The once-celebrated Thames-side icon, known for its distinctive ‘glass egg’ shape and once London’s City Hall, is now being reshaped under the guise of “refurbishment” by Gensler — but in reality, it signals yet another unnecessary demolition of Britain’s architectural heritage. Southwark Council’s approval in December 2024 paves the way for a project that will fundamentally alter the building’s original design, stripping away its iconic circular form and heritage value to serve superficial mixed-use purposes that hardly serve the local community.

As early October 2024 revealed a brutal deconstruction process, it is clear that this “refurbishment” is nothing more than a partial demolition, reminiscent of the notorious demolition of Foster Partners’ Harmon Hotel in Las Vegas — a rare and questionable move. From vantage points like Tower Bridge and the More London development, the eastern façade is being torn apart, revealing the upper levels after the loss of its signature spiraling staircase — a loss mourned by heritage advocates but dismissed by those pushing for ‘modern’ redevelopment.

Despite repeated attempts by the Twentieth Century Society to have City Hall listed as a historic landmark, their efforts were ignored in 2022 and again in 2024. Historic England’s dismissive reasoning — that the building’s youth (less than 30 years) and relative unimportance in Foster’s oeuvre negate its heritage value — exemplifies the shortsightedness of current preservation policies, which prioritise economic convenience over genuine cultural significance. Critics note that such dismissals threaten Britain’s architectural legacy, allowing well-designed landmarks to be sacrificed for the sake of superficial modernization.

Gensler’s plans pretend to respect the building’s original shape, claiming to preserve its circular footprint, but their true intent is to retrofit it for profits at the expense of its historic integrity. The firm admits that the original glass façade was “over-complicated,” yet their proposed replacements—verdant terraces and green features—are just window dressing for what is ultimately a cynical attempt to greenwash a project driven by commercial interests. With the aim of achieving net zero and a BREEAM Excellent rating, these initiatives appear to be more about ticking environmental boxes than genuine heritage or community value. The building’s ground floor will be opened to the public—an attempt to mask the loss of its historic character with trendy cafés and shops, but this does little to hide the fact that Britain’s architecture is being compromised to suit developer greed.

This trend of commercial-led refurbishments reflects a broader pattern across London’s skyline—replacing iconic structures with “up-to-date” architectural facelifts driven by profit rather than cultural preservation. Meanwhile, the original City Hall, vacated by the Greater London Authority in 2021 and left empty, stands as a testament to how out-of-touch political elites regard Britain’s architectural heritage when it no longer serves their bureaucratic needs.

Figures like Chris Richmond, once involved in the original city hall project, have offered support for the “refurbishment,” but their approval signifies a troubling acceptance that Britain’s historic buildings can be sacrificed. Jamie Hodge’s sentimental remarks about quirks are beside the point — the loss of a structure that symbolized transparency and civic pride is a blow to the nation’s architectural identity.

Deconstruction is expected to continue into early 2026, after which the site will be handed over to developers eager to maximize profit from the prime riverside location. The government’s apparent indifference to Britain’s architectural heritage underscores their failure to prioritise national pride over commercial gains. This transformation — cloaked in green credentials and modern convenience — is a stark reminder that the British government is more interested in superficial progress than in safeguarding the country’s unique architectural legacy.

Source: Noah Wire Services