24 September 2007
Cool City designs warm welcome
A dramatic new City of London landmark will be a magnet for
tourists and business visitors and a boon for the thousands who
live or work in the famous “Square Mile”.
Stylish and angular in the shadow of St Paul’s Cathedral, the
£1.6m facility will showcase the financial district’s eclectic
contemporary and historic attractions.
The “City of London Information Centre” will give visitors a
broader and richer experience and help all City people get the best
out of the modern Square Mile. The iconic design symbolises the
City’s vibrancy and all that it has to offer today’s tourist. T
he City of London Corporation commissioned Make Architects, one
of the UK’s most exciting design studios, to create the
eye-catching building.
Final fitting-out is still ongoing and the centre is due to open
to the public next month.
Michael Snyder, the City Corporation’s Policy Chairman, says:
“This exciting centre is a shining new gateway to this global City.
We are putting out ‘the welcome mat’ for all who come into the
City, whether first-time visitors, business users or sightseers and
also, of course, all the people who live and work here.
“The City Corporation achieves much by working in partnership
with communities, supporters and stakeholders. I want to put on
record my thanks to our private sector partners who have supported
this Information Centre. It is a fine example of what can be
accomplished by thoughtful partnership.
“In particular, I want to offer my thanks to Sir Stuart Lipton.
He has been an invaluable ambassador and supported the project from
its earliest planning stage. I think he will be as pleased as we
are to be standing inside it and to see just how well its design is
working”
The great skill of the design lies in its lightness of touch as
a remarkably modern yet modest counterpoint to the grandeur and
solidity of its magnificent neighbour. The Cathedral gently
embraces the new arrival, reflecting how the City’s architecture
has always evolved, the old comfortably accommodating the new. The
design and facilities reflect the energy and innovation that has
been the City’s hallmark for centuries.
Mr Snyder said “In this centre, the City Corporation is
celebrating the crucial importance of tourism to the London
economy. With 2012 on the horizon, London must send out its best
welcome ever. “
“The message this Centre will send out is: We’ll make your day
and we’ll make your stay.”
Founded by Ken Shuttleworth in January 2004, Make Architects has
already established itself as one of the UK’s foremost
architectural firms.
In his previous role as partner at Foster and Partners, Ken
Shuttleworth worked on such London landmarks as the Swiss Re tower,
the new City Hall and many other schemes which have helped to
change the face of the capital. Sean Affleck is the project
architect on the Information Centre and the main contractor is
Skanska UK.
Ken Shuttleworth says: “Creating a new building for such a high
profile and historically sensitive site has been an immense
privilege and a fascinating design challenge. Sean and his team
have produced a strikingly contemporary design which engages with
its context and sets up an intriguing new dialogue with St Paul’s
Cathedral opposite.
“Perhaps most important of all, this welcoming and accessible
new building provides all the state-of-the-art information
resources that will assist people in getting the very best out of
this incredible city.”
The new building, at St Paul’s Churchyard, is a stunning
contrast to a small kiosk which provided 50 unbroken years’ service
to visitors, becoming a familiar sight to generations of City
workers in the process. On the same site as the old kiosk and
retaining the same overall footprint, it is being specially
landscaped and is bounded by shrubbery and trees.
The roof and sides are clad in shining stainless steel which
strikingly mirrors natural light. Compact and low-level, the
building’s transparent glass frontage accentuates its open aspect
and accessibility.
Each of the dedicated information staff speaks several
languages. In addition to giving visitors information about the
City’s history and attractions, they will book tickets to a number
of City arts venues and offer the kind of help people need to make
their visit to the City enjoyable and memorable - as well as
providing a full information service for London as a whole.
Sited next to one of London’s top visitor attractions, the new
centre is likely to receive many of the callers who visit St Paul’s
Cathedral.
Canon Martin Warner, Canon Pastor at the Cathedral, said: “Every
day of the week, we welcome thousands of people to the Cathedral
for worship and sightseeing. The new Centre will act as a wonderful
starting point for them to learn even more about the City, and get
a flavour of life in one of the great cities of the world.”
Michael Snyder said “The City has transformed itself utterly in
the past two decades. It long ago shed the fusty image of stuffy
commerce and faceless money-counting. It’s a place that’s buzzing
all day, where designer buildings match lifestyle and world-beating
heritage, arts and retail are key to the new fabric.”
“This is a big day for the Square Mile. We are upgrading a
50-year-old visitor service to a 21st century resource. It will be
a major asset for all our visitors and those who make the Square
Mile tick – the City’s 300,000 workers and 8,000 residents.
“The centre aims to be part of the nationwide Tourism
Information Network. It will serve as a beacon of welcome to
promote the entire capital, as well as the Square Mile, as a
destination.”
Ends
Press Enquiries –
Press Office
City of London Corporation
Guildhall London EC2P 2EJ
Tel 020 7332 1452
Mob 07990 560 601
Email
martin.cowley@cityoflondon.gov.uk
make
55-65 Whitfield Street
London W1T 4HE
www.makearchitects.com
direct +44 (0) 20 7755 4919
mobile +44 (0) 7717 170092
tel +44 (0) 20 7636 5151
fax +44 (0) 20 7636 5252
Notes to editors:
Following is a list of the partners who have supported the
project.
Sponsor and adviser
Sir Stuart Lipton
Chelsfield Advisers LLP
Principal sponsor
Land Securities Properties Ltd
Sponsors
Goldman Sachs International
Bovis Lend Lease Ltd
F M Conway Ltd
Minerva plc
Beetham Organization Ltd
The Blackstone Group International Ltd
The British Land Company plc
Delancey Real Estate
Heron International
Interior Services Group plc
Quintain Estates and Development plc
Royal and Sun Alliance plc
Union Investment Real Estate AG
Sir Robert McAlpine Ltd
Tishman Speyer
MEC [Mitsubushi] UK Ltd
Gemini Commercial Investments Ltd
Hines UK
Cushman and Wakefield
Frogmore Property Company Ltd
Great Portland Estates plc
Jones Lang LaSalle
Sellar Property Group
Berwin Leighton Paisner
Development Securities plc
Sponsor and contractor
Skanska
UK architects
Make
Consultants
Arup
Davis Langdon
DP9
Information service hosts
St Paul’s Cathedral
Museum of London
The ancient City of London Corporation has a 21st-century role
supporting the business city as the world’s leading international
financial and business centre. The City of London Corporation
provides local government services for the City of London “Square
Mile” at the heart of London – but its responsibilities also extend
far beyond the City boundaries and include paying for and running
the Barbican Centre, Epping Forest, Hampstead Heath, and three
wholesale food markets, as well as acting as the London Port Health
Authority.
Ends