Architectural Wonders OF 2008(Government Communications Headquarters, Cheltenham)

Government Communications Headquarters, Cheltenham, Britain
Gensler

Although the building was completed last year, the Government Communications Headquarters -- the British equivalent of the CIA -- entered full operation last spring, when the last of the spies moved in. The GCHQ marks the first time that Britain's 4,000-employee intelligence establishment, formerly distributed among 50 discrete buildings, will be housed together in a central, modern facility. The new hub is a single, one-million-square-foot building, shaped like an enormous circular spaceship and affectionately nicknamed "the Doughnut."

Like a medieval fortress, the new GCHQ is designed for maximum security in an age when protection from terrorist acts is a timely concern. Innovative elements include a centralized screening area where all incoming letters and packages are inspected and then whisked to recipients via a subterranean circular road that reaches all parts of the facility. This ring-like path is also a convenient and efficient channel for distributing emergency supplies in the event of an attack or natural disaster. In addition, the building is encased by a reinforced glass wall constructed to allow those inside to see out but preventing outsiders from looking in.