Lloyd's Building
1 Lime Street
London
EC3M 7HA
T: 020 7327 6586
Visitor Information
Architect: Richard Rogers Partnership
Built: 1986
Size: 89 metres high
Awards: RIBA Regional Award 1988; PA Award for Innovation in Building Design and Construction 1988; Eternit 8th International Prize for Architecture (Special Mention) 1988; Financial Times ‘Architecture at Work’ Award 1987; Civic Trust Award 1987; Concrete Society Commendation 1987
Engineers: Ove Arup & Partners
When Lloyd’s of London was suffering from overcrowding in 1978, its committee commissioned the architect Richard Rogers to redevelop its Leadenhall Street site. Eight years later, in 1986, the Queen opened the new 14-floor landmark building at One Lime Street. An extraordinary steel, machine-like structure, its central block of offices is hidden by a collection of services attached to the outside of the building. These steel pipes, ducts and towers protrude and snake dramatically around the structure.
The dealing room can expand or contract according to the needs of the market by means of a series of galleries around a central space, with escalators and lifts providing access between floors. Its focal point is the large underwriting room on the ground floor, which houses the famous Lutine Bell and is overlooked by the galleries, forming a 60 metre high atrium lit naturally through a huge barrel-vaulted glass roof. This massive building stands off the ground, raised over a well bridged by walkways.
Rogers has said that as the architectural form of the building evolved, particular attention was paid to its impact on the surrounding area, especially to the listed 19th century Leadenhall Market. As a result, Lloyd’s developed into a complex grouping of towers that are almost Gothic in feeling. It is seen as one of the great architectural achievements of the 1980s and as the building which confirmed Rogers’ position as an important international architect.
Lloyd’s of London offer tours for business-related groups and university and sixth-form business and economics students over the age of 16. They also occasionally accommodate individuals with a business interest subject to availability and advance booking. However, it is usually open to the public during the annual Open House weekend in September.