| 110 The Queen's Walk | |
|---|---|
 The former City Hall building pictured in 2011 | |
  Location of 110 The Queen's Walk in Central London | |
| Former names | City Hall |
| General information | |
| Architectural style | Neo-futurism |
| Location | 110 The Queen's Walk London, England |
| Coordinates | 51°30′17.26″N0°4′43.13″W / 51.5047944°N 0.0786472°W /51.5047944; -0.0786472 |
| Current tenants | None |
| Completed | July 2002; 23 years ago (2002-07) |
| Owner | Kuwait Investment Authority |
| Height | 45 metres (147.6 ft)[1] |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Norman Foster |
| Architecture firm | Foster + Partners |
| Structural engineer | Arup |
110 The Queen's Walk, formerlyCity Hall, is a building inBermondsey,London that served as the headquarters of theGreater London Authority (GLA) between July 2002 and December 2021. Designed byNorman Foster, it is located on the south bank of theRiver Thames nearTower Bridge. The site, which forms part of theMore London development, has been owned by theState of Kuwait since 2013.[2]
In June 2020, Mayor of LondonSadiq Khan proposed a relocation of the GLA toThe Crystal, a GLA-owned property inNewham.[3] Khan confirmed the decision on 3 November 2020 and the GLA vacated City Hall on 2 December 2021.[4]
The City Hall building was designed byNorman Foster and was constructed at a cost of £43 million[5] on a site formerly occupied bywharves serving thePool of London. It opened in July 2002, two years after the GLA was created, and was leased rather than owned by the GLA.[6] Despite its name, City Hall did not serve a city (according to UK law). It had responsibilities over Greater London, which should not be confused with theCity of London, which has its headquarters at theGuildhall.[7]
In June 2011, MayorBoris Johnson announced that for the duration of the London2012 Olympic Games, the building would be calledLondon House.[8]
In November 2020, Mayor of LondonSadiq Khan announced plans to vacate City Hall at the end of 2021 and relocate toThe Crystal in theRoyal Victoria Docks area ofEast London.[9][10][3] Khan cited the high cost of rent as the reason for relocating the GLA headquarters, stating that vacating City Hall in favour of a property owned by the authority would save it £55 million over the course of five years.[11]
In 2023, St Martins Property announced that the architectural firms ofGensler and LDA Design had completed a plan to redesign the unused structure as a mixed-use office and retail building. It was intended to replace the iconic spiral with leafy terraces[12] and replace the glazing with different materials.[13] The proposals were approved bySouthwark Council in December 2024. Around 3,800 square metres (41,000 sq ft) of floor space - 452 square metres (4,870 sq ft) of office space and 3,300 square metres (36,000 sq ft) of retail space - would be added to the building, following straightening of the slant on its southern side, extending the footprint of the building by 14.2m.[14]
As of October 2025, the building was undergoing major demolition and refurbishment works to accommodate office and retail space, retaining the core of the building.[15][16]
The building has an unusual, bulbous shape, purportedly intended to reduce its surface area and thus improveenergy efficiency, although the excess energy consumption caused by the exclusive use of glass (in a double façade) overwhelms the benefit of shape. Despite claiming the building "demonstrates the potential for a sustainable, virtually non-polluting public building",[17] energy use measurements have shown this building to be fairly inefficient in terms of energy use (375 kWh/m2/yr), with a 2012 Display Energy Performance Certificate rating of "E".[18] It has been compared variously to a helmet (eitherDarth Vader's or simply a motorcyclist's), a misshapen egg, and awoodlouse. Former mayorKen Livingstone referred to it as a "glass testicle",[19][20] while his successor, Boris Johnson, made the same comparison using a different word, "The Glass Gonad"[21] and more politely as "The Onion".[22]
A 500-metre (1,600 ft)helicalwalkway ascends the full ten storeys. At the top is an exhibition and meeting space with an open viewing deck that was occasionally open to the public. The ramp could not be used as intended for security reasons.[12] The walkway provides views of the interior of the building, and is intended to symbolise transparency; a similar device was used by Foster in his design for the rebuiltReichstag (parliament), when Germany's capital was moved back to Berlin. In 2006 it was announced thatphotovoltaic cells would be fitted to the building by theLondon Climate Change Agency.[23]
Thedebating chamber was located at the bottom of the helical stairway. The seats and desks for assembly members were arranged in a circular form.[24]
The building is located on The Queen's Walk, a part of the extended pedestrianised south-side embankment of theRiver Thames in theLondon Borough of Southwark. It forms part of a larger development calledMore London, including offices and shops. The nearestLondon Underground andNational Rail station isLondon Bridge.[25]
In 2015, City Hall acted as location for the fictional HQ of the Joint Intelligence Service in theJames Bond filmSpectre. The building appeared taller, and in a different Thames-side location in the movie through the use ofcomputer-generated imagery.[26] In 2016 the walkways were filled with musicians duringOpen House London in a site-specific work by British composer Samuel Bordoli, which explored the unique acoustic of the structure.[27] In 2018, the final selection for the television showThe Apprentice was filmed in City Hall.[28]It is featured in theMario Kart gamesMario Kart Tour andMario Kart 8 Deluxe as part of the London Loop racecourse.[29] The 2025 filmMickey 17 was filmed inside City Hall.[30]
