fot. DanielMichaelPerry, flickr, CC 2.0

Building ‘turned inside out’. Lloyd’s Building in London

London’s Lloyd’s Building is often referred to as the ‘Inside-out building’. The building looks as if it has been turned inside out, like a backpack. The building’s technical equipment has been exposed by the architect, and the whole resembles a large industrial complex. To top it all off, the unusual office building is located in the city’s business district and stands out significantly from the surrounding area. The design of the Lloyd’s Building is the responsibility of Richard Rogers & Partners, a studio known for its work on the Centre Pompidou in Paris. The plot on which the office building now stands formerly belonged to the British East India Company.

The growing insurance market has contributed to the growth of institutions such as Lloyd’s, which manages the insurance market. The Lloyd’s headquarters designed by Edwin Cooper soon proved too small. The institution bought up more buildings, but the dispersed nature of the buildings made work difficult. It was not until 1978 that a competition was launched to design a new, large headquarters. Entrants to design the building included Ioeh Ming Pei and Norman Foster.

High-tech quirks

Richard Rogers’ winning design is somewhat reminiscent of his Centre Pompidou in Paris. The French arts centre looks as if the builders had not removed the scaffolding. Pipes, fire stairs and air-conditioning units have been exposed and form the façade of the building. Rogers followed suit and created a large high-tech office building. In English nomenclature, the architect’s work is presented as a prime example of the ‘bowelism’ style. The architecture of the building is a combination of brutalism centred on metallic technical elements. “Turning this necessary but also less attractive part of the building inside out” allows for better space management inside the edifice.

The Lloyd’s Building is full of architectural quirks. The ubiquitous metal comes to the fore. Both shiny steel and more matt metal were used in the construction. Every metallic technical element of the building has been treated like an ornament. Hence the fire stairs, lifts, pipes, air conditioning and cleaning cranes displayed outside the building. Another important element is the glass hidden behind the metal frames.

The insurance factory

The massing consists of three towers and a large rectangular space in the middle. The roof of the office building is 88 m high. This height is particularly noticeable from the ground floor level of the glazed atrium. This is a hall that functions as a ‘courtyard’. Looking up, one can see galleries connected by a glass escalator. As can be seen, the interior also seeks to expose the technical equipment. A metal escalator together with massive concrete columns add variety to the atrium. Finally, the cradle roof composed of steel frames and glass is somewhat reminiscent of the structure of the famous Crystal Palace, which you can read about HERE.

The least expected elements of this futuristic-industrial office building are fragments of the original 1920s headquarters. Such objects are scattered throughout the building. A fragment of the facade of the Edwin Cooper building stands out against the metal facade. The richly decorated entrance commemorated the First World War. Hence the form of the triumphal arch. Rogers recognised this element as historically important and incorporated it into the modern office building.

Broker tolls the bell

An even more unusual monument is a bell pulled from the wreck of HMS Lutine. The ship sank near Friesland in 1799. The Lutine bell was recovered and hung in the main hall (Underwriting Room) of Lloyd’s headquarters. As soon as it rang out, brokers had to stop trading on the delayed ship. The bell also gave information about the fate of ships. Their condition was crucial in assessing insurance. Interestingly, the bell was used until 1989, when it began to crack. The colonnade, along with Lutine, is still located in the Underwriting Room. The room’s name now refers to the glass atrium.

photo by Aurelien-Guichard, flickr, CC 2.0
Zobacz

The hall hides two more interesting relics from the 18th century. The book of losses contains records of the greatest losses of the last 300 years. To this day, the results are still recorded with a pen. The second relic is an entire room purchased at auction in the 1950s. Representatives from Lloyd’s went to the auction held at the manor house of Bowood House in Wiltshire. The original plan was to purchase a fireplace for the office of the institution’s chairman, but the entire stateroom was eventually purchased. The room, The Adams Room, was named after the architect of Bowood House. The room was moved in pieces to one of Lloyd’s offices in Lime Street. The whole room weighed 30 tonnes. Today, The Adams Room is located on the eleventh floor of the Rogers Building.

A treat among the monuments is the collection of British Fleet Admiral Horatio Nelson. The military man won a decisive victory over Napoleon at the Battle of Trafalgar. The basement of Lloyd’s building contains various items belonging to the admiral, including records of the landmark battle.

Imperial past

The City of London was a financial district long before the first skyscraper was built in it. One of the most important buildings in the area was East India House. The neo-classical edifice became the headquarters of the British East India Company – one of the most powerful companies in world history. Over time, the Company was nationalised and the building was demolished in 1861. Today, the Lloyd’s Building now stands on a plot of land in Leadenhall Street.

The headquarters of the Lloyd’s institution is one of London’s strangest buildings. Behind the industrial character hides 300 years of financial history. Rogers’ design is so surprising that it is hard to believe the Centre Pompidou is more popular. The architect was keen to shock the viewer while remaining functional. Rogers’ goal was achieved, but the exposed technical equipment is heavily degraded.

Source: Building Centre

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