with Roger Vielvoye from London
BP'S NEW HEADQUARTERS
The evolution of a new business culture within British Petroleum Co. plc will be accompanied by major changes in office locations that will end the company's domination of London's Moorgate area.
By the end of this month, corporate staff will start to evacuate the Britannic House tower block in Moor Lane.
By the end of March, the transfer of the slimmed down central staff should be complete, with 600 people installed in new headquarters around the corner in Finsbury Square.
NEW HEADQUARTERS' HISTORY
Technically, it's incorrect to describe the Finsbury Square offices as new, either physically or to the company.
The building, designed by the noted British architect Sir Edwin Lutyens, was built in 1924 as headquarters for Anglo Persian Oil Co., later to become Anglo Iranian Oil Co. before changing its name to BP.
In 1924, Anglo Persian named its new headquarters Britannic House, and the company remained in Finsbury Square until 1967, when the current but less distinguished Britannic House tower block was opened and the old headquarters sold.
Internally, the Finsbury Square Britannic House will bear little resemblance to the old Anglo Persian style left behind two decades ago. The interior has been gutted and rebuilt as a custom designed open plan that BP says is essential to allow its new corporate culture to flourish.
The return to its roots in Finsbury Square is not an act of sentimentality. After rationalization chopped 1,150 positions from headquarters staff, BP did not need such large premises, and the Finsbury Square office was the only suitable building available.
BP's corporate staff now shares Britannic House with the central organization of its largest unit, BP Oil, which originally was to vacate Britannic House for new offices in London, thus enabling the tower to be sold.
But the move was scrapped because of delays in building BP Oil's proposed new offices and a sharp downturn in the U.K. property market. The refining/marketing unit will now stay on in what will be called Britannic Tower.
BP's dominance of the Moorgate area was based on Britannic House and its spacious piazza and Britannic House West, a rather gloomy building which houses the exploration and production side of the business in the shadow of the headquarters tower
BP EXPLORATION'S MOVE
The first move away from the area was made by top managers from BP Exploration, who earlier this year took off for new off ices on the other side of the city. The remainder of BP Exploration will move out next year for new premises in a technology park near Heathrow Airport.
Winners in the office carousel are undoubtedly the BP Exploration headquarters staff. Their new home, appropriately named D'Arcy House, was once the headquarters of the British and Foreign Bible Society and built in the 1860s.
All the best features of the palazzo style building have been retained. The grand columned and arcaded entrance is undoubtedly the most imposing oil company foyer in London. A glance up the central staircase to the domed skylight should restore the spirits of the most disappointed manager after a particularly expensive dry hole.
Copyright 1990 Oil & Gas Journal. All Rights Reserved.