Lloyd's has dropped plans to reimagine its Richard Rogers-designed office in a potential portent to its future

2022-01-31T17:20:00-05:00

As a follow up to the recent surprising news that insurance giant Lloyd’s of London may be considering a potential exit from the award-winning Lime Street headquarters designed for them by late architect Richard Rogers in the late 1970s (opened in 1986), The Architect’s Journal UK is now reporting that the company has also paused previously announced plans to overhaul a major portion of the building in what could be a sign about the future status of its lifelong tenant.

The all-important Underwriting Room within Lloyd’s was supposed to be the subject of the planned fixes, although now plans are being revisited, according to a spokesperson for the company. Lloyd’s is saying it has made the decision to step back from the project its CEO said would be a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity” for architects in order to “ensure our vision for the future of this space is in line with the market’s needs and fit for purpose.”

Rogers’ original design of the Lloyd’s building included the multistor...

Lloyd's of London is mulling an exit from Richard Rogers' award-winning headquarters building

2022-01-24T20:31:00-05:00

Lloyd's of London (SOLYD.UL) is considering whether to remain in its flagship City of London headquarters and may make a decision this year, the commercial insurance market said on Tuesday.

The news comes just over a month after the death of its Pritzker-winning architect in London at the age of 88. A Lloyd’s spokesperson pointed to the shifts in workplace culture brought on by the Coronavirus as significant factors behind the potential change.

The insurance giant's headquarters is one of several listed buildings in the Lime Street vicinity and was bought in 2013 by a Chinese insurance company, which holds the current lease until 2031 with a clause that can be broken in 2026, according to a real estate publication called React.

Interior view of the Lloyd's building. Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons user Lloyd's of London (CC BY 2.5)

"As we adapt to new structures and flexible ways of working, we are continuing to carefully think about the future requirements for the spaces and services our marketplace needs," the company said in an email to Reuters. "Like many other organisations, we are considering a range of options around our workspace strategy and the future l...

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Lloyd's has dropped plans to reimagine its Richard Rogers-designed office in a potential portent to its future

Lloyd's of London is mulling an exit from Richard Rogers' award-winning headquarters building