Built and opened by Siemens, it was the first building in the world to reach the highest sustainability award level (see LEED and BREEAM).

The Crystal was built as a key part of the Green Enterprise District policy of the London Development Agency.

In 2016, Siemens sold the building to the GLA, who acquired it to use as a base for the Mayor of London's £3.5bn project to regenerate the Royal Docks.

[3] The decision was confirmed on 3 November 2020; Newham Borough Council gave permission for a change of use for the building in December 2020.

[1][13] The entire site is 18,000 square metres (190,000 sq ft) in size and the surrounding landscape was designed to be a sustainable urban landscape to help encourage a shift in the social ideology, making 'sustainability' more attractive and allowing people to participate in social activities within the site, which includes local food programmes and community gardens to help foster this principle.