London to get stunning new tower

Posted:
in General Discussion edited January 2014
I'm really excited, after 3 years of planning enquiries the "shard of glass' is to be be built just south of London Bridge. This is to be a fully mixed use development, not just an uber-office block. It's going to be amazing, beautiful and another London icon. Check out the website for info and CGI's.London Bridge Tower by Renzo Piano Any thoughts?

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 11
    709709 Posts: 2,016member
    At first view, I instantly thought of Libeskind's 'World Gardens' WTC tower, which I like very much. Seems like glass spires are the 'look' of the future.
  • Reply 2 of 11
    Well I for one welcome our new glass spire overlords, should be a lot more interesting than the cornflake box architecture we had since WW11. We're getting new shaped buildings over here, have you seen the Swiss Re building, AKA The Gherkin? Fabulous. There is also a compelling Libeskind scheme for the Victoria and Albert extension which i hope gets built, it too has got stuck in wrangling, this time over money.
  • Reply 3 of 11
    moogsmoogs Posts: 4,296member
    Spiffy. I like it....
  • Reply 4 of 11
    Looks like a great project. Should be a great icon for the city.
  • Reply 5 of 11
    aquafireaquafire Posts: 2,758member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Northgate

    Looks like a great project. Should be a great icon for the city.



    Yes it is a lovely design..but beyond that ....?



    IMO It is just another enormous waste of money...like the huge ferris wheel & millenium dome fiasco.



    What is wrong with your politicians ?



    London has become an overcrowded city that needs as much money as it can get its hands on to help its desperately poor & homeless.



    Just think of the thousands of "cardboard box " people that could be fed & housed instead.



    Shame....\
  • Reply 6 of 11
    scottscott Posts: 7,431member
    I think I saw this when I was at Piano's office in Paris this July.
  • Reply 7 of 11
    I'm not of the flashy public works persuasion. Flashy office buildings should be put up by corporations that want flashy office buildings.
  • Reply 8 of 11
    aquaticaquatic Posts: 5,602member
    Damn right. If a company wants to build something like this, that's fine, it makes the city look cool without costing the city money. If it's a public project that is just retarded. The Twin Towers were just plain old towers, they were very functional, while looking good, and over time they became a great icon. Apparently they are putting in an observation deck which won't have stories in it. That is the dumbest atrocity possible. They should just rebuild the things. Or put something useful there.
  • Reply 9 of 11
    haraldharald Posts: 2,152member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Aquafire

    Yes it is a lovely design..but beyond that ....?



    IMO It is just another enormous waste of money...like the huge ferris wheel & millenium dome fiasco.



    What is wrong with your politicians ?



    London has become an overcrowded city that needs as much money as it can get its hands on to help its desperately poor & homeless.



    Just think of the thousands of "cardboard box " people that could be fed & housed instead.



    Shame....\




    Dude!



    The London Eye (Ferris wheel) ROCKS! Everyone loves it. Fiasco it ain't ... the Dome, now that is a joke.



    I truly don't understand your point about cardboard box people. This is a private development, and your statement is ... well ... socialist ... (not that I mind that personally so much) ...
  • Reply 10 of 11
    I have no idea how Aquatic , Aquafire and Splinemodel got the idea that public funds are being spent on this, it's very odd. It is as Harald and the site says, a private, mixed use development. The London Eye was a private development too and the Dome was in the main financed from lottery tickets, not tax-payers. PS the wife and I covenant money each month to Shelter, the UKs housing and homelessness charity and advovacy so we are aware of some of the issues , there are not thousands of cardboard city people. There is a housing shortage in the South-East , far too many people in sub-standard buildings, not boxes.
  • Reply 11 of 11
    timotimo Posts: 353member
    Piano's a great architect, and the project is intriguing. Overall, it could well be a pulse for the otherwise undistinguished collection of towers London has currently (the Gerkin excepted).



    That being said, as presented, it's hard to understand just what's proposed -- how is the facade broken down? What are the materials? Is it three converging planes, from a largish base to a scraping top, or just an enormous glass teepee?



    It's all in the details.



    ::judgment withheld::
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