LONDON - Full Summary of Projects [Archive] - Page 6

IciLondres

09-22-2009, 09:53 PM

The bad news is that Glenkerrin it now seems will not develop this rather striking tower (though some other firm might)

http://www.skyscrapernews.com/images/pics/5556CityPrideDevelopment_pic1.jpg

The good news is that the guy who sold them them the City Pride gets to keep his £32m

Further good news is that the much-maligned Glenkerrin deal with Tower Hamlets Council is now on the rocks.

The council, eager to bolster their support in the now Tory-held Millwall area, decided that Glenkerrin didn't have to put the plebs in the new skyscraper - they could in fact house them in a ghetto down the Westferry Road in a place marketed as Island Point.

Now, with Glenkerrin struggling to build either the gleaming tower or the estate for poor, lazy people, it seems that residents of the Isle of Dogs have been given a reprieve.

The final piece of good news is that London holds on to one of its fast-disappearing pubs for at least a bit longer.

wjfox2004

09-24-2009, 12:39 PM

From tripowski on flickr:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2481/3937994344_e71663e7cb_o.jpg

wjfox2004

10-01-2009, 10:41 AM

http://www.cnplus.co.uk/technical/tall-buildings/shard-project-chief-above-ground-by-xmas/5208843.article?referrer=RSS

Shard project chief: above ground by Xmas

1 October, 2009 | By Nick Whitten

A critical milestone was reached last week on the £425 million project to create Europe’s tallest building, when the first crane was installed.

Bernard Ainsworth said this proved that work on the main structure was going ahead, and that the 310 m-high Shard’s concrete core would be visible before the end of the year.

Piling is now all but complete, and excavation for the basement started last Thursday, with more than 100 contractors now on the site next to London Bridge.

Mr Ainsworth, of developer Sellar, said: “It all proves what we have said the whole time, that the intention was to build this. We were never here to pretend – it is definitely happening.”

The first of five tower cranes was erected by main contractor Mace, standing 105m above the ground.

It will initially be used to lift the reinforcement bar as the construction of the ground floor slab is completed.

A second crane will be put in place in the next couple of weeks to service the slipform core construction.

Byrne Brothers is on site to carry out the basement excavation with the help of Keltbray. Steel is expected to start going into the ground in mid to late November.

Mr Ainsworth added: “In this climate, any building is good. We are pleased with the progress so far. The team is building up.

“We have got to finish it by May 2012 so it needs to move speedily.”

By the end of 2010 the Shard’s concrete core will top out at around level 72 of the 87-storey building.

In all, four cranes will service the steel frame erection up to level 40, and one will continue to climb up the building from level 72 upwards to construct the steel spire.

Transport for London and upmarket hotel firm Shangri-La have between them agreed to take up 40 per cent of the Shard space.

Swede

10-01-2009, 01:45 PM

Didn't know the Shard was that far along. Lovin' that.
The Heron is rising pretty damn fast. Lovin' that too.

Time to go to London soon. As always, time + money... we'll see when it happends.

oli1994

10-03-2009, 08:21 PM

is the other building being constructed on the far right 100 middlesex street?

oli1994

10-03-2009, 08:27 PM

is the building on the far right 100 middlesex street?

wjfox2004

10-03-2009, 11:39 PM

^ yep.

oli1994

10-04-2009, 10:50 AM

whens the 600m supertall in russia gonna be built

sentinel

10-04-2009, 06:02 PM

^ I thought that was canceled or at least placed on hold. Either way, I'm glad the Shard is still moving forward!

oli1994

10-04-2009, 07:14 PM

whats the plan for heron tower will they stop at the first taper then fit all the cladding and glass?

oli1994

10-04-2009, 09:07 PM

anyone know?

oli1994

10-05-2009, 06:08 PM

cmon someone tell me if the dont understand atn least

wjfox2004

10-05-2009, 07:30 PM

By mitosan of SSC:

http://www.timporter.net/4skyscrapercity/nicenight.jpg

oli1994

10-05-2009, 07:40 PM

do you know wjfox?

IciLondres

10-08-2009, 09:14 AM

...the leftie imbeciles don't know whether to laugh or cry:

Mayor of London Boris Johnson has approved plans for the 63-storey Columbus Tower in London's Isle of Dogs.

The London Borough of Tower Hamlets council had refused a planning application for the development in August.

However, using new planning powers for the first time, Johnson then called in the proposals and following a public hearing at City Hall yesterday he has decided to grant permission.

The application, from developer Commercial Estates Group, proposes the construction of the tower with thousands of square feet of new office and retail space, 192 hotel rooms and over 74 apartments.

Conditions attached to the application will see the developer contributing £4 million towards Crossrail and over £1 million towards affordable housing in the area.

More than £2 million will also be invested by the developer into the local community.

Johnson said: "I have now had the chance to consider the Columbus Tower application in great detail and, more importantly, had the opportunity to listen carefully, and in person, to the arguments for and against this proposal.

"I am satisfied that all the major concerns have been addressed and I believe the application will not only strengthen the success story of the Isle of Dogs, but will be hugely beneficial to the whole of London.

"As well as being suited to the Canary Wharf district with its distinctive tall buildings, the overall size of the development means that it will deliver a huge contribution to the cost of Crossrail, which is central to the continued success and prosperity of both Canary Wharf and the entire capital.

"Considerable sums will also be invested to bring lasting benefits to the local community and therefore I have no doubt that this development must be allowed to go ahead."

michael.donnelly@haymarket.com

http://www.planningresource.co.uk/

http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/images/smilies/banana.gif

IciLondres

10-08-2009, 03:06 PM

Boris biased news, commenting on the Columbus Tower decision, says in something that is approaching English:

"At the heart of approval by Boris Johnson is likely the substantial contributions that the developer, Commercial Estates Group will make to the public purse that totals over £7 million to mitigate the impact of the development. This includes a much needed £4 million for Crossrail and over £1 million for affordable housing.

Boris Johnson was however elected the Mayor of London partly on the platform of believing that local councils should have the final say in sensitive planning matters including those relating to skyscrapers.

This has been the justification for supporting the decisions by Tory boroughs to reject towers however it seems when it comes to a Labour borough the rules are different. Would Boris dare overrule the likes of Westminster next time they oppose a tall building?"

This website, which is supposed to be about skyscrapers, makes Pravda look like fair and reasonable journalism.

For fun I have rewritten this embarrassingly bad reporting as if newt-loving Ken was still in charge. This, I guess, is what the clown who poses as a journalist would have written:

"Not only do we get a gleaming new skyscraper but Ken has won substantial contributions from the developer, Commercial Estates Group that will add over £7 million to the public purse. This includes a much needed £4 million for Crossrail and over £1 million for affordable housing."

Biased News should stop pretending to be a site about Skyscrapers. It's laughable.

oli1994

10-08-2009, 08:03 PM

how tall is it planned to be?

wjfox2004

10-09-2009, 09:30 AM

how tall is it planned to be?

237m AGL.

http://www.skyscrapernews.com/buildings.php?id=47

IciLondres

10-09-2009, 03:35 PM

http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/images/smilies/haha.gif

Latest from Boris biased news:

call me cynical, but this has all the hallmarks of a conspircy[sic] and colusion[sic] between the council and the mayor.

Mayor wants money for crossrail....
Council reject application for a skyscraper in a skyscraper zone with no real reason
Mayor say give me 4m towards crossrail
developers forced to agree
Mayor gets money for crossrail
Tower which should never have been rejected in first place gets approved, council makes no fuss.

Even ES has a positive twist on story.

oli1994

10-09-2009, 05:29 PM

well at least its now set for demolition

IciLondres

10-14-2009, 06:47 AM

In the shadow of St Paul's, the James Bond people must have already booked their location days.

Can't wait to have a glass of wine on the roof myself.

http://archrecord.construction.com/news/images/091013nouvel1.jpg

While construction launches have come to a virtual halt in central London, highly visible projects that predate the economic downturn are coming to fruition. A trio of wind turbines that will crown the 43-story Castle House designed by London-based architecture firm Hamiltons are being fabricated in Sweden. The tropical-colored ceramic skins of the Renzo Piano–designed Central Saint Giles have begun wowing tourists strolling among the theaters of Soho and Covent Garden. And on October 14, One New Change will top out.

French architect Jean Nouvel’s competition-winning design for One New Change was first shown in 2005. The building, which combines approximately 220,000 square feet of retail space with 350,000 square feet of offices, still must have its glazing and interior fitout completed and should open this time next year. The developer is Land Securities, which recently delayed start on a Rafael Viñoly skyscraper on Fenchurch Street.

Unlike Viñoly’s “walkie-talkie” or Castle House, One New Change is considerably shorter than its peers. “Nouvel has referred to it as a Stealth Bomber,” says Land Securities development manager Kathrin Hersel, referring to the building’s low and subtly faceted profile.

Limiting height responds to planning restrictions barring interference with the sight lines surrounding St. Paul’s Cathedral. So, too, does One New Change’s curtain wall, whose fritted glass—featuring varying shades of red, gray, and beige to evoke neighboring facades—diminishes the reflectivity that local authorities feared would distract from Sir Christopher Wren’s masterpiece.

In further homage, the building volume splits around its east-west axis, creating an outdoor courtyard that looks to the cathedral, as do minimally fritted “clouds” in the glass portions of the roof. A north-south route through the mall resurrects a medieval street, and on top of the unglazed parts of the roof, visitors to public gardens can look into St. Paul’s famous Whispering Gallery.

Although Prince Charles unsuccessfully tried preventing Nouvel’s scheme from realization—unlike his campaign against Richard Rogers’s Chelsea Barracks—the public feels more positively about One New Change. Peter Murray, chairman of New London Architecture, notes that the glazing may appear more conventional than computer renderings initially promised, but that the material palette “clearly is in contrast to the Portland stone of St. Paul’s…as it should be.” Murray also forecasts, “It will be seen as a very polite building that delivers a real treat—a previously unavailable view of the apse and the dome.”

Neil Paterson, a head of project management for Land Securities, says the participation of a renowned architect like Nouvel expedited the planning-approval process. He adds, “There’s a theoretical uplift in value with a bespoke world-class building.” Leases have been signed for 35 percent of the shopping mall, and for one-third of One New Change’s available office space.

http://archrecord.construction.com/news/daily/archives/091013nouvel.asp

wjfox2004

10-18-2009, 07:44 PM

Posted by Ciudad Bristol on SSC:

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a82/supertek/DSC02425.jpg

wjfox2004

10-20-2009, 02:55 PM

More pics from Chest. This thing is actually, finally rising!!

http://homepage.mac.com/benveasey/.Public/P1020823.JPG

http://homepage.mac.com/benveasey/.Public/P1020800.JPG

http://homepage.mac.com/benveasey/.Public/P1020804.JPG

http://homepage.mac.com/benveasey/.Public/P1020790.JPG

http://homepage.mac.com/benveasey/.Public/P1020832.JPG

http://homepage.mac.com/benveasey/.Public/P1020817.JPG

http://homepage.mac.com/benveasey/.Public/P1020836.JPG

http://homepage.mac.com/benveasey/.Public/P1020838.JPG

http://homepage.mac.com/benveasey/.Public/P1020842.JPG

http://homepage.mac.com/benveasey/.Public/P1020811.JPG

http://homepage.mac.com/benveasey/.Public/P1020791.JPG

http://homepage.mac.com/benveasey/.Public/P1020816.JPG

http://homepage.mac.com/benveasey/.Public/P1020834.JPG

IciLondres

10-20-2009, 06:04 PM

:previous:

It would be nice if Chest posted his own pics over here rather than have them linked by a third party.

wjfox2004

10-20-2009, 07:06 PM

He doesn't mind if I post them here.

IciLondres

10-22-2009, 06:46 PM

No offense, just thought this forum would benefit from Chest's presence rather than A Another posting his (excellent) pics.

wjfox2004

10-23-2009, 03:39 PM

Some pics of my own, from this afternoon.

http://www.willfox.com/images/skyscrapers/heron/construction/5.jpg

http://www.willfox.com/images/skyscrapers/heron/construction/6.jpg

http://www.willfox.com/images/skyscrapers/heron/construction/7.jpg

http://www.willfox.com/images/skyscrapers/heron/construction/8.jpg

http://www.willfox.com/images/skyscrapers/heron/construction/9.jpg

wjfox2004

10-23-2009, 08:54 PM

Here's a video of the Shard site today. It's about 70mb / 5 minutes:

http://www.willfox.com/videos/skyscrapers/shard/3.wmv

I'd recommend viewing in full screen mode.

wjfox2004

10-24-2009, 07:53 AM

It's available on YouTube now -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=njd0zUdqc2Q

wjfox2004

10-24-2009, 06:40 PM

These were posted by Jimbo on SSC. Taken from 32nd floor of Centrepoint today:

http://img405.imageshack.us/img405/3995/img2922.jpg

http://img260.imageshack.us/img260/7717/img2917n.jpg

IciLondres

10-27-2009, 05:43 PM

Let's just hope they don't choose this one

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/multimedia/archive/00633/Boris_2_360_633995a.jpg

http://londonist.com/2009/10/boris_wants_an_eiffel_tower_for_oly.php

Meanwhile on Boris biased news the soap dodgers have chosen to put their own slant on the story.

Darjeeling is apperently blaming Boris for the imminent closure of the London Lite, though what it has to do with Boris I have no idea, and Officer Tiddle reckons Boris won't be able to build an Eiffel Tower for £15 million. (No kidding?)

wjfox2004

10-27-2009, 08:03 PM

Some pics by SE9:

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b281/SE9/Library-1968.jpg

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b281/SE9/Library-1949.jpg

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b281/SE9/Library-1951.jpg

oli1994

10-30-2009, 09:07 PM

what exactly are the height restrictions for canary wharf?

oli1994

10-31-2009, 07:56 PM

i'll be going to get some updates in the next day then?

Aleks

11-01-2009, 01:23 AM

lol

let's keep on topic before someone gets banned. One more stupid little comment and that person will be suspended. Now seriously, let's get back on topic.

IciLondres

11-01-2009, 08:53 AM

BT Tower and The Gherkin

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/multimedia/archive/00139/BT1-385_139068a.jpg

IT is one establishment guaranteed to take fine dining to new heights.

The revolving restaurant at the top of the BT Tower in central London is to be reopened for the first time in nearly 30 years.

BT has recently begun searching for a big-name chef to oversee the restaurant on the 34th floor.

Among those it plans to approach are Heston Blumenthal, Jamie Oliver and Gary Rhodes, who runs a restaurant on the 24th floor of Tower 42, formerly the NatWest building, in the City.

The skyscraper, previously known as the Post Office Tower, has not had a restaurant open to the public since 1980, when the Top of the Tower venue closed after 14 years. It was shut partly because of security fears. In 1971 an IRA bomb exploded in the lavatories.IT is one establishment guaranteed to take fine dining to new heights.

The revolving restaurant at the top of the BT Tower in central London is to be reopened for the first time in nearly 30 years.

BT has recently begun searching for a big-name chef to oversee the restaurant on the 34th floor.

Among those it plans to approach are Heston Blumenthal, Jamie Oliver and Gary Rhodes, who runs a restaurant on the 24th floor of Tower 42, formerly the NatWest building, in the City.
Related Links

The skyscraper, previously known as the Post Office Tower, has not had a restaurant open to the public since 1980, when the Top of the Tower venue closed after 14 years. It was shut partly because of security fears. In 1971 an IRA bomb exploded in the lavatories.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/food_and_drink/eating_out/article6898128.ece

Bedhead

11-01-2009, 11:14 AM

Great news - Fitzrovia could do with something interesting going on.

IciLondres

11-02-2009, 03:21 PM

Sorry what happened to my post?

I would have thought a perfectly relevant point that this forum should stand by itself and that any pictures linked to this site should come from active third-party accounts (ie the people who post them should know they are active because they own the accounts).

I don't know why anyone would want to ban me for saying that.

If you just want a forum with dead links to pictures that don't exist then feel free to ban someone who has worked in the industry for years and just have 'bandwith exceeded' photobucket signs.

I only post here because I love London and I love architecture.

Why should I not complain about this. My post gets removed and this stays on:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v478/lclclc/ScreenShot013.jpg

IciLondres

11-02-2009, 03:42 PM

Great news - Fitzrovia could do with something interesting going on.

Can't wait to go. I don't think either that people know the Gherkin restaurant is going to be open to the public soon.

http://life.hereisthecity.com/cntns_media/hitcl/me_1251.jpg

IciLondres

11-05-2009, 04:08 PM

http://www.e-architect.co.uk/london/jpgs/one_new_change_br210809_mhl2.jpg

I don't know if this guy, Fitz, gets involved in the bash-Boris campaign that most 1,000+ posters have over at biased news, but this was (one of the few) really good posts seen over there.

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=221131&page=41

Fantastic. Appreciates architecture, realises that One New Change is going to be a great building for London and takes one or two great shots, the like of which we will soon be enjoying on a regular basis.

robanito

11-17-2009, 04:17 PM

Je suis jaloux

IciLondres

11-18-2009, 06:14 PM

I don't think for very long because BL is about to sell the project. But if talks take too long we could have a farm in the middle of the city for up to two years!

http://www.mitchelltaylorworkshop.co.uk/uploads/projects/42_1_Main_image_annotated.jpg

IciLondres

11-20-2009, 10:34 AM

This morning from Masthouse Pier.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v478/lclclc/Heron.jpg

IciLondres

11-26-2009, 12:45 PM

What are the implications for London development.

A lot more worrying than Boris.

wjfox2004

12-10-2009, 09:41 AM

Pics of my own from this morning, crossing Waterloo Bridge.

http://i620.photobucket.com/albums/tt283/skyscrapercitypics/skyscrapers/heron/14.jpg

http://i620.photobucket.com/albums/tt283/skyscrapercitypics/skyscrapers/heron/15.jpg

Swede

12-11-2009, 06:00 PM

The skyline from entrence level outide Wembley Stadium.
http://i46.tinypic.com/vmzu5v.jpg
My photo from my trip to London in late november.

wjfox2004

12-21-2009, 06:36 PM

I've created a Twitter page for the Shard -

http://twitter.com/LondonShard

:)

wjfox2004

12-22-2009, 07:12 PM

A video from today:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PzueIBwgEtk

You can download the hi-res version here -

http://www.willfox.com/videos/skyscrapers/shard/4.wmv

Bedhead

12-27-2009, 05:30 PM

Strata, poking up from behind Waterloo Station.

http://i570.photobucket.com/albums/ss150/Mattdoug/London/002.jpg
my pic

That really is great news about the Gherkin, btw. Hopefully the security stories from over Christmas won't make them change their plans.

wjfox2004

01-01-2010, 12:48 PM

By Neil J Smith:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2768/4232956242_1060881b2d_b.jpg

By Herschell Herschey:

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4027/4233632854_89aeb969be_o.jpg

IciLondres

01-04-2010, 03:46 PM

While the disastrous Brown-led government is banging the last nail into the coffin of JPM's Riverside South development (not to mention UK PLC) by imposing impossible taxes on our most successful industry, the Mayor of London fights back...

Today he has announced he will use his call-in powers once again by reviewing a decision to refuse the Southall Gas Works scheme.

4,000 homes, a hotel, cinema and sports facilities were rejected by the London Boroughs of Ealing and Hillingdon.

But after he turned round the rejection of Columbus Tower, Boris now aims to get this much-needed redevelopment, already described by CABE as "potentially fantastic" back up and running.

Boris, anyone who loves London should appreciate the work you are doing fighting the bumbling left-wing councils.

IciLondres

01-10-2010, 02:00 PM

Design team Chimera has conceived of an incredible series of spiraling skyscrapers for London modeled after the complex ecosystems created by the mangrove tree. Dubbed Mangal City, the project is an “urban ecological system” composed of modular pod capsules that shift to adapt to environmental and contextual conditions. A beautiful example of biomimicry and certainly a flight of fancy, the plan proposes a futuristic building system based upon flexibility.

Featuring a twisting latticed frame reminiscent of Eric Vergne’s Manhattan skyscraper farms, Mangal City harnesses biomimetic principles borrowed from a range of sources. The skyscraper’s structure is modeled after mangrove trees, spiraling plant growth patterns, and the interaction of natural ecosystems.

http://www.inhabitat.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/mangal-ed021.jpg

http://theenergycollective.com/TheEnergyCollective/56229

Bedhead

01-10-2010, 04:44 PM

:previous: Cool - looks like a cross between the Nakagin Capsule tower in Japan (http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/48/Nakagin_Capsule_Tower200810.jpg/480px-Nakagin_Capsule_Tower200810.jpg) and some kind of Calatrava design.

Looking at some of the arguments for and against the Southall Gas Works scheme, it's hard to see how anyone could be against it (apart from the handful of people facing a compulsory purchase order). It's a derelict, brownfield industrial site that is about to be converted into houses and shops. The only argument against it is that it will lead to congestion on the roads, but every development comes up against that objection. Seems like nimbyism of the worst order. As usual, CABE is the voice of reason.

wjfox2004

01-12-2010, 09:19 AM

The Shard webcam from Guys Hospital is still down. The other two are okay now.

You can see part of the structure rising in the bottom one...

http://i48.tinypic.com/2e5irgi.jpg

http://i47.tinypic.com/28k0jkp.jpg

IciLondres

01-13-2010, 08:17 AM

Why does a big tower in an area of big towers constitute a bad planning decision?

http://i.thisislondon.co.uk/i/pix/2009/07/Columbus-Tower-415x356.jpg

http://www.mayorwatch.co.uk/darren-johnson-announced-2010-worst-planning-decision-shortlist/20109535

Four of Mayor Boris Johnson’s most controversial planning decisions are in the running for London Assembly Member Darren Johnson’s annual “worst planning decision” award.

The Green Party AM gives the award, an inscribed breeze-block, for the planning decision he considers to be the most damaging, in parallel to the Mayor’s London Planning Awards.

This year’s shortlist for the prize is:

London City Airport, Newham
“Doubling the number of flights will mean huge increases in noise for residents and increasing carbon emissions from a Mayor who claims to lead the fight against climate change.”

Brent Cross Cricklewood, Barnet
“By waving through a development that will create a surge in traffic and air pollution, the Mayor has undermined city-wide efforts to improve air quality, and has done nothing to help severely affected centres in neighbouring boroughs.”

Columbus Tower, Tower Hamlets
“The Mayor intervened to help this 63 storey tower go ahead on the edge of Canary Wharf against the local council’s wishes, apparently because Crossrail money was at stake.”

Project: Ferrier Estate, Greenwich
“The Mayor gave no objections to this regeneration project, which will slash the number of social rented homes from 1,730 to 730 in a London borough with 13,486 households on its waiting list.”

Announcing the shortlist Johnson said: “The Mayor’s second year in charge of London’s biggest planning decisions has revealed his true priorities. Despite all his talk about sweetening the air and making London pleasant, he is waving through developments that will increase noise and pollution. The Mayor has overruled a local council for Crossrail money, but has shown little leadership in stemming the loss of affordable housing and the probable growth in congestion.”

The winner of the 2010 Worst Planning Decision Award will be announced in March, the day before the Mayor hosts the London Planning Awards in City Hall.

IciLondres

01-19-2010, 11:29 AM

LONDON (Reuters) - Land Securities is banking on development to spearhead its 2010 expansion plans as Britain's elite property firms ponder the most efficient ways to grow profits as the market romps towards another pricing bubble.

The blue-chip landlord said Tuesday it would pump 655 million pounds into three new projects in London, signalling short-term preference for construction over acquisitions, amid fears UK commercial property prices are overheating just four months after the market bottomed out.

Works on the three schemes at Park House in Mayfair, and Wellington House and Selborne House in Victoria, will begin in the first and second quarter, with completions due in 2012 and 2013, Land Securities said in a third-quarter trading update.

Selborne:

http://static.worldarchitecturenews.com/project/uploaded_files/11297_Selborne1big.JPG

Park:

http://www.hamiltons-london.com/img/cms/1175156619-slide.jpg

http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2010/01/19/business/business-uk-landsecurities.html?_r=1

IciLondres

01-19-2010, 02:49 PM

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2008/11/09/article-1084279-041065E40000044D-19_468x408.jpg

Jan. 19 (Bloomberg) -- Land Securities Group Plc, Britain’s largest real estate investment trust, may revive a plan to build the London skyscraper known as the Walkie-Talkie as rents start to rebound.

Land Securities, based in the U.K. capital, put the project on hold in 2008 because of a slump in the commercial property market. The Walkie Talkie, named because of its resemblance to two-way radios, was due to be built on a site at 20 Fenchurch Street in the City of London financial district.

“We have just started to think about the potential timing,” Chief Executive Officer Francis Salway said on a conference call with reporters today. “A development in the West End is viable at today’s rents.” The City of London, though, is “probably about nine to 12 months behind.”

http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-01-19/land-securities-considers-reviving-london-s-walkie-talkie-tower.html

facadestructures

01-25-2010, 05:20 PM

:previous: looks awesome!

Swede

01-25-2010, 05:26 PM

I like the walkie-talkie. the one part I'm not so enthusiastic about is the non-concave sides: grey walls like that... noooooo!

IciLondres

01-27-2010, 08:38 AM

I walked past the Shard site yesterday evening and it was striking how the core had begun its rise.
It didn’t seem so clear looking at pics or the webcam but here is one comparison, with a red dot at the same point (unless of course the camera had been moved, which it hadn’t).
I know there are videos of the build schedule on Youtube but I think most of us will still be amazed how quickly this is going to go up.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v478/lclclc/tuesday.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v478/lclclc/wednesday.jpg

IciLondres

01-28-2010, 08:53 AM

The red dot was the top of the block two days ago. The block should be leaving the web cam view by the end of next week.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v478/lclclc/camputer81.jpg

IciLondres

01-28-2010, 09:08 AM

You have to laugh that Boris-biased news is carrying a front-page 'story' today about Anish Kapoor's 50-metre high sculpture in Middlesbrough. The fact that the same man has designed the tallest sculpture in Europe ready for the London 2012 site seems to have passed them by. Too busy with the day job editing the school mag, or not wanting to give Boris any credit for proposing this? You decide.

BTW, 400 feet makes it taller than London's Centre Point, and those that have seen the plans say the sculpture will be amazing.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/90/Centre_Point_London.jpg

:banana:

A SPIRALLING 400ft sculpture designed by the Turner prize-winning artist Anish Kapoor is set to win the competition for a monument to mark the 2012 Olympic Games.

Boris Johnson, the mayor of London, is planning the £15m artwork, which he hopes could become a popular tourist attraction.

The sculpture, to be built in the Olympic park, is to be funded by Lakshmi Mittal, the steel magnate and Britain’s richest man.

Although the exact design is being kept secret, the asymmetric steel structure is understood to resemble a cluster of interlocking fractured rings.
Related Links

* BBC has high hopes for 2012 Olympics

* Report reveals £160m Olympics shortfall

The form is intended to complement the sweeping curves of the nearby Aquatics centre, by Zaha Hadid, and its form nods to the five rings of the Olympic logo.

The sculpture will incorporate lifts for visitors and offer sweeping views over London. A restaurant is also planned, though its inclusion will depend on the ability of Cecil Balmond, the project’s engineer, to overcome significant structural challenges.

Like the Skylon, the futuristic sculpture built for the 1951 Festival of Britain to wow a war-weary nation, it is hoped the artwork will become a symbol of optimism as Britain emerges from recession.

Securing funding for the project is a coup for Johnson, who has been urging London’s super-rich to give something back to society. A source close to Mittal said he decided to fund the project as a “gift to the city he loves”, after Johnson suggested the idea last year.

Although a winner has yet to be announced, it is understood Kapoor’s design has pipped a rival entry by Antony Gormley, famous for his iron figures.

“It’s an extremely exuberant design,” said Barbara Gladstone, Kapoor’s art dealer in New York. “I think it’s an incredibly appropriate work for this period because it uses all the latest technology.

“If you think of the Eiffel Tower in 1889, that was something that could never have been built before. Look at what it meant in the end — that kind of symbolism is what’s here, in this work. It’s a statement of optimism and all that’s good about being alive today.”

Kapoor has earned a reputation as the “Mr Big” of modern art, producing sculptures that dwarf the viewer. One new work being assembled in Teesside, called Temenos, resembles a huge pair of tights stretched between two rings, hovering eerily over the postindustrial landscape.

His Olympic artwork will be the tallest in Europe, beating a 315ft statue of Peter the Great in Moscow, built to celebrate the 300th anniversary of the Russian navy in 1998.

It is two-thirds the height of the Gherkin skyscraper in London; six times taller than the Angel of the North; and twice as high as Mark Wallinger’s £2m white horse planned for north Kent.

The Olympic sculpture would be lit at night and is expected to draw tourists to East London after 2012. Its steel frame reflects Mittal’s business, which has earned his family a £10.8 billion fortune.

Spokesmen for Johnson and Mittal refused to comment on the scheme. A winning design is expected to be revealed in six weeks’ time.

http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/visual_arts/article6999880.ece

wjfox2004

02-16-2010, 10:10 AM

http://i47.tinypic.com/257lglu.jpg

wjfox2004

02-19-2010, 07:54 PM

Pics by Medo, from SSC:

http://img708.imageshack.us/img708/5382/heron.jpg

http://img411.imageshack.us/img411/1328/heron2.jpg

http://img24.imageshack.us/img24/26/heron3o.jpg

http://img85.imageshack.us/img85/3466/heron4h.jpg

http://img691.imageshack.us/img691/1395/heron5.jpg

http://img695.imageshack.us/img695/1316/heron6.jpg

http://img4.imageshack.us/img4/505/heron7y.jpg

http://img690.imageshack.us/img690/1589/heron8.jpg

http://img163.imageshack.us/img163/2194/heron9.jpg

http://img18.imageshack.us/img18/5407/heron10.jpg

http://img535.imageshack.us/img535/3717/heron11.jpg

http://img690.imageshack.us/img690/7204/heron12.jpg

http://img297.imageshack.us/img297/6713/heron13.jpg

wjfox2004

02-20-2010, 07:28 PM

A few of my own, from today:

http://www.willfox.com/photos/skyscrapers/herontower/5.jpg

http://www.willfox.com/photos/skyscrapers/herontower/6.jpg

http://www.willfox.com/photos/skyscrapers/herontower/7.jpg

http://www.willfox.com/photos/skyscrapers/herontower/9.jpg

http://www.willfox.com/photos/skyscrapers/herontower/8.jpg

http://www.willfox.com/photos/skyscrapers/herontower/10.jpg

http://www.willfox.com/photos/skyscrapers/herontower/11.jpg

http://www.willfox.com/photos/skyscrapers/herontower/12.jpg

http://www.willfox.com/photos/skyscrapers/herontower/13.jpg

http://www.willfox.com/photos/skyscrapers/herontower/14.jpg

http://www.willfox.com/photos/skyscrapers/herontower/15.jpg

http://www.willfox.com/photos/skyscrapers/herontower/16.jpg

wjfox2004

02-20-2010, 10:26 PM

A video of the Shard:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BiwqcM9f7A8

Hi-res version available here:

http://www.willfox.com/videos/skyscrapers/shard/5.wmv

wjfox2004

02-23-2010, 02:39 PM

An interactive London skyline...

http://bit.ly/bvb9zm

You can drag-and-drop the towers. Interesting to see how the Shard and Pinnacle would look if they swapped places.

You can even add the Burj Dubai, Eiffel Tower, Sears Tower, etc. :)

IciLondres

02-24-2010, 05:43 PM

This is very worrying...they are back in the game for making this hideous building...I thought you couldn't get more ugly than Broadgate Tower.

http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-02-24/land-securities-prepares-to-revive-london-s-walkie-talkie-tower.html

Feb. 24 (Bloomberg) -- Land Securities Group Plc, the U.K.’s largest real estate investment trust, is preparing to restart development of the London skyscraper known as the Walkie-Talkie as a shortage of office space looms.

The company has asked contractors to provide estimates for building the 155-meter (509-foot) tower at 20 Fenchurch Street in the City of London, the capital’s main financial district, Donal McCabe, a Land Securities spokesman, said in a telephone interview. The company shelved the project in 2008.

Real estate companies want to build in the City again as competition for a dwindling number of prime offices starts pushing up rents. Most development plans were put on hold in the recession. The amount of new space coming onto the market will fall to about 840,000 square feet (78,000 square meters) in 2011, the lowest in 30 years, according to broker Drivers Jonas.

“Our aspiration remains to build 20 Fenchurch Street,” McCabe said. “Construction costs generally have reduced over the last 12 months, so it should come as no surprise if we were to market-test any of our potential schemes.”

Bedhead

02-25-2010, 01:32 PM

I liked the walkie talkie when it was the cartoon type shape that is shown on the render higher up the page. But then they made it shorter and fatter, and now I'm not so sure.

http://www.londonist.com/attachments/Matt/468320FenchurchStreet_pic9.jpg
londonist.com/2007/07/walkie_talkie_w.php
Londonist

I don't think it will harm the immediate area that it's planned for - there are already a lot of bonkers buildings round there like the London Underwriting Centre (http://www.eglobalhealth.com/files/siriushq.jpg) and the old vinegar warehouse on Eastcheap (http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/25/33-35_Eastcheap,_London,_United_Kingdom_-_Oct_2007.jpg), so in many ways it will fit right in.

However, it will be a big, black lump on the horizon for anyone looking at the city from the south and west. It might well undo a lot of the good that's being done in the main city cluser.

Still, it will have great views. I was in Plantation Place recently, overlooking the Walkie Talkie site, and even from the 7th floor you can see all the way to Battersea Power Station. If they let people up to the top, as promised (and don't use some security scare to close it down) it will be great.

leosky

02-27-2010, 12:14 PM

Battersea Power Station plans gets government backing

http://i48.tinypic.com/j81s46.jpg

Plans to redevelop Battersea Power Station have received the backing of the government's architecture and urban design agency. The proposed £5.5bn project would see 3,700 homes built alongside offices, shops and restaurants on the 40-acre site in south-west London.

The Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (Cabe) praised the "intelligent" design. Wandsworth Council is expected to make a decision on the plans in July.

Developers, Treasury Holdings UK, registered the planning application for the project with the council in October.

Cabe has supported that application saying architect Rafael Vinoly's design was "intelligent and well-resolved".

Riverside park
But the agency also raised a number of issues including potential problems of overshadowing and the need to ensure flats on lower levels get enough light.

Under the proposals the historic building by the River Thames will become home to a conference centre and its four famous chimneys will be restored.

Two turbine halls and the station's control rooms will be open to the public and a six-acre riverside park will be developed on the riverside north of the building.

The power station, which stopped producing electricity in 1983, became famous when it featured on the front cover of Pink Floyd's 1977 album Animals.

Source:
http://www.urbika.com/projects/view/597-battersea-power-stati

wjfox2004

03-02-2010, 04:01 PM

Taken from Waterloo Bridge this morning (my own pics) :

http://i620.photobucket.com/albums/tt283/skyscrapercitypics/london/heron/19.jpg

http://i620.photobucket.com/albums/tt283/skyscrapercitypics/london/heron/20.jpg

wjfox2004

03-02-2010, 04:02 PM

And the same view in 2012-13:

http://i620.photobucket.com/albums/tt283/skyscrapercitypics/london/pinnacle/Pinnacle-rendering-2012-JPEG-1.jpg

IciLondres

03-04-2010, 07:52 AM

http://www.beethamtower.org/images/london-beetham-tower.gif

AUDITORS refused to sign off the accounts of one of Liverpool’s biggest property firms, Beetham.

Deloitte said it had not been provided with “appropriate and sufficient” evidence to be able to say whether the property group could be classed as “a going concern”.

The accountancy giant also said it was unable to form a view as to whether the accounts give a “true and fair” reflection of the company’s affairs or that they had been properly prepared.

When Beetham Group’s directors signed off the accounts in late December 2009 the firm was in arrears on certain loans, and there was “uncertainty as to whether further breaches will arise in future”.

The group was also in arrears with a “significant” number of unsecured trade creditors and was in an informal standstill arrangement with many of them.

Despite the auditors’ reservations the group states in its accounts it has a “reasonable expectation that the company has adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future”.

But it admits there are material uncertainties facing the business such as continued support from lenders, unsecured creditors, and financial resources from its joint venture partner.

There is no more publicly available information about the current state of the group’s affairs.

Beetham Group, run by father and son Hugh Frost and Stephen Beetham, declined to comment to the Daily Post.

The company has been hit particularly hard by the credit crunch and the recession.

The business run from its West Tower off The Strand in Liverpool was forced to write £61m off the value of its property in its latest set of accounts for parent company Beetham Holdings Two recently filed at Companies House.

The accounts, for the financial year ended September 2008, reveal the group recorded a £45m loss in the year to September 2008.

The Daily Post can also reveal that the group, spent £289,000 operating a private jet.

The £1m Cessna 550 Citation II is parked at John Lennon Airport and is owned by a company called G-Jet J Limited, which has common directors Mr Beetham and Mr Frost.

At September 2008 the group of companies had debts of £222.6m and total assets of £240.5m.

In 2008 Beetham helped secure its own future when it sold a 50% stake in its planned £1bn Blackfriars Tower in London.

http://www.liverpooldailypost.co.uk/liverpool-news/regional-news/2010/03/04/new-fears-over-fate-of-liverpool-skyscraper-developer-beetham-92534-25959243/

Aleks

03-05-2010, 02:10 AM

I LOVE the battersea power station. it's one of the best art deco buildings of the world in my opinion. great to see it will be restored!

Boreal

03-05-2010, 11:49 PM

London is absolutely spectacular. I'd move tomorrow morning if it wasn't so far away.

Bedhead

03-06-2010, 10:46 AM

Taken from Waterloo Bridge this morning (my own pics) :

Superb pics and render. No other pictures could show just how important the Pinnacle will be in London's cityscape.

I LOVE the battersea power station. it's one of the best art deco buildings of the world in my opinion. great to see it will be restored!

Couldn't agree more. I think the development around it could be great too. Some say it crowds out the power station, but I think that's what London does best, you turn a corner in a regular neighbourhood and suddenly, pow, a masterpiece is right there in front of you:

http://www.propertyweek.com/Pictures/web/l/o/c/Prospect.jpg
http://www.propertyweek.com/story_attachment.asp?storycode=3141930&seq=1&type=P&c=1
Propertyweek.com

Let's just hope this project isn't just another case of marking time before property prices go up, and the developers make a profit on the land values. In the meantime, here are a couple of nostalgic images:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/spl/hi/pop_ups/05/uk_battersea_power_station0s_past/img/4.jpg
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/spl/hi/pop_ups/05/uk_battersea_power_station0s_past/html/4.stm
BBc.co.uk, Getty Images

The station was built in two stages - at one time it only had two chimneys:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/spl/hi/pop_ups/05/uk_battersea_power_station0s_past/img/2.jpg
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/spl/hi/pop_ups/05/uk_battersea_power_station0s_past/html/2.stm
BBC.co.uk, getty images