Inside City Hall Home of London’s Government
City Hall City Hall is the home of London’s government where the Mayor, the London Assembly and their support staff are based. Together they make up the Greater London Authority (GLA), which is responsible for the capital’s transport, policing, fire and emergency services, economic development, planning, culture and environment.
© Adam Hinton
A building for Londoners Designed as a building for Londoners, City Hall has several features demonstrating the fact that the GLA provides open and see-through government for London.
These features include: · a glass exterior allowing Londoners to look in and symbolising the fact that the GLA’s work is done in the open for all to see · 250 seats for the public and press in the Chamber, where many meetings and debates take place – some broadcast live over the internet · spectacular views over the Thames and Tower Bridge, reminding staff and visitors alike of London’s status as a vibrant, world-class city. You are welcome to visit City Hall, which is open to the public from 8am to 8pm Monday to Friday, and also on occasional weekends.
Construction of the spiral staircase at the heart of the building. Š Foster + Partners
The history of City Hall In 1999 the GLA Act ruled that London should have its own regional authority. As plans for creating the authority got underway, so too did the development of a new building to house it.
3D models of the various building designs © Foster + Partners
A competition was held and 55 developers submitted their plans for the building’s design and location. Of these, seven went on public display at the Oxo Tower in September 1998, and visitors were invited to say which they liked best and why. The two front runners were developed further, and on 26 February 1999 the government minister for London announced that the London Bridge City Scheme – now known as ‘More London’ – had been chosen. The winning building design was by one of Britain’s leading architecture firms, Foster and Partners, who are responsible for some of London’s most striking landmarks including 30 St Mary Axe (dubbed the ‘Gherkin’), the Millennium Bridge and the British Museum’s Great Court. Using advanced computer modelling techniques, Foster and Partners took a sphere as the starting point for the building rather than the traditional cube. Arup was the company chosen to work on the building’s structural engineering, and City Hall’s unique shape and
supporting structure were developed by the architects and engineers working in partnership. During the process, several electronic 3D models were produced – some of them surprisingly different variations on the final design. The design presented unique challenges because of its southward tilt of 30 degrees, which means that the building’s reinforced concrete core has five times more work to do than that of a normal vertical building. The core, which cantilevers off a pile cap at basement level, is formed from a series of 35cm thick
walls arranged as boxes around the stair and lift shafts. Instead of normal vertical support columns, City Hall has inclined columns restrained by a network of primary steel beams tied back to the core at each level. These beams carry an average 75 tonnes of force. Developers ‘More London’ met the cost of City Hall’s construction, and the government covered the cost of fitting out the building. The GLA has a 25-year lease on City Hall. The building took just 30 months to construct, and was opened by the Queen in July 2002.
The Royal opening in July 2002.© Hayley Madden
City Hall’s green credentials City Hall’s striking shape is an established part of London’s skyline. The building was designed to be energy efficient and set the benchmark for other environmentally friendly buildings in London. City Hall has no boiler to generate heat and no air conditioning unit to cool it down. This means the building saves energy, costing less financially and environmentally. City Hall’s sustainable features include: · its tilt away from the river, exposing a minimum surface area to the hot summer sun · its spherical shape, which means that it has 25 per cent less surface area than a cube of the
same volume: less heat escapes in winter, and in the summer less heat builds up inside · each floor being stepped, which provides natural shade for the floor beneath and helps the building stay cool in the summer · its natural cooling system: cold water from beneath the ground is pumped through beams on each floor to chill the office spaces – and then is reused to flush the toilets · natural ventilation via vents beneath the windows · the recycling of heat generated by computers and lights, through the building’s core · the use of recycled materials to fit the building, including rubber doormats and floor tiles.
Š James O Jenkins
Solar panels for City Hall The Mayor is showing Londoners the way, and completed installation of photovoltaic solar panels on the roof of City Hall in August 2007. The new solar photovoltaic system converts light into electricity – with no waste and no emissions.
Photovoltaic technology benefits include: • a dedicated, clean and safe power source providing free and inexhaustible energy from the sun • no moving parts, therefore silent operation • no CO2 emissions given off • no toxic emissions, saving the environment.
Š Nigel Young/Foster + Partners
What’s on at City Hall Public meetings and events are held regularly at City Hall. Find out what’s on by calling the Public Liaison Unit on 020 7983 4100, visiting www.london.gov.uk or by picking up an events leaflet at City Hall.
Abolition of the Slave Trade Bicentennial Memorial Day 2007, held in The Chamber as City Hall. © Colin Patterson Opposite Big Dance in the Scoop. © James O Jenkins
Accessible City Hall Around City Hall The main entrance to City Hall is on The Queen’s Walk facing the river. The two revolving doors at the front of the building can be difficult for disabled visitors to use. The semiautomatic double-door to the side of the revolving doors opens outwards and can be easier for disabled visitors. Press the yellow button on the outside rail to open the door. Once inside staff at the reception desk will contact the person you are visiting or will explain which areas are open to the public. All visitors need to go through a security check. Lifts – At the back of the building (away from the river) are two public lifts that go to the Lower Ground Floor, Ground Floor, Floor 2 and Floor 9 (when there is public access to it). An audio announcement tells you which floor you’re on. If there is no public access to Floor 9, the ‘9’ button will not work and will not light up. There are large tactile buttons in the lift, but no Braille description.
Ramps – A long, curved ramp goes from Ground Floor Reception to the Lower Ground Floor (to the left) and up to Floor 2 (on the right). The ramp does have handrails and landings, but some people find it long and steep. If in doubt use the lift. Toilets – There are unisex wheelchair accessible toilets on the Lower Ground Floor near the café and on Floors 2 and 9 (these have sliding doors). Telephone – There is a public payphone and textphone on the Lower Ground Floor near the wheelchair accessible toilet. This phone also has hands-free and headset capability. A headset is available from reception. Fire safety – There is no visual alarm system in City Hall. If you cannot use the stairs, wait in the Refuge Area, next to the fire escape stairs, on each floor. There is a telephone in the Refuge Area, which you can use to contract the fire control room to notify them that you need to use the fire lift to evacuate. Follow emergency signs to the Refuge Areas.
Š Adam Hinton
Touring City Hall Key he reception area has both T reception and security staff. As City Hall is a high-profile building, security staff are on duty at all times, guarding against safety risks and carrying out security checks on all visitors. 2
Hall, ask here. There is also an information kiosk opposite the Visitor Centre information desk, where you can access the GLA website. 6 Find where you live on the aerial
map, or use one of the hand-held guides in the interactive exhibition for an introduction to the work of London’s government.
he spiral ramp. This is a slope T from reception to the second floor, and then a spiral staircase to the ninth floor.
3 The Chamber is a flexible space
for public debates and meetings, open to the public and press. 4 The exhibitions in the Chamber
Lobby area change monthly and cover a wide range of London-related subjects. 5 The Visitor Centre is staffed from
9.00am to 5.30pm Monday to Thursday, and 9.00am to 5.00pm on Friday. If you have any questions about the GLA or City
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Meeting rooms
8 The café
9 London’s Living Room is used for
press conferences, receptions and other special events. The Scoop (not shown) is a sunken oval open-air amphitheatre made of grey limestone, used in the summer months for open-air music, theatre and cinema.
Touring City Hall Weekdays
Open weekends
Go through the security check in the reception area and walk up the spiral ramp 2 to the chamber 3 on the second floor. Please note it is only possible to go as far as the second floor on weekdays. Leaving the Chamber via the glass doors at the back, take a look at the current exhibition in the Chamber Lobby area 4 , and take the lift to the lower ground floor to the Visitor Centre 5 and interactive exhibition 6 . Also on the lower ground floor are meeting rooms of various sizes 7 , an exhibition space, and the café 8 , which looks out on to the Scoop and sells delicious fair trade and locally sourced drinks and snacks.
Go through the security check in the reception area then head straight to the ninth floor in the lift to take in spectacular views from London’s Living Room 9 . Walk down the spiral ramp 2 and look out over the Thames and into the staff offices. Arriving at the Chamber 3 , stop to enjoy the exhibition in the Chamber Lobby area 4 before continuing down to the Visitor Centre 5 and interactive exhibition 6 . Finally, visit the café 8 and enjoy some well-deserved refreshment.
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Key on following page
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Meeting rooms
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London’s Living Room
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GLA Offices
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Chamber Lobby
The Chamber Lifts
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Visitor Centre
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Café
www.london.gov.uk Tear along this line and return to City Hall
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Get in touch To request information or for general enquiries about the work of the GLA, please contact the Public Liaison Unit (PLU) Tel 020 7983 4100 Minicom 020 7983 4458 Fax 020 7983 4057 Email mayor@london.gov.uk The Greater London Authority City Hall, The Queen’s Walk More London, London SE1 2AA www.london.gov.uk Main switchboard 020 7983 4000
Visitors enjoy the view from the ramp on an open weekend Š Michael Reeve, www.mykreeve.net
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