City Hall, taken from the high walkway on Tower Bridge

The interior of City Hall

City Hall is the headquarters of the Greater London Authority and the Mayor of London. The Greater London Authority ( GLA) is the city-wide governing body for London, England. The Mayor of London is an elected politician who along with the London Assembly of 25 members is accountable for the strategic government of Greater London (see It stands on the south bank of the River Thames near Tower Bridge. The Thames ( is a major River flowing through southern England. Tower Bridge is a combined bascule and Suspension bridge in London, England over the River Thames. Designed by Norman Foster, it opened in July 2002. Norman Robert Foster Baron Foster of Thames Bank, OM, FRIBA, RDI, (born 1 June 1935) is a British architect whose company

The building has an unusual bulbous shape, intended to reduce its surface area and thus improve energy efficiency. Energy conservation is the practice of decreasing the quantity of energy used It has been compared variously to Darth Vader's helmet, a misshapen egg, a human scrotum, a woodlouse or a motorcycle helmet. Anakin Skywalker Darth Vader is a fictional character in George Lucas ' Science fiction saga Star Wars. A helmet is a form of Protective gear worn on the head to protect it from injuries a variation of the hat In most Birds and Reptiles an egg ( Latin ovum) is the Zygote, resulting from Fertilization of the Ovum. In some Male Mammals the scrotum - also 'scrutum' or 'scrootum' - is a protuberance of Skin and Muscle containing the Testicles Woodlice (known by many Common names see below) are Crustaceans with a rigid segmented long Exoskeleton and fourteen jointed limbs MotorCycle is the title of a 1993 album by Rock band Daniel Amos, released on BAI Records. Former mayor Ken Livingstone referred to it as a "glass testicle". Kenneth Robert Livingstone (born 17 June 1945 is a British Socialist Politician. The testicle (from Latin testiculus, diminutive of testis, meaning "witness" virility plural testes) is the male ^[1][2] The new mayor, Boris Johnson has referred to it more politely as 'The Onion'. Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson (born 19 June 1964 is a British Politician and Journalist. Its designers reportedly saw the building as a giant sphere hanging over the Thames, but opted for a more conventionally rooted building instead. It has no front or back on conventional terms but derives its shape from a modified sphere.

City Hall was constructed on a site formerly occupied by wharves serving the Pool of London. Originally the Pool of London was the stretch of the River Thames forming the south side of the City of London. The building does not belong to the GLA but is leased under a 25-year rent. It forms part of a larger development called More London, including offices and shops. More London is a new development on the south bank of the River Thames, immediately south-west of Tower Bridge in London. 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. An amphitheatre (alternatively amphitheater) is an open-air venue for spectator sports concerts rallies or theatrical performances

A 500-metre (1,640 foot) helical walkway, reminiscent of that in New York's Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, ascends the full height of the building. A helix (pl helixes or helices) from the Greek word έλιξ, is a special kind of Space curve, i A walkway is a composite or umbrella term for all formal surfaces supporting walking The City of New York This article refers to the Guggenheim's landmark New York museum At the top of the ten-story building 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) in Germany. The Reichstag building in Berlin was constructed to house the Reichstag, the first Parliament of the German Empire. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. In 2006 it was announced that solar photovoltaic cells would be fitted to the building by the London Climate Change Agency. Photovoltaics ( PV) is the field of technology and research related to the application of Solar cells for Energy by converting Sunlight directly The London Climate Change Agency Limited (LCCA a municipal company owned by the London Development Agency (LDA that works in partnership with private sector companies (notably ^[3]

Despite the name, City Hall is neither located in nor does it serve a city (as recognised by English constitutional law), often adding to the confusion of Greater London with the City of London, whose headquarters is in the Guildhall, north of the Thames. For London as a whole see the main article London. The City of London is a geographically The Guildhall is a building in the City of London, off Cheapside and Basinghall Street, in the wards of Bassishaw and Cheap. The predecessors of the Greater London Authority, namely the Greater London Council and the London County Council, had their headquarters at County Hall, upstream on the South Bank. The Greater London Council (GLC was the top-tier Local government administrative body for Greater London from 1965 to 1986 London County Council (LCC was the principal local government body for the County of London, throughout its 1889-1965 existence and the first London-wide general municipal County Hall (sometimes called London County Hall LCH is a building in Lambeth, London, that was the headquarters of London County Council and later the The South Bank is the area in London on the southern bank of the River Thames near Waterloo station that houses a number of important Although County Hall's old council chamber is still intact, the building is unavailable for use by the GLA due to the building's conversion into, among other things, a luxury hotel, amusement arcade and aquarium.

References

External links

• Official website
• 3D Panorama inside City Hall (requires QuickTime)
• MayorWatch Guide to City Hall
• CityMayors feature