Its A Tall As The Eiffel Tower & Being Built In London...

[im]

grumbledoak said:

If you've read my posts you'll know that I expect this one to be an eyesore.

The bearer of bad news. Shooting. Etc.

I don't understand or agree with that. After all its a building (unlike say the Eiffel Tower which is more a monument) and as such (from the published renders etc) its as nice as anything similar anywhere in the country.

Its also being built in an "eyesore" area and as such might just attract more new projects to that part of town.

[im]

I saw the Shard on Channel 4 news last night during an article on 'The fall in lending for construction projects'.

I think I'm having my first 'train-spotter' type experience with this...and I likey.

I'm putting it down to National pride as, for a (very) short while, we'll have the tallest building in europe.

The French (...noses now out of joint...) & the Russians have taller stuff in the pipe-line but there appears to be some doubt as to whether, in the current economic climate, it can actually be afforded/funded.

Which is good news

[im]

youngsyr said:

grumbledoak said:

im said:

Its also being built in an "eyesore" area and as such might just attract more new projects to that part of town.

No arguing that Guy's (?) is an eyesore. But, the right course of action would have been to pull that down.

Within a collection of skyscrapers this would have gone relatively un-noticed. Say, at the Wharf, or even in the City nearer to the Gherkin. But this is being intentionally built away from, and far taller than, existing buildings. Even the 'artists impressions' aren't great, and they normally prove to be a touch 'optimistic'.

They have to start somewhere.

I don't think the tall, ugly concrete building with the overhang currently on the site is Guy's, is it not an office block?

No...it is Guys.

The sad thing is...I'm actually considering a trip to London from mid-sussex just to look at this construction - I''ll have to camoflage it somehow - perhaps a meal for the wife, in the London Bridge area.

Edited by im on Thursday 18th March 09:42

[im]

grumbledoak said:

sleep envy said:

why don't you like it?

Design brief appears to have been "Be the tallest building in Europe, for however many weeks, and be placed well away from other skyscrapers so you tower over everything nearby."

You could level that arguement at the Eiffel Tower. Even to this day from 100+ years ago. And grey skies appear over all citys.

Edited by im on Thursday 18th March 16:00

[im]

clonmult said:

Revel in the sheer scale .....

Revel from your desk...

[im]

A really interesting point is how few Londoners actually know that its being built. Ask the average Londoner what he knows about the "Shard" and they'll stare blankly back at you.

Once it rises to point where its in full view over the capital then perhaps it'll get some media attention as everybody will be asking WTF it is.

[im]

B16JUS said:

tamore said:

B16JUS said:

Wacky Racer said:

Off topic but:-

With 9/11 would you fancy working on the top floors?........

i used to work on the 40th floor at CW 1 canada square, it wasnt great but i didnt like the 35min it takes to evacuate the tower a lot can happen in that time.

also the following day if a real evacuation happened there is no way most people could walt the 40 flights of stairs again my legs ached for days

adrenalin is a wonderful thing.

thats true i suspect in a real panic you would find the energy even if you rolled down the stairs

Is it really that tiring to walk down stairs - no honestly is it? Only I've bounded down the stairwell of a few hi-rise blocks of flats in Central London in my youth (from the top floor) and always thought it was rather easy.

Of course I haven't done it in 25 years...well that's what I told the 'peeping tom' inquiry anyway

[im]

Whilst I absolutely love the fact that this building is going up in London this kinda puts it in perspective:



Still, that building isn't in Europe so doesn't count!

[im]

Right...I had to shimmy up a drainpipe and work my along a 6 inch-wide window ledge some 100 feet above ground level in order to bring y'all this shot:



Taken today.

[im]

sleep envy said:

any chance you could get another shot capturing all the cranes?

Taking the piss or a crane fetish?

[im]

sleep envy said:

im said:

sleep envy said:

any chance you could get another shot capturing all the cranes?

Taking the piss or a crane fetish?

As you can't make yer mind up - here's the cranes from the ground floor looking up. Now you wouldn't believe what I had to go through to get these, let me tell you I first had to...

[im]

Here's a beaut!

Cranes building the Shard in the foreground with the Heron Tower construction going on across the river.

Fantastic.

[im]

sleep envy said:

what's your take on the hubble bubble tower?

...I don't know really...is it innovative? certainly appears so. Is it art? possibly. Is it worthy of being the centre peice of the London Olympics? probably.

I'd have to go and see it in the flesh when built to really gauge my feelings about it though.

You?

[im]

Shamelessly stolen but to good to go unpublished on this thread. The scale is starting to become apparent.

[im]

tamore said:

how many floors are showing on the core now? i've not been past for a couple of weeks.

I believe the core construction is in stasis for the next few weeks whilst the exterior construction catches up...then the core will once again rise at a very rapid pace.

[im]

tamore said:

can't help but think guy's is going to look very out of place when it's all completed though.

Its being re-clad in glass to match the Shard.

[im]

Interesting interview/report on CNN TV about the tallest building in Europe being built in London:

http://questmeansbusiness.blogs.cnn.com/2010/04/27...

Worth a watch.

[im]

Latest picture taken whilst hanging from the top of a double decker bus - the scale is becomming more-and-more evident.

The core will start to rise again in the 2nd half of May and the exterior glass cladding will also start to be installed in late May.

[im]

tamore said:

381?

...where's an enigma machine when you need one?

[im]

Soovy said:

tamore said:

wonder how many people in the really tall towers have a base jumping chute tucked away in their drawer?

You can buy these.

I know of two people in the main tower at Canary Wharf who have them, along with something to break plate glass.


As a last resort, I'd use one.

I think I can see a flaw with attempting to base jump from the shard



......now a sledge...