lloyds building visit

Visiting the Lloyd’s building

Welcome to the lloyd’s building.

The Lloyd's building in London is the centre of our global operations, housing the marketplace and the majority of Corporation departments.  

Use the information in this section to help plan your visit. 

Accessing the building

Find information on our entrances, accessible access, lifts, Underwriting Room and access pass requests.

Services and facilities

We offer a number of services and facilities in the Lloyd’s building.

Useful numbers

Find a list of key contacts which might be useful during your visit.

Accessibility and inclusion

Our Accessibility and Inclusion Guides have been created to ensure colleagues working in the buildings and those visiting are aware of the various accessible and inclusion arrangements we have in place at One Lime Street and Chatham. This includes individuals with hearing, visual and physical impairments.

The Lloyd’s building

One Lime Street  London  EC3M 7HA  UK 

The internationally renowned Lloyd’s building was designed by the architect Richard Rogers and took eight years to build. It was opened by Her Majesty The Queen in 1986. 33,510 cubic meters of concrete, 30,000 square metres of stainless-steel cladding and 12,000 square metres of glass were used during the construction.

Lloyd’s Building

While the world’s leading specialist insurance brokers are inside underwriting everything from astronauts’ lives to Taylor Swift's legs, people outside stop to gawp at this famous 'inside-out' building designed by Richard Rogers, one of the architects of Paris' Pompidou Centre. Completed in 1986, the stainless-steel ducts, vents and staircases are exposed on the outside for all to see. It's not open to the public.

1 Lime St. EC3

Get In Touch

https://www.lloyds.com/lloyds/about-us/the-lloyds-building

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• Modern London Icon: the Lloyds Building

London, a city steeped in history, is also a beacon of modern architecture. Among its impressive skyline, the Lloyds Building, often referred to as the ‘Inside-Out Building’, is a standout. It’s not just a building; it’s a declaration of innovation, a symbol of London’s ever-evolving spirit.

History and Construction

The Lloyds Building , located at 1 Lime Street, houses the world-renowned insurance institution, Lloyd’s of London. Completed in 1986, this avant-garde construction took eight years in the making. The design genius behind this structure is Richard Rogers, who later became Lord Rogers of Riverside.

The building stands on a site occupied by Lloyds since 1928, but the current structure is the third to bear the Lloyds name. When conceiving its design, Rogers aimed for a building that was both functional and forward-thinking. The result? A timeless modern marvel.

Architectural Significance

At first glance, what grabs attention are the building’s exposed elements: ducts, lifts, staircases, and pipework, all positioned on the exterior. By placing these services outside, Rogers freed up internal space, thus maximising room for the building’s primary purpose – insurance trading.

This ‘inside-out’ architectural style isn’t just aesthetic. It serves a purpose. Exteriorly placed elements can be easily maintained or replaced without disturbing the building’s core function.

Design Elements

• Towers: The Lloyds Building comprises three main towers and three service towers around a central, rectangular space.
• Materials: Stainless steel, concrete, and glass dominate the structure. The building’s reflective properties ensure it gleams, adjusting its shade depending on London’s often moody sky.
• Lifts: One of the building’s iconic features is its external glass lifts. They were among the first of their kind in the UK, offering passengers a panoramic view of London as they ascend.

Inside the Icon

While the exterior speaks of modernity, inside, the building pays homage to Lloyds’ rich heritage. The Underwriting Room is the beating heart of the building. Its centrepiece is the Lutine Bell , salvaged from the ship Lutine. Traditionally, the bell rang to announce the fate of a ship – once for its loss and twice for its safe return.

Sustainability

Even before it became a trend, the Lloyds Building stood for sustainability. Its deep-plan design maximises natural light, reducing the need for artificial lighting. The building’s flexibility means that it can adapt to technological advancements and evolving work practices.

Recognition and Legacy

In 2011, the Lloyds Building received Grade I listed status, making it the youngest structure ever to achieve this. It’s a testament to its significance in architectural history. The building has paved the way for radical designs worldwide, proving that form and function can coexist harmoniously.

The Building in Popular Culture

The Lloyds Building, with its futuristic design, has caught the eye of many filmmakers and artists. It has been featured in films, television shows, and even music videos, often used as a backdrop to depict a modern or dystopian world.

Here are a few of them.

• “Highlander” (1986): The building can be seen as one of the modern structures of 1980s London.
• “Entrapment” (1999): Featuring Sean Connery and Catherine Zeta-Jones, the Lloyds Building makes a brief appearance.
• “Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again” (2018): In a quick London cityscape shot, the iconic structure can be spotted.

Television Shows

• “Sherlock” (BBC series): The Lloyds Building has appeared in some shots of London’s skyline in this modern adaptation of Sherlock Holmes.
• “Spooks” (MI-5 in some regions): Given the show’s contemporary setting in London, the Lloyds Building has made occasional appearances.
• “Doctor Who”: Given the show’s penchant for iconic London locations, the Lloyds Building has been seen in a few episodes.

While these are some instances, the building’s use in media is expansive. Its unique architecture ensures that it remains a popular choice for creators wanting to capture a blend of historical and modern London.

Visiting the Lloyds Building

Though it’s a functional building, Lloyds occasionally opens its doors to the public, primarily during the annual London Open House weekend. Visitors get a chance to experience the underwriting room, ascend in the glass lifts, and take in the breathtaking views from the Committee Room.

The Lloyds Building isn’t just an architectural wonder; it’s a representation of London’s spirit. In a city that holds its history dear, the building shows that there’s room for the new. It’s a bridge between past and future, tradition and innovation. Like London itself, the Lloyds Building is timeless, always ready to face the future while nodding to its past.

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Stuff About London

A blog on london history - and other stuff, the lloyd’s building.

25/10/2016 donbrown architecture , City of London , The Blog 1

In 1978, the year after architect Richard Rogers’ Pompidou Centre opened in Paris, construction started on his first major London project, The Lloyd’s Building in Lime Street.

Built to house the London Insurance Market, this was the first “high tech” building in the UK and there is still nothing quite like it.

The building is “inside out”, with the service functions placed on the exterior. The pipework and air conditioning ducts wrapped around the outside, the glass lifts scooting up the outside walls, the corner staircases like corkscrew metal are all still a delight to behold. But the concept is not decorative per se: it allows for easy replacement and maintenance of the facilities, and it means the inside can be open and flexible, with uninterrupted activity on each level. Rogers has designed other buildings in London since Lloyd’s, but none provoke the same sense of looking at something otherworldly.

The most satisfying way to approach it is from Gracechurch Street through Leadenhall Market. As you walk through Horace Jones’s magnificent victorian cast iron structure, the steel of Lloyd’s appears in front of you – a wonderful juxtaposition of the (relatively) old and the (relatively) new.

Just 25 years after it was completed, Lloyd’s was granted Grade I listing – the youngest building to receive this status.

Access is limited – tours are run, but mainly for groups – so its internal joys – the 60 metre atrium criss-crossed by escalators, the Adam Room (an 18th century room transplanted from the old Lloyd’s building to the new) – are off limits, so we have to make do with the view from the outside.

Rogers’ old friend and rival, Norman Foster, pays his respects to Lloyd’s in his Willis Building over the road, the glass curves of its front perfectly reflecting its older neighbour.

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Thank you so much for pointing out this building. It is something I had read about and forgotten. Now it is ingrained. I have even looked up Richard Rogers and learned more!

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LLOYD’S BUILDING. Futuristic design in the City of London

by Helena | Oct 24, 2014 | architecture

Richard Rogers Partnership  |

London, england [1978-1986].

As every year at around this date, one of the most massive and fun Architecture festivals takes place in many cities around the world. I am talking about the  Open House , which this time led us to the overwhelming Lloyd’s Building  in the City of London.

In one of my previous visits, at  IMO , I told you a little bit about this festival. That visit was possible thanks to the  48h Open House BCN , which I never miss. Nevertheless, this time we wanted to visit different places, so we packed our luggage and flew to London. The idea was to make the most of the  Open House London  2014, and it didn’t disappoint. We could see not only interesting architecture, but also some of the important buildings that define the skyline of London . This is an interesting and different way of doing tourism, as it allows to visit the interior of private buildings. However, consider the really long queues for visiting famous constructions, such as the ones located in the City of London.

Amongst all the visits we did, I wanted to show a work by a different architect from my previous visits. Nevertheless, I could not resist the temptation of writing again about the architecture of Richard Rogers, which we saw in the  Centre Pompidou  post. This time we will visit the  Lloyd’s Building, an incredible building which surprises both in its interior and exterior .

Its history began in the middle of the 70s, when the world’s greatest insurance market, Lloyd’s of London , decided to launch a competition for its new headquarters. In the last 50 years they had had to move the Underwriting Room twice, which had been an inconvenience for their work. Thus, Lloyd’s wanted a building which could meet its needs for several years and admit future extensions and renovations without affecting their operations .

There were twelve architecture firms invited to the competition, but it was Rogers and his team,  Richard Rogers Partnership  -RRP-, who won. In their proposal, services were banished to the building perimeter, so the interior was completely free . The galleries situated around a central space allow that the Room -the working place- can be extended or reduced without interrupting their operations. Therefore, if the building needs maintenance or more space, it is possible to do the works accessing through the service towers in the perimeter without affecting the office area.

This proposal, based on a strategy for the future, was the one that convinced the company . Hence the works for the Lloyd’s Building began in 1981. The design changed a little bit in order to adapt the building to the new market requirements, as the new technologies had advanced a lot in those years. Finally, Her Majesty the Queen opened the new Lloyd’s of London building in 1986.

The spectacular futuristic aesthetic of the Lloyd’s Building does not leave any pedestrian indifferent . One cannot avoid looking up and staring at the amazing service towers and its façades of glass and stainless steel, with plenty of ducts. The external lifts, which have become little glazed viewpoints, catch people’s eye going up and down randomly.

All seems to be there by chance, as if they were later additions, but the truth is that everything fulfils its role and is in the right place. There is no doubt that the Lloyd’s Building is a perfect example of the High Tech style in Britain .

The ones who follow my Architectural Visits already know that one of the High Tech pioneers was the  Centre Pompidou , by Richard Rogers in a partnership with Renzo Piano . In that visit we learnt a little bit about High Tech’s history, we saw its features and we met its forefathers. If you are interested in this peculiar style or you just want to take a quick look at it, I strongly recommend you to go back and visit the  Centre Pompidou .

In the Lloyd’s Building we can see again a façade that does not hide its guts, but it shows them proudly . Six service towers, made from different elements of stainless steel and with blue cranes for maintenance on the top, engulf a rectangular block of offices. These towers give the provocative appearance to the building, showing the escape stairs, the lifts, the prefabricated toilet cabins and all the ducts made from steel, without colours.

The central core of offices remains in the façade background, with pipes and ducts around it when it is required. Much of the glass is translucent, so the public cannot see into the trading floor from the outside, as it is a strictly private operation . Nevertheless, the interior offices need to be in contact with the outside. Thus, respecting the first requirement, there are vision strips of clear glass placed at standing or sitting level depending on the floor. The window bays in the façade are divided by projecting perforated aluminium mullions, and some of them have a fun air duct shaped as a fish tail.

Unlike the  Centre Pompidou , where metal is the only material used in the structure of the museum, the Lloyd’s Building has a concrete frame as a result of the City of London’s fire regulations . A lot of work was required to achieve a very high quality concrete, as it was very important to maintain the slimness in the design. Judging by the final result, we can say that it was a great success.

There are 28 cylindrical and slim piers that support the rectangular office block , 20 of which are placed outside of the building and can be seen. These ones can go unnoticed amongst all the vertical ducts that go through the façade. Besides, they cannot compete with the shiny steel boxes of the toilets or with the striking emergency stairs.

I was looking forward to entering the building, however, looking and taking photographs of the outside made the waiting more pleasant. Once we went into, I finally understood why the Lloyd’s Building has been taking people’s breath away since it was opened .

When we passed through the security check and took the escalator to go inside, we were brought into  the Room  -the Underwriting Room-, the spectacular hall that organizes all the building . I assure you that this is one of the most amazing interior places in which I have ever been. With 60 meters high, this central atrium is covered by a huge glass barrel vault, thanks to which all the inside space is full of natural light . In this space, it is almost impossible not to recall the Crystal Palace by Paxton, a spectacular building made of glass and cast-iron to house the Great Exhibition of 1851 in London.

And finally we can find the rest of the vertical structure in the central atrium. There are 8 slim piers connected with the ones in façade to support the whole building by means of a concrete floor slab. These interior piers emphasise the hall verticality and take the glance to the barrel vault , while they leave the working floors behind.

As I have already mentioned, the vertical communications –stairs and lifts- are centralised and placed in the service towers. Nevertheless, we can find escalators connecting the first four levels , where the underwriters do their job. These escalators expose all their mechanisms in bright yellow colour, so not only do they remind us that we are in a High Tech building, but also they contribute to the feeling of dynamism in this busy working space.

We can see the famous Lutine Bell  just in front of the escalators, within a rostrum that takes the form of a grand wooden tempietto designed by Edwin Cooper for the old Lloyd’s 1928 building. It has traditionally been rung to herald good or bad news related to insurance market, but nowadays it is only rung on ceremonial occasions.

Later we were led to a service tower. There we took one of the 12 glazed lifts that are installed in the Lloyd’s Building, which were the first of their kind in the UK. The glazed lifts provide magnificent views across London so the journey is really enjoyable . It is a very recommendable experience for those who love the highs.

Once at the top, the gallery 11 offers very beautiful views . It is possible to look down and see the great central atrium from above, nearly at the vault level, surrounded by all the office galleries. From this point you can see the spectacular tall window that closes one of the vault’s side, which is also made of glass and steel and provides more natural light to the building.

Just at the same level you can visit  the Adam Room, which has nothing in common with the rest of the building . It is a dining room designed in 1763 and installed in the old 1958 Lloyd’s building. It was relocated to the present building in 1986 and it is used for meeting and presentations as well as for its original purpose of dining. I must say that this room surprises any visitor, but we need to know that this is the eighth building for the Lloyd’s of London. Actually, the new building has included part of its legacy, and it has added the old library and the old building façade.

In the gallery 11 there is a detailed miniature of the whole building.  It is perfect to have an image of the building as a whole.

To conclude, it is important to say that Richard Rogers Partnership thought about the negative impact that the Lloyd’s Building could have on the environment, and they included design features with energy efficiency specifically in mind .

The building has received numerous awards. Furthermore, it was included in the Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas at Grade I in 2011, due to its flexibility of design and the architectural innovation.

There is no doubt that the Lloyd’s Building is part of the great architectural icons of the 20th century . This construction placed in the City of London and surrounded by important and modern skyscrapers, has a timeless appearance that makes it unique. Therefore, if you have the opportunity, don’t miss it!

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How we learned to love the Lloyds building

T wenty-five years young, the Lloyd's building is still shockingly new. Yesterday it was announced that this hi-tech City of London tour-de-force, designed by the Richard Rogers Partnership, has been listed Grade I by heritage minister John Penrose. The youngest to be granted that special status, it joins company with a select band of postwar buildings including the Royal Festival Hall and Coventry Cathedral.

Lloyds is also the first Grade I-listed building designed specifically for change. While listing protects historic monuments from insensitive alteration, the whole point of this late 20th-century reworking of Joseph Paxton's Crystal Palace, crossed with a North Sea oil-rig, is the flexible space it offers, and the promise that, one day, it might be re-arranged as easily as if it had been assembled from Meccano.

The inside-out, or "bowellist", look of the 88-metre high concrete structure, with its external wall-climbing glass lifts, exposed pipework and plug-in, stainless steel clad lavatory pods, is graphic evidence of the way this breathtaking ensemble was clipped together like a giant kit of parts.

Naturally, Lloyds has never been to everyone's taste – too much like an oil-refinery thumped down next to Wren's City churches and Neo-Classical banks clad in Portland stone – and its provocative design is all the more remarkable given that it was commissioned by and for apparently conservative, pin-striped City types.

With its soaring central atrium, the radical, open-plan interior is nothing short of sensational. Even then, it abounds in surprises. High up in the building, a door opens to reveal a complete Robert Adam boardroom of the 1760s, representing most people's idea of what Grade I listed buildings look like. Attitudes to modern architecture have clearly changed.

The biggest change of all since then, however, has been among conservationists themselves: in the 1980s, they tended to see Lloyds as a modern monstrosity. Now they love it.

• Architecture
• Richard Rogers
• Lloyds Banking Group

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• INSPIRATION

The Lloyd’s Building: Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners’s Vision for Architecture

An architectural beacon in the heart of London, the Lloyd’s of London building is more than a structure—it’s a living testament to the timeless vision of its creator, Richard Rogers. Established in the late 20 th century, this modern building remains as innovative and unique today as it was at its inception, embodying an enduring sense of high-tech architecture. The project not only houses the world’s leading insurance market but also embodies the same resilience and adaptability that characterizes the very essence of Lloyd’s. It serves as an inspirational model of how architecture can ingeniously accommodate change, transcend time, and harmoniously blend with its historical context.

The Lloyd’s Building Technical Information

• Architects 1-5 : Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners
• Location : London , UK
• Client : Lloyd’s of London
• Construction Cost : £75 million
• Area : 55,000 m²
• Construction Period : 1978 – 1986
• Photographs: © Gili Merin, See Captions details

The building is still modern, innovative and unique – it has really stood the test of time just like the market that it sits within. – Richard Ward, Chief Executive of Lloyd’s of London

The Lloyd’s Building Photographs

Timeless Innovation: The Impact of the Lloyd’s of London Building

Constructed between 1978 and 1986, the Lloyd’s of London building, a testament to the architectural firm’s foresight, was established as a solution to the perennial need for adaptability within the world’s leading insurance market. The project, costing £75 million, was won not on the strength of an architectural proposal but rather a strategic vision for Lloyd’s evolution, which is indicative of the client’s unique focus on long-term operational dynamics.

This impressive 55,000 m² structure demonstrates a thoughtful, pragmatic design approach. Central to this approach is the dealing room, conceived with the capacity to expand or contract in accordance with market demands. This flexibility was achieved through a series of galleries surrounding a central space. In an innovative move to maximize the area, services were arranged on the building’s perimeter. This approach not only provided functional advantages but also added a layer of aesthetic intrigue to the design.

The architectural triumph, engineered by Arup and constructed by Bovis Construction Ltd, demonstrates an acute awareness of its wider urban context. Considerations were made for its impact on the surrounding area, particularly the Leadenhall Market, a historically listed 19th-century site. Consequently, Lloyd’s emerged as a complex assembly of towers, creating a striking, Gothic effect – a feeling amplified by the height of the external plant-room towers. The building stands as an embodiment of technical efficiency and architectural expressiveness.

The Lloyd’s Building beautifully marries futurism with respect for its historical context. Its external appearance, which echoes the form of a mechanistic cathedral, lends a highly romantic ambiance. This mix of contemporary and gothic aesthetics was warmly received as a positive addition to the London skyline.

In a remarkable accomplishment for such a modern structure, the building was Grade I listed in 2011. English Heritage has described it as “universally recognized as one of the key buildings of the modern epoch”. This accolade underscores the building’s significant contribution to the British architectural landscape and underlines its enduring relevance in the rapidly evolving world of architectural design.

From conception to execution, the Lloyd’s of London building is more than a testament to enduring design and strategic foresight. It is more than a home to the world’s leading insurance market. The building stands as a symbol of timeless architecture, serving as an inspiration for architects and urban developers worldwide. It’s a testament to the potential for architectural design to anticipate and respond to changing market needs while contributing positively to its urban environment.

The Lloyd’s Building Plans

The Lloyd’s Building Image Gallery

About Richard Rogers

Richard Rogers , Baron Rogers of Riverside (1933-2021), was a renowned British-Italian architect noted for his modernist and functionalist designs. He was best known for his work on the Pompidou Centre in Paris, the Lloyd’s Building and Millennium Dome both in London, the Senedd in Cardiff, and the European Court of Human Rights building in Strasbourg. A proponent of energy-efficient architecture and urban environments that are more livable and accessible, Rogers has left an indelible mark on contemporary architecture. He was awarded the RIBA Royal Gold Medal in 1985 and the Pritzker Prize, often considered architecture’s highest honor, in 2007.

Notes & Additional Credits

• Structural Engineer : Arup
• Services Engineer : Arup
• Cost Consultant : Monk Dunstone Associates
• Lighting Consultant : Friedrich Wagner of Lichttechnische Planung
• Main Contractor : Bovis Construction Ltd

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The Lloyds Building

Chris wilkinson.

The Lloyds underwriting building on the corner of Leadenhall Street and Lime Street in the heart of the city of London, stands out as an exceptional example of modern architecture.

Designed by Richard Rogers and Partners it was completed in 1986 and given Grade 1 listed status in 2011. I was one of the architects who worked on it in the early days and I have always found the concept really clever and exciting. It is a rectangular office atrium building located in the centre of an irregularly shaped site, leaving the vertical cores and services to make use of the left-over spaces around it.

The other remarkable aspect of the architecture is that the elements of construction are given their own clear language using contemporary materials.   The lifts for example are glazed wall climbers whilst the stairs are continuing tubes which wrap around their supporting structure. The ducts and pipework are also clearly picked out on the service risers so that you can see their individual functions. The toilets are designed as capsules clad in stainless steel and stacked as individual towers.

“…universally recognised as one of the key buildings of the modern epoch” English Heritage

For me the visual effect of the expressed elements of the building offer a sculptural beauty and meaning, like the buttresses and stone vaulting of a Gothic cathedral.

In comparison with the normal rectangular towers which make up most of the buildings in the city, the Lloyds is a welcome relief. It has a joyful expressive exterior form, whilst the inside provides elegant, clear and efficient working spaces looking on to a beautifully lit atrium.

The internationally renowned Lloyds Building designed by Richard Rogers took eight years to build on the former site of East India House in Lime Street. The building demonstrates many of the key traits of the high tech architectural style that emerged in the late ‘60s. The radical approach adopted by the architect saw all the building services banished to its exterior to create uninterrupted spaces inside – a vital part of the brief. It also gave great flexibility in terms of the internal use of the space.

Richard Rogers Partnership (RRP) proposed a building where the dealing room could expand or contract, according to the needs of the market, by means of a series of galleries around a central space. To maximise space, services are banished to the perimeter. As the architectural form of the building evolved, particular attention was paid to its impact on the surrounding area, especially on the listed 19th century Leadenhall Market.

When the building was given its Grade I listing in 2011 it was the youngest structure to obtain this status.

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Dominic wilkinson.

Teresa’s mid teens involved blagging her way backstage to interview the top groups of the day including the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. After 3 years as a sub editor on Homes & Gardens magazine she took 7 months off to hitchhike around South America and on her return became Press Officer for Selfridges, promoted to Head of the public relations a year later.  A move to Miss Selfridge as Head of PR, Marketing and Advertising followed where her many tasks included art directing and styling regular photo shoots with some of the young models who went on to become household names – Kate Moss, Naomi Campbell and Yasmin le Bon among others.  In the ‘90s she and her husband set up their own above and below the line agency with a wide range of corporate, fashion, beauty and interiors clients.  In idle moment they jointly produced a self-published series of children’s books based around vegetables and many a happy hour was spent with friends inventing new and imaginative names – Broccoli Spears and Jenson Button-Mushroom being particular favourites.  In 2006 she was editor of the book ‘Miss Selfridge. A retrospective,’ covering 40 years of the company, and from then till now has worked as a freelance marketing consultant/art director for a number of different clients.

Howie B is an acclaimed producer and composer of experimental-electronic music. Bernstein’s early association with Bristol club faves Soul II Soul and Massive Attack inspired him to fuse soul, hip-hop, house and jazz with a twist. He launched his own label, Pussyfoot Records in 1994 having already released tracks under his own name through the noted Mo’Wax imprint. Since then Howie has produced works with artists including U2, Bjork, Tricky, Brian Eno, Siouxsie and The Banshees, Sly and Robbie, Robbie Robertson and U.N.K.L.E. His music has appeared in adverts for Maserati, Lloyds and Range Rover amongst others. As a DJ he tours the globe performing and conducting workshops on music production.

Trained as an architect in Rome and Paris, he started to dedicate himself completely to photography and the process of the image in architecture, deciding to not build things but images. The image is a crucial result of an artistically-led process, swinging its position between documenting the built environment but also illustrating a meaning through the image itself. His fine approach aims at narrating spaces and atmospheres recalling different past references and analogies from the archive of paintings and art images related to our culture. In 2019 his visual research ‘On the riverside’ was exhibited at the London Festival of Architecture in London and published in different platforms and books. His work has been also displayed in Praha for ‘Behind Camera’, an international exhibition curated by Adam Stěch with Leonardo Finotti among others. In 2020, he was invited to talk about his practice to the ZoomedIN Festival, an architectural photography festival alongside other outstanding photographers. Nominated ‘among the ’25 Emerging Architectural Photographers from around the globe’ by Archdaily’, Lorenzo collaborates with different practices and architectural firms worldwide spreading their projects through his lens. His images have frequently published on architectural and design magazines such as DOMUS, AD, Dezeen and designboom. He co-founded ROBOCOOP, an experimental and research art duo project, creating ephemeral architectural scenarios and urban collages related the past and historical sources.

The Rt. Hon John Gummer, Lord Deben, set up and now runs Sancroft, a Corporate Responsibility consultancy working with blue-chip companies around the world on environmental, social and ethical issues. Lord Deben is Chairman of the Committee on Climate Change and Valpak Limited. He was the longest serving Secretary of State for the Environment the UK has ever had (1993-97). His sixteen years of top-level ministerial experience also include Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries & Food, Minister for London, Employment Minister and Paymaster General in HM Treasury. He has consistently championed an identity between environmental concerns and business sense.

Freddie Pownall has just completed a Real Estate Degree at Oxford Brookes University. It was here that he developed an interest in sustainable design that is also seen as art, hence his selection of the Bloomberg Building in London. Freddie is now interviewing for jobs in the commercial, residential and real estate insurance sectors.

George graduated from his BA Architecture at Newcastle University, and completed his March at The Bartlett. He is the creative director of George Clarke + Partners, and a founder of TV production company, Amazing Productions. Best known for his Channel 4 programmes including The Home Show, The Restoration Man, and George Clarke’s Amazing Spaces. He is an Ambassador for Shelter, Maggie centres, the Landmark Trust and the Princes’ Foundation for the Built Environment. He is the author of several books including Home Bible and Build a New Life by Creating a New Home. George is the founder and chairman of the educational charity The Ministry of Building, Innovation + Education (MOBIE) which was formed to inspire young people, through innovation and advanced creative thinking into the architecture, design and building industry by creating homes for 21st century living.

Jenny Barraclough, OBE, is a film and television producer, much of her work being in TV documentaries. She was also one of the first female TV producers. Her film Women in Prison in 1972 (which won a BAFTA) was the first film to be shot in a women’s prison in the UK. In the 1980s she made two films on Queen Elizabeth II and two on 10 Downing Street for BBC One. Barraclough also produced films on the arts, including one on the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition and a major series on the London Symphony Orchestra in 1986. Barraclough’s films on AIDS helped promote understanding of the disease in its early days. Barraclough also produced other series focused on medicine, including series on transplant surgery and the history of cancer. Films for BBC World have included projects on leprosy (2001), vaccination (2004), and international efforts to prevent the spread of avian flu. In 2005 Barraclough produced a widely distributed film on the MMR vaccine for the Department of Health. Barraclough was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2009 Birthday Honours.

Dominic Wllkinson is a co-founding director of Lee+Wilkinson Architecture, working with his co-director Jeffrey Lee on residential, commercial, leisure, retail, hospitality and cultural projects. He holds a Bachelors of Architecture with Honours from the University of Newcastle upon Tyne, a Masters in Computer Imaging in Architecture from the University of Westminster and a Diploma in Professional Practice from the University of Southbank.  He is also a Director of Wilkinson Design Studio LLP where he delivered the Landscape to Portrait in the courtyard of the Royal Academy of Arts with Chris Wilkinson. During his 3 years at Wilkinson Eyre he delivered the Kings Cross Gasholders and marketing Suite.

Owen Jones and Ben Elworthy

Owen Jones is a qualified Architect with 20 years’ experience and currently the Head of Design at MOBIE, the built environment education charity that inspires young people to innovate the design of homes. Owen is also a founding director of the London design practice TDO architecture. He has first hand experience of delivering sustainable housing through innovative off-site technology, having co-designed the FAB house for Urban Splash. It was the potential of this technology to inspire that led him to support George Clarke establish MOBIE in 2017, to revitalise the way homes are built. As Head of Design Owen develops initiatives that seek to include young people’s voices in the built environment, though challenges, engagement and co-design. A recent collaboration with the Mayor of London’s team was to launch a design challenge for young Londoners called Design Future London. Its aim is to engage the future designers and creators that will retain London’s position as a world capital of design, development and regeneration.

Ben Elworthy is a student, currently in Year 13, studying Product Design, History and Politics. His interests mainly revolve around architecture and industrial design, both in terms of general design as well as engineering, and he is actively looking for further work experience in the sector. Ben was a finalist for the Design Future London Challenge where his project won the People’s Vote in the 16-18 age category, and shortlisted in the competition, hosted by the Mayor of London and renowned architect/presenter George Clarke.

Juice Aleem

Juice Aleem is a leading figure within British hip-hop. His work caught the attention of Will Ashon in the mid nineties, earning him the first release on the now iconic Big Dada label. Alongside his output as an MC, Juice is also a director of the B-Side and High Vis festivals, and founder of the Afroflux organisation.

Richard Miers

Richard Miers has been designing gardens for over 27 years, both in the UK and abroad. His wide range of projects include a dacha in Moscow, a villa in Sardinia, country gardens for Grade1 listed houses in Norfolk and Buckinghamshire, a 15 acre garden for a new build Palladian mansion in Surrey and countless town gardens and roof terraces in London. Richard’s gardens are clean and classically contemporary in style, with a strong sense of geometry. Lauded as one of the 20 Finest Gardeners and Landscape Designers by Country and Townhouse magazine in June 2022  he was invited to design a show garden for the Telegraph/House & garden Fair in 2007. In 2012 Richard was chosen to represent the United Kingdom in the Gardening World Cup in Nagasaki, Japan, with his garden Serenity, and in 2017 he was again invited by House & Garden magazine to provide a garden feature at their festival at Olympia. This year Richard’s garden won the People’s Choice Award for the Main Avenue Show Garden at the Chelsea Flower Show, a garden he designed for Perennial – the charity helping people in horticulture.

Matthew Freedman

Matthew Freedman used to run a bookshop, and then became a travelling salesman. He now advises some of the world’s leading art and architecture publishers on the marketing and sales of their books, and is also a commissioning editor and writer. In 2019 he wrote  Best Buildings: Britain , a concise guide to modern British architecture based on the choices of a wide variety of experts. He spent his eighth birthday in the revolving restaurant at the top of the Post Office Tower. 

Rebecca Salter

After graduating from Bristol Polytechnic Rebecca Salter lived in Japan for six years, including two years as a research student at Kyoto City University of Arts, Japan. While in Japan she trained in many traditional techniques and combines these interests with her main practice in painting and drawing. In 2011 she had a major retrospective at Yale Center for British Art, New Haven, Connecticut and has also featured in numerous international solo and group exhibitions. She was elected a Royal Academician in 2014.  In 2017 she became Keeper of the Royal Academy of Arts and in December 2019 was elected President, the first woman to hold the position in the Royal Academy’s history.

George Carter

George Carter  is an internationally renowned garden designer and writer on gardens who has created numerous formal gardens in Britain, Europe and the USA. Recent commissions include the Royal Hospital Chelsea, London, Belmont House, Kent, Stedcombe House Devon, Thenford House, Oxfordshire and Somerleyton Hall, Suffolk. His new book On Plan and Proportion will be published by the Henley Hall Press in 2023. Setting the Scene was published by the Pimpernell Press in 2018. He has published 9 other books on various aspects of garden design, including the award winning New London Garden, and Garden Spaces.

Antony Oliver

Antony works with a range of clients across the infrastructure sector to boost communication and marketing strategies and to stimulate discussion and action in the industry through the creation and delivery of thought leadership articles and events. He has spent the last three decades working as a journalist and editor, initially with New Civil Engineer magazine, and most recently as creator of the website Infrastructure Intelligence. He is a chartered civil engineer and Fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers and started his career with Owen Williams and Partners and Balfour Beatty. For the last four years he is has served as a Trustee of the Built Environment Trust which exists to inspire, connect and empower people to improve the quality of our built environment.

Neal Shasore

Dr Neal Shasore is Head of School and Chief Executive Officer of the London School of Architecture. Neal graduated from the University of Oxford with a DPhil in Architectural History, an MA in History of Art and MSt in the History of Art and Visual Culture. He was awarded a Leverhulme Trust Early Career Fellowship at the University of Liverpool, based in the school of architecture. Previously Neal was a Visiting Lecturer to the University of Cambridge’s architecture school and has held posts at RIBA and the University of Westminster. An architectural historian by training his research and writing has primarily focussed on architectural culture in Britain and the Empire in the first half of the twentieth century and this critical perspective informs his own pedagogy and practice. He is a Trustee of the Architectural Heritage Fund and the Twentieth Century (c20) Society.

Terry Ackland-Snow

Terry Ackland-Snow began his career in the film & television industry in 1961 at the age of 18. His first position was working in the art department as a Junior Draftsperson on, ‘The Tell Tale Heart’ with Norman G Arnold at Danziga Studios in Elstree.  This was closely followed by the TV series, ‘Richard the Lionheart’ then his first major feature film ‘In the Cool of the Day’ designed by Sir Ken Adams.

Terry has gone on to travel and work on over 80 feature films and television productions worldwide. He has worked with some of the best Directors and technicians in the industry on iconic films such as Space Odyssey, Aliens, Labyrinth and two Bond movies in a career spanning more than 40 years. He has amassed a wealth and experience that compelled him when he stepped away from productions to set up an Art Direction training school, Film Design International, now in its 21 st  year, based at Pinewood studios in Buckinghamshire. 

His passion for the film industry and belief in enabling new talents to create careers, coupled with his desire to widely his share deep knowledge has led him to writer and have published two books, ‘The Art of Illusion’ (2017) and more recently, ’The Art of Film’ (2022).   

Barnabas Calder

Barnabas Calder is a historian of architecture specialising in the relationship between architecture and energy throughout human history. He also works on British architecture since 1945. He is currently completing a book with Pelican on energy and architecture worldwide over the past fifteen millennia. His book Raw Concrete: The Beauty of Brutalism, was published by William Heinemann in 2016. He is working on a complete works of Denys Lasdun, funded by the Graham Foundation and in collaboration with the RIBA British Architectural Library Special Collections.

Gus Casely-Hayford

Dr Casely-Hayford is the inaugural Director of V&A East, appointed in March 2020. He is a curator and cultural historian who writes, lectures and broadcasts widely on culture, having presented a number of series for Sky, BBC radio and television and other channels. Formerly Executive Director of Arts Strategy, Arts Council England, (Britain’s major Art’s funder) and Ex-Director of the Institute of International Contemporary Art, he has offered leadership to both large and medium scale organizations including the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art. He has served on the boards of many cultural institutions, including the National Trust and the National Portrait Gallery. Gus has lectured widely on culture, including periods at Sotheby’s Institute, Goldsmiths, Birkbeck, City University, University of Westminster and SOAS. He has advised national and international bodies on heritage and culture including the United Nations and the Canadian, Dutch and Norwegian Arts Councils. In 2005 he deployed these leadership, curatorial, fundraising, communications skills to organise the biggest celebration of Africa Britain has ever hosted when more than 150 organisations put on over 1000 exhibitions and events. Gus gained a PhD from SOAS and was awarded an Honorary Fellowship. He is a Cultural Fellow of King’s College London, a Fellow of Jesus College, Cambridge, a Board Member of the Creative Industries Federation and a Trustee of the Karun Thakur Foundation. Gus is also a member of the Art Mills Museum Scientific Committee and the English Heritage Blue Plaques Committee. Gus was awarded an OBE in 2018.

Robert Wilson

Robert is one of the most widely renowned portrait photographers in Europe. His work has evolved to lifestyle, sports and documentary style projects and is recognised for its accessibility and depth for revealing power and humanity. He is commissioned throughout Europe and USA collaborating with leading creatives on campaigns such as Peroni, Anglo American, HSBC, Nike, Adidas, Visa and Siemens. In 2008 he was commissioned as a war artist for the British Army, documenting the people and places within Helmand Province, Afghanistan. This unique and emotional body of work resulted in an exhibition on the rooftop of the Hayward Gallery, London, an extended exhibition at the National War Museum in Scotland, as well as the publication of the highly acclaimed book ‘Helmand’. In 2014 he returned to Afghanistan to document the withdrawal of the British troops and the deconstruction of the war machine. Supported by the arts council England, ‘Helmand Return’ was a national outdoor billboard exhibition, shown alongside exhibitions at Gallery One and a Half, London and a follow up exhibition at the National War Museum, Scotland. Robert’s editorial portrait work is most commonly viewed on the covers and pages of The Times Saturday Magazine for which he has been a major contributor for over ten years.  Recognised by the Association of Photographers, the European Art Directors Club, the Design and Art Directors Club, the John Kobal Portrait Awards, Archive 200 Best Photographers, his portraits are included in the permanent collection of both the English and Scottish National Portrait Galleries.

Charmian Adams

Charmian was architecturally trained up to and including Intermediate Royal Institute of British Architects at Brighton College of Arts and Crafts. Before graduating Charmian wrote to the BBC and got a job, and after graduating spent the next few years there learning her craft. When she left to start a family she kept herself busy by taking an Open University Degree in Soviet Politics and Economics, but managed to fit in small jobs, and as her then husband was in the business she was kept in the loop about work.  A former colleague invited her to handle some work for BBC Bristol, and from there she ultimately got a job as an assistant art director on the film Sid and Nancy.  Her career has not stopped since then. Her TV work as art director has included Downton Abbey, Only Fools and Horses, Cranford and McMafia. Meantime her film work has included My Cousin Rachel, A Street Cat Named Bob, My Week with Marilyn and Nowhere Boy, acting as Supervising Art Director on the most recent work. Her love of the book of Les Miserables meant she was ideally suited to working on the 2018 BBC production, filmed in Belgium and France, where the famous barricade scenes meant covering up shop fronts and streets signs with false buildings, and even included importing fully grown hedges from England.  The chairs at the barricade were made of rubber, so they could be thrown again and again – and the hedges were safely returned to England when filmed ceased!

Sir Luke Rittner

Luke has spent all his working years in various roles in the arts.  He ran the Bath international Festival of music in the late 60s through to the 70s, which together with Edinburgh was one of the first post-war UK international music festivals. As founder and director of the Association for Business Sponsorship of the Arts (ABSA) he developed and encouraged corporate support for the arts in the UK.  A move to London saw him established at the Secretary General of the Arts Council of Great Britain (now Arts Council England), with a staff of over 300.  From 1990-1992 he acted as UK Cultural Director for EXPO ’92 World Fair in Seville before joining Sotheby’s as Senior Director of Marketing, Communications and Public Affairs. His role as CEO of the Royal Academy of Dance, from the late 90s to April of this year, involved leading the Academy’s international operations and strategic development. He retired in April of this year. Numerous honorary posts include Chairman of the Board of Trustees of LAMDA, Foundation Trustee of the Holbourne Museum in Bath, trustee of the Theatre Royal Bath and the Bath Preservation Trust.Luke has an Honorary doctorate of Civil Law, Durham University, and Honorary Doctorate of the Arts, University of Bath. He was awarded a CBE in the New Year’s Honours List, January 2017 and knighted in the recent New Year’s Honours list for his services to dance.

Clive Aslet

Clive has published over 20 books on architecture and the British way of life, including The Story of the Country House for Yale University Press, due to appear in paperback later this year.  After graduating from Peterhouse, Cambridge in 1977 he joined Country Life where he was Editor from 1993-2006.  Among other things, he is now Chairman of the Lutyens Trust. A prolific journalist, Clive is famous for his command of many subjects, about which he writes with fluency and discernment, not to mention wit.  Veteran broadcaster David Dimbleby describes his writing as ‘charming, erudite, amusing’.  The doyen of newspaper journalism Sir Max Hastings writes that ‘Clive has been an extraordinarily informed and influential standard-bearer for the cause of the countryside and Britain’s heritage for many years. He is an exceptionally thoughtful and fluent man, who lends distinction to any form with which he is engaged.’ Married with three children, Clive himself lives in London and Ramsgate.

Carl Turner

Carl’s practice, Turner.Works is an energetic, collaborative studio of architects, urban designers, thinkers and makers, who believe in creating thought provoking and well-crafted proposals. They work with a diverse range of clients including private residential, local authorities, arts and cultural organisations, not for profits and commercial developers. Projects range in size from a shipping container project at Hackney City Farm to a 11,000 sqm arts academy in Peckham.

Ann is the Director of Innovation and Campus Development at the University of Leeds. She is passionate about the way the built environment can make a difference to people’s lives and believes that if place was at the heart of all developments there would be a noticeable improvement in social wellbeing. Ann is Chair of Architecture and Design Scotland, a Trustee of the National Museums of Scotland, a member of the Board of the Scottish Water Commission, Chairs the Huddersfield Students Union Trust and is a member of the board of Crown Estate Scotland. She was appointed Chair of the Built Environment Trust in 2021. She was recently made an honorary fellow of the RIAS.

Kathy Phillips

Kathy Phillips was Health and Beauty Director of Vogue UK for 7 years and International Beauty Director of Condé Nast Asia for 13 years where her particular focus was the launch of Vogue China. Kathy has worked for many British magazines and newspapers over her long career, first as Fashion Editor for The Daily Mail,The Mail on Sunday and then for YOU magazine as commissioning editor for the Style pages. Since becoming freelance she has also written for all the main national newspapers. She has won several Jasmine Awards, a Johnson & Johnson journalism award and a CEW Lifetime Achiever Award, recognition from the Cosmetics Industry. She is the author of the Vogue Book of Blondes and Editor and co-author of Vogue Beauty as well as two best selling books on Yoga. Her book- ‘Vogue on Armani’ came out in June 2015 In 2004 she founded the natural brand ‘This Works” based on expertly blended aromatherapy, ingredients with integrity and proven science. In 2019 the world’s largest cannabis company, Canopy Growth bought This Works and will see it launch a range of products infused with the cannabis ingredient CBD in 2020.

Lord Burnett of Maldon

Lord Burnett has been Lord Chief Justice and head of the judiciary since 2017.  He was called to the bar by Middle Temple in 1980 and became a Queen’s Counsel in 1998.   His practice included civil claims and public and administrative law, including public inquiries.  His last case at the bar was as counsel to the inquests into the deaths of Diana, Princess of Wales and Dodi Al Fayed.  He sat as a part time judge in the Crown Court from 1998 and became a High Court judge in 2008 and was Presiding Judge on the Western Circuit from 2011 to 2014 when he was promoted to the Court of Appeal.  Lord Burnett is President of all the courts in England and Wales and sits in the Court of Appeal, the High Court and by invitation in the Supreme Court.

Sophie Elmhirst

Sophie Elmhirst is a writer for Guardian Long Reads and the Economist’s 1843 magazine, and a contributing editor at the Gentlewoman and Harper’s Bazaar. In 2020 she won the British Press Award for Feature Writer of the Year and a Foreign Press Award for Finance and Economics Story of the Year. She has been longlisted for the Orwell Prize. She is currently writing her first non-fiction book, Maurice and Maralyn: A whale, a shipwreck, and a portrait of a marriage at sea, which will be published by Chatto and Windus in the spring of 2024.

Robert Elms

For nearly 40 years Elms has been one of the most distinctive faces and voices in the British media. A journalist, author and presenter, his multi award winning daily radio show on BBC London, covering all aspects of life in the metropolis, including his passion for great music, is the most listened to programme on British local radio. Born in the city in the sunny summer of 1959, educated at Orange Hill Grammar school and Queens Park Rangers football club, Elms progressed to the LSE and numerous night-clubs where he studied dressing up and falling over. A combination of these two led inexorably to a career as a writer. The start of the 1980’s also saw the start of The Face, the pioneering style bible, where Elms instantly found a niche for his diatribes on the intricacies of young urban life and becoming editor of The Face in his early 20’s. He began broadcasting for the BBC, most notably as part of the team of Loose Ends on radio 4 where he won his first Sony. In 1986 he combined two ambitions by going to live in Spain to write his debut novel. In Search Of The Crack was a Penguin original when he was just 27. He also began travel writing for The Sunday Times, Elms continued his obsession with Iberia by writing his second book Spain – A Portrait After The General which was nominated as travel book of the year in 1992.

Having worked with a leading UK contractor, Fred founded The B1M to focus on sharing “the best of construction” – improving the industry while helping to attract more people to come and work in it. Fred has since grown The B1M into the world’s largest and most subscribed-to video channel for construction with over 2 million YouTube subscribers and 20 million viewers each month. It now employs a 15-strong team across London, Sydney and New York. In 2020, The B1M was named by The Times as one of the 20 best educational YouTube channels in the world.

Fred’s videos have amassed hundreds of millions of views making him a global figure in video publishing and a role model to millions of people interested or already working in construction. Fred is a leading influencer in the sector, frequently speaking at international events and sharing his expertise with schools, colleges and organisations. His mission is to fundamentally alter the perception of construction on planet Earth.  

Portrait © David Vintiner

Dame Judi Dench

Dame Judi Dench widely considered to be the finest actress of her generation studied at the Central School of Speech and Drama. She has performed with the Royal Shakespeare Company, the National Theatre, and at Old Vic Theatre. and is a ten-time BAFTA winner. It was her role as M, James Bond’s boss in GoldenEye (1995), that established her as a legitimate Hollywood presence. Dench reprised the character for another six Bond films, ending with the 2012 release, Skyfall. While theatre is her first love she endeared herself to movie audiences in her first leading role as Queen Victoria in the biopic Mrs. Brown. But it was another royal performance, this time as Queen Elizabeth I in Shakespeare in Love (1998), that proved Oscar-worthy, and despite an on-screen time totalling just eight minutes, she walked away with the Best Supporting Actress Award. For her performance in Kenneth Branagh’s Belfast (2021) Dench earned her eighth Oscar nomination for best supporting actress.  She was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1970, a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1988 and a Member of the Order of the Companions of Honour in 2005.

Portrait by Robert Wilson.

Jonathan Glancey

The journalist, author and broadcaster Jonathan Glancey was Architecture and Design editor of the Independent from 1987 to 1997 and Architecture and Design correspondent of the Guardian from 1997 to 2012. He was an Assistant Editor of the Architectural Review, a founding contributor to Blueprint and Motoring Correspondent for Tatler. He has written books on architecture, design, engineering, aviation and travel and is Patron of The Betjeman Society.

Hatta is the Editor of House & Garden magazine. She arrived at the magazine as Features Editor in 2006, and became the Deputy Editor in October 2013 and Editor in 2014. Hatta has an MA in History of Art from Edinburgh University and a MA in Architectural History from the Courtauld Institute of Art. She has also worked for an interior design company, as well as for the South African edition of House & Garden while living in Cape Town for a couple of years. She lives in between West London and Yorkshire with her husband and three small children.

Katy Ghahremani

Katy joined Make in 2004 and is one of the practice’s four directors. She oversees some of the practice’s highest-profile projects and has worked on a broad range of workplace, residential and mixed use schemes during her career. She is also responsible for designs for several prestigious hotels and resorts around the world.Katy is an architect with a passion for interiors, and is often called upon to help clients explore and develop their brand philosophy and identity. She is a driving force in the development of Make’s hotels and retail portfolios, hosting bespoke events, supporting our thought leadership, and engaging with clients and collaborators on their biggest challenges. Katy is a trustee of the Built Environment Trust and a longstanding member of the Architectural Appraisal Panel at the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea.

James Bradburne

James M. Bradburne is an Anglo-Canadian architect, designer and museologist who has designed world exhibition pavilions, science centres and international art exhibitions. Educated in Canada and England, he holds a degree in architecture from the Architectural Association and a doctorate in museology from the University of Amsterdam. Over the past twenty years he has carried out exhibitions, research projects and conferences on behalf of UNESCO, national governments, private foundations and museums around the world. From 2006 to March 2015 he was Director General of the Fondazione Palazzo Strozzi, dedicating himself to transforming the Palazzo into a dynamic cultural centre. He is currently Director General of the Pinacoteca di Brera and the Braidense National Library.

Spencer de Grey

Spencer de Grey, CBE RA studied architecture at Cambridge University and graduated in 1966. He joined Foster Associates in 1973; was made a partner in 1991 and has since been appointed Senior Executive Partner and Co-Head of Design at Foster + Partners.He was the director in charge of Stansted Airport; was responsible for the Sackler Galleries at the Academy and has overseen a wide rage of projects, at home and abroad.

Max Worsley

Max Worsley has worked in project management since leaving school at the age of 18, working on a diverse range of projects such as the restoration of a 1920’s superyacht, the design and build of a 50,000sq ft London office for one of Europe’s leading hedge funds, as well as the restoration of an island in the Scottish Summer Isles. He started working for Ocean Infinity nearly three years ago and has designed and built three of their new facilities around the world, before being made responsible for all real estate and facilities globally. He has a passion for sustainability, architecture and design and enjoys spending his spare time in the outdoors mountaineering and climbing. 

Richard Hill

Richard Hill FCCA is managing Director of ACO, and in 2020 became Chairman of the Building Merchants Federation (BMF). He has been an active participant in the Building Materials Supply industry for nearly three decades. He is a member of the Worshipful Company of Builders Merchants, currently serving on the Court and became Master in 2022.

Klaus Bode is a Founding Director and Head of Environmental Design at Urban Systems Design; he is also a Trustee of the Built Environment Trust. Klaus has a keen interest in synergies between human centric design and environmental principles coupled with the integration of parametric environmental modelling and digital engineering design. Though this design approach he has collaborated with a wide range of internationally acclaimed Architects and building projects across Europe, North America, Middle & Far East and in the last decade, including Africa and South America.

Catherine Croft

Catherine Croft is Director of the Twentieth Century Society and is a regular contributor to a number of architectural journals, including Building Design. Catherine read Architecture at Cambridge University, and did an MA in Material Culture & Architectural History in the USA, where she held a fellowship at the Winterthur Museum in Delaware.

Dame Darcey Bussell

Darcey Bussell is a former Principal with The Royal Ballet and the most famous British ballerina of her generation. During her nearly twenty years as a Principal, she won worldwide renown for her unique combination of having a tall and athletic physique whilst dancing with soft lyricism. Darcey trained at The Royal Ballet School and joined the Company in 1988. She was promoted to Principal in 1989, aged just 20, after the premiere of Kenneth MacMillan’s The Prince of the Pagodas, in which she had created the lead role. Darcey retired from the Company in June 2007 with a performance of MacMillan’s Song of the Earth, broadcast live on BBC2. She came out of retirement to dance the ‘Spirit of the Flame’ at the 2012 London Olympics closing ceremony.Darcey’s extensive broadcast work includes being a judge on Strictly Come Dancing, many documentaries for the BBC and she has presented The Royal Ballet’s worldwide cinema relays since 2014. She remains a Guest principal coach at The Royal Ballet and is Artist Laureate of the Royal Ballet School. In 2015 she founded DDMIX (diverse dance mix), a dance fitness charity, aimed at getting dance fitness to be part of PE in state schools. Darcey became the President of the Royal Academy of Dance in 2012.

Cameron Saul

British sustainable fashion accessory brand BOTTLETOP was launched in 2002 by Cameron Saul and his father Roger (founder of British luxury fashion brand Mulberry). At the heart of the campaign was a handbag made in Africa from recycled bottle tops that was finished in Europe with Mulberry leather. The bestselling design generated local employment and raised vital funds for grass roots education projects in Africa. This was followed by another best-selling range using upcycled aluminium tabs, hand crotcheted in the BOTTLETOP atelier in Brazil. The BOTTLETOP #TOGETHERBAND campaign was launched in partnership with the UN Foundation on Earth Day, April 2019 to generate global awareness and action in support of the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals through creativity and culture.  

bottletop.org

Owen Hopkins

Owen Hopkins is an architectural writer and curator. He is Director of the Farrell Centre at Newcastle University and previously Senior Curator of Exhibitions and Education at Sir John Soane’s Museum. He has written widely on architecture for publications including the Independent, Dezeen, The Architectural Review and Apollo, and is the author of six books. Owen is a regular guest critic at a number of architectural schools and has been a judge for the BD Architect of the Year and AJ Architecture Awards. 

Kit is the creative force behind Firmdale Hotels. The first Hotel was the Dorset Square, opened in 1985, and the company now has ten hotels, eight in London and two in New York. Kit and her husband Tim, co-founder of Firmdale are known for breathing life into dilapidated areas, transforming  overlooked properties such as warehouses and car parks into successful luxury hotels. They have also broken new ground with new-build hotels such as Ham Yard in London and the Soho Hotel in New York. Kit Kemp is also a successful textiles, fragrance and homewares designer, author of several books and a champion of British art, craft and sculpture. Her website Kit Kemp’s Design Thread ( www.kitkemp.com ) showcases her world of colour and design. The Kit Kemp Design Studio explores colourful and detailed storytelling which celebrates craft and captures the imagination.

Nick studied Architecture at Oxford Brookes in the late 90s where Prof Murray Fraser introduced him to the field of Cultural Studies and its significance for understanding architecture. He completed a Masters in Architectural History at the Bartlett, and a PhD (in 2011), under the supervision of Prof Jane Rendell and Prof Peg Rawes. His doctoral research was ‘Constructing Everday Life: an architectural history of the South Bank”. He is senior lecturer at the University of Westminster and a Co-Director of the Centre for the Study of the Production of the Built Environment. 

Ian ‘Swifty’ Swift is a graphic artist and typographer who over four decades has worked across an array of media creating logos, record covers, title sequences and publications in his unique cut up / sampled style. He studied graphic design at Manchester Polytechnic in the 1980s and subsequently worked for Neville Brody, The Face and Arena magazines. For almost two decades he was art director of Straight No Chaser magazine, pioneering hybrid design techniques, leading to its recently published 100th edition. The go-to designer for record sleeve design in the early 90s. Swifty crafted iconic logos for Giles Peterson’s Talkin Loud and James Lavelle’s Mo Wax labels. Sleeves for artists such as DJ Shadow, DJ Krush, Arrested Development and many more. In 1997 he founded ‘Typomatic’ – the UK’s first independent Font foundry to showcase his font designs. He has recently published ‘The Graphic Art of Ian Swift’ Vol 1 & 2. www.swifty.co.uk

Simon Inglis

Simon Inglis is an author, editor, architectural historian and lecturer. He specialises in the history, heritage and architecture of sport and recreation. Inglis is best known for his work on football history and stadiums, and as editor of the Played in Britain series for English Heritage. Simon Inglis wrote his first words on football and football grounds at the age of six, following a visit to Villa Park. He studied History and the History of Architecture at University College London.

Nicky and Robert Wilson

The Scottish philanthropist art collectors, Robert and Nicky Wilson, are the owners of Bonnington House, a Jacobean manor, located on the borders of Edinburgh, and site of Jupiter Artland, a contemporary sculpture park and art gallery. Within the 100 acre estate are bespoke and permanent works commissioned from leading international artists, alongside a programme of temporary exhibitions, open to the public from May to September. Nicky Wilson is a talented sculptress, and her husband Robert Wilson owns a chain of homeopathic pharmacies. He believes that art has healing properties and has talked of the ‘magical triangle’ that forms between art, nature and the viewer when art is successfully set into a landscape.

Phil Baker spent long and gloomy years writing a thesis on Samuel Beckett, but cheered up after he published it as a book. He has taught literature at several universities, and has reviewed extensively for various papers including the Sunday Times and the TLS. His books include The Devil is a Gentleman: the life and times of Dennis Wheatley, William S. Burroughs , and a groundbreaking study of the obscure cult artist Austin Osman Spare of which Alan Moore has said ‘Phil Baker has established himself as among the very best contemporary biographers… What Baker has accomplished here is little short of marvellous.’ Phil has also written the widely acclaimed Dedalus Book of Absinthe and the first overview of psychogeography, ‘Secret City’, which appeared in London: from Punk to Blair (Reaktion,2003).  He lives in central London and has a keen interest in the byways of popular and not-so-popular culture. He has recently published ‘London, City of Cities’, a book about London’s past, present and future.

Dame Joanna Lumley

Joanna Lumley DBE FRGS is an English actress, presenter, former model, author, television producer, and activist. Lumley’s breakthrough role was as Purdey in The New Avengers (1976), a role for which over 800 girls auditioned. Purdey propelled Lumley to instant fame. It was her reinvention as a comic actress in Absolutely Fabulous that shot Lumley to wider international acclaim and is regarded as one of the greatest female comic performances ever. In 2013 she received the Special Recognition Award at the National Television Awards, and in 2017 was honoured with the BAFTA Fellowship.  Her most recent work on television is the series Great Cities of the World and her book A Queen for All Seasons has just been published, celebrating HM the Queen on her Platinum Jubilee. She was made a Dame (DBE) in the 2022 New Year’s Honours for services to drama, entertainment and charity.

Bronwyn Williams-Ellis

Bronwyn is the great niece of Clough Williams-Ellis, creator of Portmeirion Village. An MA from Cardiff College of Art was followed by a fellowship at Bath Academy of Art. A trip to the Alhambra palace in Spain reinforced her love of archaeology and the visual impact of wall ceramics, so she concentrated her work on colour and drawing on low fired clay. She produces ceramic sculptures which are intended to be decorative rather than practical. Her most recent exhibition was based around Mythical Beasts Past and Present, and a number of these are available to view and buy. She works from a studio in Old Orchard in Bath open to the public by appointment. www. bronwyn-williams-ellis.co.uk +44 (0)1225 460 805.

Sir Antony Gormley

Sir Antony Gormley OBE RA is widely acclaimed for his sculptures, installations and public artworks that investigate the relationship of the human body to space. His work has developed the potential opened up by sculpture since the 1960s through a critical engagement with both his own body and those of others in a way that confronts fundamental questions of where human beings stand in relation to nature and the cosmos. He was knighted in the 2014 New Year’s Honours for services to the arts, having been appointed OBE in 1998.

Morley von Sternberg

Morley von Sternberg FRIBA began his career as an architect before establishing his name as one of Britain’s most respected architectural photographers. He has been commissioned to photograph an extraordinary array of landmark buildings, including Heathrow’s Terminal 5 and the Maggie Centre in Hammersmith, West London. He has taken portraits of creators and patrons, including Zaha Hadid, Antony Gormley and Lord Foster.

James Faulkner

James Faulkner is an award winning actor with a career spanning six decades. International recognition has followed his appearances in Game of Thrones, Da Vinci Demons and Paul, Apostle of Christ for which he won Movieguide’s best actor. Films to be be realeased include All those Small Things, a comedy written for him by Andrew Hyatt, the writer/director of Paul.

Sir David Hare

Sir David Hare FRSL is an English playwright, screenwriter and theatre and film director. Best known for his stage work, Hare has also enjoyed great success with films, receiving two Academy Award nominations. Hare became the Associate Director of the National Theatre in 1984, and has since seen many of his plays produced, such as his trilogy of plays about major British institutions Racing Demon, Murmuring Judges, and The Absence of War. In the West End he had great success with plays including Plenty which he adapted for a 1985 film starring Meryl Streep. Other noted plays include The Pravda and Vertical Hour and numerous screenplays for films, including The Hours and The Reader. He was knighted in the 1998 Queen’s Birthday Honours for services to the theatre.

Debbie Wiseman

Debbie Wiseman OBE is a highly acclaimed composer for film and television, a conductor and a radio and television presenter. She is a Visiting Professor at the Royal College of Music, and lectures to schools and colleges about the art of composing music for picture. In 2008 she composed a new Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra called ‘Different Voices’ which was premiered by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. She became the most popular living British composer for the first time, with four pieces in the Classic FM Hall of Fame and is Classic FM’s Composer in Residence.

Sir Paul Smith

Sir Paul Smith is Britain’s foremost designer, renowned for his creative aesthetic, which combines tradition and modernity. Reaffirming the values that Paul set down in 1970, ‘classic with a twist’ remains the guiding principle of the company. Each Paul Smith design is underpinned by a dry British sense of humour: quirky but not frivolous, eccentric but not silly. He was knighted in the 2000 Birthday Honours and appointed Member of the Order of Companions of Honour (CH) in the 2020 Birthday Honours for services to fashion.

Sir Alistair Spalding

Alistair Spalding, had his first job in arts management at the Hawth Theatre, Crawley, where he was a programmer from 1988 to 1994. 1994-2000 he was Head of Dance and Performance at the Southbank Centre in London where he developed both the presentation and commissioning of national and international dance and performance companies.  He has been responsible for the artistic programme at Sadler’s Wells since February 2000, when he joined as Director of Programming, before becoming Artistic Director & Chief Executive in October 2004. He was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2012, and knighted in the 2022 New Year’s Honours List, both for services to dance.

Kit Martin was awarded a CBE in 2012 for services to conservation and “in acknowledgement of the lasting and immeasurably valuable contribution to the field of heritage regeneration”. He has rescued from dereliction a series of major country houses with their landscape setting, and has been called “Britain’s leading country house doctor”. He was the first director of the Prince of Wales’s Phoenix Trust, and has played a key role in innovative solutions to save historic military and industrial buildings at risk, and promote regeneration. Kit was a member of the Historic Buildings Council for Scotland for 12 years, a founding Trustee of Save Europe’s Heritage and an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects.

Ed Vaizey is a British politician, media columnist, political commentator and former barrister who served as Minister for Culture, Communications and Creative Industries from 2010 to 2016. He is the Culture Editor of Country and Townhouse magazine.

Vanessa Norwood

Creative Director at the Building Centre

Vanessa is one of the leading curators of architecture in the UK and has commissioned and curated a range of exhibitions that celebrate architecture in a wider context. Previously Head of Exhibitions at the Architectural Association, one of the world’s most influential centres of architectural culture and learning, she was co-curator of the exhibition Venice Takeaway for the British Pavilion at the 13th International Architecture Biennale in 2012. Venice Takeaway sought ‘ideas to change British Architecture’ through travel and research of universal issues that explored the common ground of architecture. Vanessa has contributed to publications, magazines and blogs on the subject of art and architecture and is part of the Selection Committee for the British Council Commission for the British Pavilion at the Venice Architecture Biennale 2023.

For twenty years Sony Award Winner, Russ Kane, was the voice of Capital Radio’s ‘Flying Eye’ where he formed an on-air partnership with Chris Tarrant to create the most listened-to commercial radio show in the world, with an audience in excess of 4 million. He is the founder of ‘The Espresso Bar’ – a discussion forum on Facebook with over 1000 members. The group strives to give men over 40 a virtual space to meet up and find a support network. In 2019 Russ co-founded Men’s Radio Station which is devoted to the discussion of mental health and well-being. The broadcasts featuring some of the World’s finest professionals in their respective fields and countless celebrities has won several prestigious awards. Russ’s talent for public speaking has been put to good use in his one-man stand-up comedy show ‘Kaned Laughter ’ which has been performed to sell-out audiences across London, Los Angeles and the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Russ’s debut novel, ‘ The Gatekeeper’ , a fusion of his characteristic wit into the horror-mystery genre, was published in 2019. A second novel in currently under-way. Portrait ©Rankin

Mark Robinson

Living Architecture, founded by Alain de Botton, offers the public the chance to appreciate the best of modern architecture through holiday lets. Mark Robinson has been with Living Architecture since the beginning, working alongside top architects and construction teams to ensure they can bring their guests the best in contemporary architecture. Mark was previously head of building at the Serpentine Gallery and manager of the Whitechapel Art Gallery.

Rupert Wheeler

Rupert Wheeler studied at the School of Architecture at Leicester Polytechnic and was elected to the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) and Architects Registration Board (ARB) in 1982. Mackenzie Wheeler Architects + Designers was established as a partnership in 1986 by Rupert Wheeler and Duncan Mackenzie.

Duncan Wilson

Duncan Wilson joined Historic England from the Alexandra Park and Palace Trust where he was Chief Executive from 2011 to 2015. From 2002 Duncan was Chief Executive of the Greenwich Foundation for the Old Royal Naval College, and before that Director of the Somerset House Trust. He became Chief Executive of the newly formed Historic England in May 2015.

Lucy Cleland

Founding editor of Country and Townhouse magazine, now editorial director, Lucy is particularly passionate about sustainability and last summer, she pledged that 25% of her magazine’s content would reflect the ways we should learn to live; from the brands we buy, how we consume things and the way we travel.

Diana Edmunds

After a very successful career in modelling, during which time she explored her artistic side with a range of bags called ZagBags, Diana progressed to pottery, and then attended the Camberwell School of Art and Design where she achieved a BA. She is now a much respected artist and has had gallery exhibitions here and in Italy. She uses a broad range of materials for her work, including acrylic, neon and fibre optics to celebrate and explore the play of light, mutability and movement. Portrait © Ben Bisek

Paterson Joseph

Paterson Joseph is a highly acclaimed and respected theatre and TV actor and an Ian Charleston award recipient for performances at the Royal Shakespeare Company. Other work there includes his Brutus in Julius Caesar, directed by Greg Doran. Numerous TV roles include Peep Show, That Mitchell and Webb Look, Noughts and Crosses and Rellik. He was most recently seen starring in the BBC series Vigil and will be seen in the upcoming Noughts and Crosses II. His belief in the importance of libraries led him to be a major campaigner to save the Willesden Green Library when it was threatened with closure, and he is also involved in fundraising for the Kensal Rise Community Library. Founded by American author Mark Twain in 1900 Brent Council proposed closing the library in 2010 but it was saved by a major campaign supported by, among others, Alan Bennett and Zadie Smith. It is now a registered charity.  https://kensalriselibrary.org . Paterson Joseph’s debut novel, ‘The Secret Diaries of Charles Ignatius Sancho’ has recently been published to critical acclaim.

George Layton

George Layton is an English actor, screenwriter and director, and author of three fictional books of short stories which have been part of the National Curriculum in schools. He has had numerous TV roles including Robin’s Nest, Doctor in the House (for which he was also the co-writer) Minder, Casualty and EastEnders, and wrote the successful TV series Don’t Wait up and Executive Stress. His theatre work includes Fagin in Oliver! and Amos Hart in Chicago. He has worked as a director for the Cambridge Theatre Company and the Theatre Royal Bath.

Perminder Mann

Perminder Mann is the CEO of Bonnier Books UK, the sixth largest publisher in the UK with sales of over £80m. Mann is recognized as one of the UK’s most powerful leaders and as a publishing innovator – one of the first to publish a social media influencer and for her work introducing inclusive workplace policy.

Elizabeth McCrone

Graduating from St Andrews University with an MA in History of Art, then moving to Historic Environment Scotland as head of Listing and Designated Buildings, Elizabeth is responsible for overseeing the management of the list of buildings of special or historic interest and is author of publications on Scottish architecture.

Jay is best known as the presenter of the hugely popular BBC show, The Repair Shop, where his enthusiasm for reinvention shines through. Jay is dyslexic and left school at 15 with no qualifications. He got back on track by studying for a degree in criminology and philosophy, then setting up a charity using restoration to support vulnerable people. His company, Jay & Co is an upcycling brand using creativity and invention to create pieces that sit perfectly in contemporary settings. He is the antithesis of the throwaway culture, believing that the old can become new, the worn can shine again, and the broken can be fixed. www.jayblades.co.uk www.jayand.co

Dr Bob Joyce

Starting his career as a Graduate Engineer at Ricardo Consulting Engineers, he joined Rover as Executive Engineer, and was recruited by Ford Motor Company to become Engineering Director of Land Rover. In 2007 he became Group Engineering Director, overseeing the launch of the Jaguar XF and Land Rover’s Discovery 4, amongst others. He is a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering and Institute of Mechanical Engineers.

Frank Auerbach

Considered to be one of the greatest living British artists German born Frank Auerbach was sent to safety in Britain in 1939. Both his parents perished in Auschwitz. At school he was known for both acting and painting but received no proper training until he attended St Martin’s School of Art 1948 -1952, and then the Royal College of Art 1952-55. His first solo exhibition was in 1955. He works 364 days a year from his studio in Camden.

Marcus Binney

Marcus Binney is a British architectural historian and author. He is best known for his conservation work regarding Britain’s heritage, and the author of numerous books on the subject. He has also written books dealing with the experiences of those involved in secret operations during WWII.

Wayne Hemingway

Wayne Hemingway MBE is a designer and co-founder of HemingwayDesign which specialises in affordable and social design. He was recently appointed to be part of a team developing masterplans for a number of towns across the UK, including Scarborough, North Shields and Barnet. He spent 6 years as a Design Council Trustee Board, and is a Professor in The Built Environment Department of Northumbria University. He is an Honorary Fellow of Blackburn College, the University of Cumbria and Regents University.

www.hemingwaydesign.co.uk

Julian Lloyd Webber

Julian Lloyd Webber OBE is a British solo cellist, conductor and broadcaster, a former principal of Royal Birmingham Conservatoire and the founder of the ‘In Harmony’ music education programme.  In September 2020, in recognition of his tenure, Lloyd Webber was appointed Emeritus Professor of Performing Arts by Birmingham City University. 

Kitty North

Kitty North is a landscape artist, based in Yorkshire where she has lived for the past 27 years. Six foot-wide canvasses by Kitty North were commissioned by Salts Mill as the finale to its anniversary celebrations, marking three decades since the late Jonathan Silver got the keys to the former mohair spinning mill and began the transformation.

Kwame Kwei-Armah

Kwame Kwei-Armah is British actor, playwright, director and broadcaster. As a playwright his credits include Tree (Manchester International Festival, Young Vic), One Love (Birmingham Repertory Theatre), Statement of Regret (National Theatre) Let There Be Love and Seize the Day (Tricycle Theatre). In 2018 he was made Artistic Director of the Young Vic.

Alan Powers

An Historian and researcher of architecture and design and trustee and former Chairman of the 20th Century Society. Following a degree in History of Art from Cambridge, Alan received his doctorate on Architectural Education in Britain 1880-1914. He writes reviews, and articles, and is author of more than twenty books. He has concentrated on 20th century British architecture and architectural conservation.

David Ogunmuyiwa

David Ogunmuyiwa is a founding partner of ArchitectureDoingPlace. He is unique in the UK having worked as a housing officer for social landlords including Lambeth, Southwark, Tower Hamlets and Circle 33, before retraining as an architect. He combines practice with teaching architecture at Portsmouth University and is a Mayor’s Design Advocate.

Peter Layton

Peter Layton is one of the world’s most widely respected glass artists influencing,  encouraging and nurturing several of this country’s leading glassmakers and inspiring many more internationally. “Glass is extraordinarily seductive”, explains Peter, “Every piece is an adventure and you never know exactly what you have created until you open the kiln and see how a piece has turned out. I love that moment of surprise.”

Alice Strang

Alice Strang has over 25 years’ experience as a modern and contemporary art curator and international auction house specialist. She focusses on British – particularly Scottish – art, with a special interest in women artists. She has curated major retrospectives of the work of the Scottish Colourists F. C. B. Cadell, J. D. Fergusson and S. J. Peploe. She is a BBC Expert Woman and a Saltire Society Outstanding Woman of Scotland.

Nicole Farhi

Lady Hare, CBE, is a former French fashion designer, now sculptor born in Nice, France. During her fashion career Farhi would work one day a week and weekends in her sculpture studio. After many years of juggling the two she became a full-time sculptor and is now a supremely talented sculptor specialising in depicting the female body.   

James Newton

A London based photographer specialising in architecture and light. His previous employment as an architectural lighting designer provided the industry experience and technical knowledge to ensure an understanding of projects, both from the point of view of the photographer and the designer.

Chris Sands

Chris Sands, owner of the Good Company and founder of Totally Locally, a worldwide grassroots campaign for independent high streets. In July 2015 Chris was presented with an Honorary Doctorate from The University of Staffordshire for his work in helping communities and towns with the free Totally Locally initiative. www.totallylocally.org

Sarah Wigglesworth

Sarah Wigglesworth MBE RDI is a British award-winning architect and was a Professor of Architecture at the University of Sheffield until 2016. Wigglesworth founded Sarah Wigglesworth Architects in 1994. Her practice has a reputation for sustainable architecture and an interest in using alternative, low energy materials. Sarah Wigglesworth is an outspoken advocate of the role of women in architecture.

The death of Chris Wilkinson is a truly great loss to architecture both in the UK and internationally. Chris was a friend and mentor to me personally, and a special supporter of the Building Centre. Our thoughts go out to his wife Diana and his family at this time.  Colin Tweedy, CEO.

Chris Wilkinson OBE, died in December 2021. He was a British architect, and co-founder with Jim Eyre of Wilkinson Eyre. WilkinsonEyre were the first architects to win the RIBA Stirling prize two years running, for their Magna Science Centre in Rotherham in 2001 and the  Gateshead Millennium Bridge  in 2002, both of which exemplified the firm’s poetic reinterpretation of British high-tech traditions. Their success would lead to a string of international commissions that saw Wilkinson preside over a 200-strong firm, with projects ranging from streamlined skyscrapers in China to futuristic botanical gardens in Singapore. Unusually Chris continued to value hand drawing in an age where digital software prevails in most architectural practices and published three sketchbooks.

Gregory Doran is an English director known for his Shakespearean work. The Sunday Times called him ‘one of the great Shakespearians of his generation’.  Greg began his career with the RSC as an actor in the 1987-88 season, becoming an Assistant Director in 1989. He was made an Associate Director in 1996 and became Chief Associate Director in 2006. He resigned in 2022 but will remain as artistic director emeritus until the end of 2023. He is an Honorary Fellow of the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust. 

Colin Tweedy

Colin Tweedy LVO OBE   Colin Tweedy since 2012 is Chief Executive of the Building Centre and Built Environment Trust.  From 1983 to 2012 Colin was Chief Executive of Arts & Business (formerly Association for Business Sponsorship of the Arts). Colin co- founded, with The Prince of Wales, The Prince of Wales Arts & Kids Foundation ( subsequently called Children & The Arts ). A former trustee of the Serpentine Gallery and governor of the University for the Creative Arts. MA Oxford University, St Catherine’s College, graduating in 1976. Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (FRSA ). A Lieutenant of the Royal Victorian Order (LVO) and Officer of the British Empire (OBE)

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Top 8 Stunning Facts about the Lloyd’s Building

By: Author Kevin Fisher

Posted on Published: September 6, 2022

When it comes to High-Tech Architecture , very few buildings in the world come close to the design of this stunning landmark in London .

The nickname of this remarkable structure is the “Inside-Out Building” and that’s a pretty good description of what it’s all about.

Let’s take a closer look at some of the most interesting facts about the Lloyd’s Building , one of Britain’s most fascinating buildings.

1. It’s located in the heart of the City of London

The Lloyd’s Building is without a doubt one of the most fascinating structures in London, and that means a lot considering this huge city is full of incredible landmarks.

It serves as the headquarters of the Lloyd’s of London insurance company and has served this purpose since it was completed in 1986.

It’s located in a relatively small street called time Street in the heart of the City of London and is surrounded by other famous buildings.

The Walkie-Talkie Building is just a few blocks to the south and the Gherkin a few blocks to the northeast.

The so-called “Cheesegrater” or Leadenhall Building borders it to the north. Another skyscraper in London with an interesting nickname called “The Scalpel” borders it to the east.

2. It was constructed on the location of the former East India House

The amazing High-Tech building was constructed n the location of a former Neoclassical building that served as the headquarters of the East India Company.

The original East India House was completed in 1729 and it was completely rebuilt and significantly enlarged between 1796 and 1800.

The East India Company was dissolved in 1858 and this building ended up being demolished in 1860. Nobody could have envisioned at the time the type of building that occupies this site today.

3. The façade of the Old Lloyd’s building still stands here today

The High-Tech building we can admire today is not the first structure that served as Lloyd’s headquarters. The first building was completed in 1928 and was located just nearby at 12 Leadenhall Street.

This was way too small and another building was constructed in 1958 just across the road at 51 Lime Street. This site is now occupied by a skyscraper called the Willis Building.

The building was completed in 1958 and was demolished in 2004 to make way for the Willis Building.

The original façade of the building completed in 1928 was preserved and is attached to the modern structure. The clash of architectural styles makes this a remarkable sight.

4. It was designed by one of the most renowned High-Tech architects in history

The Old Lloyd’s Building was becoming increasingly cramped by the 1970s so plans to build a completely new building were proposed.

An international architectural competition was launched and this was won by Richard Rogers (1933-2021), one of the pioneers of High-Tech architecture.

He was already world-famous at the time because he had collaborated with Renzo Piano in the 1970s to design the incredible Centre Pompidou in Paris .

Other notable buildings designed by Rogers are the Millennium Dome in London, the Senedd Building in Cardiff, and the Cheesegrater just nearby.

5. The Lloyd’s building can be described as the epitome of Bowelist architecture

If you know what the Centre Pompidou, one of the most stunning landmarks in Paris , looks like, then you surely know what Rogers was famous for.

He was a proponent of so-called Bowellism architecture, an architectural style that focuses on integrating structural elements on the exterior of a building to increase the space inside.

That’s why you can see ducts, all sorts of pipes, and even lifts on the outside of the building.

The building only features 14 floors, has a roof height of 88 meters (289 feet) , and an architectural height of 95.1 meters (312 feet) .

Although the building can’t be classified as a skyscraper , it did take 8 years to build between 1978 and 1986.

6. The interior of the building is just as impressive as its exterior

The exterior is dominated by large numbers of functional elements. This means that the interior remains relatively uncluttered, although it looks pretty futuristic as well.

The building features 3 interconnected towers which are adjoined by 3 service towers and these are centered around a huge rectangular space.

The ground floor is referred to as the “Underwriting Room” and is a vast space that allows people to easily move to any section of the building.

The most fascinating feature is located at the Rostrum, an elevated reading desk that houses the Lutine Bell.

This bell was once present at the HMS Lutine, A ship launched by the French Navy in 1779 which became part of the Royal Navy later on.

This bell is one of the few elements that were saved after the ship sank in 1799.

7. The 11th floor features a room that was designed in the 18th century

The 11th floor is home to another remarkable feature of the Lloyd’s Building’s interior. Here you can find the Committee Room, also known as the “Adam Room.”

The reason why it’s known as the Adam Room is that it was designed by 18th-century Neoclassical architect Robert Adam (1728-1792).

It was commissioned by William Petty, 2nd Earl of Shelburne (1737-1805) in 1763 to serve as his dining room.

This room was originally present in the building completed in 1958 just across the street and was transferred meticulously into the new High-Tech Lloyd’s Building.

8. It was the youngest building in British history to receive a Grade I listing

The tremendous architectural value of this masterpiece of a building has been recognized ever since it was completed.

It was once owned by the Shelbourne Development Group, a real estate company based in Dublin, Ireland.

They sold the building to its current owner, a Chinese company called Ping An Insurance for a whopping £260 million.

The building was completed in 1986 and it was designated a Garde I Listed Building in 2011, just 25 years later. This was the youngest building to ever achieve this.

Remarkably, Lloyd’s planned to leave the building because the maintenance cost was too high. Putting all structural elements on the exterior of a building rapidly damages them.

There’s a price to pay for this fascinating design, but in my opinion, it’s well worth it!

Frank Lloyd Wright's Houses and Buildings in California

Find Frank Lloyd Wright's Constructions

Justin Sullivan / Getty Images News / Getty Images

If you are a fan of architect Frank Lloyd Wright or of great architecture in general, his California creations can be the focus of some great day trips. Head to one or all of his designs dotted throughout California from northern California to Los Angeles and lesser-known properties like shopping centers and medical clinics.

Originally from Wisconsin, Frank Lloyd Wright's lived most of his early life in the Midwest. He had visions of bringing his work out west to California. Frank Lloyd Wright ended up stamping his signature designs throughout the California landscape. His first California design was the ​ George C. Stewart House Montecito house near Santa Barbara in 1909. His last California construction was the Pilgrim Congregational Church in Redding, California, about 150 miles north of Sacramento in 1957.

You will find that almost all of his designs share something in common—most appear organic with their surroundings as if they sprung up from the nature around them.

In total, 26 buildings Frank Lloyd Wright designed in California are still standing . Remarkably, only two have been lost: Residence B at Hollyhock House and Wright's Harper Avenue Studio in Los Angeles.

The American Institute of Architects designated 17 of Frank Lloyd Wright's designs as most representative of his contribution to American culture. Three of them are located in California: Hollyhock House (1917) in Los Angeles, the V.C. Morris Gift Shop in San Francisco, and the Hanna House in Palo Alto.

Most of Frank Lloyd Wright's California designs were private residences, but he also created a shopping center in Los Angeles, a church in Redding, and a civic center in San Rafael. 

Los Angeles-Area Buildings

In a day you can plan a day trip through the Los Angeles area visiting eight  Frank Lloyd Wright constructions in Los Angeles .

Although he might be known best for prairie-style homes, he made other styles popular. In LA, you can see his famous textile-block houses. He designed only four in 1923 and all of them are located in the LA-area:  Ennis House ,  Storer House ,  Millard House/La Miniatura , and the  Freeman House . 

From Taliesin West, Wright's winter home, Wright developed another style, desert rubble construction. Desert rubble construction uses rough stones and concrete that are shaped with a wooden form. Just outside LA, in Malibu, Wright created the ​ Arch Oboler Gatehouse (1940) , utilizing this style.

He developed the George D. Sturges House in Brentwood in 1939, the only true example of a Usonian-style house in southern California. He utilized this style mostly in northern California. The ​Wilbur C. Pearce House built in 1950 in the San Gabriel Mountains just outside LA has a Usonian feel to it.

San Francisco-Area Buildings

One way to have fun in San Francisco is to see the city by developing your own Frank Lloyd Wright scavenger hunt. First, start off with the V.C. Morris Gift Shop built in 1948 in Union Square. Its circular design was the early proof of concept for New York's Guggenheim Museum.

Wright's Usonian style of architecture was used a lot in the San Francisco area. The term "Usonian" was Wright's way of saying "American." He believed saying "American" was loaded with Native American references. "Usonian" represents the culture of the "U.S." These houses were designed for middle-income families. These small, single-story houses in the San Francisco area featured an indoor-outdoor connection and were often built in an "L" shape: the hexagonal ​ Hanna House  (1936), ​ Sydney Bazett House  (1939), and  Buehler House  (1948), and Arthur C. Mathews House (1950).

He utilized the desert rubble-style construction for the Berger House (1950) in the Bay Area's San Anselmo.

Buildings in Other Parts of California

A number of Frank Lloyd Wright constructions can be found outside of LA and San Francisco . For example, you can find a good representation of the desert rubble-style construction in the Pilgrim Congregational Church in Redding, California, about 150 miles north of Sacramento.

Other good examples of Usonian structures in the Central Valley section of California are the Randall Fawcett House (1955), Kundert Medical Clinic in San Luis Obispo (1955), Robert G. Walton House (1957), and the  Dr. George Ablin House  in Bakersfield (1958).

The only clubhouse designed by Frank Lloyd Wright in 1923 had remained in blueprint and concept only. Then, in 2001, Wright's idea came to life when it was constructed posthumously as the Nakoma Resort  in the North Lake Tahoe region of California.

Open for Tours

Only a few Frank Lloyd Wright buildings are accessible to the general public. And even then, these sometimes difficult-to-maintain structures are closed for renovations. Check with each location before planning a visit.

• Marin Civic Center   (1955) offers a  docent-led tour of this extensive government complex once a month or you can do a self-guided tour.
• Hanna House  is open for tours a few days a month. 
• Hollyhock House  is open after an extensive renovation. Restoration of other buildings on the property are ongoing. 
• Ennis House  was sold to a private owner in 2011. Conditions of the sale required that it be open to the public 12 days per year. Tours may be halted due to foundation restoration needed following the 1994 Northridge earthquake and massive rains.
• Mrs. Clinton Walker House  in Carmel is open one day a year as part of a charity event (1948)
• Anderton Court Shops  in Beverly Hills (1952)
• Kundert Medical Clinic  in San Luis Obispo
• Pilgrim Congregational Churc h in Redding, California, about a two-and-a-half-hour drive from Sacramento.

Hanna House by Frank Lloyd Wright

Maynard Buehler House by Frank Lloyd Wright

Anderton Court Shops by Frank Lloyd Wright

Mrs. Clinton Walker House by Frank Lloyd Wright

Bazett House by Frank Lloyd Wright

Ennis House by Frank Lloyd Wright

Marin Civic Center by Frank Lloyd Wright

Freeman House by Frank Lloyd Wright

Dr. George Ablin House by Frank Lloyd Wright

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Frank Lloyd Wright Houses and Buildings in Los Angeles

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Millard House by Frank Lloyd Wright

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Nakoma Clubhouse by Frank Lloyd Wright

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Yahoo! Corporate Headquarters Sunnyvale, CA

Ahead of its time, Yahoo!’s Sunnyvale campus continues to offer lessons, with amenity-rich spaces that have kept high-tech workers happy since the early dot-com days.

When RMW master-planned and designed Yahoo!’s 806,000-square-foot Sunnyvale campus in 2001, it was a watershed moment for the firm and for high-tech campuses in general. This is one legacy project that we keep returning to, both for the lessons it continues to offer and as a benchmark for today’s high-tech campus design trends.

Yahoo! was ahead of the game in thinking about the campus as a self-contained community. We worked closely with the company’s senior management to make sure the campus design provided amenities that would support a balanced work/lifestyle and flexible work schedules. As a result, the campus offers several small cafés, a cafeteria, a fitness center, game rooms, and training rooms. The four buildings are angled around a central green space that features volleyball, bocce ball, and basketball courts.

The buildings are precast concrete, glass, and metal, with bright yellow and purple accents. More than a decade later, the campus continues to serve new generations of Yahoo!s.

• Russ Nichols
• Josefina O. Camaclang
• Janet Braden
• Steve Stenton
• The Evolution of the Tech Campus

• Trojan News
• Trojans in the Pros

USC Football: Calen Bullock Heads to AFC Playoff Contender in Fresh CBS Mock Draft

• Author: Matt Levine

In this story:

All eyes are on former USC Trojans quarterback Caleb Williams heading into the upcoming 2024 NFL draft and rightfully so. Williams is a star and is expected to be taken first overall by the Chicago Bears. But the Trojans do have plenty of other talented players that will be entering the league .

One of those is USC safety Calen Bullock, who is seen as a very highly-touted defensive prospect around the league. Bullock was great for the Trojans last season, posting 63 total tackles with two interceptions. He also scored one touchdown on an interception return during the 12 games he played.

Bullock has the skills to make any defense better, giving him a prime chance to make it in the league. He is projected to be taken in the middle rounds of the draft and was mocked to the Miami Dolphins in a new mock draft by CBS. Chris Trapasso of CBS lists Miami taking the Trojans' safety with pick No. 117 after a trade with the Indianapolis Colts.

For Miami, they could use someone like Bullock for their secondary. The Dolphins made the postseason last year but fell short against the Kansas City Chiefs. If Miami wants to heavily compete with teams like the Chiefs in the AFC, they have to be able to stop the passing game. Bullock could help the Dolphins with this, making them an ideal landing spot for him.

If the Dolphins could get Bullock in the middle rounds, it could end up being a steal for the team. USC has produced plenty of talented defenders over the years and Bullock looks to be the next in line.

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Stanford Law School - Robert Crown Law Library

Supreme court of california.

McConnell v. Underwriters at Lloyds , 56 Cal.2d 637 [S. F. No. 20170. In Bank. Oct. 11, 1961.]

F. BRITTON McCONNELL, Insurance Commissioner, as Liquidator, etc., Plaintiff and Respondent, v. UNDERWRITERS AT LLOYDS OF LONDON et al., Defendants and Appellants; PASSETTI TRUCKING COMPANY, INC., Defendant and Respondent.

Carter, Terreo & O'Connell and David Terreo for Defendants and Appellants.

Theodore Tamba for Plaintiff and Respondent.

Walcom & Harmon and Leo J. Walcom for Defendant and Respondent.

SCHAUER, J.

In this suit for declaratory relief the contesting insurance companies, as well as their insured, Passetti Trucking Company, Inc., hereinafter called Passetti, seek a determination as to the liabilities of the respective companies with respect to claims for personal injuries made against the [56 Cal.2d 639] insured. We have concluded that the trial court erred in holding that the only coverage was that provided by the policy issued by appellant Underwriters at Lloyds of London, hereinafter called Lloyds, and that the judgment should be reversed for further proceedings in accordance with the views hereinafter developed.

In March 1957 a Passetti truck was being driven on a California state highway by Passetti employe Bland. The truck was towing a portable air compressor which came loose and collided with the oncoming automobile of the Zuckers. The Zuckers sued Passetti, Bland, and the owner of the compressor, Rental Equipment Company, who had leased it to Passetti. Whereupon this declaratory relief suit was brought by Interstate, one of the companies from which Passetti had purchased insurance coverage. fn. 1

Passetti for many years had secured its liability insurance through the firm of Hollander and Strom, which it was stipulated was acting as the agent of Passetti. That firm was licensed as an agent of Interstate, but not of Lloyds, which also issued two policies (one of them excess) insuring Passetti. The trial court determined that the Interstate policy did not provide coverage for the compressor accident and that the Lloyds policies did. Judgment was entered accordingly, and this appeal was instituted. Thereafter the Zuckers recovered a substantial judgment against Passetti and Bland.

It was stipulated by the parties that (1) the accident would not have happened if the compressor had not been negligently attached to the truck; (2) the negligent persons were employes of Passetti as distinguished from officers of the company; (3) the compressor was not a "trailer" within the meaning of the California Vehicle Code and the definition of that word under then section 36 fn. 2 (now § 630), and that it was "special mobile equipment" as defined in then section 39 fn. 3 [56 Cal.2d 640] (now § 575) of that code, for which no license is required; (4) the Passetti truck was specifically mentioned in the Interstate policy.

[1] As delineated in Continental Cas. Co. v. Phoenix Constr. Co. (1956), 46 Cal. 2d 423, 437-438 [4b, 11, 12] [296 P.2d 801, 57 A.L.R.2d 914], the following principles govern construction of insurance policies: "[A]ny ambiguity or uncertainty in an insurance policy is to be resolved against the insurer. [Citations.] [2] If semantically permissible, the contract will be given such construction as will fairly achieve its object of securing indemnity to the insured for the losses to which the insurance relates. [Citation.] [3] If the insurer uses language which is uncertain any reasonable doubt will be resolved against it; if the doubt relates to the extent or fact of coverage, whether as to peril insured against [citations], the amount of liability [citations] or the person or persons protected [citations], the language will be understood in its most inclusive sense, for the benefit of the insured." (See also Freedman v. Queen Ins. Co. (1961), ante, pp. 454, 456-457 [1- 3] [15 Cal.Rptr. 69, 364 P.2d 245]; Prickett v. Royal Ins. Co. Ltd. (1961), ante, pp. 234, 237-238 [14 Cal.Rptr. 675, 363 P.2d 907] [4-6].) [4] However, if there is a conflict in meaning between an endorsement and the body of the policy, the endorsement controls. [5] Likewise, under the provisions of section 1651 of the Civil Code, the written or specially prepared portions of the policy control over those which are printed or taken from a form. (Continental Cas. Co. v. Phoenix Constr. Co. (1956), supra, pp. 430-431 [4a, 5, 6] of 46 Cal.2d.)

The policies involved in this litigation will be examined in the light of these principles and from the point of view of the insured who paid the premiums and for whose benefit they issued, and who here claims that all the policies covered the compressor accident.

Interstate Indemnity Policy

[6] Under the heading "Insuring Agreements" the Interstate policy provided, so far as here material, that the company agreed with the insured as follows:

"I. Coverage A--Bodily Injury Liability. To pay on behalf of the insured all sums which the insured shall become legally obligated to pay as damages because of bodily injury ... sustained by any person, caused by accident and arising [56 Cal.2d 641] out of the ownership, maintenance or use of the automobile ....

"III. Definition of Insured: (a) With respect to the insurance for bodily injury liability ... the unqualified word 'insured' includes the named insured ... and also includes any person while using the automobile ..., provided the actual use of the automobile is by the named insured" or with the insured's permission.

"IV. Automobile Defined ... [T]he word 'automobile' means: ... the motor vehicle or trailer described in this policy ...." The parties agree that "automobile" includes trucks and also, as already stated herein, that the Passetti truck which was towing the compressor was specifically mentioned in the Interstate policy; thus Passetti's employe Bland, who was driving the truck at the time of the accident, was an insured under the Interstate policy (see also paragraph III, quoted supra).

Under the heading "Exclusions," The Interstate policy provides that "This policy does not apply: ... while the automobile is used for the towing of any trailer owned or hired by the insured ...." (Italics added.) No such exclusionary provision appears in the policy with respect to the towing of "special mobile equipment" such as the compressor here involved, stipulated by the parties to be not a trailer. (See fn. 2, ante.)

From the above-quoted provisions it appears that the Interstate policy provided coverage for the compressor accident. Construing the policy in its most inclusive sense, for the benefit of the insured (Passetti and its employe, Bland), Coverage A, which by its terms applies to any accident "arising out of the ... use of" the truck would include the accident which arose out of use of the truck to tow the negligently attached compressor. If the company had intended to exclude coverage during such towing operations it could have expressly so stated in the policy, as was done with reference to the towing of trailers. For an accident caused by the towing of a trailer, whether negligently or carefully attached, the exclusion would appear to be effective. However, there is no exclusion applicable to the towing of "special mobile equipment." It follows that, under the above-reviewed principles of law, the policy must be held to provide coverage here. (Continental Cas. Co. v. Phoenix Constr. Co. (1956), supra, 46 Cal.2d 423 , 437 [12]; see also Freedman v. Queen [56 Cal.2d 642] Ins. Co. (1961), supra, ante, pp. 454, 458 [10]; Prickett v. Royal Ins. Co. Ltd. (1961), supra, ante, pp. 234, 237 [4].)

By reason of the conclusion we have reached as to the proper construction of the Interstate policy in the light of applicable California rules, no useful purpose would be served by a discussion of various out-of-state cases relied upon by Lloyds.

Lloyds Policies

The Lloyds policies will for the purposes of this area of discussion be treated as one policy. Further reference to the Lloyds excess policy will, however, appear hereinafter.

[7] The Lloyds policy by Endorsement Number 8 is denominated "Comprehensive Public Liability Insurance Certificate."paragraph numbered 1 is headed "Insuring Agreements." By this document "Lloyd's Underwriters ... agree ... A. To Protect the Named Assured ... against loss by reason of the liability imposed by law upon the Assured for damages from bodily injuries ... by reason of: (i) Operations and work undertaken by the Assured applicable to the business of the Assured .... (vii) The ownership, maintenance or use of automobiles," except (as provided under "Exclusions") automobiles defined (in the words of the exclusion) as "power driven vehicles, including vehicles attached thereto, ... elsewhere than upon the premises." (Italics added.) For the purposes of this opinion it may be conceded that by reason of the exclusion clause last above quoted, Passetti was not covered by insuring agreement vii ("The ownership, maintenance or use of automobiles ... including vehicles attached thereto ... elsewhere than upon the premises"). But coverage under agreement vii, or lack thereof, is not controlling here. The coverage which is applicable is that provided by agreement i, designated "Operations and work undertaken by the Assured applicable to the business of the Assured." In this connection it is undisputed that by specific endorsement the policy covered operations on certain premises in San Jose, known as the Passetti jobsite, and that the compressor had been used in Passetti's business operations and had been negligently attached to the truck on those premises.

Lloyds contend, however, that by reason of specially prepared and typed (as distinguished from a printed form) Endorsement 9 to their policy, the question of the on "premises" clause liability is not even reached. Endorsement 9 declares that "It is agreed that coverage does not apply as respects [56 Cal.2d 643] any claim ... arising out of any one occurrence by reason of the ownership, operation, maintenance or control of any automobile, trailer, semi-trailer, tractor or any motor vehicle licensed for use on public highways."

Again construing all policy doubts or ambiguities for the benefit of the insured who purchased its coverage and against the insurer who prepared it, we are of the view that the Lloyds policy likewise covered the compressor accident here involved.

In the first place, Endorsement 9, on the exclusionary efficacy of which Lloyds relies, by its terms does not include the compressor here involved. The parties stipulated that the compressor is not a "trailer" and it was not "licensed for use on public highways." fn. 4 Thus, Endorsement 9 is of no help to Lloyds with respect to accidents arising in connection with the compressor, which had been used on Passetti premises and in the course of Passetti's business operations and work.

In the second place, as already noted, the parties stipulated that the accident would not have happened if the compressor had not been negligently attached to the truck by Passetti employes. Such negligent attachment occurred on the job premises specifically covered by the Lloyds policy. Thus, liberal construction of the policy provisions in favor of the assured leads to the conclusion that the Lloyds policy likewise provided coverage for the compressor accident because it expressly covered Passetti's business operations on the job premises. Further, as pointed out by Passetti, if someone other than Passetti, through its employe Bland, had been towing the compressor (either on or off the highway) after it had been negligently attached by Passetti, it appears clear that Passetti would be held liable and that the Lloyds policy would cover. The fact that Passetti did both the negligent attaching and the towing should make no difference so far as Passetti's right to the coverage is concerned.

Lloyds pleads that it is forbidden to issue automobile coverage in this state. If it had issued a forbidden automobile policy the fact that the policy was illegal would not excuse [56 Cal.2d 644] Lloyds from liability. Moreover, as already stated, the premises-operations provisions are effective to provide coverage here.

Lloyds further urges that its policy did not cover Bland, one of the two Passetti employes who negligently attached the compressor, and that inasmuch as the Interstate policy did cover him and he is at least one of the two negligent employes upon whom ultimate liability for damages occasioned by such negligence devolves (see Continental Cas. Co. v. Phoenix Constr. Co. (1956), supra, 46 Cal.2d 423 , 428- 429 [1-2]). Lloyds' policy should therefore not be held to cover the accident. Lloyds' policy defines "assured" as follows: "The unqualified word 'Assured' whenever used includes not only the named Assured but also any partnership, executive officer or director thereof while acting within the scope of his duties as such." Under "Insuring Agreement A" Lloyds undertook "To protect the named assured [Passetti Trucking Company] (hereinafter referred to as the Assured) (if a corporation to include its officers as officers of such corporation), against loss ...." As already noted, the parties stipulated that the persons who negligently attached the compressor to the truck were Passetti employes as distinguished from officers of the company. It thus appears that the Lloyds policy did not cover Bland, one of the negligent employes.

In Continental Cas. Co. v. Phoenix Constr. Co. (1956), 46 Cal.2d 423 , 440 [296 P.2d 801, 57 A.L.R.2d 914], because the record established that one line of insurance policies (Transport) afforded more than adequate coverage to the negligent employe (Mason) to meet the Leming judgment for personal injuries and there was no suggestion that that judgment could not be collected from Transport, we found it unnecessary to decide any further controversy as among the other parties to the litigation. In the case at bench, however, the Zucker judgment, as already stated, was rendered after the judgment in this declaratory relief suit and the record fn. 5 here does not show its amount or whether it has become final. Further, Passetti asserts that Interstate became insolvent after the compressor accident (see ante, fn. 1) and that the Zucker judgment may not be collectible from Interstate. [56 Cal.2d 645] Under such circumstances Passetti, who here claims coverage by both Lloyds and Interstate, from both of whom he purchased insurance policies, is entitled to have that coverage declared. Lloyds' contention on this point is without merit.

Lloyds next complains of the alleged lack of findings on material issues and that the remaining findings are vague and uncertain. These complaints, however, appear directed to Lloyds' contention that the compressor accident fell within only the scope of "automobile" coverage, that such coverage was provided by the Interstate policy but not by that of Lloyds, and that consequently the Lloyds policy should be determined to be inapplicable. But as a ground for reversal of the trial court's judgment holding that the Lloyds policy covers the accident, Lloyds also relies upon the rule that where, as here, the evidence is without conflict, this court is not bound by the trial court's interpretations of the insurance policies. (Continental Cas. Co. v. Phoenix Constr. Co. (1956), supra, 46 Cal.2d 423 , 429-430 [3]; see also Estate of Platt (1942), 21 Cal.2d 343 , 352 [4] [131 P.2d 825].) We have interpreted the premises- operations provisions of the Lloyds policy to provide coverage here, and it therefore appears that no useful purpose would be served by detailed consideration of Lloyds' attacks on the findings.

Lloyds contends, further, that it was the intention of both Interstate and Lloyds as well as of their insured, Passetti, to segregate Passetti's insurance coverage; that "automobile risks" were intended to be covered by Interstate and "non-automobile risks" by Lloyds; that if the policies as written do not accurately express this agreement the Lloyds policy should be reformed to do so; and that the trial court erred to the prejudice of Lloyds in refusing to admit certain evidence offered by Lloyds in support of this contention. Again, however, inasmuch as the premises-operations provisions of the Lloyds policy, interpreted in favor of the insured, Passetti, are properly held to provide coverage to Passetti, reformation of the policy so that it states specifically that it covers only "non-automobile risks" would not assist Lloyds. (Of course, as related above, the policy already states, under "Exclusions," that it does not cover automobile risks "elsewhere than upon the premises.") Hence, further discussion of its arguments on this point appears unnecessary. It may nevertheless be noted that the witness Mr. Strom, who as insurance broker and agent of Passetti had secured both the Interstate and the Lloyds policies, testified that "It was my [56 Cal.2d 646] intention to place licensed vehicles only in the Interstate policy to conform to the requirements of the Public Utilities Commission. When--it's conceivable that we could have unlicensed vehicles of many types that would obviously have to be covered by the comprehensive policy [Lloyds] that I purchased .... [T]he exposure created by the use of unlicensed equipment was intended not to be covered by Interstate ...." The compressor here involved was, as already stated, an unlicensed vehicle and not an automobile.

Lloyds Excess Policy

[8] Lloyds Excess Underwriters urge that if this court determines that both the Interstate and the Lloyds primary policy provide coverage to the compressor accident, the liability of the excess underwriters cannot attach until the combined limits of both the Interstate and the Lloyds primary policy have been exhausted. This contention is resisted by neither Interstate nor Lloyds primary underwriters and appears to be correct.

Both the Interstate policy and the Lloyds primary policy contain an "other insurance" clause providing for proportionate sharing of the loss with all other "valid and collectible insurance" against such loss.

The Lloyds excess policy provides, so far as here material, that "Liability under this Certificate shall not attach unless and until the Primary Insurers shall have admitted liability for the Primary Limit or Limits, or unless or until the Assured has by final judgment been adjudged to pay a sum which exceeds such Primary Limit or Limits." Under such circumstances it is held that the excess insurance does not attach until all primary insurance has been exhausted. (See Peerless Cas. Co. v. Continental Cas. Co. (1956), 144 Cal.App.2d 617, 619 et seq. [301 P.2d 602], and cases there cited; American Auto. Ins. Co. v. Seaboard Surety Co. (1957), 155 Cal.App.2d 192, 199 [6b] [318 P.2d 84]; see also American Auto. Ins. Co. v. Republic Indemnity Co. (1959), 52 Cal.2d 507 , 509 et seq. [341 P.2d 675].)

As to the case at bench, however, inasmuch as Passetti asserts that Interstate became insolvent after the compressor accident (see ante, fn. 1), it is noted that insolvency of a primary insurer gives rise to liability under the excess policy, after, of course, any other primary coverage has been exhausted. (See Fageol T. & C. Co. v. Pacific Indemnity Co. (1941), 18 Cal.2d 748 , 751-752 [2a, 2b] [117 P.2d 669].) [56 Cal.2d 647]

The judgment is reversed with directions to the trial court to amend its conclusions of law and enter judgment declaring the relative and respective rights and obligations of the parties to this action in accordance with the views hereinabove expressed, Interstate and Lloyds to each bear its own costs on appeal and to share equally in paying the costs of Passetti.

Gibson, C. J., Traynor, J., McComb, J., Peters, J., White, J., and Dooling, J., concurred.

­ FN 1. After this suit was filed, F. Britton McConnell, Insurance Commissioner, as liquidator of Interstate Indemnity Company, was substituted as plaintiff. However, for convenience plaintiff will be referred to as "Interstate."

­ FN 2. Section 36: "A 'trailer' is a vehicle designed for carrying persons or property on its own structure and for being drawn by a motor vehicle and so constructed that no part of its weight rests upon any other vehicle."

­ FN 3. Section 39: " 'Special mobile equipment' is a vehicle, not self-propelled, not designed or used primarily for the transportation of persons or property, and only incidentally operated or moved over a highway, excepting implements of husbandry."

­ FN 4. Neither, of course, was it a "semitrailer," defined by section 550 (formerly § 37) of the Vehicle Code as "a vehicle designed for carrying persons or property ...." The compressor, as already related herein, was stipulated to be "special mobile equipment" which is "not designed or used primarily for the transportation of persons or property, and only incidentally operated or moved over a highway ...." (Former Veh. Code, § 39, now § 575.)

­ FN 5. A letter sent to this court shortly before oral argument (and mentioned therein) which purports to relate certain events occurring subsequent to the trial of the case at bench is, of course, not a part of the record now subject to review.

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