City Hall, London facts for kids
Quick facts for kids City Hall |
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City Hall
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| General information | |
| Address | The Queen's Walk London, SE1 United Kingdom |
| Coordinates | 51°30′17″N 0°04′42″W / 51.50472°N 0.07833°W |
| Current tenants | Greater London Authority |
| Completed | 2002 |
| Owner | More London Development Ltd. |
| Height | 45 m |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Norman Foster |
| Architecture firm | Foster and Partners |
| Structural engineer | Arup |
City Hall is a famous building in London, England. It is the main office for the Greater London Authority (GLA). The GLA is made up of the Mayor of London and the London Assembly. They work together to run London.
City Hall is located in Southwark, on the south bank of the River Thames. It is very close to the famous Tower Bridge. A well-known architect named Norman Foster designed the building. It first opened its doors in July 2002. This was two years after the Greater London Authority was created.
A New Home for London's Government
For its first two years, the Greater London Authority did not have its own special building. It was based in Romney House in Westminster. Meetings of the London Assembly were held at the Emmanuel Centre.
City Hall was built on land that used to be old docks. The building cost about £43 million to construct. The GLA does not own City Hall. Instead, they rent it for 25 years.
Even though it's called "City Hall," it's not in the historic City of London. The City of London has its own headquarters called Guildhall. City Hall serves the much larger area of Greater London. In 2011, Mayor Boris Johnson announced that during the 2012 Olympic Games, the building would be called London House.
Before the Greater London Authority, there were other councils that ran London. These were the Greater London Council and the London County Council. Their main office was County Hall. County Hall is also on the South Bank, but further up the river. Today, County Hall is no longer used by the government. It has been turned into a luxury hotel, an amusement arcade, and an aquarium.
Cool Design and Features
City Hall has a very unusual, round shape. Some people say it looks like a giant egg, a woodlouse, or even Darth Vader's helmet! Former Mayor Boris Johnson called it "The Onion." The designers hoped its unique shape would help save energy. However, because it uses so much glass, it actually uses a lot of energy.
One of the most amazing parts of City Hall is its long, spiral walkway. This walkway is 500 metres (about 1,640 feet) long! It goes all the way up through the building. It's similar to a walkway found in the Reichstag building in Berlin, Germany. This walkway lets you see inside the building. It's meant to show that the government is open and transparent.
At the very top of the ten-storey building is a special area called "London's Living Room." This space is used for exhibitions and meetings. It also has an open viewing deck. Sometimes, this deck is open to the public, offering great views of London! There are plans to add solar panels to the building to help produce clean energy.
The main meeting room, called the council chamber, is at the bottom of the spiral stairway. The seats for the Assembly Members are arranged in a circle. This means there isn't one main "head" of the room. There are also raised seats for visitors who want to watch the meetings.
Where is City Hall?
City Hall is located right on the River Thames in the London Borough of Southwark. It's part of a bigger area called More London. This area includes offices and shops.
Right next to City Hall, there's a cool sunken amphitheatre called The Scoop. During the summer, The Scoop is used for outdoor performances and events. However, it's not managed by the GLA. The Scoop and the area around it were designed by Townshend Landscape Architects.
The closest train and Underground station to City Hall is London Bridge.
