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CITY HALL

CASE
STUDY
London city
hall
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INTRODUCTION
London City Hall is located on the south bank of the River
Thames near Tower Bridge. It was designed by the “Foster and
Partners” architecture firm. It was designed to become a new
landmark for the capital. The building is 45 meters high divided into
10 floors above the ground.
It has no front or back in conventional terms, its shape is
derived from a geometrically modified sphere. London City Hall was
officially opened by Her Majesty the Queen in July 2002. City Hall is
the headquarters of the Greater London Authority (GLA) which
comprises the Mayor of London and the London Assembly.

GENERAL I N F O R M AT I O N
*Full name LONDON CITY HALL
*architect: Norman foster partners
*Location: London, England completed: 2002
*A holistic design approach
*Size: 130,000 sq ft
*Structural engineer: Arup
*Owner: more London development ltd. Current tenants: greater
London authority
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THE ARCHITECT
LONDON CITY HALL

London City Hall is the home of the offices for the Mayor of London city hall was designed by the architect Norman
London and the London Assembly. It was originally created as part foster of the foster and partners architecture firm. Foster is a
of the infrastructure of the newly-formed Greater London Authority. world-renowned architect that has designed many famous
London City Hall is located on the South Bank of the River buildings throughout the united kingdom. One of his most
Thames adjacent to Tower Bridge, in the city of London. well-known projects was wembley stadium, situated in greater
London.

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History
It was constructed using over 4 tons of steel and 13,100
The building was commissioned as a home-site for the
square meters of concrete. During construction, two large pipes
newly-formed greater London authority and the mayor of London.
were installed that tapped into the water table of the river
Despite its name, London city hall is not technically the
thames. These pipes circulate cold water from these pipes
headquarters of the London municipal services or government. The
throughout the building during the summer months as a cooling
headquarters of the city of London are actually located in guildhall,
device.
which is on the opposing side of the river Thames from London city
Current use
hall. The building itself is not owned by the greater London
Currently, the London city hall building is primarily used as
authority. They are renting it under a 25 year lease with other
the home of the greater London authority. The greater London
municipal offices.
authority is the successor of a few previously held government
Design and construction
bodies that comprise the office of the mayor and the London
London city hall is noted for its uniquely bulbous design that
assembly. Its primary purpose is to provide oversight to a number
stands out amid the more conservative backdrop of the river
of different governmental organizations. It does this by having
thames' south bank. The design was created with the highest
direct oversight of transport for london, the mayor's office for
demands of energy efficiency in mind. The bulbous nature of the
policing and crime, the London development agency, and london
building helps to reduce its outer surface area and thereby require
fire and emergency planning.
less energy to heat. The entirety of the building is accessible by a
The greater london authority is comprised entirely of elected
helical staircase that runs 500 meters to the top floor. There is an
administrative professionals, which has created some issues
exhibition and viewing area at the top of the building that is often
within the city. Since the city does not own the building, it is
used as a meeting space for the greater london authority.
technically private property and is not subject to the same
Photovoltaic cells are being integrated into the building to help
allowances to the public as other government buildings.
bring it up to the united kingdom's stringent energy guidelines.

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DESIGN LAUNCH : he design for london city hall was part of a

DESIGN PROCESS developer-led competition, which asked for submissions according

BACKGROUND: in the 1980s, london’s local government had to a design brief that required the promotion of transparency and

been dissolved and the old government building was democracy. In addition to these requirements, foster and partners

transformed into a hotel and aquarium. With prime minister, incorporated their own environmental goals for the project. In

tony blair’s commitment to bringing back a london-wide order to produce an energy-conscious design, architects began to

government in 1997, the election of a new mayor and greater collaborate with engineers, arup, early on in the design process.

london authority called for a new government building. Together, foster and partners and arup worked to design the initial

The city hall project was an opportunity to express the london city hall submission, which took the form of a conventional

values of the newly formed governing body and act as a symbol office block with a debate chamber positioned at the end.

of change for london. The project brief called for a building to

house the greater london authority , which consists of the After selecting foster and partners to take on the project,

mayor, london assembly and their support staff . the jury, consisting of political and professional representatives,
described the desire for a more iconic building form. With this
direction in mind, the design team took the sketch that appealed
to the jurors and began to reassess the presence of the brief
requirements. At this point, volumetric studies were done by
manipulating and altering the weight of the brief.
As the design sequence progressed, the building began to
take the form of a more dynamic shape that was conceptually vent
by the ailed brief requirements. Advanced computer- modeling
techniques helped to create iterative studies of 3d models
throughout
c i t ythe
h a design
l l c a s e process.
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Design concept Space characteristics

London city hall’s building form is justified according to two the City hall begins to respond to the necessity for
main design criteria that consist of democratic and environmental democracy by drawing the public in with its iconic building form.
ideals. The ground level consists of a sunken outdoor amphitheater that
draws the public into an underground café and exhibition space
located directly beneath the assembly chamber.

A central winding ramp allows patrons to symbolically

ascend through all ten stories of the building and above the
debate chamber of their elected representatives. The ramp
eventually leads past the mayor’s office to what is known as
“London's living room”. This space provides an excellent
exhibition space with its naturally lit spaces, as well as an
outdoor terrace that can accommodate up to 200 guests.
The transparent façade allows Londoners to see directly
v Original sketch and
metaphor indicate into the operating chamber, symbolizing an open system of
the aim of a deign government. This idea is enhanced by the building’s views over
was to provide a
very transparent the Thames river, tower bridge and cityscape abroad that serve
space one side and a as a reminder of London's role as a historically rooted and ever-
shielded space
through developing world-class city. The chamber also contains 250
photovoltaic from seats for public and press viewing of the gla’s meetings and
harsh sun on the
other hand . debates.

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Along with the democratic concept, the working atmosphere

created inside of the building is admittedly not the spacious office
type found in a luxurious office building.
Instead, the inside is more of a local-government- style office,
where the workspace is pushed to the center and open- plan areas
line the perimeter.

Environmental criteria
Designed to set the standard for environmentally conscious
buildings in London, London city hall incorporates several passive and
active design features to achieve its sustainable merit.
Position
located on the edge of the Thames, London city hall takes full
advantage of its seclusion from traffic noise and fumes . In addition,
the building is positioned to receive the fresh air of the Thames and
optimize energy performance according to its position on site and
orientation to the sun.
Form
The exterior formal moves are derived from the desire to reduce
the total glass surface area of the building. In general, a spherical
building consumes 25% less energy than cubic building of the same
volume. Therefore, the solar heat gain and heat loss through London
city hall’s building envelope is minimized.
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Basement floor plan Ground floor plan

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CROSS SECTION INTERIOR FEATURE

Situated on the 2nd floor of city hall, the chamber is the main
auditorium space and its spiral staircase which rises up to “London's
living room “ is a unique interior design masterpiece. It is primarily
used as the debating room for the mayor, the London assembly or
the greater London authority. It is an ideal venue to hold conferences,
product launches, award ceremonies or even fashion shows.

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ENVELOPE The building envelope also responds to thermal mapping

The angles of the stepping floor plate overhang on results, which were derived using three- dimensional lighting
the southern façade are calculated to take advantage of analyses and a daylight simulation technique. This technique
sunlight during winter and provide natural shading during calculated the incident solar radiation by calculated the luminance
summer. In contrast, along the northern façade, where for each panel and converting it into a heat gain value. In locations
direct sun exposure is minimal, the assembly chamber is along the façade where the greatest solar impacts occur, the ratio
completely glazed and unshaded. of glazing to cladding is reduced and an operable louver system is
used.

PA N E L I N G
The spherical geometry of the structure required the exact
measurements of 654 unique panels that were set at different
angles. For each panel of glazing, four vector points were chosen
and the planning contractor then created offsets, which allowed a
machine to measure and cut the exact size and shape of each
panel. Each panel is composed of high-performance solar-
control glazing, insulated opaque panels and operable vents.
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V E N T I L AT I O N
London city hall’s environmental strategies also begin to
ü During winter, a hygroscopic thermal wheel extracts heat and
incorporate passive control systems that allow the building to
moisture from the air and is used to preheat the air supply. During
operate more efficiently. Amongst these systems are displacement
the summer, the same system is used to cool the incoming air
floor grills laced below windows that supply fresh air to the office
supply.
paces. Operable vents along the edge of the building also allow
for natural ventilation. Displacement ventilation systems are used
to cool the committee rooms and debate chamber.
H E AT I N G A N D C O O L I N G
Chilled beams along with low-level air supply serve as the
main forms of cooling. Borehole cooling allows cool
groundwater to be pumped up from the ground to chiller beams
in the ceilings. After cooling the building, the borehole water is
recycled and used for flushing toilets.
During the winter, mass amounts of heat are lost through the
exposed external wall of the chamber. In order to heat the
chamber, the diagrid façade structure is used as a large radiator
and convector heater.
The combination of these energy-saving cooling strategies
eliminates the need for mechanical chillers and reduces the
annual energy consumption of the building’s mechanical
systems by approximately 25% that of a typical office building.

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Measure 3: land use and site ecology

DESIGN MEASURES the design protects and benefits ecosystems, watersheds,
Measure 1: design and innovation and wildlife habitat in the presence of human development.
The new city hall building reduces its carbon footprint by 75%, Although this project is located in an urban context, the decisions
compared to other office buildings of comparable size. taken by its
Foster+partners achieved this by incorporated a number of passive Architects respects its surroundings and protects surrounding
design features, as well as integrating extensive computer features such as the themes river and the underlying water table
technology into the design to improve the buildings overall Measure 4: bioclimatic design
performance. The design conserves resources and maximizes comfort
The team began with a sphere, then, as the beginning form through design adaptations to site-specific and regional climate
for the space and transformed it to better adapt and work with its conditions. One of the main ways the building is cooled is by
environment. The building is oriented north, and its south side, then, pumping water up directly from the cool water table below through
leans over to create a natural shading for lower floors with the two bore holes under the building.
upper floors. This water is pumped through alternating slabs on the
Measure 2: regional/community design building allowing for comfortable cooling. The water is then used
The city hall of the greater London authority responds well to to flush the toilets and recycled. The skin of the building is also
its local climactic environment. The 31 degree tilt of the south designed to allow for minimal heat gain/loss.
facing facade means the floors will be shaded well by the floors A sphere uses approximately 25% less surface area than a
above during the summer months, and they will admit more direct cube to enclose the same amount of volume, so the overall shape
natural light during the winter months. of the thing is spherical in nature because of this. Also, the skin is
The building also has computer controlled operable windows double layered to improve insulation and further reduce unwanted
which allow for natural ventilation from the prevailing winds. heat loss/gain.
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Measure 5: light and air Measure 8: materials and construction

the design creates comfortable interior environments that The design includes the informed selection of materials and
provide daylight, views, and fresh air. The unique shape of the city products to reduce product cycle environmental impacts, improve
hall of the greater london authority allows most of the office space to performance, and optimize occupant health and comfort.
be lit by indirect, natural daylight and also affords great views for Measure 9: long life, loose fit
most of its inhabitants. the design seeks to enhance and increase ecological, social,
The computer controlled, operable windows also allow for and economic values over time. The design of the city hall of the
natural ventilation, creating an overall comfortable working greater london authority, though controversial at first, has proved
environment. efficient since its inception.
Measure 6: water cycle The reduction of greenhouse emissions is becoming more
The design conserves water and protects and improves water and more necessary, and this project is serving as an important
quality. Two bore holes draw water directly from the water table case study for “green” design.
below london to cool the space, lowering dramatically the projects Measure 10: collective feedback loops
strain on local water sources. The same water is used to flush the The design strategies and best practices evolve over time
toilets and is then recycled. through documented performance and shared knowledge of
Measure 7: energy flows & energy future lessons learned. The collective experience as well as the
The design conserves energy and resources and reduces the collective experience of the team at the office helped make this
carbon footprint while improving building performance and comfort. this project as efficient as it is and the work continues to achieve a
As stated earlier, a combination of the buildings size, orientation, lighter impact on our mother earth.
shape, skin, heating and cooling mechanisms, efficient skin system,
and other factors.
Also, in 2007, solar panels were added to the roof of the project,
further reducing its dependence on unclean power sources.
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conclusion