Lloyds Building

The Lloyds Building London is one of the most distinctive landmarks in the City. It is an enduring symbol of high-tech architecture as well as being one of the most photographed buildings in London.

Designed by Richard Rogers and completed in 1986, the Lloyds Building turned convention inside out. By revealing the building’s services on the exterior, it earned the nickname the Inside-Out Building. Pipes, lifts and staircases became part of the architecture itself, creating a structure that feels both industrial and elegant.

At the time of its completion, the Lloyds Building challenged accepted ideas of what a commercial office building could be. Its exposed frame, stainless steel surfaces and external lifts gave it a clarity and honesty that set it apart from the surrounding streets. Decades later, the Lloyds Building remains as visually striking as when it first opened, continuing to define this part of the City of London.

Photographing the Lloyds Building London offers endless variation. The reflective steel and glass surfaces respond constantly to changes in light, weather and season. No two visits are quite the same. In bright conditions the building looks crisp and precise; under cloud or at dusk it becomes softer, more complex, and deeply atmospheric.

The Lloyds Building has been captured here from street level in 360 degree views, as well as from elevated positions as part of larger-scale cityscape panoramas and gigapixel images. These different viewpoints allow the building to be explored in detail, from close-range structural elements to its wider relationship with the surrounding skyline. Seen up close or within the broader context of the City, the Lloyds Building reveals different qualities depending on distance, light and perspective. The building is closely framed by neighbouring landmarks including the Leadenhall Building, 20 Fenchurch Street and the Gherkin. Together they chart the evolution of the City’s architecture, showing how innovation has been layered onto an historic urban fabric. The Lloyds Building plays a key role in that story, acting as a visual bridge between late twentieth-century design and the glass towers that followed.

The portfolio below brings together these different views of the Lloyds Building London, exploring how the building sits within the City and how its character shifts across scale, angle and time.