Its A Tall As The Eiffel Tower & Being Built In London...
Discussion
djstevec said:
Don't let Bob Crow see that!!! He'll have the trains and Tubes out on strike over safety concerns until they're given enough money to forget about it......
Silly me, should have thought of that before posting. Also, hope CMD does not peruse these pages or a Sunshine Tax may be on the cards. 
Yep, I just think the glass is all wrong. On a gloomy grey day it just looks very dull, and when viewed from a distance you can see the upper parts floors and it just looks unfinished, with no actual pointy shard like glass like I was imagining. The Gerkin got its glass right, the Shard hasn't.
My commute has me leaving and coming back to London Bridge every day. My opinion of The Shard? It needs a bloody good clean. There are different shades of dirt going all the way up. It might be amplified by the brown (cardboard?) inner window protection at different levels, but it looks rubbish.
I'm embarrassed to admit, I thought the building was still under construction until a couple of months ago when the topping out ceremony took place. The way they had placed the triangular sections at the top, I thought they would settle back onto each other in the form of a pyramid (of sorts). But they never did.
The artist impressions that were released as it was being built look much better than it does in reality.
I'm embarrassed to admit, I thought the building was still under construction until a couple of months ago when the topping out ceremony took place. The way they had placed the triangular sections at the top, I thought they would settle back onto each other in the form of a pyramid (of sorts). But they never did.
The artist impressions that were released as it was being built look much better than it does in reality.
dunmow70 said:
My commute has me leaving and coming back to London Bridge every day. My opinion of The Shard? It needs a bloody good clean. There are different shades of dirt going all the way up. It might be amplified by the brown (cardboard?) inner window protection at different levels, but it looks rubbish.
I'm embarrassed to admit, I thought the building was still under construction until a couple of months ago when the topping out ceremony took place. The way they had placed the triangular sections at the top, I thought they would settle back onto each other in the form of a pyramid (of sorts). But they never did.
The artist impressions that were released as it was being built look much better than it does in reality.
I think it needs more than a good clean, personally.I'm embarrassed to admit, I thought the building was still under construction until a couple of months ago when the topping out ceremony took place. The way they had placed the triangular sections at the top, I thought they would settle back onto each other in the form of a pyramid (of sorts). But they never did.
The artist impressions that were released as it was being built look much better than it does in reality.
I agree on the topping out. During construction, I genuinely thought it was unfinished and that the planes would converge to a point. I know it's meant to represent a shard of glass, but converging to a point would be the logical thing to do. I was really surprised to see that this is the final design. I refused to believe it until they started taking the cranes away. It looks like they ran out of money before finishing it.
I have huge respect for the civil and construction engineering that went into it, which is nothing short of incredible and is something which this country should be proud of. But as for the design...I'm afraid it's hideous. IMHO it would look a lot better if the exterior were shinier and less transparent (so more mirror like). The shape is really good for reflecting the sky, so I would have capitalised on that, making the building "disappear" into the skyline by reflecting the clouds. The top needs to be properly finished off, and there needs to be more vertical interest. And someone needs to finish off the bottom, as well. The way in which the sides come to an abrupt stop 50 feet above the ground, suggesting no relationship between the inside and outside of the building, is IMHO poor design.
A good test for architecture is how good the building looks on a dull or rainy day, when the shape isn't being flattered by sunlight. The Lloyds building, Natwest Tower and Gherkin all pass this test. The Shard just looks...depressing.
I go into London Bridge and then Bishopsgate every day. I never get tired of looking at the Natwest Tower, Heron Tower and Gherkin. With the Shard, I'm frankly bored already. It is not capable of holding my interest. Maybe this is my problem and not the Shard's. But others seem to agree.
I predict it will be pulled down within 30 years.
porridge said:
On the in progress front
- Walkie Talkie looks promising, really like it so far.
- the one opposite the Lloyd's building, cheesegrater?? looks dull
- the one on bishops gate, spiral thingy, too early to say
- Walkie Talkie looks promising, really like it so far.
- the one opposite the Lloyd's building, cheesegrater?? looks dull
- the one on bishops gate, spiral thingy, too early to say
Walkie Talkie - looks very promising and I reckon that on shape alone, it will stand the test of time much better than the Shard. I always wonder whether the construction hoardings are having a gentle dig at the Shard.
Cheese Grater - could go either way...
The spiral thingy on Bishopsgate was at one point called the Helter Skelter. The builders packed up and left about a year ago and nothing has happened since. I believe there is an ongoing problem with finance. The core has not risen beyond the 6th floor.
Also keep an eye on 5 Broadgate (next to Liverpool Street station). Currently a big hole in the ground, but will eventually be the new UBS headquarters, and potentially the best of the lot.
AmitG said:
Also keep an eye on 5 Broadgate (next to Liverpool Street station). Currently a big hole in the ground, but will eventually be the new UBS headquarters, and potentially the best of the lot.
But it's not exactly a tower, is it. More a big steel clad brick (or technically two cubes side by side), all designed around a 60m clear span in its trading rooms.Compare it, however, with the cheesegrater and it's interesting to see what a difference building for a known client or speculatively can have - both are British Land / Broadgate projects, I think.
Plus the fact that one has a signature architect and the other doesn't.
I must admit I wasn't really a fan of the Walkie Talkie, as I always thought it looked a little bit squat (originally planned to be taller?), but now it's progressing, I'm more than warming to it. Cheesegrater starting to look interesting, and will certainly open up a lot of space at ground level. Pinnacle was probably my favourite of the lot to be honest, but who knows when that will get going again.
hornetrider said:
Chaps. Got any pics/impressions of these weird and wonderfully named buildings?!
http://www.wirefresh.com/londons-skyline-soars-wit...The cheesegrater
The walkie talkie
The helter skelter/pinnacle
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