Filming for the 24th Bond film, Spectre, took place on the Thames near Vauxhall Cross in May 2015. Gradually the development changed to become an office block scheme and with a government agency as the final occupier, the application for offices was accepted. Archeological excavation of the site during building found the remains of 17th-century glass kilns, as well as barge houses and an inn called The Vine. ", The Times, London, 15 July 1994, pg 2. The site on which the SIS building stands had been the location of the Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens in the 19th century. The building was completed in April 1994 and officially opened by Queen Elizabeth II in July of that year. In a storyline that is not meant to be in continuity, Ninjak is forced by Roku – who holds Director Neville Alcott's family hostage – to steal the Book of the Geomancer from MI-6's vault. England London escooters The building was designed by Terry Farrell, the developer Regalian Properties plc approached the Government in 1987 to see if they had any interest in the proposed building. The SAS veteran-turned writer Andy McNab frequently describes the building in his books. SISCORP is a leader in custom designed steel buildings for industrial applications. in 1983. Regalian were unaware that the final occupier would be SIS who needed to move from their HQ in Lambeth, Century House, as they had outgrown it and also needed a modern building to accommodate new technology and IT connectivity. [6] British Police recovered the discarded launcher at Spring Gardens park in Vauxhall, as well as finding remains of the missile which had exploded against an eighth floor window. ONS should measure placemaking and its link to productivity. The building was designed by Terry Farrell and built by John Laing. 1 The building also features two moats for protection. The SIS Building, also commonly known as the MI6 Building, is the headquarters of the British Secret Intelligence Service (otherwise known as "MI6"). SIS is housed in a 70,000 square-foot, LEED Gold-certified building, designed by renowned “green” architect William McDonough. Farrell's design for the SIS building was influenced by 1930s industrial modernist architecture such as Bankside and Battersea Power Stations and Mayan and Aztec religious temples.File:Secret Intelligence Service building - Vauxhall Cross - Vauxhall - London - 24042004.jpg|The SIS building seen from Vauxhall BridgeFile:MI6BuildingVauxhall.jpg|The opposite side of the building, seen from Vauxhall CrossRegalian approached the government in 1987 to assess their interest in the proposed building. By early 1992 the quality and complexity of the detailing was apparent. The building was completed and inaugurated in 1994 and has come to be recognised as one of London's most distinctive structures (the irony of which, for a secret organisation, has been widely commented on). Summary of the BRE Trust 'Future Focus' online session. These were swept away in the 1850s and replaced by mainly industrial units, including a glass factory, a vinegar works and a gin distillery. WordPress Maintenance The government proposed to pay for the building outright to maintain secrecy over the intended use of the site—at this time the existence of MI6 was not officially acknowledged. The land was eventually bought by Regalian Properties Plc. The building was completed in April 1994 and officially opened by Queen Elizabeth II accompanied by Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, in July of that year. X-O Manowar (Volume 3) #5 (September, 2012). Advertise on DigiLondon, © 2006 - 2020 DigiLondon content and photography is © all relevant parties. City MI6 Building "MI6's big secret: they're useless. Evidence was also found for a river wall on the site.In 1983 the site was bought by property developers Regalian Properties. While the details and cost of construction have been released, about ten years after the original National Audit Office report was written, some of the service’s special requirements remain classified. The NAO report Thames House and Vauxhall Cross has certain details omitted, describing in detail the cost and problems of certain modifications but not what these are. A steampunk pastiche of the building featured in the comic book League of Extraordinary Gentlemen as the headquarters of British Military Intelligence in 1898[citation needed]. The land was eventually bought by Regalian Properties Plc. Even the doors were specially designed. People of the Central Intelligence Agency, Articles needing additional references from December 2007, Articles with invalid date parameter in template, All articles needing additional references, Articles with unsourced statements from December 2007, Articles with unsourced statements from April 2011, File:Secret Intelligence Service building - Vauxhall Cross - Vauxhall - London - 24042004.jpg, File:Secret Intelligence Service building - Vauxhall Cross - Vauxhall - London - from Millbank 24042004.jpg, File:SIS Building under construction in 1991.jpg, http://edition.cnn.com/2000/WORLD/europe/09/21/britain.mi6.building/index.html, http://books.guardian.co.uk/reviews/generalfiction/0,6121,1235335,00.html, https://www.sis.gov.uk/our-history/buildings.html, http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/934937.stm, "Missile launcher in MI6 attack was new to UK", http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/missile-launcher-in-mi6-attack-was-new-to-uk-698787.html, http://film.guardian.co.uk/Column/0,4541,45454,00.html, https://covert-history.wikia.org/wiki/SIS_Building?oldid=10763. in 1983. [1][2][3] It is located at 85, Albert Embankment in the south western part of central London, on the bank of the River Thames beside Vauxhall Bridge. In July 1988 Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher approved the purchase of the new building for the SIS. MI6/SIS Building is the headquarters of the British Secret Intelligence Service MI6. Aliases Farrell's influences for Vauxhall Cross speak of 1930s architecture (Battersea and Bankside power stations) and Mayan and Aztec temples. First appearance Several industrial buildings were subsequently built on the site after the demolition of the pleasure gardens in the 1850s, including a glass factory, a vinegar works and a gin distillery. Due to the sensitive nature of MI6's work, large parts of the building are below street level, with numerous underground corridors serving the building.Mark Henderson. Its headquarters at Vauxhall sported a few discreet rows of bunting. Vauxhall Cross has featured in several recent James Bond films. It is located at 85 Albert Embankment in Vauxhall, a south western part of central London, on the bank of the River Thames beside Vauxhall Bridge. Consultation launched on changes to the Architects Act. In the opening sequence of The World Is Not Enough, Bond chases a suspect from the building down the Thames after a bomb was detonated, damaging a portion of the building. The architect Terry Farrell won the competition to develop a building on the site—originally an urban village. Layers of decks rising from the river produce no fewer than 60 separate roof areas. The SIS Building or MI6 Building at Vauxhall Cross houses the headquarters of the Secret Intelligence Service (SIS, MI6), the United Kingdom's foreign intelligence agency. SIS Building These were swept away in the 1850s and replaced by mainly industrial units, including a glass factory, a vinegar works and a gin distillery. In 1994, the SIS moved there from its previous location, the Century House. In September 2000, the building was attacked by unapprehended forces using a Russian-built RPG-22 anti-tank rocket, causing superficial damage. MI6 reluctantly allowed exterior filming of the building for the first time after being told to by Robin Cook, then a Government Minister, in tribute to the long-time popularity of the secret agent. Security issues prompted the need for a new headquarters for MI6 who had previously occupied an office block near Waterloo Station. The building was designed by Terry Farrell and built by John Laing. sis jp21 ventures pte. "Heavy security at £75m building." ", The Guardian, 3 September, pg. The building’s design was reviewed to incorporate the necessary protection for Britain’s foreign intelligence gathering agency. ltd. 4 leng kee road, singapore (159088) sis cf ventures pte. This includes overall increased security, extensive computer suites, technical areas, bomb blast protection, emergency back-up systems and protection against electronic eavesdropping. Continent Quality Web Hosting Vauxhall Cross was also subject to rather different security requirements from those prevailing in the commercial sector. ltd. 4 leng kee road, singapore (159088) sis sk ventures pte. Triposo works offline so you can wander freely. Location Regalian issued a press release in February 1989 stating that the building had been sold for £130 million and that construction was to take three years. It is known within the intelligence community as Legoland and also as "Babylon-on-Thames" due to its resemblance to an ancient Babylonian ziggurat. In their 2014 Guide to London's Contemporary Architecture, Kenneth Allinson and Victoria Thornton wrote: Feargus O'Sullivan on the other hand mentioned the nickname "Ceaușescu Towers" for the building, referring to the oversized pompous architecture of Socialist Romania, and derided the whole neighbourhood of newly constructed buildings in Vauxhall as "Dubai-on-Thames". It is located at Vauxhall Cross. Digital Artwork for sale or hire On the evening of 20 September 2000 the building was attacked by unapprehended forces using a Russian-built RPG-22 anti-tank missile, causing superficial damage. [citation needed]. You can find out about our cookies and how to disable cookies in our Privacy Policy. The Spying Game, Part 4 – MI6: Secret Intelligence Service, https://valiant.fandom.com/wiki/SIS_Building?oldid=42361. By early 1992 the quality and complexity of the detailing was apparent. This article has no additional notes or trivia. The NAO put the final cost at £135.05m for site purchase and the basic building or £152.6m including the service’s special requirements. The line between propping up and reconstruction. The building has been the headquarters of the SIS since 1994. The Daily Telegraph claimed that the British Government prevented some filming in front of the SIS Building, citing a security risk. Real World It has since featured prominently in several recent films of the James Bond franchise, including 'The World Is Not Enough' in 1999 when part of the building appeared to be blown up in a terrorist attack and 'Spectre' in 2015 in which it was portrayed as a ruin awaiting demolition. Rob Humphrey's London: The Rough Guide suggests one of these omitted modifications is a tunnel beneath the Thames to Whitehall. The SIS Building, or MI6 Building is the current location of the headquarters of the British Secret Intelligence Service. This proposal was ultimately abandoned due to the lack of buildings of adequate size (existing or proposed) and the security considerations of providing a single target for attacks. Montgomery County recognises BREEAM for building tax credits. [7], The building has appeared in The Tailor of Panama as well as the James Bond films GoldenEye, Tomorrow Never Dies, The World Is Not Enough and Die Another Day, starring Pierce Brosnan. The building has appeared in fiction, featured in the James Bond films GoldenEye, The World Is Not Enough, and Die Another Day. The government moves to halt the rise of gender neutral facilities. Le bâtiment est situé dans le sud-ouest de Londres, sur la rive droite de la Tamise, après le Vauxhall Bridge. It has been commented that it is ironic for such a secretive organisation to occupy one of the most high-profile and distinctive buildings in London. "Queen visits Mi6. It is located at Vauxhall Cross. [5], The building's design was reviewed to incorporate the necessary protection for Britain's foreign intelligence-gathering agency. Natural light for large scale offices and warehouses. "On 1 June 2007, the building and its curtilage were designated as a protected site for the purposes of Section 128 of the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005. The building is first seen in X-O Manowar (Volume 3)#5 (September, 2012) from the inside. The building was first featured in GoldenEye in 1995 and was depicted as having been attacked in The World Is Not Enough (1999), Skyfall (2012), and Spectre (2015). The same year a steampunk pastiche of the building was featured in the comic book League of Extraordinary Gentlemen as the headquarters of British Military Intelligence in 1898. The windows in the SIS building are triple glazed for security purposes. The report omits certain details, describing the cost and problems of certain modifications but not their nature.