1. Access key 1 to the homepage
  2. Access key 2 to What is the City?
  3. Access key 3 to What to see
  4. Access key 4 to Where to stay
  5. Access key 5 to Where to eat and drink
  6. Access key 6 to Where to shop
  7. Access key 7 to Venues for hire
  8. Access key 8 to Getting around
  9. Access key 9 to Practical info
  10. Skip navigation to content

City of London Information Centre
St Paul's Churchyard,
London, EC4M 8BX

> City map
Photo: Willis Building; image courtesy of Stanhope
Photo: Willis Building; image courtesy of Max Fenton Photo: Willis Building; image courtesy of Stanhope Photo: Willis Building; image courtesy of Max Fenton
CLICK TO ENLARGE

Willis Building

51 Lime Street

London

EC3M 7DQ


See map >>


T: 020 3124 6000

W: www.willis.com


Visitor Information

Architect: Foster + Partners
Built: 2008
Size: 44,130m² / 125 meters high
Awards: New City Architecture Award 2007
Developers: Stanhope; British Land

This large modern development for the Willis headquarters occupies a prime site. Its striking 29-storey tower and the adjoining 10-storey building have glass exteriors (there are 3,771 windows) and together create an elegant stepped design. It stands directly opposite Lloyd's of London – in fact, Lloyd’s used to occupy the site before it moved to its Richard Rogers’ designed building on Lime Street.

At the time of building, the Willis was the fourth tallest skyscraper in the City of London. Now, over 2,000 Willis staff from four offices across London work under one roof in what the company describe as a ‘greenscraper’ because of its energy-efficient, sustainable architecture. The building received an ‘excellent’ sustainability rating from BREEAM (Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method), which measures the environmental impact of buildings. It weighs 65,000 tonnes and is constructed from 5,500 tonnes of steel; its piled foundations are 38 meters deep. Inside, there is open architecture on all the floors with a ‘no office door’ policy and a 375 seat state-of-the-art auditorium. There are terraces on the 16th and 23rd floors and a tree-lined public plaza around the base of the building, which overall covers 67,500 square meters – equal to 11 football pitches.