City Hall handed over to the GLA

The GLA will now be able to move into their new home in time for the official opening by the Queen on 23 July.

City Hall will accommodate 560 GLA staff and is designed to be fully accessible to Londoners attending the Mayor's Question Time and other meetings in the Chamber. Also open to the public for conferences and events is London's Living Room, which has spectacular views across London.

Over last two months the Government Office for London has been responsible for the majority of the interior fitting out of the building.

The GLA will now install computer equipment and move staff and documents from Romney House in Westminster to the new SE1 building.

Work will continue over the coming three weeks to get the building ready for Monday 15 July – the first day the GLA will be working at City Hall. City Hall will be officially opened on Tuesday 23 July by The Queen.

The radical shape of the building minimises the surface area, approximately 25 per cent less than an equivalent rectangular building, is self-shading and the high performance façade ensures excellent energy efficiency.

Water is extracted through two bore holes from the water table beneath London and is used to cool the building and is then used for flushing the toilets. This saves use of mains water.

Nick Raynsford, Minister for London, said: "The project is an excellent example of the public and private sectors working together to produce outstanding value for money for the taxpayer."

The Mayor and London Assembly's new postal address is City Hall, The Queen's Walk, London SE1 2AA.