London to move city hall from Norman Foster-designed tower to Docklands site

London Mayor Sadiq Khan has announced a plan to move London's city hall facilities from their current location within the Norman Foster-designed "glass gonad" building to the Wilkinson Eyre Architects-designed Crystal building in the city's Docklands district.  The Foster building is a privately-owned facility that costs the Greater London Authority, the city's regional government, an estimated £11.1million per year to rent. The building's colloquial name was given to the facilities by former London Mayor Boris Johnson, who is now England's Prime Minister. The move comes as the City of London struggles to pay for essential services, including public transportation and firefighting services, in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.  Regarding the move, Khan tells The Huffington Post, “My first priority will always be to protect funding for front-line services, including public transport, the Met Police and the London Fire Brigade,” adding, “Leaving our current home would save £55m ...