At a formal banquet in Mansion House last night, Foster + Partners were awarded the esteemed New City Architecture Award 2007 for 51 Lime Street, the new headquarters for Willis in the City of London. This annual award for the best new building in the City is presented on behalf of the Worshipful Company of Chartered Architects by the former Lord Mayor and judged by a panel including such luminaries as Paul Finch OBE, Deputy Chairman of the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment.
Grant Brooker, Senior Partner at Foster + Partners said: Were delighted. We were up against such stiff competition, these awards are a great testament to the high quality of architecture in London right now it is a real honour to have won.
Foster + Partners has provided Willis with a new and sustainable home in the City of London. Comprising a 29-storey tower on Lime Street and a 10-storey building on Fenchurch Avenue, the building is a dynamic addition to the City. With a fringe of shops, cafes and bars at its base, the scheme extends the vibrancy of nearby Leadenhall Market, creating a lively retail centre in the City as well as a new public space.
With a progressive environmental strategy, 51 Lime Street is BREEAM excellent rated and beats Building Regulation carbon reduction targets by over 20 percent.
