Willis Building, Ipswich
| Willis Building | |
|---|---|
 The Willis Building, Ipswich | |
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| General information | |
| Type | Office |
| Architectural style | High-tech architecture[1] |
| Location | Ipswich, Suffolk, England |
| Coordinates | 52°03′20″N 1°09′03″E / 52.0556°N 1.1507°E |
| Construction started | 1970[1] |
| Completed | 1975[1] |
| Opened | 2 June 1975[2] |
| Client | Willis, Faber and Dumas[1] |
| Technical details | |
| Structural system | Reinforced-concrete frame[1] |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Foster Associates[3] |
| Structural engineer | Anthony Hunt Associates[1] |
| Designations | Grade I listed building (25 April 1991)[1] |
The Willis Building (originally the Willis Faber & Dumas regional headquarters) is a Grade I listed office building in Ipswich, Suffolk, designed by Norman Foster and Wendy Cheesman after establishing Foster Associates.[3]
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.[1][3]
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. Thus two of the town's Grade I listed buildings stand side by side.
Design
[edit]
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.[4] 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.[5]
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.[2]
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.[1][6]
See also
[edit]- Green roof
- High-tech architecture
- List of Grade I listed buildings in Suffolk
- List of tallest buildings and structures in Ipswich
- Willis Building (London)
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f g h i "The Willis Building (List Entry 1237417)". Historic England. 25 April 1991. Retrieved 10 November 2025.
- ^ a b Kindred, David (30 August 2017). "Days Gone By: The history of the town's iconic Willis building". East Anglian Daily Times. Retrieved 10 November 2025.
- ^ a b c "Willis Building". Foster + Partners. Retrieved 10 November 2025.
- ^ Sudjic, Deyan (2010). Norman Foster. p. 11.
- ^ "Heritage Icons » WTW (Willis Building)". The Ipswich Society. Retrieved 10 November 2025.
- ^ "Pioneering management guidelines for modern listed buildings". Context (Institute of Historic Building Conservation). September 1995. Archived from the original on 4 November 2007. Retrieved 10 November 2025.
External links
[edit]
- ConcreteCentre.com
- 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.
| International | |
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| Geographic |
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