London City Hall — Attraction in London

City Hall is the headquarters of the Greater London Authority (GLA), which comprises the Mayor of London and the London Assembly. It is located in Southwark, on the south bank of the River Thames near Tower Bridge. It was designed by Norman Foster and opened in July 2002, two years after the Greater London Authority was created.

The building is located on the River Thames in the London Borough of Southwark, as part of the extended pedestrianised South Bank. It forms part of a larger development called More London, including offices and shops. Next to City Hall is a sunken amphitheatre called The Scoop, which is used in the summer months for open-air performances; it is not, however, part of the GLA's jurisdiction. The Scoop and surrounding landscape were designed by Townshend Landscape Architects. The nearest London Underground and National Rail station is London Bridge.

The building has an unusual, bulbous shape, purportedly intended to reduce its surface area and thus improve energy efficiency, although the excess energy consumption caused by the exclusive use of glass (in a double facade) overwhelms the benefit of shape. Despite claiming the building "demonstrates the potential for a sustainable, virtually non-polluting public building",7] energy use measurements have shown this building to be fairly inefficient in terms of energy use (375 kWh/m2/yr), with a 2012 Display Energy Performance Certificate rating of "E".[8] It has been compared variously to a helmet (either Darth Vader's or simply a motorcyclist's), a misshapen egg, and a woodlouse. Former mayor Ken Livingstone referred to it as a "glass testicle",[9 while his successor, Boris Johnson, made the same comparison using a different word, "The Glass Gonad"[11] and more politely as "The Onion". Its designers reportedly saw it as a giant sphere hanging over the Thames, but opted for a more conventionally rooted building instead. It has no front or back in conventional terms but derives its shape from a modified sphere.

A 500-metre (1,640 ft) helical walkway ascends the full ten stories. At the top is an exhibition and meeting space called "London's Living Room", with an open viewing deck which is occasionally open to the public. The walkway provides views of the interior of the building, and is intended to symbolise transparency; a similar device was used by Foster in his design for the rebuilt Reichstag (parliament), when Germany's capital was moved back to Berlin. In 2006 it was announced that photovoltaic cells would be fitted to the building by the London Climate Change Agency.

The council chamber is located at the bottom of the helical stairway. The seats and desks for Assembly Members are arranged in a circular form (like the Round Table) with no clearly defined "head", podium, or chair where a speaker, council chairperson, or mayor might be seated. Raised tiers of seats for visitors or observers are located...

So incredibly difficult to find if you're exiting from Canning Town jubilee station.. There is very little signage to guide you in the public realm. Even this map app struggles to direct you. I advise people to catch the extra train for 1 or 2 stops on the DLR or Elizabeth line to exit within the 4 minutes walk to City Hall at River level where it's facade is clearly visible and the signage is more evident. My way meant l had to constantly ask passersby where it was because all l could see was a roof. When you reach reception prepare to be grilled security wise to the same standard as an airport. Take your jewellery off everyone. I did ask if l should and they said no yet it set the security arch off. I was then subjected to the checking wand with the comment that it WAS my rings that had set it off. It was embarrassing. As you know lm Autistic and l don't think they took my level of discomfort into account. You will then have to exit security via a double door booth which seemed to take forever before it activated. Allow a good ten extra minutes for all this processing.

I didn't find the building very hospitable at all. Your visitors pass is hung on a rubber lanyard which l found an unpleasant texture to hang round my neck. I ended up wearing it round across my hip instead. There was no drinks other than water offered in the assembly hall or other refreshments. You are obviously expected to spend money in their cafe instead. Fortunately l had a banana with me and l managed to get hot water to make my own tea to take into the 2 hour plus meeting. I hope our new Civic campus looks after visitors better than City Hall. If you're there for a specific purpose the blank bureaucratic facing atmosphere in the building can be overlooked. The most interesting feature l saw was the 2012 olympic torches in a...

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Video: a guide to City Hall

Watch to find out what your new Mayor, the London Assembly Members and City Hall are responsible for.

Read a transcript of the video

How London government is run - City Hall

City Hall has one Mayor and 25 Assembly Members who are elected by Londoners. With the support of City Hall's staff they work to make London the best big city in the world.

Also known as the Greater London Authority(GLA), it was created after a referendum in 1998, when Londoners voted in favour of a directly elected Mayor to represent London's interests, and a London Assembly to scrutinise his work.

How London government is run - the Mayor of London

The Mayor is responsible for making London a better place for everyone who visits, lives or works in the city. He provides citywide leadership, setting an overall vision for London and creating plans and policies to achieve it.

The Mayor is elected...