The Doughnut

Benhall, United Kingdom

Exterior only

Visible from the street; the inside is private.

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Further readingAtlas Obscura↗

The Doughnut is the headquarters of the Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ), a British intelligence and cryptography agency, located on a 71-hectare site in Benhall, near Cheltenham, Gloucestershire. Completed in 2003 and designed by Gensler in high-tech architectural style, the 21-meter-tall building earned its nickname from its distinctive doughnut-shaped form. Constructed primarily of steel, aluminium, granite, and limestone, it was built to consolidate GCHQ's scattered Cheltenham operations and accommodates 5,500 employees, making the agency Gloucestershire's largest single employer. The building is surrounded by concentric rings of car and bicycle parking and secured by perimeter fencing, guards, and CCTV systems. Financed through a private finance initiative, the structure was completed despite significant cost increases caused by difficulties transferring the agency's computer infrastructure.