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Willis Faber and Dumas Building

Civic, Commercial and Institutional Buildings

The Willis Faber and Dumas Building is a Grade I listed office building in Ipswich, Suffolk, England, designed by Norman Foster and Wendy Cheesman after they established Foster Associates. Its curving glass curtain wall, following the irregular shape of the site, made it one of the most influential examples of high tech office architecture.

Facts
Year Created
1975 1
Location
Ipswich, Suffolk, England 1
Architectural Style
High-tech architecture 1
Structural System
Reinforced concrete pillar grid with cantilevered slab floors 1
Primary Material
Dark smoked glass curtain wall over a concrete frame 1
Commissioned By
John Roscoe, chairman of Willis, Faber and Dumas 1
Construction
from 1970 1
Storey Count
3 1
Classification
Genre
Architecture 1
Connections

In Form

High-Tech insurance office building in Ipswich, England, designed by Norman Foster.

In the Other Atlases
Sources
1. Willis Faber and Dumas Building (Wikipedia)
Wikipedia
  • Lead section
    Constructed between 1970 and 1975 for the insurance firm now known as Willis Towers Watson
  • History section
    The building was officially opened on June 2, 1975, by former Prime Minister Harold Macmillan.
  • Design section
    The centre of the building is constructed from a grid of concrete pillars, 14 m (46 ft) apart, supporting cantilevered concrete slab floors.
  • History section, Roscoe commission clause
    The Willis Building was commissioned by John Roscoe, chairman of Willis, Faber & Dumas, in the early 1970s.
  • Lead section, high-tech clause
    it is widely considered a landmark in the development of the 'high tech' architectural style
  • Design section, glass cladding clause
    The curtain wall exterior is clad in panels of dark smoked glass.
  • Lead section, three-floors clause
    The building houses some 1,300 office staff in open-plan offices spread over three floors.
  • Lead section, Ipswich clause
    is a Grade I listed office building in Ipswich, Suffolk
  • Genre reference
    The Willis Faber and Dumas Building is a Grade I listed office building in Ipswich, Suffolk, England, designed by Norman Foster and Wendy Cheesman after they established Foster Associates.
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