Designed by Richard Rogers for one of the world's largest insurance companies, it is often called Inside-Out Building. Built between 1978 and 1986 is still one of the City's most futuristic buildings, with its exterior elevators and a sparkling metallic envelope.
The project reminds of the Center Pompidou, designed by Rogers and Renzo Piano in 1978, highlighting the concepts of flexibility and continuous space. The building is a leading example of radical Bowellism architecture in which the services for the building, such as ducts and lifts, are located on the exterior to maximise space in the interior. In 2011 it received Grade I listing becoming the youngest structure ever to obtain this status.