[Kamepherype]

Originally posted by Sn00py
It's about time London started building skyscrapers, what took them so long?

Oh, little things called building regulations, the London Building Acts, conservation areas, listed buildings and good taste.

Having seen what happens when you completely remove impediments to erecting hideous tall buildings in the pursuit of a fast buck (London Docklands Development Zone) and having to live with a view of Canary Wharf, I can honestly say that an excellent strategic view of London from Greenwich has been utterly ruined by a non-descript clutch of Anywheresville buildings.



"It seems to be corporate ego or ambition. It's Master of the Universe syndrome. "You feel important. It is partly commercial, partly psychological and partly corporate," said Paul Finch, editorial director of the Architects' Journal and deputy chairman of the Commission for Architecture and Built Environment (Cabe).

But he struck a note of caution that London's newest landmarks needed to be distinctive in design.

Peter Rees, the City planning officer for the Corporation of London, said: "The skyline is not going to become Manhattan over the next five years." But there will be a cluster of tall buildings around Tower 42 east of the Bank of England, in a location that will not jeopardise views of St Paul's Cathedral, he said. "We are not doing this to change the skyline. "We are doing it because we need more offices surrounded by public transport." Without skyscrapers some companies may take their business elsewhere to cities like New York, Chicago, Hong Kong or Tokyo, it is feared. A combination of prestige, views, accommodation needs and the creation of centres of excellence explain why companies want these buildings, he said. As for the public, he said: "It is amazing how they are warming to the idea of tall buildings."

Mayor Ken Livingstone shares a positive view of tall buildings in the right places. He has said he expects to see a limited number of very tall buildings developed - about one a year - with these most likely to be in the City, Canary Wharf and some other town centre locations. Much of the development in the City seems driven by the insurance sector.

Nicholas Antram, the London region's assistant regional director, said: "It would have been a brave decision to reject it on heritage grounds in a location in need of regeneration and in an area where there are three existing tall buildings." English Heritage insists tall buildings have to be well-planned and of high architectural quality. "We must make sure they go in the right places and don't have an impact on our cherished heritage. "We only have to look around London to see the mistakes of the 1960s," said Mr Antram.
by Margaret Ryan
BBC News Online



Or the 1980s and 1990s.

Small is beautiful:

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