Willis Building, Ipswich
The Willis Building (originally the Willis Faber & Dumas regional headquarters) in Ipswich, Suffolk, England, is one of the earliest buildings designed by Norman Foster and Wendy Cheesman after establishing Foster Associates.[1] Constructed between 1970 and 1975 for the insurance firm now known as Willis Towers Watson, it is widely considered a landmark in the development of the 'high tech' architectural style. The building houses some 1,300 office staff in open-plan offices spread over three floors.
Location
[edit]The bulbous floor plan of the office block reflects the layout of the available site in the centre of Ipswich, which is sandwiched between several road junctions and the Grade I listed Unitarian Meeting House, one of Ipswich's oldest surviving buildings. Thus two of the town's Grade I listed buildings stand side by side.
Design
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The centre of the building is constructed from a grid of concrete pillars, 14 m (46 ft) apart, supporting cantilevered concrete slab floors. The curtain wall exterior is clad in panels of dark smoked glass. The use of dark glass, a curtain wall and lack of right angle corners mirrors the art deco Express Building in Manchester, cited by Norman Foster as one of his favourite buildings and a design influence.[2] The central escalator well leads up to a rooftop staff restaurant surrounded by a rooftop garden (360 panorama).
Originally, there was also a swimming pool for employees to enjoy during their lunch break. This has now been covered up (and preserved, rather than filled in, due to it being a listed building) and the space is used for more offices. The swimming pool can be seen underneath the false floor.
History
[edit]The Willis Building was commissioned by John Roscoe, chairman of Willis, Faber & Dumas, in the early 1970s.[3] The architectural firm of Norman Foster was selected after a shortlist was provided by the Royal Institute of British Architects. Foster's design, inspired by a glass-clad office building he had recently completed, featured innovative energy-conscious elements and open-plan floor spaces. The building was officially opened on June 2, 1975, by former Prime Minister Harold Macmillan.[4]
In 1991 the Willis building became the newest building to be given Grade I listed building status in Britain. At the time it was one of only two listed buildings under 30 years of age.[5]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "Willis Building | Architecture Projects". www.fosterandpartners.com. Retrieved 21 April 2023.
- ^ Sudjic, Deyan (2010). Norman Foster. p. 11.
- ^ "Heritage Icons » WTW (Willis Building)". The Ipswich Society. Retrieved 22 September 2024.
- ^ Kindred, David (30 August 2017). "Days Gone By: The history of the town's iconic Willis building". East Anglian Daily Times. Retrieved 22 September 2024.
- ^ "Pioneering management guidelines for modern listed buildings". Context. September 1995. Archived from the original on 4 November 2007.
External links
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- BBC Four episode of series Building Sights on the Willis Building, presented by Zaha Hadid
- Project description from Foster + Partner
- Map sources for Willis Building, Ipswich
- Historic England. "Details from listed building database (1237417)". National Heritage List for England.
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