For the same firm, Foster built a complex in Ipswich in 1975 - one of his key works. Now, more than thirty years later, the architect is working with Willys again, and although the result is a less revolutionary building from an architectural and technological point of view, it is no less interesting.
It is the fourth tallest skyscraper in London (125 m), not far from the Swiss Re and very close to the famous Lloyds building by Richard Rogers. Thus, the new building entered the ensemble of the "heart" of the UK insurance industry.
It is united with the Ipswich predecessor by a concave mirrored facade that prevents overheating of the building. Also to the "green" elements can be attributed to almost 4 thousand windows, each 3 m high, filling the premises with sunlight, the foundation, 77% consisting of building materials demolished in order to erect in its place the Foster tower of the structure, a "green" wall of 6 floors, a rainwater collection system - as well as the absence of trash cans under desks in offices, which should facilitate the reuse of printed documents, etc. The result of this approach of architects was the awarding of the building with an “excellent” level of the BREEAM certification system (British equivalent of LEED).
Similarities with the Ipswich building near Willis' London headquarters can also be found in the innovative and “humanistic” approach to office space. Recreational areas for employees are arranged on two roof terraces of the new skyscraper: it consists of three volumes of different heights (16, 23 and 28 floors, respectively), which together form a kind of staircase. And on the roofs of the two lower "buildings" there are a semblance of squares for employees who can get there directly from their workplaces. Inside, all rooms are open spaces with a free plan (the supporting structure is hidden in a central concrete "column"). This approach is also the desire of the customer: the Willis management wanted to emphasize the openness and "transparency" of their business by the absence of doors even in the offices of directors.
A spacious green area was created in front of the building, where cafes and shops located on its ground floor open out.
The successful delivery of the Willis building almost coincided with the success of Foster's bureau at the Architects' Journal AJ100 awards ceremony. Unlike most of these awards, it is not awarded on the basis of a jury's decision, but based on the analysis of statistical data on the 100 largest British architectural firms over the past year. Foster + Partners have been named "International Bureau of the Year" and have also received the "Energy Initiative" award (Masdar district in Dubai) and for their activities in London and the South East of England.
In addition to Lord Foster, his former partner in the firm, Ken Shuttleworth, from his Make workshop, also received the award: he was named “Best Employer of the Year” because of his office turnover rate of only 2%.
