Marathon House, Office and residential tower in Westminster, England
Marathon House is an office and residential tower in Westminster, standing about 49 m (161 ft) tall across 15 floors. The entire facade is covered in glass panels, giving the building a smooth, reflective surface that stands out against the older buildings nearby.
The building was completed in 1960 as Castrol House and was the first in England to feature a fully glazed curtain wall, inspired by American construction methods of the time. This approach went on to influence many other buildings constructed across the country in the following decades.
The building was originally known as Castrol House, a name tied to the oil company that first occupied it, and the change to Marathon House signals its shift toward mixed use. Today it serves both as offices and residential flats, which is a common pattern in Westminster where commercial towers have been adapted over time.
The building stands in Westminster and is visible from the surrounding streets, making it easy to take in the full glass facade from the pavement. The late afternoon light tends to bring out the most on the glazed surface, so that is a good time to walk past.
The glass panels on the facade have a faint green tint that produces an unusual color effect after dark, setting it apart from other glass towers in the area. This becomes most visible at dusk when the interior lighting shines through the panels.
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