London Weekend Break
Lloyds Building
The Lloyds building is one of the most striking structures in London and the most talked about building erected there during the second half of the twentieth century.
The building was designed by Richard Rogers and was one of a number of so called high-tec buildings originating from this particular architect.
The broad concept behind the high-tec approach was to look at utilising materials and design approaches used in other disciplines like car manufacture, ship building etc to free the architect from the restrictions of conventional building design. A further concept was to free as much internal space as possible and to use elements like the air conditioning system and elevators as part of the outside structure. This leads to high-tec buildings having an unusual external appearance and an uncluttered internal space.
In the case of the Lloyds building, this sees a structure featuring many building elements that are normally hidden behind a façade, but that in the case of the Lloyds office block are used to form part of the building’s external envelope. This gives the structure an unusual and unique design and one that caused much debate and discussion about what was, and what was not, an attractive building.
Today, over 25 years after the Building was completed, it is almost universally seen as a success in modern design and an icon of the city of London.
The building was the head office of the Lloyds insurance group and has become a symbol synonymous with that company’s name.
Other interesting features of the building include the eleventh floor committee room that holds an eighteenth century dinning room that appeared in the previous Lloyds headquarters. This “room” was recreated by rebuilding the dinning room piece by piece and item by item in its current location. In its finished state, the dinning room exactly replicates its appearance in its former home.
Facts about the Lloyds building
The building has 14 floors and two separate heights! The building’s actual height is 88 metres, however some of the cranes used during its construction were retained in the design and they elevate the overall height of the structure by a further 7.1 metres.
The building houses the Lutine bell.
The building has a 60 metre high atrium.
Location – Lime Street, City of London.
Access and visiting – Unfortunately, although a small number of corporate tours take place, there is no access to the general public although the building can be viewed from the outside.