The Willis Building is a commercial

skyscraper A skyscraper is a tall continuously habitable building having multiple floors. Modern sources currently define skyscrapers as being at least or in height, though there is no universally accepted definition. Skyscrapers are very tall high-ris ...

in London named after the primary tenant,

Willis Group Willis Group Holdings plc was a multinational risk advisor, insurance brokerage and reinsurance brokerage company with its headquarters in the Willis Building in London until its merger of equals with financial services company Towers Watson i ...

. It is located on Lime Street in the

City of London The City of London is a city, ceremonial county and local government district that contains the historic centre and constitutes, alongside Canary Wharf, the primary central business district (CBD) of London. It constituted most of London fr ...

financial district. The building was designed by

Norman Foster Norman or Normans may refer to: Ethnic and cultural identity * The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 10th and 11th centuries ** People or things connected with the Norm ...

and developed by

British Land The British Land Company plc is one of the largest property development and investment companies in the United Kingdom. The firm became a real estate investment trust when REITs were introduced in the UK in January 2007. It is headquartered in ...

. It stands opposite the

Lloyd's building The Lloyd's building (sometimes known as the Inside-Out Building) is the home of the insurance institution Lloyd's of London. It is located on the former site of East India House in Lime Street, in London's main financial district, the City of ...

and is tall, with 26 storeys. It features a "stepped" design, which was intended to resemble the shell of a crustacean, with setbacks rising at and . In total, there are of office floor-space, most of which was pre-let to the insurance broker Willis.

History

The Willis Building was constructed between 2004 and 2008 under the management of Mace and represented a significant addition to the City of London skyline, becoming its fourth-tallest building after

Tower 42 Tower 42, commonly known as the NatWest Tower, is a skyscraper in the City of London. It is the fifth-tallest tower in the City of London, having been overtaken as the tallest in 2010 by the Heron Tower. It is the fifteenth- tallest in Lond ...

30 St Mary Axe 30 St Mary Axe (previously known as the Swiss Re Building and informally known as the Gherkin) is a commercial skyscraper in London's primary financial district, the City of London. It was completed in December 2003 and opened in April 2004. W ...

and CityPoint. The core was topped out in July 2006 and the steelwork completed in September that year. Cladding began in July 2006 and the structure was externally completed by June 2007. It was internally fitted out and officially opened in April 2008. The building was the first in a wave of new tall towers for London's primary financial district. Others included 22 Bishopsgate, the

Leadenhall Building 122 Leadenhall Street, which is also known as the Leadenhall Building, is a skyscraper in central London. It opened in July 2014 and was designed by the Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners; it is known informally as The Cheesegrater because of it ...

and the

Heron Tower Salesforce Tower, 110 Bishopsgate (formerly Heron Tower) is a commercial skyscraper in London. It stands tall including its mast making it the second tallest building in the City of London financial district and the fifth List of tallest buil ...

Gallery

File:Willis Building.jpg, The Willis Building exterior nears completion (May 2007) Image:fb100_0796.jpg,

as viewed from the second "step" of the Willis Building (July 2007) Image:Lloyd's & Willis Building from Lime Street (9.7.07).jpg, The

is flanked by the Willis Building, as viewed from Lime Street (July 2007) Image:Willis and LLoyd's.jpg, The Willis and Lloyd's buildings, as viewed from

St. Mary Axe St Mary Axe was a medieval parish in the City of London whose name survives as that of the street which formerly occupied it. The Church of St Mary Axe was demolished in 1561 and its parish united with that of St Andrew Undershaft, which is ...

(May 2011) Image:Willis Building, City of London.JPG, Willis Building, 2012

References

External links

{{Commons category, Willis Building, London
Official websiteTimelapse video of the building's construction from March 2005 – May 2007Building.co.uk article
Skyscrapers in the City of London Buildings and structures in the City of London Skyscraper office buildings in London Foster and Partners buildings Office buildings completed in 2008

History

Gallery

See also

References

External links