Lloyd's Building Case Study: Atrium, Servant Towers and Plan (Richard Rogers)

The Lloyd's building at 1 Lime Street in the City of London is the headquarters of the Lloyd's insurance market, designed by Richard Rogers Partnership with Ove Arup & Partners and opened in 1986. It puts the lifts, stairs, toilets, risers and much of the plant into six towers outside a block of open floors wrapped round a full-height atrium. Below: the plan, the concrete structure, how the air moves, and what Grade I listing means for a working office.

If you are writing this up for studio or a thesis, our guide on how to document a building sets out what a jury expects to see.

The brief: an insurance market that kept running out of room

Lloyd's began in Edward Lloyd's coffee house: 1688 in Arup's 1982 account in The Arup Journal, 1686 on Arup's project page. Business is done face to face in one hall, the Underwriting Room or "the Room", where underwriters sit at their "boxes".

In 1977 Lloyd's decided its 1928 and 1958 buildings on Lime Street would soon be too small and could not be adapted; it had already rebuilt twice that century for lack of space. Its committee invited six practices to a two-stage competition. Dezeen dates it to 1978 and names I.M. Pei and Norman Foster among the other entrants.

Rogers and Arup won with a strategy rather than a finished design. Its three points: maximum flexibility, continuous trading that kept Lloyd's traditions, and room to expand in the short term. RSHP's project page adds that the 1979 outline proposal was for about 48,000 sq m, 66% more than Lloyd's then had.

In a 2013 interview republished by Dezeen in 2022, Rogers called client and architect "very strange bedfellows", but credited Lloyd's: the team met its full board for half a day every month.

Site and context: Lime Street and the City

The site is tight and irregular, surrounded by narrow City streets, and RSHP says the layout responds to nearby Leadenhall Market, a listed 19th-century building. Neighbours' rights of light meant galleries above the sixth level had to be cut back (Arup, 1982), and Lloyd's had to keep trading during demolition.

The decant is worth studying: portable buildings on the 1958 building's roof and underwriting in its basement garage let the 1928 building be emptied. It was demolished between September 1979 and February 1981, except for its Leadenhall Street entrance arch, which was kept as a secondary entrance (Twentieth Century Society). Pieces of the old Lloyd's moved in too: Sir Edwin Cooper's 1928 rostrum with the Lutine Bell, now in the Room, and the Adam Room, a 1763 dining room by Robert Adam bought from Bowood House in 1956. Lloyd's says that room weighed more than 30 tonnes and was cut into 1,500 numbered pieces to bring it to London.

Concept: served and servant spaces, inside out

The Arup Journal calls flexibility "the most important single aspect of the design". So everything that normally sits in an office core moved out: lifts, stairs, risers and toilets went into satellite towers, and the floors hang on columns outside the glass.

RSHP calls this "Served and Servant". The parts are left on view, so you can read how the building works from the street. Rogers told Dezeen that Lloyd's accepted services outside because they have a short life, "like the engines of a car". Our Centre Pompidou case study, coming in this series, traces the idea in Rogers' earlier work with Renzo Piano.

Lloyd's building floor plan and zoning

The main block is a rectangle of 68.4 m by 46.8 m (Arup, 1982) with the atrium in the middle. The lower ground floor holds public areas, a restaurant and the reinstated Old Library. Above it is the Room, double height, and then gallery levels built as rings around the atrium. Escalators criss-cross the atrium to link the Room with the galleries. Underwriting galleries open straight onto the atrium (in 1982, the first two, with room to grow to Gallery 6); office galleries are glazed. Galleries 11 and 12 hold the committee suite, including the Adam Room on Gallery 11.

The six towers come in two kinds. Three are circulation towers, each with a lobby, four external passenger lifts, a spiral stair, toilet capsules, a services riser and an air-handling plant room on top. Three are fire-fighting towers with a firemen's lift, a stair and a riser; one also carries an external goods lift. Every tower has a crane on top for cleaning and maintenance. A two-storey basement under the whole site holds kitchens, stores and the heavy plant.

For the real drawings, the June 1982 Arup Journal (linked above) prints a typical floor plan, a cross section and the floor zones,. Our diagram shows the principle only.

Lloyd's building section, height and structure

Sources count the floors differently. RSHP gives 12 floors and a height of 84 m. Dezeen and Lloyd's own page speak of 14 storeys. The Arup Journal explains the gap: a lower ground floor, the double-height Room and 12 gallery levels above it. Counting the lower ground and the Room, that is 14 levels; counting galleries, 12. The atrium height also varies: Lloyd's says it rises more than 60 m, Dezeen says 60 m and the Twentieth Century Society says 80 m.

Concrete, not steel. The building was first designed in steel. RSHP says the fire authorities objected, so the frame became concrete, with steel kept for cladding and some external members. The Arup Journal describes the floor in detail. Round columns 1,050 mm across stand outside the glass. Precast concrete brackets on the columns carry post-tensioned, inverted U-beams, and those carry a two-way grid of 550 x 300 mm beams. Rogers did not want an ordinary waffle slab, so the beams were cast separately from the slab, with vertical sides and sharp edges. Arup designed its own thin bearing for the bracket joint.

Stability. Six vertical cantilever trusses, formed by diagonal bracing between pairs of columns, keep the block stable. The braces are thick-walled steel tubes cased in concrete for fire and weather protection. The towers are precast concrete with bolted steel connections, so they went up quickly.

Foundations. Column loads range from 80 to 2,800 tonnes. Because of a wet, sandy layer lower down, the 750 mm piles stay within the London Clay.

Lloyd's building construction and materials

Each floor is a sandwich of six zones (see the diagram above): exposed beam grid, high-level services, a steel formwork panel, the concrete slab as fire barrier, low-level services and a raised floor. Each floor's supply and extract stay within that floor, so changing one does not disturb the next.

The cladding is triple-glazed. Some panels are clear; others use a patterned rolled glass that is translucent and, in RSHP's words, gives a sparkling finish against the stainless steel. Steel cladding is used mainly on the towers. The toilet capsules were built off site and lifted into place fully fitted.

Much was tested before it was built. Arup developed three formwork systems, cast trial floor sections and built a full storey-height mock-up four grids by three. Bovis was appointed management contractor in June 1980. RSHP says substructure work began in June 1981 on a 60-month programme and finished with a month to spare in 1986; the Arup Journal gives February 1981 as the start of construction. Building magazine's 1986 report put the cost at £163m.

Looking back in 2013, Rogers said the team had thought the building was the height of technology, but now it looked "practically hand made" (Dezeen).

Light, air and services

The raised floor is the supply air plenum. Conditioned air rises into the room, and stale air is drawn out at high level around the light fittings. At the perimeter, that exhaust is pulled back through a cavity in the triple glazing before it returns to the plant, which keeps the inner glass closer to room temperature. RSHP adds that the concrete soffits absorb heat during the day and release it at night, and heat from the return air is stored in the basement sprinkler tanks.

The Room holds a very dense crowd, so it needs a lot of fresh air. The Arup Journal says this air leaves through the atrium roof, with its heat recovered. A tall glazed void sets up a stack effect, and cold air falls down the glass in winter; the 1982 answer was to let conditioned air from the underwriting floors drift into the atrium and rise to the roof.

The 12 passenger lifts run up the outside in three groups of four. Lloyd's describes these glass lifts as the first of their kind in the UK. Daylight comes down the atrium through a glass and steel barrel vault.

Reception: from "attacked by everybody" to Grade I

Rogers said of the opening, "We were attacked by everybody" (Dezeen, 2022). In June 1986 Building magazine reported underwriters calling the interior "too bland, too dark and too grey" and the lighting under the lower galleries harsh. It also reported glazed panels coming loose and falling, and doubted cleaning would keep up with the dirt.

Running costs stayed a sore point. In 2014, Dezeen, citing the Sunday Times, reported that Lloyd's was talking about moving out. Former chief executive Richard Ward was quoted saying everything was exposed to the elements and costly. Rogers replied that it had proved very flexible. Ownership had already changed: in July 2013 a fund managed by Commerz Real, which had bought it in 2005 for £231m, sold it to Ping An for £260m, with Lloyd's leasing it to 2031 (Bloomberg, via Carrier Management).

Critical standing went the other way. The Twentieth Century Society proposed listing in 2008, and the building was listed Grade I in December 2011, the youngest building to get that grade. RSHP and Dezeen quote English Heritage calling it "universally recognised as one of the key buildings of the modern epoch". The Society gives English Heritage's main reasons as architectural innovation, historic interest, flexibility, timelessness, group value and design.

What Grade I means for a working office

In England, any internal or external alteration that affects a listed building's character needs listed building consent, and working without it is a criminal offence (Bradford Council's guidance sets out the national rule). That matters here because the Room has to keep changing as the market changes. In 2021 Lloyd's began looking at redesigning the Room for post-Covid working, and Catherine Croft of the Twentieth Century Society warned that the listing was no guarantee against damaging changes (Building Design, August 2021). On 18 December 2023 it announced it would stay until at least 2035, with an option to 2040, with investment planned in workspaces, the upper galleries and lower-carbon services.

What designers in India can take from it

These are our reading, not claims from the sources.

1. Treat services as the part that will be replaced. Lloyd's accepted the towers because plant wears out long before the frame. In an Indian office or hospital, give shafts, AHU rooms and pump rooms access from a lobby or outside face, so a chiller or riser can be changed without opening up the floors. But remember the 2014 complaint about exposure: in monsoon rain or coastal salt air, keep plant reachable but covered.
2. Decide the floor sandwich at concept stage. Lloyd's works because each floor carries its own supply below and extract above, inside occupied spaces 4 m high (Arup, 1982). Fix the zones for slab, ducts, VRF or raised floor before you fix the floor-to-floor height in the sanction drawings.
3. Use the atrium to move air, and shade its roof. The atrium carries exhaust air up and out, and the 1982 design relied on low-solar-gain glass and shading from the external structure. In most Indian climates a glazed roof over a tall void overheats unless shaded and vented at the top. For the energy codes and rating systems that test this, see our guide to green building certification in India.
4. Mock up what will stay exposed. Arup tested formwork, cast trial floors and built a full storey mock-up before the main pour. On an Indian site, write a mock-up bay of any exposed concrete into the contract.

Choosing a thesis? See our B.Arch thesis topics by typology for workplace briefs.

Visiting the Lloyd's building

The Lloyd's building is a working market and is not open to the general public. Lloyd's tours page says visits are limited to insurance-business groups and university or business schools studying business or finance, sponsored by a Lloyd's pass-holder, and arranged by email. The other way in is Open House London each September: Time Out listed the building in the 12 to 20 September 2026 festival (Time Out, July 2026), so check the next programme.

Want to see how architects in India plan offices, services and structure today? Browse projects by MOA members.

FAQ

When was the Lloyd's building built?

Lloyd's held the design competition in 1978. Construction began in 1981 (February according to Arup's 1982 account, June for the substructure according to RSHP), and Queen Elizabeth II opened the building in 1986.

Who designed the Lloyd's building in London?

Richard Rogers Partnership, now RSHP, led by Richard Rogers with Mike Davies, John Young and Marco Goldschmied. Ove Arup & Partners engineered the structure and services. Rogers died in December 2021.

Why is the Lloyd's building inside out?

To keep the floors clear and adaptable. Lifts, stairs, toilets, risers and plant sit in six towers outside the main block, so the floors and the atrium have no fixed core, and services with a short life can be reached and replaced.

How tall is the Lloyd's building, and how many floors does it have?

RSHP gives 84 m and 12 floors. Other sources say 14 storeys, because there is a lower ground floor and the double-height Room below the 12 gallery levels.

Who owns the Lloyd's building?

Ping An bought it in 2013 for £260m. Lloyd's is the tenant and has said it will stay until at least 2035, with an option to 2040.

Sources

• The Arup Journal: Lloyd's redevelopment, J. Thornton and M. Hall, vol. 17 no. 2, June 1982 (history, competition, decant, plan, towers, structure, foundations, floor zones, services, mock-ups, construction dates) (accessed 3 Nov 2026)
• Arup: Lloyd's of London (founding date, six towers, air conditioning, listing) (accessed 3 Nov 2026)
• RSHP: Lloyd's of London (dates, programme, areas, height, structure, glazing, services, team, awards) (accessed 3 Nov 2026)
• Lloyd's: Lloyd's in 14 floors (the Room, Rostrum, Lutine Bell, Adam Room, lifts, atrium) (accessed 3 Nov 2026)
• Lloyd's: Tours (who can visit) (accessed 3 Nov 2026)
• Lloyd's: Lloyd's to remain at headquarters until 2035, 18 Dec 2023 (accessed 3 Nov 2026)
• Dezeen, Lizzie Crook: The Lloyd's building is Richard Rogers' first high-tech office block, 19 Nov 2019 (accessed 3 Nov 2026)
• Dezeen, Marcus Fairs: "We thought Lloyd's building was the ultimate in technology, but it's practically hand made", 4 Aug 2013 (accessed 3 Nov 2026)
• Dezeen, Nat Barker: "We were attacked by everybody" when the Lloyd's building opened, recalls Richard Rogers, 12 Jan 2022 (accessed 3 Nov 2026)
• Dezeen, Marcus Fairs: Lloyd's of London may quit Richard Rogers building over design "frustrations", 1 Jun 2014 (accessed 3 Nov 2026)
• Building, Tom Lowe: From the archives: trouble at the Lloyd's building, 1986, 29 Nov 2024, reprinting Martin Spring's June 1986 report (accessed 3 Nov 2026)
• Twentieth Century Society, Henrietta Billings: Lloyd's Building: Grade I listed, 20 Dec 2011 (accessed 3 Nov 2026)
• Building Design, Elizabeth Hopkirk: Lloyd's Grade I listing no guarantee of protection, warns C20 Society, 12 Aug 2021 (accessed 3 Nov 2026)
• Carrier Management, Bonnie Cao (Bloomberg): Lloyd's of London building sold, 8 Jul 2013 (accessed 3 Nov 2026)
• City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council: Do I need listed building consent? (accessed 3 Nov 2026)
• Time Out, Amy Houghton: Open House 2026, 24 Jul 2026 (accessed 3 Nov 2026)