.
.

Tags:   peteshep Travels3SetHeading

© All Rights Reserved

Copyright PS

Millenium Bridge (Foster) from Southbank to St Paul's and London City..........

From in front of the Tate Modern alongside the Thames, the Millenium footbridge leads across to St Paul's. Wren's masterpiece underwent major cleaning in preparation for the 300 years commemoration (2008).

The Millenium Bridge had to be minimal visual obstruction looking up or down the river, and have no height to compete with historic buildings behind. Hence Foster's rubber-band solution -- a sort of squashed suspension structure. There's a full constance of pedestrians crossing it. Undisturbed by vehicles and city noises, it opens up the new South Bank development, spanning with minimum apparent means --- a thin blade with cables, but firmer sculptured supports.

The bridge alignment is such that a clear view of St Paul's south facade is presented from across the river, framed by the bridge structure, thus providing a special view of the cathedral.

Enlarge
Click diagonal arrows upper-right, then press F11 Fullscreen. Or can use flickr's + cursor and explore with mouse.


wikimapia


Foster's images and description:
www.fosterandpartners.com/Projects/0953/Default.aspx

360deg Virtual (Quicktime):
www.britishtours.com/360/st_pauls_london.html

Galinsky:
www.galinsky.com/buildings/millenniumbridge/index.htm


.

Tags:   Peteshep Peter Sheppard PS Travel England London Norman Foster Millenium Bridge Footbridge London City Copyright photo PLACES&PEOPLE Domes in Architecture Bridges Bridges in Europe Bridges of the World New Architecture Architecture Architecture and Buildings Architecture Travellers Architecture Buildings in the World Buildings/Architecture Contemporary Architecture Populated Architecture Architecture Directory Townscape design St Paul's Cityscape Londres Geotagged Virtual tour link

© All Rights Reserved

Copyright PS
Swiss Re "gerkhin" tower from Lloyds, Lime St, Leadenhall, London.................

Foster's Swiss Re Gerkhin bursts up through the high-rise financial City of London --- an upright bomb from afar. Forty percent of the Square Mile was rebuilt in the 1980s, but the need for more high-rise towers, not too typical of London, was inevitable. This recently completed tower uses similar technology to the GLA Egg, though is high and symmetrical, with twisting geodesic surface treatment winding fairground-like to the peak. Squeezed close to other towers, and just across from Richard Rogers' earlier Lloyd's building. Wonderful technology, or sore-thumb? Some public space is claimed by the inward taper down, and the rounded bullet form wind-reducing, which is more likely. Rapidly built. Visually odd.

The tower is 180m (590ft) tall.
But it's the ingenuity of the tapering spiral void inside, drawing in daylight and ventilation without vertiginous height, that is most successful.This interior has a radial plan with column-free floor space. The plan is rotated for each successive floor, making a series of spiraling five-storey atria that stretch the height of the building of 41 floors.
More on the Gerkhin later.

.
Enlarge:
1. Simply click the upper-right diagonal arrows.
2. Further enlarge: Then press F11 on a PC, or Fullscreen. Allow re-focus.
Or
3. Max enlarge: If flickr's +cursor is showing, click it for max enlargement and allow to re-focus. Explore detail moving cursor.
.


Later detail in Tr4Clips set:
www.flickr.com/photos/peteshep/2421959901/

wikimapia


St Mary Axe tower:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/30_St_Mary_Axe

Foster's eight images and Description:
www.fosterandpartners.com/Projects/1004/Default.aspx

Link to some interior images of 30 St Mary Axe:
www.30stmaryaxe.co.uk/photo.asp?imgSec=3

Link to Great Buildings
30 St Mary Axe:
www.greatbuildings.com/buildings/30_St_Mary_Axe.html

Link to website:
www.30stmaryaxe.com/

Link to 360o Panoramic view from top of Swiss Re;
Wait for download. Click Play image, then Full-screen button on right.
Drag and zoom:
www.panoramicearth.com/5884/London/View_from_the_Gherkin


Lloyds:
www.greatbuildings.com/buildings/Lloyds_Building.html

Link to six 360o tours of Lloyds -- one includes Swiss Re at night.
Wait for download. Choose tour on right. Click full-screen:
www.sphericalimages.com/lloyds-building/index.html

Tags:   Peteshep Peter Sheppard PS Travel England London City of London Gherkin Swiss Re St Mary Axe Norman Foster Lime St Copyright photo Modern Architecture Spiral form Office tower New Architecture Architecture Architecture and Buildings Architecture Travellers Architecture Buildings in the World Buildings/Architecture Architecture Directory Glass Townscape design 30 St Mary Axe Swiss Re Gherkin St Mary's church

© All Rights Reserved

Copyright PS
Natwest 42 /Old Broad St(& Lloyds), London Tower, Swiss Re St Mary Axe, from Tower Bridge............

Minster monster left edge. (Mod Gothicised)
Natwest 42/ 25 Old Broad St highest on left. (R. Seifert). (1979).
Richard Rogers' Lloyds of London below high tower, external services. (1986).
Historic Tower of London in front. (White Tower 1078).
Foster's Gerkhin 30 St Mary Axe upper right. (This photo, being completed, 2003).

.
Enlarge:
1. Simply click the upper-right diagonal arrows.
2. Further enlarge: Then press F11 on a PC, or Fullscreen. Allow re-focus.
Or
3. Max enlarge: If flickr's +cursor is showing, click it for max enlargement and allow to re-focus. Explore detail moving cursor.
.


wikimapia

Natwest/25 Old Broad St tower:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/25_Old_Broad_Street

Lloyds building:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lloyds_building


30 St Mary Axe:
www.greatbuildings.com/buildings/Lloyds_Building.html

Tower of London:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tower_of_london
www.greatbuildings.com/buildings/Tower_of_London.html
www.london-architecture.info/LO-044.htm

Swiss Re Gerkhin 30 St Mary Axe:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/30_St_Mary_Axe

Tower Bridge:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tower_Bridge

Panoramic 360deg Tower of London surroundings (wait to load):
www.panoramicearth.com/93/London/The_Tower_of_London


Link to 360o tours of Lloyds:
Six tours (3 interior, 3 exterior).
Wait for download. Choose tour on right. Click Full-sceen:
www.sphericalimages.com/lloyds-building/index.html

Link to Gigapixel Panorama of London from Hampstead Heath.
Includes St Paul's, Swiss Re, Canary Wharf, PO Tower, etc....
Wait for full download. Click on Full-screen button on right.
Drag and Zoom in.
www.sphericalimages.com/hampstead-heath-gigapixel-panoram...

.

Tags:   Peteshep Peter Sheppard PS Travel England London City of London Copyright photo Thames Natwest Tower of London Modern Architecture Tower Bridge Architecture New Architecture Architecture and Buildings Architecture Travellers Architecture Buildings in the World Buildings/Architecture Contemporary Architecture Gherkin Architecture Directory Townscape Geotagged Virtual tour link

© All Rights Reserved

Copyright PS
G London A Hall [left] (Foster) and Thames from Tower Bridge..........

Near some new flowing glass structures, and alongside the river, comes Foster's experiment -- new Headquarters for the Greater London Authority and the Mayoral Office. This is one of the capital's most symbolically important new buildings. The assembly chamber faces north across the river to the tower of London. The asymmetric glass egg is claimed to symbolise transparency in local government. (Actually the new GLA has limited power). But would a transparent building mean transparent government? Anyway, in reality it doesn't have the literal see-through of Foster's model either. Open by implication.

Nonetheless, the tilted egg is a fascinating, or at least eye-catching building. It's so quirky it could only fit in open park space as it does. It claims environmental agenda in its form, though that may have an element of shape-justification. Analysis of sun applied onto a sphere resulted in the stepped floor plates, and the egg gives minimal surface area. The internal arrangements are a clever articulation of locking parts and theoretical democracy linked with a void atrium and ever-rising rampway. The form seems far from truly "organic", however. But what is of special interest is the computer ability used to produce such otherwise impossibly complex construction -- every one of the thousands of double-glazed panels are of different dimensions --- the whole thing set up with advanced laser surveying. Bold, intriguing, but an ego-shape egg-shape.

Later I returned to the GLA Hall for a public conference on in the main Assembly space showing key part of the building's use. The careful interior completion, the imaginative space and light, and the free usage warmed me to this at-first wonky looking building. It includes the Assembly Chambers, committee rooms, public facilities including cafetaria, together with offices for the Mayor and support staff. It provides 17,000 sq metres of accommodation on ten levels. the Chamber faces across the river to the City.

The public are invited to share the building on programmed dates. A flexible space on the top floor --- "London's Living Room" -- can be available for exhibitions or small functions, and there's a small terrace for views across London. Some further work was being done to this area 2007.

At the base is a piazza and scooped amphitheatre with public cafe. Vertical circulation throughout the building is with lifts and a continuous spiral ramp allowing universal access and opening the space in a dynamic way. A building that may appear externally a shape-gimmick, works smoothly inside. Staff I spoke to about it were wholly positive in pride.

Externally, the 31deg lean intends that on the sun side each floor shades the office below. (Dubious at that latitude.) More importantly though, I thought it effective in giving direction and addressing the river and City. Cladding is 7,300 sq m in clear low-emissivity glass, smooth as an egg. The visionary form is a strong landmark in the new south bank development continuity.

The asymmetric tubular space frame enabling this new form and space --- by Arup engineers.

Enlarge
Click diagonal arrows upper-right, then press F11 Fullscreen.

wikimapia


London City Hall:
www.greatbuildings.com/buildings/London_City_Hall.html

Panoramic 360deg GLA Hall surroundings (wait to load):
www.panoramicearth.com/72/London/City_Hall_-_Greater_Lond...

Panoramic 360deg Tower Bridge (part cityhall) (Java):
www.urban75.org/vista/cityhall.html

Galinsky:
www.galinsky.com/buildings/cityhall/index.htm


Link to Tower Bridge:
www.greatbuildings.com/buildings/Tower_Bridge.html

.

Tags:   Peteshep Peter Sheppard PS Travel England London Thames GLA Hall Greater London Authority City Hall Tilted egg Glass egg Norman Foster Modern architecture Southbank New Architecture Architecture Architecture and Buildings Architecture Travellers Architecture Buildings in the World Buildings/Architecture Contemporary Architecture Architecture Directory Glass design Geotagged copyright photo

© All Rights Reserved