SIS Building The SIS Building , also commonly known as the MI6 Building , is the headquarters of the British Secret Intelligence Service ( otherwise known as " MI6 " ) . It is known within the intelligence community as Legoland and also as " Babylon - on - Thames " due to its resemblance to an ancient Babylonian ziggurat . It is located at 85 , Albert Embankment in the south western part of central London , on the bank of the River Thames beside Vauxhall Bridge . Design and construction . The building was designed by Terry Farrell and built by John Laing . The developer Regalian Properties approached the government in 1987 to assess their interest in the proposed building . At the same time , MI6 ' s sister service MI5 was seeking alternative accommodation and collocation of the two organisations was considered . This proposal was ultimately abandoned due to the lack of buildings of adequate size ( existing or proposed ) and the security considerations of providing a single target for attacks . In July 1988 Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher approved the purchase of the new building for the SIS . The government proposed to pay for the building outright to maintain secrecy over the intended use of the site — at this time the existence of MI6 was not officially acknowledged . History of the site . The site was previously the location of the Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens . These were swept away in the 1850s and replaced by mainly industrial units , including a glass factory , a vinegar works and a gin distillery . The land was eventually bought by Regalian Properties Plc . in 1983 . The architect Terry Farrell won the competition to develop a building on the site — originally an urban village . Gradually the development changed to become an office block scheme and with a government agency as the final occupier , the application for offices was accepted . Regalian were unaware that the final occupier would be SIS who needed to move from their HQ in Lambeth , Century House , as they had outgrown it and also needed a modern building to accommodate new technology and IT connectivity . Construction and architecture . Farrell ' s influences for Vauxhall Cross speak of 1930s architecture ( Battersea and Bankside power stations ) and Mayan and Aztec temples . Regalian issued a press release in February 1989 stating that the building had been sold for £130 million and that construction was to take three years . During excavation of the site , the remains of 17th century glass kilns , three barge houses and an inn ( The Vine ) came to light and there was evidence of a river wall . Layers of decks rising from the river produce no fewer than 60 separate roof areas . 12 , 000 square metres of glass and aluminium covering the six perimeter and internal atria were installed : the glass may look homogeneous but 25 different types were required to meet specific needs in all parts of the building . Even the doors were specially designed . Vauxhall Cross was also subject to rather different security requirements from those prevailing in the commercial sector . By early 1992 the quality and complexity of the detailing was apparent . A Royal opening . The building was completed in April 1994 and officially opened by Queen Elizabeth II in July of that year . It has been home to the last five Chiefs , from Colin McColl to the incumbent , John Sawers . The building ' s design was reviewed to incorporate the necessary protection for Britain ' s foreign intelligence - gathering agency . While the details and cost of construction have been released , approximately ten years after the original National Audit Office ( NAO ) report was written , some of the service ' s special requirements remain classified . The report omits certain details , describing the cost and problems of certain modifications but not their nature . Rob Humphrey ' s " London : The Rough Guide " suggests one of these omitted modifications is a tunnel beneath the Thames to Whitehall . The NAO put the final cost at £135 . 05m for site purchase and the basic building or £152 . 6m including the service ' s special requirements . 2000 attack . On the evening of 20 September 2000 the building was attacked by unapprehended forces using a Russian - built RPG - 22 anti - tank missile , causing superficial damage . British Police recovered the discarded launcher at Spring Gardens park in Vauxhall , as well as finding remains of the missile which had exploded against an eighth floor window . Cultural references . The building has appeared in " The Tailor of Panama " as well as the James Bond films " GoldenEye " , " Tomorrow Never Dies " , " The World Is Not Enough " and " Die Another Day " , starring Pierce Brosnan . Filming of the exterior of the building for the 23rd James Bond film , " Skyfall " starring Daniel Craig , was postponed due to snow in early February 2012 ; the building is seen with the upper offices bombed in an explosion . In the opening sequence of " The World Is Not Enough " , Bond chases a suspect from the building down the Thames after a bomb was detonated , damaging a portion of the building . " The Daily Telegraph " claimed that the British Government prevented some filming in front of the SIS Building , citing a security risk . However , a Foreign Office spokesperson repudiated the claims and expressed displeasure with the misleading article . A steampunk pastiche of the building featured in the comic book " League of Extraordinary Gentlemen " as the headquarters of British Military Intelligence in 1898 . Andy McNab , an SAS veteran turned writer , frequently describes the building in his books . The liner notes of Thom Yorke ' s album " The Eraser " contain a stylised depiction of the SIS Building ( among other London Landmarks ) being washed away by a storm surge .