London mayor Sadiq Khan has announced that City Hall may be relocated from its Foster + Partners-designed home alongside the Thames to the docklands area of the city as part of coronavirus cost-cutting measures.
Khan is planning to move the mayor's office and the Greater London Authority (GLA) to the WilkinsonEyre-designed The Crystal building, which is located near the Excel centre and already owned by the GLA.
Move will save £11 million a year
According to the mayor, the move will save the city around £11 million a year in rent and charges. The GLA is predicting a budget shortfall of almost £500 million over the next two years due to a dramatic decrease in business rates and council tax income.
"My first priority will always be to protect funding for frontline services, including public transport, the Met Police and the London Fire Brigade," said Khan in a statement.
The current City Hall building was purpose-designed by Foster + Partners to house the GLA and opened in 2002. It contains an assembly chamber for the 25 elected members of the London Assembly as well as office space for the GLA's 500 staff.
Its distinctive shape is a geometrically modified sphere, which was designed to encompass the greatest volume with the least surface area. A 500-metre ramp twists up the inside of the river-facing facade.
Building leased to GLA
The building is owned by St Martins Property Group and was leased to the GLA for 25 years in 2001. Khan is considering taking a...