Portcullis House
Alongside Big Ben sits the parliamentary office building Portcullis House which opened in 2001. It was designed by Michael Hopkins & Partners to represent the chained portcullis symbol of the Houses of Parliament, together with a series of 'mock' chimneys said to invoke the Gothic Revival of its neighbour.
When commissioned in 1992 the cost of Portcullis House was to be £165m. After building cost inflation and delays, the price increased to £235m, including an extra £10 million MP's had not been told about. Costs included £150,000 for decorative fig trees, £2m for electric blinds and, for each MP, a reclining chair at £440.[4] A parliamentary inquiry into the over-spend was carried by Sir Thomas Legg. Although completed in 2000, the report was never published.[5] By April 2012 the fig trees, which were rented, had cost almost £400,000.[6]
In 2015 the roof required repairs and this was expensive, the MP's considered suing the architects (Hopkins) and structural engineers (Arup) [1].
References:
- https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2002/jul/24/uk.houseofcommons1
- http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/mps-may-sue-firm-that-built-portcullis-house-over-roof-damage-a6914491.html
- https://www.i-fm.net/members/news/feb01/27_01.html
- "Royal seal of approval: Portcullis House opens". The Guardian. 27 February 2001. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2016-08-11.
- Swaine, Jon (10 October 2009). "MPs expenses: Profile of Sir Thomas Legg". London: Telegraph. Retrieved 2009-10-13.
- "Taxpayer spends £400,000 on fig trees for MPs". Retrieved 2016-08-11.
See also:
Featured articles and news
Editor's broadbrush view on forms of electrical heating in context.
The pace of heating change; BSRIA market intelligence
Electric Dreams, Boiler Realities.
New President of ECA announced
Ruth Devine MBE becomes the 112th President of the Electrical Contractors Association.
New CIAT Professional Standards Competency Framework
Supercedes the 2019 Professional Standards Framework from 1 May 2025.
Difficult Sites: Architecture Against the Odds
Free exhibition at the RIBA Architecture Gallery until 31 May.
PPN 021: Payment Spot Checks in Public Sub-Contracts
Published following consultation and influence from ECA.
Designing Buildings reaches 20,000 articles
We take a look back at some of the stranger contributions.
Lessons learned from other industries.
The Buildings of the Malting Industry. Book review.
Conserving places with climate resilience in mind.
Combating burnout.
The 5 elements of seiri, seiton, seiso, seiketsu and shitsuke.
Shading for housing, a design guide
A look back at embedding a new culture of shading.
The Architectural Technology Awards
The AT Awards 2025 are open for entries!
ECA Blueprint for Electrification
The 'mosaic of interconnected challenges' and how to deliver the UK’s Transition to Clean Power.
Grenfell Tower Principal Contractor Award notice
Tower repair and maintenance contractor announced as demolition contractor.