[khris]

Here are the latest images of The Shard, a mixed-use tower at London Bridge in London, designed by Renzo Piano Building Workshop.

Construction work has started on the 306 metre-high building, which will sit on an irregular-shaped site adjacent to London Bridge station as part of a new development called London Bridge Quarter.

The design consists of several glass facets that incline inwards but do not meet at the top, and is inspired by the masts of ships that once anchored on the Thames.

The 72-storey building contains offices, apartments, a hotel and spa, retail and restaurants and is topped by a 15-storey public viewing gallery (below).

The Shard will replace the 1970’s Southwark Tower building on Bridge Street which has since been demolished in preparation for construction, which is due to be completed in 2012.

Source with more info.

 

[Build Up]

Beautiful tower. Wish Toronto had it.

 

[Yossi Kaplan MBA]

whoa.

 

[Roy G Biv]

i can has?

 

[Canuck]

Good to hear this is going through, I feared it was going to be a recession casualty.

 

[urbandreamer]

^Wow, wonder if my architect friend got his job back--working on this project...?

 

[syn]

The design consists of several glass facets that incline inwards but do not meet at the top, and is inspired by the masts of ships that once anchored on the Thames.

This is an outstanding tower with a relevant reference in its design. Why couldn't the same have been demanded from the TIFF condo tower and Lightbox?

 

[Roy G Biv]

This is an outstanding tower with a relevant reference in its design. Why couldn't the same have been demanded from the TIFF condo tower and Lightbox?

Because the Lightbox is barely scraping by, as is (financially).

 

[syn]

Because the Lightbox is barely scraping by, as is (financially).

I'm sure they could've come up with a creative solution without breaking the bank.

 

[ganjavih]

The solution is a willingness to invest in architecture, something that we've only been able to do half-heartedly.

 

[jn_12]

I've looked at this on a few separate occasions thinking that maybe I'll view it differently the next time around, but I've come to a conclusion that I just don't like it. i don't know why. It just doesn't seem right to me in a city like London. I wish I could sum it up into words, but I just have that gut feeling.

 

[khris]

I've looked at this on a few separate occasions thinking that maybe I'll view it differently the next time around, but I've come to a conclusion that I just don't like it. i don't know why. It just doesn't seem right to me in a city like London. I wish I could sum it up into words, but I just have that gut feeling.

I think I know what you are getting at, but London is a changing city too. What we see now may be completely different to how people 100 years from now will see it. As much as Prince Charles will try to stop that from happening, I don't think he'll get far.

 

[Tewder]

This is an outstanding tower with a relevant reference in its design. Why couldn't the same have been demanded from the TIFF condo tower and Lightbox?

... because we can only seem to envisage the square minimalis box as a relevent reference.

 

[Urban Shocker]

Many architects spin analogues: the ROM is inspired by a crystal Libeskind saw in the Museum, our opera house is an "egg in a nest", the ribbons flowing across the roof of Koerner Hall represent "music" etc., the Lightbox podium references strips of film ... and this thing apparently refers to sailing ships in the Thames.

 

[Urban Shocker]

Ooops! The roof of the Lightbox podium is actually supposed to remind us of Villa Malaparte and Jean-Luc Goddard's Contempt.