Portcullis House
The building was designed by Michael Hopkins and Partners and incorporates Westminster Tube Station below it. The load is borne by the walls, without interior posts. The corners of the building are hung from the roof using massive steel beams. The design life of 120 years meant that aluminium bronze was chosen for exposed metal on the roof and walls.
The building's curious profile, with its rows of tall chimneys, is intended to recall the Victorian Gothic design of the Palace of Westminster and to fit in with the chimneys of the Norman Shaw Building next door. The chimneys are not used to expel fumes but are part of an unpowered air-conditioning system, which is designed to draw air through the building by exploiting natural convection flows. It is based on the system used in 1996 in the Eastgate Centre, Harare, Zimbabwe.
There is an underground passage into the Palace of Westminster and a connection to the 1 Parliament Street building and to the Norman Shaw Buildings. When commissioned in 1992 the cost of Portcullis House was to be £165 million. After building cost inflation and delays, the price increased to £235 million. Costs included £150,000 for decorative fig trees, £2 million for electric blinds and, for each MP, a reclining chair at £440.
Portcullis House
The building was designed by Michael Hopkins and Partners and incorporates Westminster Tube Station below it. The load is borne by the walls, without interior posts. The corners of the building are hung from the roof using massive steel beams. The design life of 120 years meant that aluminium bronze was chosen for exposed metal on the roof and walls.
The building's curious profile, with its rows of tall chimneys, is intended to recall the Victorian Gothic design of the Palace of Westminster and to fit in with the chimneys of the Norman Shaw Building next door. The chimneys are not used to expel fumes but are part of an unpowered air-conditioning system, which is designed to draw air through the building by exploiting natural convection flows. It is based on the system used in 1996 in the Eastgate Centre, Harare, Zimbabwe.
There is an underground passage into the Palace of Westminster and a connection to the 1 Parliament Street building and to the Norman Shaw Buildings. When commissioned in 1992 the cost of Portcullis House was to be £165 million. After building cost inflation and delays, the price increased to £235 million. Costs included £150,000 for decorative fig trees, £2 million for electric blinds and, for each MP, a reclining chair at £440.