Willis Building (London)

The Willis Building is a commercial skyscraper in London named after the primary tenant, Willis Group. It is located on Lime Street in the City of London financial district.

The building was designed by Norman Foster and developed by British Land. It stands opposite the Lloyd's building and is 125 metres (410 ft) tall, with 26 storeys. It features a "stepped" design, which was intended to resemble the shell of a crustacean, with setbacks rising at 97 m (318 ft) and 68 m (223 ft). In total, there are 475,000 square feet (44,128.9 m²) of office floor-space, most of which was pre-let to the insurance broker Willis.

History

The Willis Building was constructed between 2004 and 2008 under the management of Mace and represented a significant addition to the City of London skyline at the time, becoming its fourth-tallest building after Tower 42, 30 St Mary Axe and CityPoint. The core was topped out in July 2006 and the steelwork completed in September that year. Cladding began in July 2006 and the structure was externally completed by June 2007. It was internally fitted out and officially opened in April 2008.

The building was the first in a wave of new tall towers for London's primary financial district. Others included 22 Bishopsgate, the Leadenhall Building and the Heron Tower.

Gallery

See also

• List of tallest buildings and structures in London
• 20 Fenchurch Street
• The Scalpel
• St. Helen's
• Willis Tower

References

External links

• Official website
• Timelapse video of the building's construction from March 2005 – May 2007
• Construction details on the curtain wall façades
• Building.co.uk article
• Project description – Climaveneta Official website