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Lloyds of London atrium

Defining central atrium for Lloyds of London

Lloyds of London commissioned Richard Rogers Partnership in 1978 to design a new headquarters in the heart of the City of London. The medieval city street conditions made for a complex site plan. RRP's architectural solution was to design a great, central atrium of laminated glass into a relatively small, rectangular space, surrounded by 12 gallery floors. This has given the building an exceptionally high plot ratio of 1:8 (site: floor area). Lord Rogers remarked: "The use of an atrium in a building allows for large floors, with visual contact between people, but also allows healthy ventilation."