardian 16 December 2018 26 April 2026 It is featured in the Mario Kart games Mario Kart Tour and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe as part of the London Loop racecourse.https://www.mariowiki.com/Tour_London_Loop#London_Loop Tour London Loop Super Mario Wiki 29 March 2023 The 2025 film Mickey 17 was filmed inside City Hall. https://amazingspace.co.uk/blog/film-critic-mickey-17 Amazing Space 10 December 2024 26 March 2025 Mickey 17 Filming Locations Gallery See also County Hall Inclined building References 30em External links 110 The Queens Walk UCL CASA – Panorama of City Hall (requires QuickTime) Category:2002 establishments in England Category:Buildings and structures in the London Borough of Southwark London Category:Government buildings completed in 2002 Category:Greater London Authority Category:High-tech architecture Category:Inclined buildings Category:Lattice shell structures Category:Foster and Partners buildings Category:Neo-futurist architecture Category:Privately owned public spaces Category:Tourist attractions in the London Borough of Southwark Category:The Twentieth Century Society Risk List