Lloyd's building
Encyclopedia
The Lloyd's building is the home of the insurance institution Lloyd's of London
, and is located at 1, Lime Street
, in the City of London
, England.
Richard Rogers
and built between 1978 and 1986. Bovis
was the management contractor for the scheme. Like the Pompidou Centre (designed by Renzo Piano
and Rogers), the building was innovative in having its services such as staircases, lift
s, electrical power conduits and water pipes on the outside, leaving an uncluttered space inside. The twelve glass lifts were the first of their kind in the UK. It is important to note that (like the Pompidou Centre) this building was highly influenced by the work of Archigram
in the 1950s and 1960s (see Plug-in City by Archigram for an example).
The building consists of three main towers and three service towers around a central, rectangular space. Its focal point is the large Underwriting Room on the ground floor, which houses the famous Lutine Bell. The Underwriting Room (often simply known as the Room) is overlooked by galleries, forming a 60 metres (197 ft) high atrium lit naturally through a huge barrel-vaulted glass roof. The first four galleries open onto the atrium space, and are connected by escalators through the middle of the structure. The higher floors are glassed-in, and can only be reached via the outside lifts.
The 11th floor houses the Committee Room, an 18th century dining-room designed for the 2nd Earl of Shelburne
by Robert Adam
in 1763; it was transferred piece-by-piece from the previous (1958) Lloyd's building across the road.
The first Lloyd's building (at 12 Leadenhall Street
) was built on this site in 1928. In 1958, due to expansion, a new building was constructed across the road at 51 Lime Street. In 1978, again due to the prospect of overcrowding, Lloyd's commissioned Richard Rogers
to redevelop the site and the original 1928 building was demolished to make way for the present one which was opened by Queen Elizabeth II in 1986. However, its entrance at 12 Leadenhall Street was preserved, and forms a rather incongruous attachment to the 1986 structure. Demolition of the 1958 building commenced in 2004 to make way for the Willis Building
, a new 26-storey tower and ten-storey building.
The Lloyd's building is 88 metres (289 ft) to the roof, with 14 floors. On top of each service core stand the cleaning cranes pushing the height to 95.1 metres (312 ft). Modular in plan, each floor can be altered with the addition or removal of partitions and walls.
In 2008, The Twentieth Century Society
called for the building to be Grade I listed.
The building is owned by Dublin-based real estate firm Shelbourne Development, who purchased the building in 2004 from a German investment bank.
's 1986 album Silk and Steel, Hundred Reasons
debut album Ideas Above Our Station
and the 2001 reissue of British electronic musician Mike Paradinas
' 1993 album Tango n' Vectif
, under the alias µ-ziq.
Lloyd's of London
Lloyd's, also known as Lloyd's of London, is a British insurance and reinsurance market. It serves as a partially mutualised marketplace where multiple financial backers, underwriters, or members, whether individuals or corporations, come together to pool and spread risk...
, and is located at 1, Lime Street
Lime Street, London
Lime Street is a street in the City of London between Fenchurch Street to the south and Leadenhall Street to the north.The northern portion of the street is pedestrianised...
, in the City of London
City of London
The City of London is a small area within Greater London, England. It is the historic core of London around which the modern conurbation grew and has held city status since time immemorial. The City’s boundaries have remained almost unchanged since the Middle Ages, and it is now only a tiny part of...
, England.
Design
It was designed by architectArchitect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
Richard Rogers
Richard Rogers
Richard George Rogers, Baron Rogers of Riverside CH Kt FRIBA FCSD is a British architect noted for his modernist and functionalist designs....
and built between 1978 and 1986. Bovis
Bovis Lend Lease
Lend Lease Project Management & Construction is the international project management and construction division of Lend Lease Group.-History:...
was the management contractor for the scheme. Like the Pompidou Centre (designed by Renzo Piano
Renzo Piano
Renzo Piano is an Italian architect. He is the recipient of the Pritzker Architecture Prize, AIA Gold Medal, Kyoto Prize and the Sonning Prize...
and Rogers), the building was innovative in having its services such as staircases, lift
Elevator
An elevator is a type of vertical transport equipment that efficiently moves people or goods between floors of a building, vessel or other structures...
s, electrical power conduits and water pipes on the outside, leaving an uncluttered space inside. The twelve glass lifts were the first of their kind in the UK. It is important to note that (like the Pompidou Centre) this building was highly influenced by the work of Archigram
Archigram
Archigram was an avant-garde architectural group formed in the 1960s - based at the Architectural Association, London - that was futurist, anti-heroic and pro-consumerist, drawing inspiration from technology in order to create a new reality that was solely expressed through hypothetical projects...
in the 1950s and 1960s (see Plug-in City by Archigram for an example).
The building consists of three main towers and three service towers around a central, rectangular space. Its focal point is the large Underwriting Room on the ground floor, which houses the famous Lutine Bell. The Underwriting Room (often simply known as the Room) is overlooked by galleries, forming a 60 metres (197 ft) high atrium lit naturally through a huge barrel-vaulted glass roof. The first four galleries open onto the atrium space, and are connected by escalators through the middle of the structure. The higher floors are glassed-in, and can only be reached via the outside lifts.
The 11th floor houses the Committee Room, an 18th century dining-room designed for the 2nd Earl of Shelburne
William Petty, 2nd Earl of Shelburne
William Petty-FitzMaurice, 1st Marquess of Lansdowne, KG, PC , known as The Earl of Shelburne between 1761 and 1784, by which title he is generally known to history, was an Irish-born British Whig statesman who was the first Home Secretary in 1782 and then Prime Minister 1782–1783 during the final...
by Robert Adam
Robert Adam
Robert Adam was a Scottish neoclassical architect, interior designer and furniture designer. He was the son of William Adam , Scotland's foremost architect of the time, and trained under him...
in 1763; it was transferred piece-by-piece from the previous (1958) Lloyd's building across the road.
The first Lloyd's building (at 12 Leadenhall Street
Leadenhall Street
Leadenhall Street is a street in the City of London, formerly part of the A11. It runs east from Cornhill to Aldgate, and west vice-versa. Aldgate Pump is at the junction with Aldgate...
) was built on this site in 1928. In 1958, due to expansion, a new building was constructed across the road at 51 Lime Street. In 1978, again due to the prospect of overcrowding, Lloyd's commissioned Richard Rogers
Richard Rogers
Richard George Rogers, Baron Rogers of Riverside CH Kt FRIBA FCSD is a British architect noted for his modernist and functionalist designs....
to redevelop the site and the original 1928 building was demolished to make way for the present one which was opened by Queen Elizabeth II in 1986. However, its entrance at 12 Leadenhall Street was preserved, and forms a rather incongruous attachment to the 1986 structure. Demolition of the 1958 building commenced in 2004 to make way for the Willis Building
Willis Building (London)
The Willis Building at 51 Lime Street, is a large office tower in London's main financial district, the City of London.Designed by architect Norman Foster and developed by British Land, it stands opposite the Lloyd's building and is tall, with 26 storeys...
, a new 26-storey tower and ten-storey building.
The Lloyd's building is 88 metres (289 ft) to the roof, with 14 floors. On top of each service core stand the cleaning cranes pushing the height to 95.1 metres (312 ft). Modular in plan, each floor can be altered with the addition or removal of partitions and walls.
In 2008, The Twentieth Century Society
The Twentieth Century Society
The Twentieth Century Society is a British charity which campaigns for the preservation of architectural heritage from 1914 onwards. The society's interests extend to buildings or artefacts, whether important or humble, rare or commonplace, that characterise Twentieth Century Britain.The Sociey was...
called for the building to be Grade I listed.
The building is owned by Dublin-based real estate firm Shelbourne Development, who purchased the building in 2004 from a German investment bank.
Use in feature films and record album covers
It is seen on the cover of British pop group Five StarFive Star
Five Star are a British pop / R&B group, formed in 1983. Comprising siblings Stedman, Lorraine, Denise, Doris and Delroy Pearson, they were known for their flamboyant image, matching costumes and heavily choreographed dance routines...
's 1986 album Silk and Steel, Hundred Reasons
Hundred Reasons
Hundred Reasons are an English rock band from Farnborough, Hampshire, composed of Colin Doran , Larry Hibbitt , Andy Gilmour , Andy Bews and Ben Doyle . Originally, the band was signed to Columbia Records in mid April 2001, after fourteen months of near-constant touring...
debut album Ideas Above Our Station
Ideas Above Our Station
Ideas Above Our Station is the critically acclaimed debut studio album by British based rock band, Hundred Reasons, released on May 20, 2002 on Columbia Records...
and the 2001 reissue of British electronic musician Mike Paradinas
Mike Paradinas
Michael Paradinas , who works primarily under the name μ-Ziq in addition to a large number of aliases, is a British musician in the field of electronic music.-History:...
' 1993 album Tango n' Vectif
Tango N' Vectif
Tango n' Vectif is the debut album of British IDM Producer µ-Ziq. It was re-released in 2001 as a Double CD with additional tracks that were on the original vinyl release. The cover photo of the original release was taken by Richard D. James...
, under the alias µ-ziq.
Use as a location in films
- Climbing Great BuildingsClimbing Great BuildingsClimbing Great Buildings is a British television series made for the BBC. The series, first broadcast on BBC Two in autumn 2010, consists of fifteen half-hour programmes each featuring one famous British structure from the last 1000 years....
(2010) - Burn Up (2008) TV series
- Ashes to AshesAshes to Ashes (TV series)Ashes to Ashes is a British science fiction and police procedural drama television series, serving as the sequel to Life on Mars.The series began airing on BBC One in February 2008. A second series began broadcasting in April 2009...
(2008) pilot episode. - Mamma Mia!Mamma Mia! (film)Mamma Mia! is a 2008 musical/romantic comedy film adapted from the 1999 West End/2001 Broadway musical of the same name, based on the songs of successful pop group ABBA, with additional music composed by ABBA member Benny Andersson...
(2008) - The Outer LimitsThe Outer Limits (1995 TV series)The Outer Limits is an American television series that originally aired on Showtime,the Sci Fi Channel and in syndication between 1995 and 2002...
1998 episode, "The Joining" - A Good YearA Good YearA Good Year is a 2006 British romantic comedy film, set in London and Provence. It was directed by Ridley Scott, with an international cast including Russell Crowe, Marion Cotillard, Didier Bourdon, Abbie Cornish and Albert Finney...
(2006) - Code 46Code 46Code 46 is a 2003 British film directed by Michael Winterbottom, with screenplay by Frank Cottrell Boyce. It was produced by BBC Films and Revolution Films. It is a disquieting science fiction love story with themes that explore the moral impacts of advances in biotechnology. The soundtrack was...
(2003) - Spy GameSpy GameSpy Game is a 2001 American spy film directed by Tony Scott and starring Robert Redford and Brad Pitt. The film grossed $62,362,785 in the United States and $143,049,560 worldwide.-Plot:...
(2001) - Proof of LifeProof of LifeProof of Life is a 2000 American film, directed by Taylor Hackford. The title refers to a phrase commonly used to indicate proof that a kidnap victim is still alive...
(2000) - Fred DibnahFred DibnahFrederick "Fred" Dibnah MBE , born in Bolton, was an English steeplejack and eccentric with a keen interest in mechanical engineering who became a cult television personality....
's Magnificent Monuments (2000) TV series - EntrapmentEntrapment (film)Entrapment is a 1999 American caper film directed by Jon Amiel and starring Sean Connery and Catherine Zeta-Jones.-Plot:Virginia "Gin" Baker is an investigator for Waverly Insurance. Robert "Mac" MacDougal is an international art thief. A priceless Rembrandt painting is stolen from an office one...
(1999) - The Avengers (1998)
- Different for GirlsDifferent for GirlsDifferent for Girls is a 1996 British/French comedy film in which one of the protagonists is a transsexual woman. The film is directed by Richard Spence and written by Tony Marchant, starring Rupert Graves and Steven Mackintosh.-Plot:...
(1996) - TrainspottingTrainspotting (film)Trainspotting is a 1996 British satirical/drama film directed by Danny Boyle based on the novel of the same name by Irvine Welsh. The movie follows a group of heroin addicts in a late 1980s economically depressed area of Edinburgh and their passage through life...
(1996) - HackersHackers (film)Hackers is a 1995 American thriller film directed by Iain Softley and starring Angelina Jolie, Jonny Lee Miller, Renoly Santiago, Matthew Lillard, Lorraine Bracco and Fisher Stevens...
(1995) - Incredible GamesIncredible GamesIncredible Games was a popular children's game show which was broadcast between 6 February 1994 and 28 March 1995 and aired on BBC1. It included a variety of games, performed by contestants between the ages of 10 and 13...
(1994) TV gameshow (the roof section was used for the credits of the CBBCCBBCCBBC is one of two brand names used for the BBC's children's television strands. Between 1985 and 2002, CBBC was the name given to all the BBC's programmes on TV for children aged under 14...
show) - High Hopes (1988)
- Search Out Science "Search Out Space" (1990)
See also
- Willis BuildingWillis Building (London)The Willis Building at 51 Lime Street, is a large office tower in London's main financial district, the City of London.Designed by architect Norman Foster and developed by British Land, it stands opposite the Lloyd's building and is tall, with 26 storeys...
- at 51 Lime Street, occupying the site of a former Lloyd's building - 30 St Mary Axe30 St Mary Axe30 St Mary Axe, the Swiss Re Building , is a skyscraper in London's main financial district, the City of London, completed in December 2003 and opened at the end of May 2004...
- Norman Foster's skyscraper which stands nearby - 122 Leadenhall Street122 Leadenhall Street122 Leadenhall Street is an address on Leadenhall Street in the City of London where a 225 metre tall skyscraper designed by Richard Rogers and frequently referred to as "the Cheese Grater" is currently under construction. The site is adjacent to the Lloyd's building, also designed by Rogers...
- a future skyscraper that will stand opposite on the northern side - List of tallest buildings and structures in London