Before the main event, Blueprint’s editor Johnny Tucker took Farrell back to the site in Vauxhall to briefly hear about the building, its lengthy planning setbacks and its undeniable impact on London’s landscape. The MI6 building, one of Farrell’s most distinctive contributions to architecture and planning has become one of the most recognised landmarks of the capital, and since its unmasking as the headquarters of the British government’s secret intelligence service has constantly attracted discussion – much like Marmite, it’s either love it or hate it.
‘This is a building, which gets me recognised all around the world – simply because of the James Bond movies, it’s not the architecture. I’m told that in one cinema, there was a group of architects who all cheered when it was blown up.’
The opening event of this series gave Farrell the opportunity to look back and offer retrospective insight, whilst also considering a way of looking forward to London’s urban future and sets the tone for the upcoming series of events. Stay tuned for the full video of his talk; for now you can find our exclusive film on location with Sir Terry below.
‘…to say would I have done it differently, I don’t know. Everyone would do everything differently with hindsight. I think it’s a strong building, and I don’t make apologies for it.’
Blueprint 20/20 – Sir Terry Farrell and MI6 from Blueprint on Vimeo.
Anne Bellamy
