The Economist Building

The Economist Building
Name	Economist Building
Caption	Economist Building, St James's Street frontage
Location	St James's Street, London
Architect	Alison and Peter Smithson
Client	The Economist
Start date	1959
Completion date	1964
Style	Brutalist architecture
Material	Concrete, brick, glass

The Economist Building is a landmark office building on St James's Street in London designed by Alison and Peter Smithson for The Economist during the post‑war redevelopment of St James's. It became notable for its association with figures such as Denys Lasdun, its use by institutions including RIBA and proximity to Buckingham Palace and the Westminster precinct, and its place in debates about Brutalist architecture and urban conservation in United Kingdom planning.

History

Commissioned by The Economist after World War II reconstruction, the project followed conversations among developers, planners and critics including Nikolaus Pevsner and supporters from RIBA. The Smithsons competed in a milieu influenced by contemporary works like Trellick Tower and designs by Denys Lasdun and Ernő Goldfinger, eventually winning the commission amid controversies involving City of Westminster planning officers and the private owner Sir William Davison's redevelopment proposals. Construction took place against a backdrop of debates at Ministry of Housing and Local Government and demonstrations involving heritage groups such as the Victorian Society.

Architecture and design

The design expressed the Smithsons’ theories of New Brutalism alongside influences from Le Corbusier, Alvar Aalto, and precedents like Unité d'Habitation and Brutalist architecture exemplars. The building integrates an elevated plaza and mixed‑use terraces reminiscent of ideas discussed at CIAM meetings and referenced by critics including Ada Louise Huxtable and Geoffrey Jellicoe. Exterior façades combine textured brickwork and exposed concrete with glazing patterns that echo the structural rationalism seen in works by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Louis Kahn, while interior planning responded to office briefs similar to projects for Financial Times and Daily Telegraph offices.

Construction and materials

Contracted builders drew on post‑war supply chains involving firms linked to British Steel and precast concrete manufacturers that also supplied projects for South Bank Centre and Barbican Centre. Primary materials were rough‑faced brick, board‑cast concrete, and bronze‑framed glazing; bespoke elements were fabricated by specialist workshops that had previously worked on commissions for National Theatre and Royal Festival Hall. Engineering inputs referenced techniques used by Ove Arup and employed mechanical and electrical systems contemporary with large commissions like Canary Wharf masterplans. The concrete finishes were designed to weather similarly to exposed concrete at Southbank and required maintenance regimes later debated in conservation reports by English Heritage.

Use and occupancy

Originally occupied by editorial, production and administrative functions for The Economist, the complex hosted meeting rooms used by visiting dignitaries from Foreign Office delegations and private receptions with participants from House of Lords and House of Commons committees. Over time parts of the premises were let to organisations such as Royal Aeronautical Society and consultancy firms serving clients like Ile de la Cité planners and financial institutions formerly based in City of London. Adaptive reuse projects have accommodated tenants involved with Institute of Directors, cultural programming associated with British Council, and occasional exhibitions linked to Victoria and Albert Museum initiatives.

Reception and criticism

Critics and advocates debated the building in outlets read by The Times, The Guardian, and international journals; commentators including Nikolaus Pevsner, Charles Jencks, and Banham weighed design merits against urban context concerns near St James's Palace and Whitehall. Some lauded its integration of public realm and serviceable detailing, comparing it to successful projects by Alison and Peter Smithson contemporaries, while opponents likened its massing to modernist intrusions criticized by groups such as the Georgian Group and the Victorian Society. Debates surfaced in planning inquiries attended by representatives of City of Westminster and English Heritage, generating case studies later cited in academic work at Bartlett School of Architecture and University College London.

Preservation and legacy

The building’s conservation status has been considered in the context of listing campaigns advocated by preservationists and contested by developers with portfolios in Canary Wharf Group and Property Alliance Group. It figures in surveys of post‑war architecture by Historic England and in retrospectives at institutions like Royal Academy of Arts and Museum of London. As a reference in architectural pedagogy, it is studied alongside projects by Alvar Aalto, Le Corbusier, and Denys Lasdun at schools including Architectural Association and Yale School of Architecture, ensuring its continued influence on debates about adaptive reuse, material longevity, and the conservation of twentieth‑century buildings.

Category:Buildings and structures in London Category:Brutalist architecture in the United Kingdom