The SIS Building, also called the MI6 Building, at Vauxhall Cross houses the headquarters of the
Secret Intelligence Service (SIS), also known as Military Intelligence, Section 6 (MI6), the United Kingdom's foreign intelligence agency. It is located at 85 Albert Embankment in Vauxhall, London, on the bank of the River Thames beside Vauxhall Bridge
. The building has been the headquarters of the SIS since 1994.
History
Background
Previously based at
Waterloo stations, in 1964.[5] Its location at Century House was classified information, though The Daily Telegraph reported that it was "London's worst-kept secret, known only to every taxi driver, tourist guide and KGB agent".[7] Century House was described as "irredeemably insecure" in a 1985 National Audit Office (NAO) report with security concerns raised in a survey; the modernist building was made largely of glass, and had a petrol station at its base.[7][9] Security concerns combined with the remaining short leasehold and cost of modernising the building were important factors in moving to a new headquarters.[7]
Design and construction
The site on which the SIS building stands had been the location of the
Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens in the 19th century.[10] 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.[10] 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. Evidence was also found for a river wall on the site.[10]
In 1983 the site was bought by
John Laing.[10] SIS ultimately became the occupiers of the building.[10] Farrell's design for the building was influenced by 1930s industrial modernist architecture such as Bankside and Battersea Power Stations and Mayan and Aztec religious temples.[10]
Regalian approached the government in 1987 to assess their interest in the proposed building.[11] In 1988 Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher approved the purchase of the new building for the SIS. The NAO put the final cost at £135.05 million for site purchase and the basic building or £152.6 million including the service's special requirements.[12]
The site is rumoured to include a tunnel under the Thames from the building to Whitehall.[12][13]
The numerous layers over which the building is laid out create 60 separate roof areas.[10] 25 different types of glass were used in the building, with 130,000 square feet (12,000 m2) of glass and aluminium used in the building's construction.[10] The windows in the SIS building are triple glazed for security purposes. 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.[14] Amenities for staff include a sports hall, gymnasium, aerobics studio, a squash court and a restaurant.[15][16] The building also features two moats for protection.[17]