City Hall in London is the headquarters of the Greater London Authority and the Mayor of London. It stands on the south bank of the River Thames, in the More London development by Tower Bridge. Designed by Norman Foster it opened in July 2002.
The building has an unusual bulbous shape, intended to reduce the building's surface area and thus improve energy efficiency. It has been compared variously to Darth Vader's helmet, a misshapen egg, a woodlouse or a motorcycle helmet. London Mayor Ken Livingstone referred to it as a "glass testicle". Its designers reportedly saw the building as a giant sphere hanging over the Thames, but opted for a more conventionally rooted building instead. The building has no front or back on conventional terms but derives its shape from a modified sphere.
City Hall was constructed on a site formerly occupied by wharves serving the Pool of London. The building does not belong to the GLA but is leased under a 25-year rent. It forms part of a larger development called More London, including offices and shops. Next to City Hall is a sunken amphitheatre called The Scoop, which is used in the summer months for open-air performances; it is not, however, part of the GLA's jurisdiction.
A 500 metre (1,640 foot) helical walkway, reminiscent of that in New York's Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum ascends the full height of the building. At the top of the ten-story building is an exhibition and meeting space called "London's Living Room," with an open viewing deck which is occasionally open to the public. 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 rebuilt Reichstag in Germany.
City Hall is not in the City of London, whose headquarters is in the Guildhall north of the Thames. The predecessors of the Greater London Authority, namely the Greater London Council and the London County Council, had their headquarters at County Hall, upstream on the South Bank. Although County Hall's old council chamber is still intact, it is unavailable for use by the GLA due to the building's conversion into, amongst other things, a luxury hotel, amusement arcade and aquarium.
From: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_City_Hall
08 Июнь 2010, 02:38 JohnGoode Your shots are excellent and the background info is just so interesting
09 Июнь 2010, 01:30 KaCey97007 Very interesting shot and thanks for the history.
09 Июнь 2010, 08:45 jodi_tripp
That is awesome!
Love Photography)
09 Июнь 2010, 22:28 Penelope42 Great shot ! (4 Aces)
10 Июнь 2010, 14:20 mortimer?
Welcome to share this photo with the Out of this world buildings group.--
Seen in my contacts' photos. (?)
11 Июнь 2010, 02:46 flickrjob
a good one
(4 Aces)
12 Июнь 2010, 02:22 sole*luna thanks for explanation(Love Photography)
12 Июнь 2010, 17:10 kayodeok In black and white:
12 Июнь 2010, 19:44 twinleaves I love this building alsomy shot
13 Июнь 2010, 05:34 msee this is unique color and interesting shape of architecture. well done.
13 Июнь 2010, 10:47 artist way another superb image!
14 Июнь 2010, 08:36 lusobrandane nice shot ....
14 Июнь 2010, 22:46 Sebastiano Pitruzzello (aka gorillaradio)
Gorgeous colours
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15 Июнь 2010, 07:04 el patojo
Nice shot.
1-2-3
15 Июнь 2010, 15:24 Sunira The blue color looks great!
16 Июнь 2010, 13:27 Urban Disturbance Brilliant colours!3:1 Group)
16 Июнь 2010, 18:20 kylejones I like it...just walked past there today...
17 Июнь 2010, 07:26 burnt out Impurities Quite a structure. There are buildings in Seattle that I would cheerfully replace with this.Found in the 3-2-1 group pool.
17 Июнь 2010, 12:40 kayodeok great shot and exelent colour alteration tag 1
18 Июнь 2010, 03:24 lee burnt out impurities: There's been no color alteration; the colors you see are exactly what I photographed.
18 Июнь 2010, 16:25 artic pj nice leading linesTag #2 from Let's Play Tag
19 Июнь 2010, 09:54 Robby Edwards very cool lighting & compositionTag 3 & taggedout from Let's Play Tag
19 Июнь 2010, 14:02 aumbody images Beautiful! Fantastic architecture and colors.
20 Июнь 2010, 01:09 pfflyers1 Fantastic colour and composition!!! Great night shot!!
20 Июнь 2010, 17:55 popotan
Great shot
Love the lines and coloring
20 Июнь 2010, 20:37 wakalani
Beautiful color!
Return from Pay It Forward
20 Июнь 2010, 21:55 digital_don love it
21 Июнь 2010, 08:23 jaanikas What a wonderful image! Love the Architecture too.
21 Июнь 2010, 14:48 Cap'n Surly Hello,I'm an administrator for the group POSITIVE OUTLOOK ON LIFE and I've just noticed your great pic. It would go together so well with our group's main idea because it conveys a positive and happy message.And also, it would go together well with our this week's theme - CITIES AND TOWNS. :)It'd be great if you'd consider joining the group. :) I must mention that I started the group only about a month ago, so please don't let the small number of members and photos scare you off. It's only the beginning. :)So if you'd like to give other people the chance to get positive emotions from your photos, you know where to come. :)Hope to see you soon!Jaanika
22 Июнь 2010, 00:46 unicorn81 fantastic!
22 Июнь 2010, 05:46 mcgrayjr
excellent
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