Palestra - 197 Blackfriars Road, London, UK



Architect
 Will Alsop
Date Built
 2006
Location
 Blackfriars Road and Union Street in Southwalk
Description
Will Alsop's website says of Palestra that, "The appearance of the building belies its basically simple diagram. The facades make use of the most advanced glazing technology, with benefits not only in terms of working environment and climatic controls but equally for the public. ....


..... The glazing incorporates a bold abstract pattern that is impermeably bonded into the individual glass sheets -- and thus becomes a huge artwork challenging the idea that speculative office space need be visually boring or environmentally negative."



This £65 million speculative office building offers 28,000 square metres of office space arranged over eleven storeys.  In 2007 the building won the RIBA National Award, the RIBA Commercial Building Prize for the London Region and a commendation in the Structural Steelwork Awards.