London Projects

[zupermaus]

Indeed. Boris already is a disaster, a Tory govt even more so. The worst thing about govts is they are forced to think short term to court votes and the media. The Tory's even more so because they staunchly believe in it
- at the moment they are the rich and middle class living in the present, all the rest who need to be looked after in the future (rather than the rich who already have their future planned out) are secondary. Of any place that can suffer with such a policy, it is London.

[futurecity]

test

[nick-taylor]

A larger new render of the 300m tower for Battersea Power Station.


http://www.skyscrapernews.com/dump/battersea_power_station.jpg




The new DLR stock that will gradually be introducted across the network; smarter and has a higher capacity. Pics by bowroaduk


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London followed the path of Japan with the implementation of the Oyster card. Now it is to implement an Oyster card, credit card and 'wave and pay' payment system all on your mobile after a successul trial that proved very positive.


http://news.zdnet.co.uk/i/z5/illo/nw/story_graphics/november07/oyster_trial7.jpg


http://news.zdnet.co.uk/i/z5/illo/nw/story_graphics/november07/oyster_trial5.jpg




The $1bn Redevelopment of Reading Station has been given the green light. This project entails new tunnels, bridges, and platforms to remove bottlenecks on what is a major transport node due west of London. Airtrack (another rail link to Heathrow) would use the new platforms, as well as a possible future Crossrail extension.


http://img357.imageshack.us/img357/7942/readingeo0.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img357.imageshack.us/img357/readingeo0.jpg/1/w1151.png (http://g.imageshack.us/img357/readingeo0.jpg/1/)


The expansion of Reading Station would also allow for this development to proceed that is opposite the station entrance.


http://www.stationhillreading.co.uk/images/mainhome.jpg




Designs for the London 2012 Olympics Velodrome have been unveiled


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Looking North
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Looking South-East
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Looking South
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This project by Will Alsop is going is under the planning microscope at present, located out is Putney


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Tower for Barking (east London)


http://www.architectsjournal.co.uk/images/HLMbarking_tcm23-1833307.jpg




A tower for Mile End


http://i33.tinypic.com/2w7pj6e.jpg




St Nicholas Cole Church in the Square Mile is set for a converstion to a centre for studies in religious education


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50 storey residential tower and numerous others for Canary Wharf by Foster


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The winning bid on a former wasteland site next door to East Croydon station. The area to the left is to be redeveloped over the coming years. Croydon will be home to numerous skyscrapers


http://www.skyscrapernews.com/images/pics/1749StanhopeAndSchrodersWinCroydonBattle_pic1.jpg


A few of the known towers which have designs:

http://www.skyscrapernews.com/images/pics/1207AlsopGetsGreenCrayonOutToColourCroydon_pic1.jp g


http://www.skyscrapernews.com/images/pics/1460WhitgiftCentreSetForRebuild_pic1.jpg


http://www.skyscrapernews.com/images/pics/5199WellesleySquare_pic1.jpg


http://www.skyscrapernews.com/images/pics/1416Day1OftheMIPIMFromWoodsBagot_pic1.jpg




New college for Barnet by RMJM architects


http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa278/fit3xl/RMJMBarnetCollegeBIG1_tcm23-1800718.jpg


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Latest renders of the now u/c Highbury Square development. Highbury used to be the old home for Arsenal who are now resident at the Emirates (although u/c in the first picture in the background it has been home to Arsenal for 2 seasons now.


http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa278/fit3xl/10219_2_Highbury8big.jpg16:12 12/09/2008


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The Emirates Stadium


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London Bridge Station from above. The grey concrete blob to the left is Guy's Hospital (the world's tallest hospital), while the building being demolished at the centre and covered in white will be the home of the London Bridge Tower.


Meanwhile London Bridge Station itself will be redeveloped - the world's oldest rail terminal - it will merge the brick viaduct that it is built upon and a vast glass shell


http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_WoSZm5EE8bk/SL_FPpttO0I/AAAAAAAAABg/bNR5n7Vd3Ro/s1600/cannonair.jpg




A look at the Westfield Shepherd's Bush shopping mall in west London nearing completion. The BBC HQ is to the top of the picture, the site required the construction of two new train stations, one: Shepherd's Bush that is visible at the bottom right on the West London Line, and Wood Lane on the Hammersmith & City Line (look for the purple viaduct - its immediately to the right). The Central Line tube station to the bottom (out of view) is closed at present for redevelopment works


http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Ydo5sNzF1_0/SMEZPd_PD9I/AAAAAAAAADE/gniHLOWlq7I/s1600/bush.jpg




Aerial pics by the excellent Jason Hawkes - visit his site now! www.jasonhawkes.com (http://www.jasonhawkes.com)


Oxford Circus
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London Eye & London Charing Cross Station



Tower Bridge & London Bridge Station
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Lloyds of London & the Willis Building
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The Square Mile, illuminated by London Liverpool Street (left) and Lloyds of London (right)
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London Waterloo
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Amazing shot of the Square Mile showing the artery-like transport routes pulsating through the urban fabric
http://cache.boston.com/universal/site_graphics/blogs/bigpicture/london_08_29/london1.jpg


St Stephens Tower (Big Ben is the actual bell)
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A building site with a retained facade
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London's orbital motorway, the M25 (also known as the world's largest car park as it encircles all of London
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Canary Wharf
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Piccadilly Circus
http://cache.boston.com/universal/site_graphics/blogs/bigpicture/london_08_29/london18.jpg

[zupermaus]

love those aerials, they're kind of peaceful

[nick-taylor]

Chiltern rail upgrade to link Oxford and High Wycombe
Filed 17/09/08 http://transportbriefing.co.uk/story.php?id=5205

Train operator Chiltern Railways is finalising plans to submit an application under the Transport and Works Act to allow the construction of rail infrastructure to support a London Marylebone to Oxford service.

The direct train link would be made possible by constructing a new chord at Bicester and dualling the existing line between Bicester Town and Oxford stations. A new parkway station would be constructed at Water Eaton on the outskirts of the city and Bicester Town completely rebuilt.

Altogether the infrastructure package is expected to cost approximately £200m and would offer a 66 minute journey time between Oxford and Marylebone. It would put Chiltern in competition with First Great Western, providing passengers with an alternative to the existing Oxford to Paddington route, which is already congested and will face further constraints during the Reading station upgrade and Crossrail projects.

A spokesman for Chiltern said that with trains stopping at High Wycombe the new route would also restore a direct rail link between Oxford and Buckinghamshire that was axed 40 years ago. The train operator is currently working towards a 2013 opening date and intends to submit the Transport and Works Act application to the Department for Transport "sooner rather than later".

Chiltern's Oxford route plan will form part of the Evergreen III project, an enhancement package which must be implemented if the train operator's franchise is to run for the full 20-year term, which began in 2002.

A further infrastructure upgrade will be included in Evergreen III and is expected to be revealed within the next few months. Chiltern has the flexibility to choose from a number of candidate schemes including support for the East West Rail Link project, which would bring mothballed lines between Bicester and Aylesbury to Milton Keynes back into passenger service. By agreeing to fund rail line improvements between Bicester and Oxford and with the imminent opening of Aylesbury Vale station the company is already upgrading parts of the route.

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The long term of Chiltern's franchise agreement has allowed it to progress a series of infrastructure schemes - unusual for a train operating company in Britain. The Evergreen I and II projects included redoubling a single line section of track between Bicester and Banbury in Buckinghamshire and building two new platforms at Marylebone station.


http://img261.imageshack.us/img261/5779/eastwestrailox1.jpg

[nick-taylor]

Croydon - a south London borough that has always been a high-rise outpost, the council have big plans along with several developers to create a new centre that rivals Canary Wharf and the City for skyscrapers.

A hub for several commuter lines into London, Croydon also is due north of London Gatwick airport and has its own tram network and extensive bus network which struggles to meet the demand placed upon it. Croydon is also the place which President Sarkozy of France wished to use as a template for the suburbs of Paris which surround the romantic interior of the city itself.

At present, the current climate won't aid these towers, but with demand for residential units still strong (London gains a net 100,000 of new citizens each year and didn't build enough even when booming), and properties depressed by the lack of facilities for mortgages, the majority of this development won't take off until 2012 onwards.

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b387/wjfox2005/London_general/croydon/0.jpg

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As crazy as it is the above model is even missing models:
- 35 storey tower off Station Road
- 19 & 11 storey towers south of the above tower
- 35 storey tower above West Croydon station
- 27 storey tower to the south-west of the above with a new plaza inbetween
- 3 x 50 storey towers on the site of a current multi storey car park on Wellesley Road
- 1 x 64 storey and 1 x 38 storey tower by Pacific Group of the current Immigration Reception Centre
- 40 storey tower on the site of a mid-rise.




Two nightime shots of the Square Mile with Canary Wharf in the background. The curved roof structure in the foreground is London St Pancras - terminus for Eurostar trains to Paris, Brussels and the rest of the European continent.

Pictures taken by chest

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

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20 Blackfriars towers

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The Darwin Extension at the Natural History Museum - one giant cocoon

http://www.worldarchitecturenews.com/news_images/10280_1_darwin%20NHM1.jpg

http://www.worldarchitecturenews.com/news_images/10280_5_darwin%20r%20big.jpg




As work continues to demolish the old PWC HQ (the tower was 100m tall and built above the concourse to London Bridge terminus), new renders have been released

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Westfield are close to opening their new shopping centre out at Shepherd's Bush. Westfield are also building another similar sized centre out at Stratford (Shepherd's Bush is in West London, Stratford East London), effectively ringing Oxford Street in.


http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3169/2855337625_61b8757eb5_o.jpg

Unlike your standard American/Australian mall however this centre will be served by three stations (two of which are new)

Shepherd's Bush - Overground Line

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Shepherd's Bush - Central Line (seperate to the other station of the same name - but a short distance walk across the shopping centre)

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Wood Lane - Hammersmith & City (to serve the northern entrance of the centre)

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5e/Wood_Lane_stn_entrance_pre-opening.JPG/800px-Wood_Lane_stn_entrance_pre-opening.JPG

To not confuse people, the other Shepherd's Bush station on the Hammersmith & City (otherwise there would have been three stations of the same name but not at the same location) is to be renamed Shepherd's Bush Market




The new Royal London Hospital site is growing in size. This development consists of several towers, two of which are 100m.

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Cranes on the 246m Heron Tower rise

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From Shad Thames moving towards Canary Wharf, another development is arising. Merging former warehouses with new-build, this should create a new riverside walkway.

http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc164/tomyates7/chambers_big1.jpg

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And some pictures of the developments that have already been completed

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Pic by chest of the Crossharbour and Millwall Dock developments from a different perspective.

http://homepage.mac.com/benveasey/.Public/wow8.JPG




Riverside South (two towers: 236m + 187m) continues to rise. Pic by chest

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




squish took these pics of Strata, the 150m 'gilette shaver'

http://photos.squish.net/albums/2008-09-21/DSC02502.sized.jpg

http://photos.squish.net/albums/2008-09-21/DSC02498.sized.jpg




Dixon Jones' Kings Place opens in King's Cross

Dixon Jones Architects today (25 September) opened Kings Place, its £100 million mixed-use arts venue and office development in London's King's Cross.

Located next to Argent's King's Cross Central development, the privately funded, low-rise office block features seven floors of office space, two art galleries and two concert auditoria as well as canalside cafes and restaurants.

Speaking to the AJ, practice partner Jermey Dixon said the oak cladding in the two auditoria came from a single 500-year-old tree found in northern Bavaria, Germany.

'It's remarkable to think that a single tree surrounds us,' said Dixon from inside one of the concert halls. 'The tree's name was Contessa, and it was harvested according to the moon.'

The project was backed by developer Millican, which said the capital earned from using the venue as a conference centre and letting the office spaces would be used to subsidise outreach programmes and Kings Place's extensive arts and music programme.

According to Millican, the office space at Kings Place is already 'fully let', with most of the offices taken up by the Guardian newspaper and Network Rail.

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As part of the King's Cross Rail Lands next door to the above development (hemned in by the railway lines going into London St Pancras and London King's Cross). Pictures by Wild@Heart; all white blocks are to be built over the coming years. This will be the first sight of C London coming from Europe.

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The new concourse at London King's Cross (to connect better with London St Pancras which is next door) and create a new piazza on the site of what was a temporary ticket hall built in the 1970's and is past its sell-by-date.

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New trains for the London Overground service are undergoing trials up in Derby on a test track. The present Overground fleet is being scrapped in favour of new trains which offer metro-like interiors, greater frequencies, speeds and are more reliable.

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The first post: The New Sub-Surface Tube Stock
London has had dozens of trains across its lengthy history differing in a wide variety of colours, sizes and designs (interior and exterior).

At present there are two main groups of train stock (with different models in each group):
- Sub-surface stock which resembles a normal train carriage
- Deep-level tube stock which is the circular confined design most people recognise instantly

Over the past few years, designs have been on-going to create a new sub-surface stock that will be phased in as older stock is removed from duty.

One major innovation that will be the first of any metro is the introduction of technology which detects whether an object or person has got stuck in the doors. At present most other systems including the Tube have to 'open' the doors or the doors re-open automatically. This system should mean that a stray handbag won't delay the train as the specific door will open just enough to allow the object to pass.

In addition, the trains will be walk-through, fully wheel-chair compliant, clear of any obstacles under the chairs (ie so that lost bags or sinister devices are more visible) and air conditioned. In addition, like with all tube trains, the seats will be upholsted to ensure that the journey is comfortable, while arm rests are an added luxury.

This is a mock-up design. Pictures from flickr.com


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Prior to this exhibition for the S-Stock was an exhibition for the new Victoria Line fleet which will roll out at the beginning of next year. An image of a new Victoria Line train is below:

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1085/527497506_dd49580e01_b.jpg

A diagram of a full length 8-car Victoria Line train (split in two to fit on the board)

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/89/219125423_46a5a2230b_b.jpg


Tube trains don't have different class sections (sub-surface or deep-level), but the majority of commuter, regional and intercity trains do. Standard class carriages tend to only differ in the size and space available per first class passenger, ie a larger comfier chair, and I can't think of a single case of a train operating in and around London with non-fabric chairs.

Features of many first class train carriages such as power points for laptops/mobiles, tables, have however made their way to standard.


As a treat, one of the Class 395 'Olympic Javelin' trains from Hitachi that have begun testing. These will operate out of London St Pancras to the Olympic Village and beyond before and after the Olympics to act as a high-end HSR express service from commuter settlements in Kent. When the nose cone is at operating stance, the train resembles the 400 Series Shinkansen.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/38/395001_in_shed.JPG/800px-395001_in_shed.JPG




What downturn? We only deal with the über-rich
Anthony Hilton 12.09.08

On the corner of Dean Stanley Street and Millbank, in Westminster, between the Houses of Parliament and MI5 are some of the most incredible offices London has ever seen.

http://i.thisislondon.co.uk/i/pix/2008/09/candy-brothers-415x275.jpg

They belong to Christian and Nick Candy, a.k.a. Candy & Candy, the developer and interior designer brothers who have whipped up a storm of opposition in some of the capital's finest addresses.

On Wednesday, the sharply-suited duo, Christian, 34 and Nick, 35, were on best behaviour, hosting a fund-raising dinner for the Royal Parks Foundation, which helps fund London's eight royal parks, including Hyde Park, by their new apartment complex on the site of the former Bowater building in Knightsbridge.

They put up £250,000 for the dinner which was attended by, among others: Michael Spencer, Zac Goldsmith, Sting and Trudie Styler, Joel Cadbury, Ozwald Boateng and Theo Fennell. After they tucked into “ravioli of Cornish plaice mousseline; blackened boneless quail filled with sage and sultana mousseline; and snow eggs with poached rhubarb and grenadine compote”, guests took part in an auction. Among the 26 lots fetching a total of £500,000 was membership of Annabel's and a rugby lesson with Lawrence Dallaglio.

It was that sort of evening. It's the same with their new headquarters. They have all seven floors of the building and claim to have spent £50 (US$100mn) million on them. It's hard to doubt that figure, the rooms would not look amiss in the latest celebrity boutique hotel in New York or Shanghai.

The carpets are inches thick, the walls are gleaming black. The lifts are lined with black leather. There's a bar for the staff. In the basement a giant plasma wall shows pictures of their building projects and also their yachts, planes and helicopters. There are 10 meeting rooms. Waiting in one was a design team to meet a client, the Russian tycoon boyfriend of Naomi Campbell, Vladislav Doronin.

Everywhere is their logo, two “Cs” entwined in a circle. If they get their way, it will be as instantly recognisable as those for Gucci and Louis Vuitton.

Currently, the brothers are developing 20 acres of “uber-prime” — that's the way they talk — in central London: One Hyde Park in Knightsbridge; the old Middlesex Hospital or as they now term it, “Noho Square”; and the former Chelsea Barracks.

In Beverly Hills, they've bought, together with their friend, Richard Caring, the eight acres of the defunct Robinson's-May department store on Wilshire Boulevard.

At Chelsea Barracks, in partnership with the ruler of Qatar, they spent £959 million. In California, three years ago the previous owners of the Robinson's-May site paid $33.5 million; this year the Candys sent the local property industry into a spin by offering a knockout $500 million.

Their success is not to everybody's taste. Critics accuse them of turning areas of London into billionaire *ghettos. Their plans for Chelsea have aroused opprobrium from the likes of the Earl of Stockton, the Duke of Westminster, James Hambro, Sir Dai Llewellyn and other Belgravia residents. At One Hyde Park, their scheme, which encompasses improvements to the road layout, has caused traffic gridlock.

“By the end of November, they will all be done,” says Nick Candy about the roadworks. “If One Hyde Park had been in LA it would have been a lot quicker. We would have worked under floodlights and done non-noisy work at night. We could have done it in half the time.” He pauses. “It's madness — how can London continue as a world city if things like this are allowed to continue?”
Nick, an ex-accountant turned advertising man, does most of the talking. “Chris”, not Christian, worked in the City.

Their father was in advertising and they grew up in Banstead, Surrey, going to Epsom College, the nearby public school. They live in Monaco in the enormous penthouse occupied by the late Edmond Safra, the banker, who died there in 1999, trapped in a fire allegedly started by his nurse.

They started by borrowing £6,000 from their grandmother to do up a flat in Earl's Court, which they sold for a vast profit. For a while, that's what they did, refurbishing apartments and houses at the top of the price range and making a substantial turn. Recently they have become builders, buying land, designing, usually with a leading architect such as Lord Rogers, who is doing Chelsea Barracks, and selling the properties.

“This is the second phase of the development of our brand,” says Nick. “Our aim is to compete with any luxury brand. Candy & Candy will be a luxury brand, recognised in Rodeo Drive, New York, Dubai, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Tokyo and London. Those are the major centres in the world. It will be synonymous with the design of homes, houses, flats, yachts, aircraft and retail.”

To that end, he declares, One Hyde Park is to get the first Candy & Candy store, fronting on to Knightsbridge. “It will sell home furnishings and off-the-shelf items like perfumes and candles. In a sense we're doing it already, we're sourcing these things for our clients.”

What about the credit crunch? Candy & Candy, says Nick, “cater for less than one per cent of the population”. That very small minority is not affected by the downturn. “In the uber-prime market in London, north of £10 million, prices are still being achieved. What you don't want to be today is a UK housebuilder but what we're in is the uber-rich — those who are worth as much as £40 billion to £50 billion. We're talking about the richest people in the world — not the ones represented on any rich list.”

At One Hyde Park, says Chris, “we've sold over £750 (US$1,500bn)million worth of apartments. Every single purchaser has paid 40 per cent up front. The average price is £20 million so they've paid £8 million already. Then when the site is water-tight later this year they pay another 10 per cent. There are no exceptions”.

Half of the 80 to 86 apartments they will build (they've got planning permission for 86 but may reduce the number to accommodate those who want especially large properties) have been sold. Two apartments have been sold to their Qatari partners. Contrary to reports, they are not the most expensive. One has been sold, says Nick, for more than the reported £100 million and when the price is revealed at the Land Registry in 2010, it will make us all gulp. He won't say how much and he won't say who. “It's not gone to an Arab and it's not gone to a Russian is all I will say.”

Some accuse the Candys of creating a false market, of setting a price for a property and selling it to one of their associates which then sets the level for the whole block. They shake their heads. “We operate what we call the layering effect,” says Chris. “We take a comparable and justify a valuation that is more than that. We take the base price and then we add X per cent for the architect, X per cent for the location, X per cent for the design, X per cent for the components. It's like an S-Class Mercedes. You can get one for £70,000 or you can get a Rolls-Royce Phantom for £250,000. They will both do the same speed but the Rolls-Royce is made from different materials and has a different standard of finishing.”

Nick chips in. “They're not more expensive, our clients pay for value. This is the top city in the world, the best tax haven in the world for some and the top residential site in the city is One Hyde Park at the top end of Sloane Street. There is no way it's going down in value. These are recognised the world over as the most valuable apartments in the world. They've a trophy architect, the best lighting, they're serviced by the Mandarin Oriental [the hotel next door] and they've got Candy & Candy interiors.”
In a warehouse in Hendon they have recreated a life-size apartment for prospective buyers. “The first time anyone has ever done that for a residential apartment,” says Nick.

They're a formidable double-act. Young, in-your-face, exuding certainty and confidence.

“The Mandarin Oriental will have 30 staff servicing One Hyde Park. In Beverly Hills, there is valet parking. London lacks it — we will *provide it.”

Without seeing the cheques and legal documents it is impossible to know if they are telling the truth. What is known is that they have very close relations with very wealthy investors, including the Qataris who operate one of the biggest sovereign wealth funds in the world. At the weekend there were reports saying they had fallen out with the Qataris over Chelsea Barracks.

“Nothing has changed, 100 per cent,” asserts Nick. “Those reports are wrong. Whatever happens, Candy & Candy will be involved in Chelsea Barracks. Without the Candy & Candy brand attached to it, the value can't be realised. We're in its DNA.”

It's possible, Nick adds, that the Qataris may want all the equity in the project but he maintains, nothing has been proposed. He adds: “We have a fantastic relationship with them.”

Far less cordial is the brothers' relations with the local opponents. Says Nick: “The Earl of Stockton? I live closer than him — he lives one and a half miles away [in Warwick Square] and he's complaining.” Listen, he says, “change does evoke emotions but the site has been mothballed for 150 years to the general public. The other option is we have is to mothball it for even longer”.

It's not the first time they have aroused hostility — they're widely seen as riding the property boom, for even being partly responsible for driving the frenzy that has gripped London. There's no doubting they have a knack, however. On De Vere Gardens, site of two former hotels in Kensington, they made £250 million in just 18 months. They bought it for £69 million in 2006 and sold it earlier this year for £320 million, having secured planning permission for 97 apartments to cost £10 million each.

That can cause resentment. “We got it for a great price,” says Nick. “It was actually under offer to sell it at £420 million, not £320 million. Then, on the day we exchanged, a vexatious litigant came in and applied for judicial review.”

Eventually that was thrown out but by then the price had dropped. They point out they took all the risks, underwent the planning inquires and dealt with the judicial review. So yes, they made £250 million gross but they claim it wasn't as easy as all that.

Besides, if someone wants to pay £320 million or over £100 million for a flat that is up to them. The Candys' genius is tapping into those purchasers.

They stress that “two-thirds of Westminster's affordable housing between now and 2014 is down to us”. So, to accompany One Hyde Park they are constructing 70 cheap flats at Peel House, a derelict block in Regency Street, SW1; Noho will have 160 affordable residences on site. Chelsea Barracks will have 315, plus a community sports centre.

In addition they are working on 36 building and design projects for clients in 30 other countries.

“We've created a recognisable brand that has the ability to be the Louis Vuitton of our era,” says Nick. “We know everything about our clients — if they like their dressing gowns heated, what colour flowers they like, if their chef works left-handed — we know everything and we incorporate it into our work for them.”

Forget the clients, how wealthy are they? “We've no idea,” says Nick, smiling, “you tell us.”




The infernal City

12.09.08, By Richard Heap

Square Mile take-up is dropping, but long-term prospects are not so grim.

JP Morgan Chase did not just knock the City’s ego when it announced it was heading to Docklands last month. It dealt a blow to City take-up, too, as the market was hoping the 1m sq ft deal would make 2008 office take-up look respectable. Now the City is set for its worst annual take-up since the dot.com crash of 2000. Jones Lang LaSalle says City take-up in the first half of 2008 was 1.6m sq ft . A quiet third quarter and difficult fourth in prospect because few big deals are set to sign mean take-up in 2008 is set to fall well short of the 10-year average of 4.2m sq ft.

But there are positives in the long term. The freeze on development funding means short-term oversupply caused by speculative office development and a drop in rents could give way to undersupply and rising rents again in 2010.

http://i34.tinypic.com/2e6g39t.gif

Last month JP Morgan announced its plan to move to Riverside South at Canary Wharf, instead of the proposed St Alphage House scheme by Hammerson and the City of London near the Barbican. Peter Bennett, City surveyor at the City of London, says it is ‘regrettable’ that JP Morgan is set to leave the City but that it does not diminish the attractiveness of the City for occupiers in the long term.

The most significant letting completed in the third quarter is to Standard Bank, which has signed a 10-year lease for 151,250 sq ft at the 240,000 sq ft scheme 20 Gresham Street by Hermes and City Offices. US law firm Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe is taking 80,000 sq ft at Irish developer Menolly Construction’s 159,995 sq ft scheme 107 Cheapside. And Belgian bank Fortis is set to take 60,000 sq ft at the 204,763 sq ft 150 Cheapside building by St Martins.

Occupiers such as Bloomberg, Deutsche Bank, Bank of Tokyo Mitsubishi, Pinsent Mason, Macquarie Bank, Deutsche Bank and BNP Paribas have all been looking for space in the City.

Neil Prime, head of office agency at JLL, says they may wait until 2009 to make decisions: ‘I think, undoubtedly, where you don’t have to make a decision, you won’t.’

City fringe and Docklands take-up has been quiet, too. JLL says that in the City fringe – which includes the northern and eastern fringes and the South Bank – take-up in the first half of the year was 425,823 sq ft.

The 10-year annual average is 1.7m sq ft.

A total of 307,427 sq ft was let in Docklands in the first six months, but if JP Morgan signs at Canary Wharf by the end of 2008, this would put annual take-up near the 10-year average of almost 1.4m sq ft. Citi’s letting of 116,000 sq ft to Crossrail at its European headquarters, 25 Canada Square, should help the Docklands towards that target.

Prime rents are falling across the three markets. In the City they are £59.17/sq ft, according to JLL and the Investment Property Databank, down from £62.08/sq ft in 2007.

In the City fringe they are down to £46.67/sq ft from £49.17/sq ft last year, and Docklands rents are now £47.50/sq ft from £50/sq ft last year.

The market is expecting two more tough years. More than 7m sq ft of speculative offices will be completed in the City between 2008 and 2011, causing oversupply that will push rents down. But the cut in development finance means little office space is set to come through after schemes that are under development, so rents could start to recover in 2010.

Bradley Baker, head of global tenant representation at Knight Frank, says that one positive is that large tenants are not flooding the market by trying to sublet large amounts of surplus space.

‘There’s not yet been a load of space dumped on the market. That’s not to say there won’t be, but at the moment they’re not dumping space,’ he says.

The JP Morgan decision did nothing to improve the City’s mood and, with all the speculative development coming through this year and next, it could be 2010 before the City gloom lifts.




Development for Finsbury Park Station (the above ground station is on the East Coast Main Line, the London Underground stations are below ground)

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Masterplan for St Andrew's, Bromley-by-Bow by Allies and Morison. Lots of low rise blocks, but also a 27 storey tower.

http://www.cabe.org.uk/AssetLibrary/11750.jpg




RMA designed project for Lewisham - large, but took a hit from CABE for its low quality so will probably be looked over again

http://www.cabe.org.uk/AssetLibrary/11757.jpg




Another development for Royal Woolwich Arsenal (future terminus for the new DLR extension presently u/c and the future Crossrail station) with quite a few towers

http://www.cabe.org.uk/AssetLibrary/11670.jpg




27 storey tower for Barking, East London

http://www.architectsjournal.co.uk/images/HLMbarking_tcm23-1833307.jpg




The Olympic Delivery Authority released a picture of the 2012 Olympic Stadium site taking shape

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3142/2902034605_fcc58d482c_b.jpg




Baker Street Station is set for a major revamp - work will begin shortly, but won't finish probably until after 2012 so that resources can be concentrated at Stratford, finishing King's Cross, the East London Line Extension and beginning Crossrail.

Baker Street is a critical interchange for several underground lines with 6 sub-surface platforms and 4 deep-level platforms across five lines.

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The monolithic entrance incorporates a lift down to the original 1863 platforms.
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The current exterior of Baker Street Tube Station
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3071/2847639691_997d2e8d94_o.jpg

The Metropolitan Line platforms which would be completely rebuilt
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New picture of the stadium for Brighton - Brighton while not in London is due south and a major commuter settlement with 8 trains an hour to London each hour; Brighton station itself is an architectural gem.

It is also often referred to as London on the sea due to its similar vibrant nature but with a seaside aspect that people can unwind to. With the upgrade of the Thameslink (the rail line that runs from Bedford in the north to Brighton in the south via London), there will be an almost metro-like service connecting the two settlements.

http://www.seagulls.premiumtv.co.uk/javaImages/e/b8/0,,10433%7E3586062,00.jpg




The top floor of the Jumeriah Tower opposite St Paul's

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New interesting tower for Canary Wharf

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[nick-taylor]

An interesting 'shattered glass' development at London Victoria station

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Planning approval has been granted for the new White Water Canoe Centre in Broxbourne that will host Canoe and Kayak Slalom events during the London 2012 Games.

The planning application for the Centre was submitted in the summer following public consultation events with local residents on the venue plans. This application has now been approved by Broxbourne Borough Council.

The new facilities at Broxbourne, being built by the Olympic Delivery Authority, include a 300m course, warm-up course and finish lake.

The course will be part of a wider parkland area. Path and bridge networks throughout the venue will help spectators get close to the action. After the Games the venue will be a major sporting and leisure attraction.

The Centre building will also include a reception, café, changing rooms, shop, offices, spectator viewing area, equipment storage and water pump/filtration facilities.

http://www.london2012.com/photos/venues/broxbourne-landscaping340x185.jpg




Another render of London Bridge Tower

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3209/2903894679_10239c73ef_b.jpg




Excellent view of two of London's biggest projects: the closest is the Bishopsgate Tower (aka Pinnacle/Helter Skelter), the other behind is Richard Rogers 122 Leadenhall (aka Cheesegrater)

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Pictures by Chest of the Landmark towers

http://homepage.mac.com/benveasey/.Public/wow5.JPG

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Updates on transport infrastructure in London (from londonreconnections.blogspot.com):
Overground, National Rail and other Transport Uses


The new NLL trains are running 13 weeks late due to production problems with the interiors. ELL trains may be affected but rolling stock is not on the project's critical path. As we've previously reported, the first train has already been delivered to deepest Essex for testing.
As we've also reported, Shepherds Bush Overground station opened on 28 September 2008.
Four key milestones were recently completed on ELLX Phase 1. These cover New Cross Gate track connection to depot site, Dalston Junction station slab, Haggerston Station concourse foundation and Hoxton Station power supply point construction milestones. Track laying has started in the old ELL tunnels and also on the northern viaduct. On the Network Rail sites, it is now unlikely that the core track and signalling works at West Croydon and Crystal Palace will complete in summer 2008, with work extending to 2009. Rescheduling is underway.
A decision expected on ELLX Phase 2 by November 2008.
The DLR new trains are late into service. Nine new trains are now with DLR but a further 3 should have been delivered. 18 are due for delivery by the end of Sept 2008 (report is for the 1st quarter of 2008/9).
Some DLR project work has been rephased on the 3 car project. Some problems were encountered at Canning Town with ground conditions but other phases of work are moving from design to implementation.
The Woolwich extension is on programme for opening early next year and integration testing is scheduled for later this month.
As we reported, PAYG has been introduced on First Great Western. Validator installation work also commenced 1/9/08 on First Capital Connect. Agreement has still not been secured with some other TOCs, although ATOC have gained agreement from the DfT for the proposed fares structure for NR PAYG. A Rail "summit" is scheduled for 21 October 2008.
Network Rail have rephased works and approvals for some elements of the North London Line improvement programme. Apparently completion dates are not affected by this delay.
Agreement has been reached with DfT that a new Crossrail franchise will be let for 7 years. It will initially take over Liverpool St - Shenfield local services from NXEA in 2014 and then Paddington - Heathrow / Maidenhead services from FGW in 2016. Phased introduction of services through the Crossrail tunnels will then follow.
Crossrail's control centre will initially be at Liverpool St but will then move later to Romford.
Discussions are underway to see if Oyster PAYG can be introduced on river services.
Serco have been appointed to run the Woolwich Ferry in place of the London Borough of Greenwich.
Track replacement works are being planned for several locations on the Croydon Tramlink. Refresh works are now underway on all tram stops with Beckenham Junction and Therapia Lane first on the programme.


Tube


140 wide aisle gates are being installed on the LUL network in place of staff operated manual gates.
The demand for Underground services continues to grow, with 243.2 million journeys made by passengers. In spite of rising passenger numbers, excess journey time improved by 1.3 minutes compared to last quarter, representing the best start to a year on record.
It looks like there is slippage on the Victoria Line Upgrade due to problems with signalling software and related testing and assurance issues.
The Jubilee Line Upgrade forecast programmed completion has now slipped beyond the contractual completion date.
There are potential problems with the Northern Line upgrade due to failure of TLL to reschedule the implementation phasing with Thales. This was originally South to North but TLL wished to change to North to South (less risky). TLL were unable to agree commercial terms with Thales.
Tenders have been received for new Piccadilly Line trains. Discussions are ongoing with the Government and TfL as to how the new trains will be financed.
A revised programme is with DfT for consideration to accelerate completion, by 3 months, of the Northern Ticket Hall and associated works at Kings Cross.
Work to rename Shepherds Bush H&C to Shepherds Bush Market is now fully underway with revised signs in place


Roads & Buses


TfL are reviewing traffic signal phasing and are increasing timings to allow traffic to flow more freely.
470 entries have been received for the Borismaster competition.
Bendy buses are all to be gone by 2015 and half gone by 2010.
Consideration is being given to the reintroduction of tidal flow in the Blackwall Tunnel (amongst other measures).
DfT approval has been received for carriageway improvements on the North Circular at Bounds Green. Work is due to start in 2009 for completion in 2011.
Motorbikes are to be allowed in all TfL controlled bus lanes from early 2009 for a 18 month trial period.
The DfT have rejected TfL and the London Boroughs' applications for permit schemes to manage highway works. The intention was for the scheme to commence in early 2009 but looks to be delayed until 2010.
There was some interesting commentary about the increase in fuel prices and its effect on the TfL Bus network. Apparently there is a fuel element in an annual cost inflator in bus contract prices but if prices rise faster than this then the operator takes the cost risk.
TfL say it is too early to know for certain if fuel price increases have created a reduction in car traffic levels and any sustained increase in public transport usage.
The demand for bus services is increasing with 517.5 million passenger journeys in the quarter and 97.6 per cent of scheduled bus services operated.
I-Bus implementation is on track for completion in Feb 2009 although decommissioning of the old system has slipped by 4 months.

[zupermaus]

wow, thanx! we been missing you :D

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3061/2892592826_d162e9d2b8_b.jpg

^This hospital is one of the most expensive buildings in the world, currently with a £1.9 billion pricetag ($3.7 billion). It is estimated it cost £600,000 a day when the project stalled due to Health Minister Jane Kennedy, who was due to decide on the project, taking a holiday in France for several days - one of the most expensive holidays ever imo.

It currently translates to about £1.5 million per bed, and nearly £500 million in interest charges and bloated consultancy fees.

[nick-taylor]

wow, thanx! we been missing you :D

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3061/2892592826_d162e9d2b8_b.jpg

^This hospital is one of the most expensive buildings in the world, currently with a £1.9 billion pricetag ($3.7 billion). It is estimated it cost £600,000 a day when the project stalled due to Health Minister Jane Kennedy, who was due to decide on the project, taking a holiday in France for several days - one of the most expensive holidays ever imo.

It currently translates to about £1.5 million per bed, and nearly £500 million in interest charges and bloated consultancy fees.Despite the cost, it is a much needed investment and as you can see - the scale is immense. A vast super-hospital with two of the tallest hospital towers in the world; both would feature in the top twenty.

The design is a bit freaky, but the tall buildings are opening up parts of the old original hospital which dates back to 1740.

[newcastle kid]

In a rather shocking development, the Heron Tower has begun rising much earlier than anticipated (well, going by the CURRENT schedule:D)

It started on Friday:

(Pics from Chest at SSC)

http://homepage.mac.com/benveasey/.Public/heronrising.JPG
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http://homepage.mac.com/benveasey/.Public/heronrising5.JPG
http://homepage.mac.com/benveasey/.Public/heronrising6.JPG

And these are from yesterday:

(pics from fitz44 at SSC)

http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa278/fit3xl/LNDN080.jpg
http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa278/fit3xl/LNDN076.jpg

It really is a big occasion. This tower has been planned since, I believe, around the year 2000. It's been through a whole load of problems, but it is finally rising. It once stuck two fingers up at the outdated London planning rules, and it is now sticking two fingers up at the credit crunch:D

When complete, the tower will be 203m to roof, and 246m to the top of the spire.

Renders:

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b387/wjfox2005/London_general/Heron_ultra_large_rendering.jpg

http://i1.tinypic.com/nc1ap5.jpg

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http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b387/wjfox2005/London_general/city_of_london/heron.jpg

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b387/wjfox2005/London_general/city_of_london/1-2.jpg

[RockstarJizzy]

'kinnell guys, how do you get these pictures!? Do you lot work at these construction sites or something, or work in archtectural firms? Or is it just good googling :D

Heron looks nice. I haven't seen the render in awhile and at first always underestimated again until I saw it again just now. I think it's perhaps more aesthetically better than T42!

Croydon seems to be getting alot of good projects going as of late, that area will be completely revitalised and will definately be high up there as London's third or fourth city behind the City, Docklands and Westminster. Only thing Croydon needs is a Tube station! Unless it has one already, or perhaps one accessible via National Rail travelcard, Nick?

Nick, I'm extremely impressed with your knowledge of nearly all of London's major developments, yet I understand you're just a student studying at Portsmouth? Thats what I remember when I used to be a mere lurker on these forums before signing up. :)

Overall I quite like Londons projects better than NYC's, just wish they were a wee bit taller and Canary Wharf was alot more dense :D but the credit crunch will hold my dreams out for awhile. Only real project I like in NY at the moment is the FT/WTC development, but this thread is about our LiONs DEN ;)

[nick-taylor]

There are a lot of sites on the net, skyscrapercity, skyscrapernews, londonreconnections, industry leaders such as British Land, Hammerson, etc...

Heron tower is remarkable simply because it has been through so much. The tower I believe was originally designed for one tenant, but was then re-modelled to create pods (groups of 3 floors surrounding a trading/atrium area) for smaller companies which is something needed quite badly in the city. T42 is similar in that it used to be the HQ for Nat West, but is now split up into lots of offices that are very attractive to smaller companies aiming for a City presence.

There is a picture somewhere of the crazy number of facade/height changes that the tower went through over the years - and they weren't concept designs, all revisions of approved designs.


Croydon has excellent transport connections which will only improve more when the East London Line Extension opens in 2010.


I need to change my profile - I'm based up in Bishop's Stortford (the town closest to London Stansted Airport) which is half way inbetween London and Cambridge.




There was an article in the Times yesterday stating that Canary Wharf is still set to go ahead with expansion of the estate despite the current climate, and that excludes developments by other developers surrounding Canary Wharf which is ballooning in size.

For the Westfield London shopping mall in West London, two new stations have been built and another has been completely re-built to ensure that public transport is the main mode of transport to what is one of Europe's largest shopping centres.

A picture of the centre (taken a few weeks ago) below shows the scale of the site which is due to open for shoppers in under 23 days time.


http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3169/2855337625_61b8757eb5_o.jpg


Confusingly, there are two Shepherd's Bush stations serving the centre (one for the Central Line, and another for the Overground Line), but as visible from the below pictures they are either side of a large bus interchange. In the above picture they are at the bottom of the picture.

The only work left on the revamped Central Line station is to install the digital displays covering the 'bare' surfaces.

The other station: Wood Lane which is at the north end of the site is due to open next week and is located on the Hammersmith & City Line. Look for the purple viaduct to see the location for this new station.




Shepherd's Bush - Central Line


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Shepherd's Bush - Overground


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[ablarc]

What? No picture of the Overground train? :(

What's with the undulating, patterned roofs?

[nick-taylor]

What? No picture of the Overground train? :(

What's with the undulating, patterned roofs?The new Overground (class 378) trains have begun testing up at the factory in Derby.

At present there are 26 x 3 carriage trains operating on the Overground lines, and these will be retired by 54 x 4 carriage new class 378 trains which are presently under construction and being tested.

The new trains will resemble tube trains with high-capacity standing room areas, while the new track and signalling systems will essentially quadruple the line capacity. The Overground network will eventually when fully upgraded will provide a second circle line orbiting London allowing visitors who wish to avoid Central London an alternative route around London.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/cb/London_overground_future.png/731px-London_overground_future.png

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From renders and shots of the interior on the news it is meant to be deliberately 'missing' panels (ie some are glass, others are some cladding) in the roof.

[zupermaus]

Midrise REcap


Close to St Paul

http://i32.tinypic.com/1jp0yh.jpg

Rothchild HQ (Koolhas)
http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa278/fit3xl/london/4762NewCourt_pic2.jpg

Energy Station, Stratford, MacAslan and partners
http://www.building.co.uk/Pictures/web/u/p/a/Energy_Centre_2.jpg

Bezier, Old Street,
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Heart of East Greenwich, Make
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Beadon Roads, Hamiltons Associates, Hammersmith
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Hoxton Gallery, Zaha Hadid
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Mitsui Fudosan Building, Hanover Square,
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Dalston Quarter, MacAslan
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Grimbsy Street, Michael Trentham
http://www.mtarch.co.uk/r_grimsby_street/image_1.jpg

[zupermaus]

More


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London Projects and construction.


I thought I’d make a thread about some non high-rise projects going on at the moment in London which aren’t mentioned in will fox’s thread. Note that all the little snippets of information are taken either from articles or the architects website. Credit to will fox,Manuel,fitz,El Greco,DarJoLe
for there posts which i have got information from.


Mid rise.(anything from 50-120 metres or so)

30 Old Bailey North-(MAKE)
Proposed
http://skyscrapernews.com/news.php?ref=948

Just when you thought architecture firm, MAKE, couldn't come up with anything more outlandish than the likes of the Cube, Vortex and Kite Tower they do it again, this time in the heart of London on a project called 30 The Old Bailey.

The curvaceous scheme being developed by Land Securities features two buildings, one occupying the north section of the site and the other occupying the southern area that together will cover a whole city block. This area currently has on it Export House, Seacoal House, and Hillgate House.

The North building will have 27,170 square metres of office space and the South will have 17,262 square metres representing a total uplift in available space for the site of 12,530 square metres on what is currently being offered. They will both be a maximum of nine storeys and a total of 41.72 metres tall above ground level which is less than the highest current building on the plot.

http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc273/jayo_011/948MAKEDesignHugeHalfDonutInTheCity.jpg

Hampton House redevelopment(Foster + partners)
Approved.
http://skyscrapernews.com/news.php?ref=1377

Three Norman Foster designed mixed used towers set for the on the Albert Embankment in London have been approved by local council, Lambeth.

With the tallest rising to 85 metres and 27 floors, surrounded by two shorter buildings at 75.85 metres and 24 floors, and 40.05 metres and 13 floors respectively, they will replace the existing sixties block, Hampton House.

The scheme contains a 167 room hotel, 242 residential units, 77 of which will be affordable, and ground floor retail. There will be public landscaping around the bases of the buildings aimed at improving the ground level and breathing life into what is currently a site dominated by a sixties office building.

Fosters massed the size of the buildings to relate in terms of scale and step up from the shorter neighbouring buildings either side with the tallest tower in the middle.

The proximity to the Palace of Westminster has not been an issue in this case as although the views of the world heritage site are protected from Parliament Hill, the project has been designed so that the tallest elements will line behind the Victoria Tower and be hidden from view.

This whole area of London has proven hugely popular with buyers, something that developer, Newlands Enterprises, hopes to cash in on. Well connected to Vauxhall itself and with good views of the River Thames and the Palace of Westminster from the upper floors that will fetch a premium.

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The can of ham(So called [Foggo Architects])
Proposed.

Developers are Target follow & Architects are Foggo associates.

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The Walbrook(Foster & Partners)
Under construction.

The Walbrook construction is occupying 1.6 acres of land which will eventually become a mixed use office and retail development in London’s city centre. When complete, The Walbrook will provide a gross area of 600,000 sq.ft, including 410,000 sq.ft of Grade A net letable area and 35,000 sq.ft of retail and restaurant accommodation. But it is not the project’s scale which makes it remarkable, rather the materials used.
Similar to many buildings, the exterior of The Walbrook will be encased with solar shading which will help keep the building cool in the summer and warm in the winter, thus improving energy efficiency. But the cladding on this development is entirely comprised of a Fiber-Reinforced Polymer (FRP) with an automotive finish – making the sheen resemble that of a car. FRPs are commonly used in the aerospace, automotive and marine industries because of their enhanced strength and low-weight, boasting a strength to weight ratio higher than steel or concrete. FRPs have also been used in bridge construction but have not been used to this extent on buildings before.
The Walbrook, designed by Foster + Partners for clients Minerva, is currently under construction in between Bank and Cannon Street stations. Skanska, Arup and Roger Preston & Partners will combine efforts on the construction and engineering and hope to complete the project by the end of 2009 making a high-tech 50 metre long impact along Cannon Street.

http://www.worldarchitecturenews.com/news_images/10225_1_Walbrook4big.jpg

Walbrook square(Foster & Partners)
Approved

Legal & General has today submitted plans for a striking new office and retail development, to be known as ‘Walbrook Square’. The development will replace its existing buildings at Bucklersbury House, EC4. The project incorporates approximately 1 million sq ft net floorspace on the 3.7 acre site, with 95,000 sq ft of retail and restaurant floorspace and 875,000 sq ft of office space.

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100 Middlesex street.(TP Bennett Architects)
http://skyscrapernews.com/news.php?ref=588
Under construction.

A revised planning application has gone in that substantially changes the development plans for the Rodwell House site on the eastern edge of the City of London fringe.

Currently the plot at 100 Middlesex Street has a landmark 112 metre tall office building approved for it that would contain 30,000 square metres of space of 25 floors and has been designed by ORMS Architecture Design.

Dumping the main use of the building the developer now aims at the much easier to accommodate student market with only a minority of office space in the new scheme that will be a series of buildings, the tallest will rise to 105m and 34 floors.

The large difference between the number of floors on this new design and the old one compared to little change in height is caused by the lower floor to ceiling heights that residential housing requires compared to office space, thanks in part to shallower floors that don't have the need to carry the complex electronics and power uses that a top spec office block requires.

ORMS have been replaced by TP Bennett Architects but much of the design ethos remains and the new building does resemble the old ones. Main changes have included reducing the width of the building by 20% increasing the slender profile of the tower, the removal of the dominant spire for something less obtrusive, and changes to the surrounding lower buildings.

Design features include a central vertical spine emphasising height, a skirt that shows off random cladding that gently ripples, and a framing anchor displaying what the architects hope is a calm façade. The dominant colours will be light blue and silver.

The make up of the development now consists of 32,458 square metres of space for student living (1200 rooms in a mixture of different layouts), 772 sq m of residential (10 private 1 and 2 bedroom flats), and 9,011 sq m of offices of B1 use. There will be a mixture of retail and leisure uses for the lower levels along with basement parking. There will be separate entrances on different streets the building bounds on to for each use.

Private student accommodation has a proven a big hit for many investors in recent years as expansion of the higher education market continues and universities become increasingly reluctant to build their own centrally managed halls off campus due to the high amounts of initial capital needed.

This has left a big gap in the market that forwards looking businesses have been filling with some measure of success, not least because the returns are pretty much guaranteed.

If the project gets the go-ahead, which is the likely scenario given there is already a similar sized building approved for the site, construction is likely to begin in 2007 as there is no need to seek a large office pre-let.

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Trinity EC3(Foreign office architects)
Approved

The Beetham Organization is to submit a planning application this week for Trinity, a 1m sq ft (92,920 sq m) office campus in Aldgate on the eastern fringe of the City of London.

The Foreign Office Architects-designed scheme, exclusively revealed to Property Week, envisages three multi-faceted office buildings with walls that glint like gemstones. Its estimated completion value is £700m.

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Small projects.

North London cultural centre(Mangera Yvars Architects)
Approved

North London Cultural Centre is a mixed use scheme which accommodates a basement level sports hall, cultural and community spaces at ground level, a children’s play centre, residential accommodation, a nursing home and dining facilities. The success of the project is determined in part by the interstitial spaces which link these various activities.
The curvilinear form of the building mediates the urban and suburban setting of the scheme and inviting passers by into the building.

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Maritime Museum extension Greenwich.(C F Moller.)
Proposed.

The South West Wing project encompasses the creation of a new wing for the National Maritime Museum housing a large special exhibitions gallery, a new south entrance, and the creation of an archive with associated learning and research facilities as befitting the world’s foremost maritime archive collection.
The new special exhibitions gallery will allow the display of more collections than ever before, exciting new audiences with the sea and its role in our history, our lives today, and our future. A new architectural entrance will provide major visitor access for the first time from Greenwich Royal Park and from the world famous Royal Observatory.
This is a landmark project that will open up and reveal for everyone the fascinating stories of people and the sea.

1) Due for completion in time for the 2012 Olympics, museum chiefs hope the project will breathe new life into the Greenwich institution.
2)Will cost £35 million.
3)The development has been made possible by a £20 million gift from Israeli shipping magnate Sammy Ofer.
4)The centrepiece of the new wing - to be named in his honour - will be an 800 square metre exhibition space.

http://i33.tinypic.com/dy4qco.jpg

Newhall scheme(Alison Brooks Architects)
Status unknown.

Alison Brooks Architects has unveiled a new residential development on the outskirts of Harlow in Essex for homebuilder Linden Homes.

The Newhall scheme, which is on site, includes 85 homes, ranging from one-bedroom apartments to four-bedroom detached villas.

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Oxford street scheme(Future systems architects)
Under construction.

The brief was to transform the quality and appearance of a tired 1960’s building at the undeveloped end of Oxford Street. Our proposal removes the brick and glass façade and replaces it with a subtle yet vibrant jewel-like glass frontage that delicately unifies the lower ground and first floor retail units with the office space above. Through the repetition of crystal-like glass bays, a sense of scale and rhythm is created that reflects the grain of the adjacent properties as well as giving the offices panoramic views along Oxford Street. At night the façade will be illuminated from inside giving off a subtle coloured glow.

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Eveline Lowe Primary school(HKR architects)
Approved.

Planners give go-ahead for Eveline Lowe Primary school in Southwark

HKR Architects has been given the go-ahead by planners for Eveline Lowe Primary School in the London Borough of Southwark.

http://www.building.co.uk/Pictures/web/c/v/m/eveline_lowe_school_3.jpg

General Gordon Square and Beresford Square Woolwich.(Gustafson Porter Architects)
Status unknown.

Greenwich council names Diana fountain architect as winner of competition to redesign General Gordon Square and Beresford Square

Landscape architect Gustafson Porter, which designed the Diana Memorial water feature in Hyde Park, is to redesign two squares in central Woolwich as part of Greenwich council's regeneration of the town.

The design for General Gordon Square will centre around a paddling area - as did the Diana Memorial until a series of safety incidents meant that paddling had to be banned.

http://www.building.co.uk/Pictures/web/i/c/n/paddling_pool_gustafson.jpg

St Nicholas Cole Church, the city of London.
Proposed.

The Centre's work and activities will reach out, to benefit children and teachers nationwide. Its resources will be web networked to all schools through its associated REonline.
The Centre will:
Provide RE with a national physical focus easily accessible in the heart of the capital.
Be the home base for the Religious Education Council.
Provide office space for related RE organisations.
Host national and regional
meetings, lectures and seminars.
Be a religious trail focus for school parties and tourists.
Offer professional development for RE teachers.
Provide on-line and other resources.
Offer exhibition space.
Provide café restaurant facilities and an outdoor terrace.
Enable public access to the inside of a Wren building currently closed.
Relate RE to Heritage Education.

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Barnet College campus.(RMJM Architects)
Status unknown.

The campus, in Colindale, will provide accommodation for a host of vocational courses including hair and beauty salons, hospitality training suites and a new restaurant.

The school will become a central hub for the area, which has been earmarked by Mayor of London Boris Johnson as an 'opportunity area' and will see more than 10,000 new homes built in the coming years.
RMJM director Matt Cartwright, who is leading the design team, said: 'The new campus is an important milestone for the college and for the local community – it will lead the way in transforming Colindale.

'Urban regeneration must start at a community level and this new campus aims to deliver outstanding community facilities as well as its all-important education function.'

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St Martin in the fields Renovation.(Robert Kennett and Eric Parry architects)
Under construction.

One of Britain's best-known churches will announce today one of the most expensive regeneration projects ever proposed for an ecclesiastical building.
The £34m scheme at the church of St Martin-in-the-fields, on Trafalgar Square in London, will be inaugurated by Prince Charles.
He has agreed to be patron of the two-year programme under which the 280-year-old church will be renovated. There will be new accommodation in its vaults for its musicians, its itinerant population of homeless people, and the local Chinese community centre.


http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2004/mar/25/communities.arts

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Rochester row(Assael Architects)
Proposed

One of the most unpleasant pieces of sixties architecture standing near Victoria Station could soon have an intimate meeting with a wrecking ball if the Notting Hill House Association and Barratt West London get their way.

Located on Rochester Row, the narrow site is bounded by Greencoat Place to the north west and Greycoat Place to the north east and is less than 300 metres from the prime business and government centre of Victoria Street.



The proposals by Assael Architecture feature knocking down the existing office building and multi-storey car park on the site and replacing them with an interlinked couple of buildings, one residential and the other office, each with their own entrances.

The building will have its frontage framed using traditional Portland Stone with aluminium panels in between that will have patterning on them. Dreamed up by artist Oliver Marsden, combined together these will form a series of circles radiating out from a central spot rather like the concentric circles you see in a raindrops ripple.

Containing 38 private and 17 social apartments, the zinc clad penthouses will be located in a smaller stepped back two storey section surrounded by roof gardens creating a green living environment in the middle of a city for those who can afford it. They will also be able to enjoy some uninterrupted views over Westminster.

http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa278/fit3xl/london/1677AssaelsPerfectWestEndCircles_pi.jpg


River lea regenerating scheme(5th Studio Architects)
Proposed.

5th Studio’s transformation of the River Lea Valley goes with the flow
11 July 2008
bdonline.co.uk
By Ellis Woodman

Industrial infrastructure and open spaces along east London’s River Lea will form the spine of a design framework devised by architect 5th Studio for the area’s transformation into dynamic parkland

Emerging from the ground just to the west of Luton, the River Lea tracks a 68km journey through the wilds of Essex and east London, feeding finally into the Thames at Canning Town, opposite the Millennium Dome. It has represented an important boundary at least since Roman times, providing an edge to Danelaw, and more recently dividing the counties of Essex and Middlesex and the London boroughs of Newham and Tower Hamlets. Thanks to Abercrombie’s 1944 London Regional Plan, the land that borders its final 26km is mostly parkland — the largest open space in London.

But while its upper reaches are spectacularly bucolic — a haven for horse riders, cyclists, bird watchers, and anglers — the Lea remains a working river, which is hemmed in by industrial use for its final meandering 3km through the area known as the Lower Lea Valley. It is also cut across by heavily trafficked roads, by trains heading east from Liverpool Street and Fenchurch Street stations, and by those of the Docklands Light Railway. Anyone hoping to walk from the north end of the park to the Thames needs to be both determined and fearless.

http://www.bdonline.co.uk/Pictures/web/u/e/r/big_map_ready.jpg

By 2020, the journey should be considerably easier. That is the anticipated completion date of an epic programme of works to open the Lower Lea Valley to much greater public use. At present, the project takes the form of a design framework that has been developed by 5th Studio, working with the German landscape architect Latz & Partners. Recently published, it sets in place a vision that will guide a series of competitions and direct commissions over the next 12 years.

http://www.bdonline.co.uk/Pictures/web/t/c/i/exoticconnector_ready.jpg

The impetus for change has come from transformations that are already under way. Towards the northern end of the site, the 2012 Olympic Park is being constructed, a wholesale piece of urban restructuring that has seen the demolition of a large number of light industrial buildings. The framework aims to identify how this new public resource can be integrated into Abercrombie’s larger scheme, and also how the valley as a whole might enjoy a more expansive interface with the Thames.

The strategy proposed for achieving these ends is very different from the “slash and burn” approach adopted by the designers of the Olympic Park. A limited amount of compulsory land purchase may be undertaken, but the intention is that much of what is already in place will stay. Given that the landscape is characterised by such operations as builders’ merchants, waste recycling facilities, and factories producing fast food, it is clear that this will be a very different park to any that yet exists in Britain.

http://www.bdonline.co.uk/Pictures/web/p/f/w/view_04_ready.jpg

“It is understood that objects of industry can bring character and animation to spaces of recreation”

Where it does find some parallel is in a park realised by Latz & Partners during the nineties outside the German city of Duisburg. Landschaftspark Duisburg-Nord occupies a 200ha site, a large part of which was formerly a coal and steel production plant. Rather than wiping away the traces of these activities, the practice reframed the enormous buildings and machines that remained through a series of discrete landscape interventions and by introducing a range of cultural and leisure uses. The park’s character might be thought of as a post-industrial variant on 18th century notions of the sublime. The formula has proved wildly successful, attracting half a million visitors each year to a landscape previously given scant regard.

http://www.bdonline.co.uk/Pictures/web/o/y/w/abbey_mills__aerial_ready.jpg

In contrast, the Lower Lea Valley is still very much a working environment, and the plan aims to maintain it as such. In common with Duisburg-Nord, the scheme demonstrates an understanding that the objects of industry — whether they be buildings, infrastructural elements or piles of waste waiting to be shipped off to foreign climes — can bring character and animation to spaces of recreation. The two schemes are also alike in that they are collage-like assemblies of distinct environments — a very different sensibility from the ambition evident in the renderings of the Olympic Park, where landscape and buildings will be united in a singular expression.

The Lower Lea Valley scheme has been conceived as nine territories, which will be skewered by a new ground surface incorporating a series of bridge links in order to radically improve accessibility. The architects have dubbed this primary element the Fatwalk in recognition of the fact that it constitutes both a route and a place in its own right. Its minimum width has been gauged to accommodate a mix of riders, cyclists and walkers, but at many points it claims a more expansive territory, enabling other activities to take hold.

http://www.bdonline.co.uk/Pictures/web/g/a/e/mill_meads_ready.jpg

Among the environments that are envisaged along the way are a forest within which seven listed gasholders form clearings. The retained structures can potentially be given over to new uses, one scenario being that they become London’s equivalent to the Eden Project’s biomes.

Twenty thousand homes are to be built in the area in the next decade — one of the project’s fundamental drivers — and a number of major housing schemes are proposed for sites fronting the Lea. Here, the framework aims to “catch and steer” these developments towards an outcome that contributes to the idea of the park. In particular, it identifies how a language of planting and exposed drainage channels might extend the perception of the park deep into this edge condition. Where there is industry, the impulse has been to encourage building owners to simplify the relationship between public and private space by allowing the Fatwalk to run hard against the walls of their big sheds. Where there is infrastructure, landscape interventions of a comparable scale are proposed.

http://www.bdonline.co.uk/Pictures/web/x/x/h/Dock_Perspective_V02_ready.jpg

“A spoil heap set to be created by the construction of Crossrail is reimagined as a faux volcano”

The uncultivated nature of the place is embraced as a quality. In one area termed the Exotic Wild by the architects, the spoil heap set to be produced by the construction of Crossrail is reimagined as a faux volcano. It sits in relation to an artificial cliff that extends out of a wildlife park, consuming the elevated
Docklands Light Railway as it does so. The Tyrannosaurus rex that populates the drawing of this area is, one trusts, no more than indicative.

The area that stands to be transformed most dramatically is the East India Dock Basin, where the Fatwalk meets the Thames. This is a place particularly rich in history, being the point from which the Virginia settlers sailed, and it is also where the East India Company ran its globe-spanning operation. It enjoys an extraordinary position on the river, standing at the head of the meander encompassing Greenwich Reachits present condition suggests nothing of that significance. There is a nature reserve here but, cut off from the surrounding fabric by road and railway, it is barely used.

The proposed scheme resolves the access issues and populates the now disused basin with a floating lido and platforms that will offer wildlife different types of habitat. On land, there is to be a café, alongside which an orchard will be established, a memory of a feature which stood here in the 18th century. A river boat connection is proposed, as well as facilities to buy a picnic and hire a bike — or even a horse.

Through these interventions, the place promises to fulfil its role as a gateway to the park and also provide one of those rare points in London — like Parliament Hill, Primrose Hill or Greenwich Park — which affords an understanding of a city-wide scale.

The serpentine pavilion(Frank Gehry architects)
Complete.

The Serpentine Gallery Pavilion 2008, which gives England the first built project by legendary architect Frank Gehry, is now open to the public. The spectacular structure – designed and engineered in collaboration with Arup – is anchored by four massive steel columns and is comprised of large timber planks and a complex network of overlapping glass planes that create a dramatic, multi-dimensional space. Gehry and his team took inspiration for this year’s Pavilion from a fascinating variety of sources including the elaborate wooden catapults designed by Leonardo da Vinci as well as the striped walls of summer beach huts. Part-amphitheatre, part-promenade, these seemingly random elements make a transformative place for reflection and relaxation by day, and discussion and performance by night.

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The Tate extension.(Herzog & de Meuron)
Proposed.

Hulking behind the Tate Modern in London like a Jawan sandcrawler about to nab priceless art is the latest redesign from the pens of Herzog & de Meuron of the gallery's planned extension.

The proposals also take advantage of three major unused oil tanks below by turning them into additional exhibition space and creating the lower three floors of what will be an eleven story scheme that rises to 65 metres in height above ground.

Linking the whole thing together will be what is described as a "ceremonial route", a staircase that winds its way from the bottom to the top.

Although they have retained the basic massing of the previous proposals that's where the similarity ends. Those were a stack of translucent glass blocks but this time Herzog & de Meuron have turned to the inspiration of the original Giles Gilbert Scott designed power station that is now the Tate Modern and adopted brick.

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10 Lime street.(Rolfe Judd architects)
Under construction .

Rising in the heart of the City of London, just metres from its famous neighbour the Lloyds Building, is 10 Lime Street.

This is a new largely office development that also features two ground floor retail units, one sandwiched either side of the reception area aimed at becoming prime shopping space.

Rising above this are seven floors of office space with floor plates up to 677 square metres each. In all there will be 4,089 square metres of office space and 1,012 square metres of retail. Topping 10 Lime Street is a plant floor.

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Grosvernor waterside.(MAKE)
Under construction

Rising now in west London is one of the most luxurious residential developments currently under construction.

It's been developed by St James Homes Ltd and pitched clearly at the upper end of the market. This portion of the project sees 103 private apartments and 196 affordable units built in two blocks joined together by a shared ground level podium that rise to ten and twelve floors respectively.

They have been designed by Make Architects who have come up with a distinctive design for the front of the shorter building, Brammah, that at first looks unique with recessed vertical and horizontal slots shaped like tetris tiles standing behind aluminium panels.

There is however a striking resemblance between this patterning and the Hallfield Estate in Bayswater, a now restored council block, but Make have always been a lover of modernism aiming simply to put a high-tech futuristic tilt on it.

Patterning another layer on the aluminium cladding is a piece of public art by Clare Woods who has turned it into a massive canvas with an etched piece aimed at resembling the sunlight that would project through the trees before the site was cleared for development. With branches and shadows outlined although we can't help but think of the silhouette of some scary monster creeping onto the building.

Both buildings are orientated to enjoy maximum views of the nearby River Thames with the shorter one lining the dockside at ground level with a double height colonnaded lower floor that will contain several restaurant or retail outlets.

Green features include rainwater collection to keep the green spaces fertile and CHP plant giving supplementary power to the buildings.

Three blocks are already finished on Grosvenor Waterside and construction is well underway on Brammah. Completion of it should conclude in 2009.

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Adelphi point(Parritt Leng architects.)
Status unknown.

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London based developer Investland has been given the go ahead to start work on its planned project for Edmonton, Adelphi Point.

Yet to enjoy the growth other fringe parts of the capital are currently experiencing the scheme promises to be the starting point for rejuvenation of the area that is located in the London Borough of Enfield.

Sited on an old petrol station on Fore Street the development, which has been described by local planners as a "strong landmark" comes from the drawing board of Parritt Leng architects. The project will play host to 520 square metres of A1 commercial space located at ground level along with 24 apartments.

It will feature a 29.5 metre, nine-storey tower attached to a three storey base. The lower level of the project will have glass facades whilst part of the tower and the upper level of the base is dominated by vertical fins running up the remainder of it giving the building a distinctive and striking appearance.

With sustainable being the first word on peoples lips these days the project will not disappoint the greenies, natural ventilation and insulation is built in to lower the buildings energy demands and solar panels to heat water for the building are incorporated into the roof.

As London's commuter belt widens, Edmonton's close proximity and good transport links means that the area is now predicted to become one of the next big locations to be swarmed on by city workers who either just manage not to earn enough to live in the capital or wish to go home to somewhere a little less hectic.

Work should start on the site very soon although as of yet no completion date has been given but it shouldn't be long before Edmonton can start to enjoy its latest landmark.

Olympic Swimming pool(Zaha hadid architects)
Under construction

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The UK’s Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) has reported that Zaha’s Aquatic Centre will now cost £210 million GBP, three times the original budget of £75 million. Part of the overrun is due to the UK’s VAT tax but moulded components in Zaha’s sweeping roof and expensive glass panels have been blamed as well. The roof is expected to cost £60 million alone.

Tower 42 extension(Studio Egret West)
Proposed.

Tower 42 could be set for a make-over if new plans by joint owners, Hermes and Black Rock are realised.

Faced with the growing competition as one of the only skyscrapers in the City of London from a whole host of new towers such as 122 Leadenhall and the Bishopsgate Tower that offer much more by the way of square metres.

Their solution to responding to these rival developments is to radically rebuild the glass podium that connects the tower to Old Broad Street by creating a glass honeycomb of offices in it’s place that will rise up to eleven floors tall designed by Studio Egret West.

The existing pin-striped glass and stainless steel main structure of the skyscraper will remain intact but the new development will total about 25,000 square metres, a net increase of 11,000 on what is presently there.

Many improvements are also planned to the current public realm at the base of the tower which is dominated by a labyrinth of raised passages making existing pedestrian access through the site a confusing experience. These will be removed with new links through the site built in their place.

Development of the site is complicated by some of the lower-rise historic Gibson Banking Hall next to the skyscraper that dictated the originally cantilevered nature of the Natwest Tower when it was originally built in the 1970s.

There is also the issue of existing tenancies such as the Royal Bank of Scotland which the developers hope can be persuaded to surrender its lease before the end of the year so that work can begin. 20 and 30 Old Broad Street are also up for development as part of the scheme meaning it will have to be phased in over ten years.

Hermes and Black Rock are aiming for beginning consultations with the planning department at the City of London on how to proceed this summer.

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Fore street Telephone exchange site.(HKR architects)

Telereal's £74 million development in the City of London to replace the Fore Street Telephone Exchange has been given the thumbs up by the local council.

Sandwiched on a plot near Moorgate Station between Moorhouse, Citypoint and the Barbican, the 56 metre tall office development will have 13 floors above ground and 56,000 square metres of which 31,800 will be grade A commercial space.

It's been designed by architects HKR, who have come up with a large rectangular block with easily configurable regular floor-plates that can offer the maximum amount of space per floor.

The roof line dominated by an angled top that will allow the office occupiers to have roof gardens on no less than six different levels creating a relatively large amount of outdoor space to be enjoyed. This is a solution that means that different tenants on each of the top floors can have their own private space rather than share with other companies.

At ground level ringing the outside, V columns are noticeable. Their purpose is not purely a solid decorative contrast to the glass of the ground level as the Cross rail tunnel will cut under the site.

Rather than dig exceptionally deep foundations, as with the nearby Moorhouse that manages to reach 57 metres below ground, these columns will help cantilever the building weight away from the centre of the plot and on to the edge of the site.

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Monument offices(MAKE)
Approved.
Make Architects' striking new Monument offices granted consent

A stunning new addition to the City of London’s office market is set for development, with the granting of planning consent for a new, 90,000 sq ft building at Monument. The City of London granted consent today for the striking, 10-storey building. Designed by architects Make, the development will be taken forward by a joint venture between The Carlyle Group and Bellhouse Joseph. Suitable as a prestigious HQ address, or for multiple-occupancy, the crystalline structure will be based in the square in which Monument stands.

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Tooley street(Couldn’t find the architect)
Under construction.
Tooley Street.U/C.
Cafes&Offices.Due for completion May 2008.

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Fleetbank House(CF Moeller)
Proposed.
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CF Moeller has designed this new office building for developer Land Securities in the heart of the City of London.

With 13 storeys including ground and a plant floor on the top, the scheme will be 53 metres tall and contain 40,422 square meters of office with ground floor retail.

Located to the south of Fleet Street and the immediate west of Salisbury Square, it replaces the present Fleetbank House, a sixties office block, 43 metres tall that currently dominates the site. Other buildings will also go including the Coach and Horses, a 19th century public house, and Chronicle House which fronts straight on to Fleet Street and will have its façade retained.

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1 New Change(Jean nouvel)

From Evening Standard

A mall for St Paul's
By Luke Leitch, Evening Standard
6 June 2005

A multi-million pound shopping centre and office complex is to be built in the shadow of St Paul's Cathedral.

The Corporation of London is processing a planning application for the £200million One New Change development, which has been designed by French architect Jean Nouvel.

Developer Land Securities describes the building as: "A new 220,000sqft retail destination over three floors, making it one of the largest consolidated retail spaces across central London.

"The development will also comprise approximately 340,000sqft of premier office accommodation."

The building will be in one of the most architecturally sensitive locations London has to offer - beside the east transept of Sir Christopher Wren's 17th-century masterpiece. However, its architect insists that the complex will "set up a dialogue" with the cathedral, not impose upon it.

The Dean and Chapter of St Paul's, the Greater London Authority and the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment are all understood to have approved the design before the application was filed.

Mr Nouvel's glass building will comprise four sections to create new views of the cathedral for shoppers and office workers. A "significant" public artwork will sit at the centre.

The roof, which will include an open-air plaza and a viewing platform, is angled to prevent obstruction of cathedral vistas from other London locations.

Mr Nouvel is an internationally acclaimed architect who has never created a major building in London.

His most recent landmark design is Barcelona's Agbar Tower, which is reminiscent of our own "Gherkin" - the Swiss Re building at 30 St Mary Axe.

Mr Nouvel said: "The design of One New Change is about enriching the City with a new sort of modernity, one that reaches beyond itself to speak, to contemplate and to reveal the diverse character of its surroundings. It is a contemporary building which will set up a dialogue with St Paul's and the neighbouring buildings.

"The proposed design is calm and deferential to St Paul's Cathedral and provides a unique opportunity to bring the public into the site."

The design was chosen through an open architectural competition judged by a panel including Millennium Dome architect Lord Rogers and Architecture Institute director Rowan Moore, the Evening Standard's architecture critic.

If planning permission is granted, the three-acre site's existing red-brick building would be demolished.

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Hope you enjoyed that.

A little list of Approved or U/C projects in the list(s).

10 lime street-U/C.
Hampton house-approved.
The walbrook-U/C.
Walbrook square-Approved.
100 middlesex street-U/C.
Trinity EC3-Approved.
North London cultural centre-Approved.
Newhall scheme-U/C.
Oxford street scheme-U/C.
Eveline lowe school-Approved.
St martin in the fields-Approved.
Grosvernor waterside-U/C.
Olympic swimming pool-U/C.
Monument offices-Approved.
Tooley street-U/C.
1 New Change-U/C.
Beizer-U/C.
Stonebridge Hillside Hub-U/C.

[zupermaus]

n more


Carmine Building, Paddington Basin
Mossessian & Partners
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The other buildings of the phased development. Building C, Perkins & Will
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Building B, Perkins and Will
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[nick-taylor]

I participated in an orienteering run yesterday through the Square Mile on Saturday and I have to say that it was one of the toughes things I have ever done. The Square Mile is relatively flat, but you don't realise how much hassle a simple skyscraper crane (no traffic in the Square Mile on weekends so they can close entire roads off) can make to your plan from moving to the next point, or the agony of running around the different levels of the Barbican. The penalty of not paying attention to the warren of alleys and levels meant that you could greatly increase your running time.

I doubt a race like this would work in Manhattan due to its lack of intense warren of alleys and medieval roads, but I presume it could work in areas where the road network is less organised. It would have made an excellent photo snap of the Square Mile (I navigated several quaint courtyards and alleys that I never even knew existed), unfortunately I was more concerned with trying to finish and win, while running with an A3 map and avoiding FX traders using the City streets as a version of Monaco.

To get an idea of what map you had to use on the course, refer to the following: http://www.slow.routegadget.co.uk/cgi-bin/reitti.cgi?act=map&id=21&kieli=

Essentially it was a clockwise circuit starting/finishing at Broadgate Circus (next door to London Liverpool Street) going to Bishopsgate - The Gherkin - Leadenhall Market - Fenchurch Street - St Paul's - London Wall - Barbican - FINISH.

The above map is quite interesting in that not only does it show the warren of alleys, and the random organic network of roads, but also sites that are under construction (vertical lines); quite a lot of sites are being built upon; despite the downturn in the global economy - the number of construction workers on Saturday morning was quite heavy, possibly heavier than at any time I have seen.




New Station: Wood Lane, Hammersmith & City Line

Another new station has opened on the London Underground this weekend. Wood Lane is a station on the Hammersmith & City Line and has been paid for by the builders of the Westfield London shopping mall which is next door to the site.

The line has run on this alignment since it opened in 1864 (ie 144 years ago) and because of the historical nature of the station, it had to be built in and around the historic brick viaduct.


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[nick-taylor]

Progress Update on the East London Line Extension
londonreconnections.blogspot.com has pictures on the ELLE. The update goes from north to south, a map below illustrates where the updates are from.

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Shadwell-Whitechapel
While the track and signalling is all new, the tunnels and surrounding walls go back many decades as this is the approach to the Thames Tunnel - the world's oldest underwater tunnel and the first to use a tunnel shield. This is the stretch between Whitechapel and Shadwell.

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New Cross Gate
On the old East London Line, New Cross Gate was one of two southern termini (the other is New Cross on a branch slightly to the east - both stations are on the same road), but will be extended south to two new termini at West Croydon and Crystal Palace.

The station has five platforms, the outer two will be used by the ELL, while the innter three will retain their use as commuter train platforms.

The first aerial picture shows the new bridge to allow ELL services to avoid crossing the Brighton Main Line. The line curving to the left is the branch to New Cross, while the lines in the foreground are for the South Eastern Main Line (New Cross is a station on the line).

The second aerial picture shows the vague path of another branch for the ELL which will be constructed to link up with Clapham Junction in the west. It goes from the bottom left, under the railway lines, across the site of where the blue pedestrian bridge is (this would be the site of a new station called Surrey Canal Road) bfore curving off to the right.

The two major lines are the South Eastern Main Line (bottom two brick viaducts) and the Brighton Main Line on their approach to London Bridge.

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Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace is one of the two southern stations on the ELL. The present staton as four platforms arranged in two sets; the first is on a curve (not visible in the pictures), while the other two are visible in the below pictures, where there also used to be another four additional platforms (hence the large gap).

In this main section, work has begun on preparing for the former bay platform to the right to be reinstated as a terminating platform for the ELLE. Another bay platform in the middle will be created, as will a brand new island platform to serve as another terminating ELLE platform and commuter train services. The present platform 4 (visible to the right in the last picture) will be decommissioned as passengers will alight on a new island platform where the gap is at present.

On another note the brick walls show the only remains of a vast glass roof that spanned the length of the platforms, but was unfortunately taken down early last century due to safety concerns. There also used to be another Crystal Palace station (the still-open station is the Low-Level station) called Crystal Palace (High Level) which was fantastic looking, but closed in the mid-20th century, for which little remains - pictures here: http://www.subbrit.org.uk/sb-sites/stations/c/crystal_palace_high_level/index.shtml

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West Croydon
These three pictures are of the southern terminus at West Croydon. A disused bay platform is being filled in so that the station can return to use as a three platform station. ELLE services will use this platform allowing commuter services to use the outside two platforms.

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[zupermaus]

Question, why did they change the ELL into part of the overground, rather than the Underground as promised (specially in the case of Hackney-Dalston, the largest central area excluded from the tube network)? Its a drag having to buy separate tickets than from the underground, especially when you have to switch (not to mention Oyster incompatibility) - and even then switching from station to station is not possible in many areas.

[nick-taylor]

Question, why did they change the ELL into part of the overground, rather than the Underground as promised (specially in the case of Hackney-Dalston, the largest central area excluded from the tube network)? Its a drag having to buy separate tickets than from the underground, especially when you have to switch (not to mention Oyster incompatibility) - and even then switching from station to station is not possible in many areas.I think the idea is to create a new branding similar to the Underground to increase use of the services.

To retain the East London Line as an Underground line, but have Overground services use the same track would have confused many.

The problem now however is that you have several amalgamated lines that all share the same branding. What I expect (and hope) to see is the Overground lines 'split up', perhaps into Overground A, B, C, etc... services

Granted Hackney lacks a proper tube line, but it does have numerous train lines running through it, and the ELLE will create a fast connection straight into the Square Mile and interchange with the Jubilee Line at Surrey Quays for Canary Wharf (which is the next station eastwards on the Jubilee). In addition, the realisation of Crossrail 2 should create some order.

Overground will address these issues of interchange, identity, etc... issues that weren't resolved. I think we may possibly even see re-opened stations or new connections to create a more fluid transparent journey.

[zupermaus]

I still would have preferred to see Hackney et al ELL areas be plugged into the Tube network (and thus the rest of the capital, not just Surrey Quays or The City), rather than the Overground which theyre already with, and already with several lines online.

[zupermaus]

]Vauxhall Sky Gardens gains planning approval.

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London based Amin Taha Architects and their client, Fraser Properties, have achieved planning approval for Vauxhall Sky Garden. The practice was commissioned to investigate a number of sites and develop concepts for achieving high development ratios while maintaining good quality amenity spaces for residents. The site at Vauxhall Cross lies within the Greater London Authority’s (GLA) newly designated “Nine Elms Opportunity Area” stretching from Lambeth Bridge to Battersea Power Station, a location the American Embassy will be moving to from their current location at Grosvenor Place in Mayfair and which is expected to be a larger development area than Canary Wharf.

The tower will be 130 m tall with 178 residential units and approximately 10,000 sq m of office, retail and associated spaces. It is unique for its 2,500 sq m of communal ‘sky-gardens’, each being triple height and on a full floor plate. Shared by their surrounding apartments they expand opportunities and choice for social interaction allowing for the creation of micro-communities within such large and otherwise inherently anonymous blocks. Landscaping allows for smaller intimate ‘park-bench’ areas, larger break-out spaces for ‘social passing trade’ and for 9 months of the year enough area to grow a weekly salad box for every household.

The residential units are predominantly private with 40% given over to controlled affordable rented and shared equity residents.

With WSP Engineers the project, at 2,600 habitable rooms per ha and a development ration 1:14, has the highest development density for London and UK and is intended as an urban model of integrated environmental and social sustainability. Key to attaining any residential approval in London is the provision of amenity space for residents normally provided in the form of an external balcony for each residential unit and some shared external garden space provided in the form of roof terraces. The availability of the larger shared space quickly determines the number of habitable rooms available for development on a given site and therefore the development ratio. Amin Taha Architects worked closely with the Local Authority’s Planning Department, the GLA, English Heritage and the Commission for Architecture in the Built Environment (CABE) to provide a series of significant garden spaces which would be a product of habitable rooms and in this way allow an increase in density and development ratio.

Similar to Georgian and Victorian Garden Squares in other parts of London, the surrounding residents would exclusively use these as their shared amenity engendering shared ownership, responsibility and community. Theoretically then as long as one sky garden is provided for so many residents a tower can go up indefinitely. Increasing density and mixing uses increases efficiency in energy use and significantly scaled garden spaces maintain social sustainability.

Fraser Properties intends to develop the £72M tower with a completion date projected for 2012.

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link: http://www.worldarchitecturenews.com/index.php?fuseaction=wanappln.projectview&upload_id=10630

source: worldarchitecturenews

[nick-taylor]

Isle of Dogs (Canary Wharf) Crossrail Station

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Paddington Crossrail Station

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Bond Street Crossrail Station

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Tottenham Court Road Crossrail Station

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Whitechapel Crossrail Station

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[size=4]Olympic Site Developments

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The 'Leaf' is ditched for another design

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Heron Tower continues to rise

http://homepage.mac.com/benveasey/.Public/hero7.JPG

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Pics by [B]Chest of the Royal London Hospital towers - the size: width and height is pretty big for a hospital

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

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Redevelopment plan of the docks around Silvertown in East London. The large white block is ExCeL (Exhibition Centre London), while London City Airport is just visible to the bottom right

http://i36.tinypic.com/w6z0xe.jpg

[Dick Van Dyke]

So this is where you have been hiding Nick. Nice to see you recycling news from the London section of Skyscrapercity.

[Alonzo-ny]

Most people here don't visit that particular website. It is cluttered with meaningless drivel must like you have demonstrated.

[futurecity]

Nope, sorry to dissapoint you, but it's a supremely fantastic web site allowing access to current projects all over the world....nothing else comes close...

[Alonzo-ny]

I do visit the site to check photos only. Its a pointless site. Go there if you want to read mindless comments like 'wow' or 'great' for pages on end. or if you want to read stupid bitchy fighting. The wtc 1 thread became a conspiracy thread. If you actually read the content there is actually very little worth reading. So Im sorry to disappoint you, its good for photos, absolutely useless for anything else. If someone posted a thread called 200000ft tower in Mongolia you would have ten pages of 'really?' 'wow thats great' 'cant wait til its built' before you can say 'duh'

[futurecity]

Well, I actually enjoy the enthusiasm people bring. They may not be all architectural/design critics or great urban thinkers (there are plenty of well informed people there though), but its good to have a mix of casual fan chat and serious analysis to keep things from going to stale.

[EnergyRecr]

"This is achievable as a result of bringing together a number of groups who previously were trying to solve the same problem in isolation. The Project aims to engage scientists, clinicians and the public to ensure success through actively attracting and promoting the inclusion of other laboratories, hospitals and institutions by an open access policy and by informing the public of progress.”Professor Ed Byrne, Dean of the UCL Faculty of Biomedical Sciences, said: “The launch of The London Project to Cure AMD reinforces UCL’s position at the forefront of stem cell research in the UK and beyond. We hope that like-minded individuals and organisations will continue to donate funds to world-class research projects such as this, which have the capability of developing life-changing treatments for diseases such as AMD.”

[Dick Van Dyke]

Most people here don't visit that particular website. It is cluttered with meaningless drivel must like you have demonstrated.

Touchy!

I do agree there's too much "wows & cool" in SSC but its a public forum, so open to everyone just as this one is. There are some well informed professionals who add to the place particularly in the UK forum.

Nick himself was a good poster, especially for transport stuff & I was wondering what happened to him as he hasn't been posting there for years and I see he is now posting here.

Anyway a large development has been proposed for Croydon. Croydon is big on ideas but not so big on building.


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[nick-taylor]

So this is where you have been hiding Nick. Nice to see you recycling news from the London section of Skyscrapercity.The site is good for information....but you have to trawl through far too much rubbish. A third of all UK & Ireland posts are found in the skybar, the place is moderated more like a gestapo concentration camp with people pandering to moderators' 'views', and moderation is light when it should be tight in cases of Argentinians spamming the UK sectioon over the Falklands or having to wade through pages of irrelevant comments in project updates.

Ironically despite the global economy going to the dogs, I've been exceptionally busy. That means however that I don't have the time to go through and pick the good bits, hence why I've been unable to create as extensive posts on developments that are taking place.

[Dick Van Dyke]

For those who want to see how London 2012 is progressing the ODA has updated their webcams to all the main sites. The main Stadium is really cracking on.

http://www.london2012.com/plans/olympic-park/webcams/index.php

[zupermaus]

the galleria area of the Broadgate Tower was finally opened to the public today.

Getting the trees in, a bizarre sight

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The tower

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[lofter1]

... despite the global economy going to the dogs, I've been exceptionally busy ...

In general has construction / development in London slowed down as it has in NYC? Any fallow deep holes in the ground over there like we have here?

[londonlawyer]

My friends in London tell me that construction of major projects has basically stopped. Many huge holes in the ground will persist there for years. It's basically as it is here.

[lofter1]

That ^ would indicate London won't be ready for the 2012 Olympics.

[Alonzo-ny]

Why not? The Olympics are government financed and are under construction, in fact there was a link a few posts ago showing that.

[ablarc]

Post #1284: Is there such a thing as too much glass and too much structural acrobatics?

Yes, Virginia ...





Gosh, a lot of this London stuff is overwrought.

[londonlawyer]

That ^ would indicate London won't be ready for the 2012 Olympics.

I was referring just to office towers proposed for the City. Existing buildings were demolished, and empty lots now stand in their place. As in NY, they likely will be empty for years.

[nick-taylor]

That ^ would indicate London won't be ready for the 2012 Olympics.As of the latest IOC inspection, London is ahead of Beijing (and that was the leader) in terms of how well things are progressing. There would have to be some catastrophic disaster for the target dates to be missed,

First Venue Completed
The first new venue has already been completed: the Weymouth & Portland Sailing facilities was opened yesterday (earlier than planned).

Pylons
The 52 pylons that dotted the site are being brought down (they were replaced by two brand new 6km long electricity tunnels equivalent in size to a tube train tunnel which ensures East London stays lit up), and should all be down by the end of the year. With all these down, the already impressive construction scene will be ramped up even more (a larger focus being on the Olympic Village).

Stratford Transport
Transport improvements to London are on-going, but the majority of the major developments are either finished (eg Stratford International HSR), or in the process of being constructed and due to finish by 2010 (East London Line Extension, new Central Line platform at Stratford, the reconstruction of Stratford (new subway to connect platforms, northern entrance and a new bridge crossing the platforms) and the Stratford International DLR Extension).

A lot of the present train stock will also be replaced on both overground and underground lines.

Stratford Venues
The London 2012 site has released a few new aerials of the developments that are going on. I need to re-size the pictures, but they'll show that work is progressing very quickly.


Construction in London in General
There are a lot of holes in the ground and there is quite a lot of construction still on-going as unlike in the US where there is a surplus of housing, in the UK it is the reverse. The present issue is the lack of finance (ie mortgages) which has frozen the market, and in turn lead to a fall in house prices. People are also holding off to save for a larger deposit or waiting till prices fall a bit further and pick up a bargin.

With the UK government stepping in to help the banks to lend, we should see the market open up a bit. The global recession will however soak up quite a bit of demand, but because the UK (and London) has been lagging behind the actual demand, quite a few projects will still carry on, others will be constructed slower or delayed a year.

The UK government is also moving forward with programmes on school-rebuilds, transport projects, new hospitals, etc... to lessen the burden on the economy.

Office developments like 122 Leadenhall are having their construction timeline expanded by a year, while the majority of projects like London Bridge Tower are still in the demolition stage. Its actually quite fortunate that the 'holes' have yet to appear on most sites otherwise things would be a lot more sticky. Also, just like housing, office space development was very limited (hence the highest rents on the planet), so things should recover sooner rather than later.

There is also the good news that towers that rise now won't be finished for a few years, and by then the position of the global economy will have brightened up.


Either way, work will accelerate on the below development: Isle of Dogs (Canary Wharf) Crossrail Station:

http://www.crossrail.co.uk/80256B090053AF4C/Files/isleofdogs72/$FILE/isle+of+dogs_lg.jpg

[zupermaus]

There are many building sites but theyre not vacant or dormant. Basically only one major project that has gotten to 'hole-in-the-ground' stage is on hold (delayed by a year), the rest are still going ahead, some even starting early, though the rest have significantly slowed - seems like theyre waiting for the price of steel to crash.

In short the projects that will be likely cancelled aren't thankfully on empty demolished sites, the former buildings will still have been occupying the places (its that slow to build in London).

Theres no doubt about it the downturn has hit London hard, but building wise it seems not that much as seems. Of the 34 major projects under construction, only one is on hold here:

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/forumdisplay.php?f=941

[zupermaus]

DOME construction news,

Basically the landmark is getting some neighbours

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Nov 28th, Construction has begun on the landmark Ravensbourne College by Foreign Office Architects near the Millennium Dome (O2 Centre)

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...aswell as Terry Farrell's TFL Building

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soon to be followed by the neighbouring FLACQ scheme

http://www.flacq.com/media/images/GREEN_01.jpg

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http://i38.tinypic.com/ibf81w.jpg

[londonlawyer]

There are many building sites but theyre not vacant or dormant. Basically only one major project that has gotten to 'hole-in-the-ground' stage is on hold (delayed by a year), the rest are still going ahead, some even starting early, though the rest have significantly slowed - seems like theyre waiting for the price of steel to crash....

It's my understanding that the Leadenhall tower, the Walkie Talkie, the Bishopsgate tower and the Shard are not being built any time soon.

[Dick Van Dyke]

It's my understanding that the Leadenhall tower, the Walkie Talkie, the Bishopsgate tower and the Shard are not being built any time soon.

Leadenhall has been delayed for at least a year but the delay was largely due to the fact that the cost of construction at the time was rather high.It might start within a year but might be delayed a little while longer

Land Securities , the developers of the Walkie Talkie have always stated they would require a pre-let before starting actual construction. This applied during the construction boom of 2007 before the credit crunch began and is still the case now. Work is still going on for below ground works.

Bishopsgate continues to work to at least ground level with a busy site 6 days a week.

LBT work continues and is still due for completion 2012 with many of the construction packages signed and piling to start in the new year

[londonlawyer]

These developers will not secure tenants any time soon, and these sites will lie fallow.

Just as I bet Chicagoans that the Spire would not see the light of day, I guarantee that the Shard will not start rising any time soon.

I am a London booster, but I'm also realistic.

[Alonzo-ny]

I agree, however land is so valuable and planning takes so long that I believe these projects will get built in a few years when the economy turns the corner.

[londonlawyer]

I agree with that statement.

By the way, how are you, mate?

[Alonzo-ny]

Everythings great! Looking forward to giving living in London a try.

[londonlawyer]

Excellent. You'll love it.

[nick-taylor]

These developers will not secure tenants any time soon, and these sites will lie fallow.

Just as I bet Chicagoans that the Spire would not see the light of day, I guarantee that the Shard will not start rising any time soon.

I am a London booster, but I'm also realistic.I think the difference with Chicago and London is that there is probably a large over-supply of apartments/office space in Chicago, and the opposite for London.

London Bridge Tower already has two definate pre-lets: Shangri-la and Transport for London. While property prices are falling, the apartments will still probably go for several million minimum.

London needs more towers like the Heron Tower (242m) which have 'groups' of 3 floors for individual companies

[newcastle kid]

I was referring just to office towers proposed for the City. Existing buildings were demolished, and empty lots now stand in their place. As in NY, they likely will be empty for years.

Only the Walkie Talkie and Leadenhall (which should be back up and running in 2009, basements will be constructed to ground level so it will be ready to go). The Shard is still on course to start next month and the Pinnacle site is being worked on 6 days a week, day and night.

[Luca]

Is there such a thing as too much glass and too much structural acrobatics?

Yes, Virginia ...

Gosh, a lot of this London stuff is overwrought.

No kidding :(

On the whole 'empty holes in the ground thing'; I would not worry too much. Some projects may be 'toned down' but the effect is essentially cyclical. In 2010-2011, we should see some re-starting, I would think.

London land values are down but remain, of course, quite high in absolute terms.

[londonlawyer]

I think the difference with Chicago and London is that there is probably a large over-supply of apartments/office space in Chicago, and the opposite for London.

London Bridge Tower already has two definate pre-lets: Shangri-la and Transport for London. While property prices are falling, the apartments will still probably go for several million minimum.

London needs more towers like the Heron Tower (242m) which have 'groups' of 3 floors for individual companies

Shangri-La also committed to the Waterview Tower in Chicago, as did Mandarin Oriental to a new tower; however, neither project is proceeding.

[nick-taylor]

Shangri-La also committed to the Waterview Tower in Chicago, as did Mandarin Oriental to a new tower; however, neither project is proceeding.I think there are a few big differences:
- This Shangri-La would open up a year prior to the Olympics
- London Bridge Station is due to see a massive remodelling plan completed by 2015. LBT forms a part of the actual station concourse so it will have to be built prior to the station remodelling plan is completed
- Transport for London has committed to the building
- The apartments will be completed just when the housing market bounces back and I suspect that due to their exclusivity they'll fetch very high sums. Possibly talking the £100mn+ range.
- The Qatari's have invested some $300mn even before any construction work has begun
- Contracts have been awarded for the construction

Even with the recession, the time scale, investors, future tenants and the completition time means that the tower won't stall bar some freak disaster.




This made me chuckle a bit - a very good property deal!

HSBC buys back headquarters from Metrovacesa
Graham Keeley in Barcelona, December 6th
http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/banking_and_finance/article5295675.ece

HSBC made a £250 million profit yesterday when it bought back its London headquarters from Metrovacesa, the troubled Spanish property company.

Twenty months after selling the 45-storey skyscraper at Canary Wharf, HSBC completed a deal to buy it back for £838 million. The bank had sold the tower — 8 Canada Square — in April 2007 for £1.09 billion, setting a record as London's most expensive single-property transaction. HSBC said that a bridging loan that it made to Metrovacesa upon the original purchase would be “extinguished”. The deal would be subject some retentions and warranties, the bank said.

HSBC's shares responded with a rise of 0.1 per cent to 710p, against a fall of 1 per cent in the wider FTSE 100 index.

David Hodgkinson, group chief operating officer of HSBC Holdings, said: “Clearly, the market has deteriorated significantly since we agreed the sale in spring 2007. It was important to work with our client Metrovacesa to resolve the funding issue which had arisen; 8 Canada Square is a landmark building and this transaction is in the best interests of both parties and HSBC shareholders.”
The deal ends a year of speculation about future ownership of the building, known as the HSBC Tower. Metrovacesa bought it in a sale-and-leaseback transaction at the peak of Britain's debt-fuelled property boom.

A gain on the sale was not recorded in last year's HSBC accounts because the medium-term funding of an £810 million bridging loan on the sale had not been finalised. Under the deal, HSBC agreed to lease the building back for 20 years at an initial annual rent of £43.5 million, representing a net initial yield of 3.8 per cent.

HSBC agreed to buy back the tower after the Spanish developer failed to meet a November 27 deadline to repay its £810 million loan on the property.

Metrovacesa, like many big Spanish property developers, has struggled with rising debt after the collapse of the construction sector in Spain came at the same time as the global credit crunch.

Since Metrovacesa's purchase of the HSBC building, London commercial property prices have fallen by a third, according to Investment Property Databank. The fall in the building's value deterred Metrovacesa's lenders from providing more credit to keep the property. Metrovacesa ran up debt of €7.1 billion (£6.1 billion) by buying property across Europe. This week it did a debt-for-equity swap with creditor banks, which take a 54.75 per cent stake in the group.




Zaha Hadid's Hoxton Square Gallery has been granted planning approval

http://www.bdonline.co.uk/Pictures/web/e/i/y/ZHA_Hoxton_Square__2_.jpg

http://www.bdonline.co.uk/Pictures/web/n/v/e/ZHA_Hoxton_Square.jpg




New tower for Canning Town (major transport interchange in East London - Buses, Jubilee Line, 2 DLR Lines and a 3rd DLR Line u/c) which is due east of Canary Wharf and where the Olympic Park meets the Thames. This entire area will see lots of towers spring up over the coming decade, there is a masterplan floating around the net which shows plans, but this tower is in addition to that plan.

http://www.skyscrapernews.com/images/pics/1884CWZGsRedCanningTownPlans_pic2.jpg

http://www.skyscrapernews.com/images/pics/1884CWZGsRedCanningTownPlans_pic1.jpg




We should hear on the 18th of the four nominated masterplans for a cohesive plan for Croydon.

http://www.croydonthirdcity.co.uk/images/vision1.jpg




These blocks were approped in the Elephany & Castle area

http://www.london-se1.co.uk/news/imageuploads/1228406624_80.177.117.97.jpg




And this multi-tower development for Wandsworth by Minerva was approved.

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b316/BenL26/16a_01_towers_415x670.jpg

[Alonzo-ny]

http://www.bdonline.co.uk/Pictures/web/n/v/e/ZHA_Hoxton_Square.jpg

This is horrid. I really cant stand Zaha Hadid.

[ablarc]

^ Cheer up; in the summertime you'll hardly see it:

http://66.230.220.70/images/post/hoxton/8888.jpg

[nick-taylor]

Zaha Hadid is an excellent architect. Some of her designs are unworkable, because they are so futuristic that the cost to make them a reality can be prohibitive, yet you only have to look at the 2012 Olympics Aquatic Centre to see that there is some beauty at the end of the tunnel.

It is just unfortunate that as Brits we haven't been receptive to her work. Bizarre when she is probably the most famous female/of middl-eastern origin architect on the planet and she is British! i'd love to see her work on the new terminal for London Stansted Airport or perhaps a skyscraper at Millharbour (due south of Canary Wharf).




On another note I shall be off for a few weeks as I am going to Beijing, Guilin, Hong Kong, and Tokyo over the Xmas-New Years-January period. Are there any requests for pictures and the like?

[ablarc]

Are there any requests for pictures and the like?
Are you kidding? Do bears shit in the woods ?

[Alonzo-ny]

I disagree about Zaha, she is in the pile with Gehry and Libeskind. She clearly isnt a good architect when she designed a horrible Maggies centre which is where people who have cancer are supposed to go and heal. Completely egotistical design. No thoughts for the inhabitants of the building. In fact her first concept for the building was to clad it in untreated wood so it would decay over time! I mean what the hell is that.

[Luca]

Hadid's stuff seems to swing randomly between modish and brutalist. Aargh.

Beyond the recent wave of pretentiousness and art-world idiocy that has, on the other hand, rescued Hoxton Sq. from obscurity and severe decay, it is urbanistically an alssot idyllic location.

Trust the vandals to fuc# it up.

The one redeemign grace of teh Hadid building is that:
a) it's not too big and
b) in that specific locale, almsot everyoen who happens to see it will actually LOVE it (and i don't mean that sarcastically), I mena, it's jsut round from the White CUbe unter-art gallery.

[mhelie]

Zaha Hadid is an excellent architect.
That's the problem. :cool:

[londonlawyer]

http://www.bdonline.co.uk/Pictures/web/n/v/e/ZHA_Hoxton_Square.jpg

This is horrid. I really cant stand Zaha Hadid.

I like it. On what street is this site?

[ablarc]

^ It's a square. Hoxton Square.

(See photo in post 1307.)

[nick-taylor]

Hoxton Square is a nice neighbourhood. It was once a bit backward, was taken over by the arty-types, but is now a haven for the yuppy-types that follow suit in such situations.

It is located north of the Square Mile and alongisde the soon-to-open East London Line. A map for those uncertain exactly where that is.

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Hoxton+Square,+London&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=54.621153,135.351563&ie=UTF8&ll=51.524766,-0.078235&spn=0.0106,0.041199&t=h&z=16




Dubai builds its super-talls. London builds its stadiums.

Below are the first images of Tottenham Hotspurs new 60,000 capacity stadium to replace White Hart Lane their current stadium (capacity of 36,000). Spurs are looking for a new stadium to compete (fan and revenue wise) with their arch-rivals Arsenal who recently built a 60,000 (Emirates) stadium 4 miles down the road.


http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2008/12/15/article-1094978-02D0176F000005DC-340_468x322_popup.jpg


http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2008/12/15/article-1094978-02D01730000005DC-852_468x239_popup.jpg


There are at present three stadiums over 60,000 in London:
- Wembley - 90,000
- Twickenham - 82,500
- Emirates Stadium - 60,000

The Olympic Stadium (80,000 capacity) is under construction, as are other supporting Olympic venues.

West Ham and Chelsea (two other Premiership temas) have plans for 60,000 capacity stadiums which would bring the number of stadiums over 60,000 capacity to 6!

[Zephyr]

http://www.bdonline.co.uk/Pictures/web/e/i/y/ZHA_Hoxton_Square__2_.jpg

That view of it, takes the cake !

[nick-taylor]

This will be my last update for a few weeks as I set off for a trip around the Far East so take it all in!


Japanese Shinkansen Trains
These are shots of the new Japanese Shinkansen that will operate out of London St Pancras from 12 December next year. At present they are on trial runs in the London area.

29 of the Hitachi trains which operate at 140mph are due to be delivered over the coming weeks. The new routes will ensure numerous Kent settlements will see journey times to London slashed and areas not conceivably connected to London made available.

http://southeastern2009.go-cms.co.uk/app/webroot/img/cache/journey_times_table.jpg

http://img168.imageshack.us/img168/4351/southeasternrailnetworkus6.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img168.imageshack.us/img168/southeasternrailnetworkus6.jpg/1/w1546.png (http://g.imageshack.us/img168/southeasternrailnetworkus6.jpg/1/)

During the Olympics they will also operate as 'Javelin' services ensuring that people can get from the Olympic Park to Central London in 7 minutes.

The addition of these routes means that frequencies can be increased on present routes to provide more metro-like frequencies.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3015/3046675192_c9934d0abf_b.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3239/2920726139_c9f3acf9ca_o.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3032/3045841567_a8a7d08b96_b.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3017/3046676338_0de1493e5b_b.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3024/3046677038_3b0211af9e_b.jpg




Crossrail shrinks design pool with framework deals
Filed 09/12/08 http://transportbriefing.co.uk/story.php?id=5378

Twelve engineering consultants have secured a place on Crossrail's Design Framework, enabling them to compete for packages of design work on tunnels, shafts, stations, and railway systems.

The successful 12 are:
- Aedas
- Arup
- Atkins
- BDP
- Capita Symonds
- Halcrow
- Hyder Consulting
- Jacobs Engineering
- Mott MacDonald
- Parsons Brinckerhoff
- Scott Wilson Railways
- WSP

Three teams - Faber Munsell/Gifford, Mouchel and Scott Brownrigg - who were on the previously announced shortlist (Transport Briefing 25/08/08) have not been selected and so will not be eligible for work allocated within the design framework.

While a place on the framework is not a guarantee of work, each of the 12 companies is expected to be awarded contracts during the framework term, which will run until completion of the Crossrail scheme in 2017. Most are expected to team up with architectural practices for each package of work.

Commenting on the Design Framework Agreements, Dr Graham Plant, programme director at Crossrail, said: “The funding for Crossrail is secure, the necessary agreements have been signed and all partners are committed to delivery. This means that Crossrail can now move full-speed ahead towards the start of the main construction in 2010. It is clear that Crossrail has excited the construction industry and we look forward to working with the selected Design Framework Agreement companies as we drive forward the design work for this world-class railway."

Meanwhile, stage two tenders for Crossrail's programme partner contract are due to be returned this month and an announcement about the appointment is expected in early 2009. The shortlisted tenderers for stage two are Bechtel, Legacy 3 - a joint venture between Parsons Brinckerhoff, Balfour Beatty Management and Davis Langdon, and Transcend - a joint venture between AECOM, CH2M Hill and Nichols Group.




Northern Line Extension to Battersea
The latest plan for the Battersea Power Station site is for an extension for the Northern Line to help serve the site and provide better connections to the rest of London.

The Northern Line in reality is two (historically three) lines that merge to the north (at Camden Town) and south (Kennington) of Central London with a single southern branch and numerous northern branches.

There has been talk of physically seperating both into seperate lines for a good few years which would help increase frequencies and lessen delays on a line that used to be referred to as the Misery Line for its frequent problems.

This extension would take the southern terminus of the West End branch (going via Charing Cross) at Kennington where there is a loop to allow for trains to back through C London. a new route would be added on to the loop to two new stations at Wandsworth Road (on the below map the station isn't labelled, but the box is clearly visible) and Battersea.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/bd/Northern_Line.svg/400px-Northern_Line.svg.png

http://img384.imageshack.us/img384/3382/vauxhalplanzw2.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img384.imageshack.us/img384/vauxhalplanzw2.jpg/1/w1200.png (http://g.imageshack.us/img384/vauxhalplanzw2.jpg/1/)




The first in line
http://www.nce.co.uk/structures/features/2008/12/the_first_in_line.html

Multi-layered: The Crossrail station will comprise six levels, crowned by a park

The Isle of Dogs station will be one of the first to be built on the Crossrail network. As with other work along the line, it will bring huge challenges.

More than 90,000 people work at Canary Wharf, rivalling the Square Mile for the financial heart of London. The tallest building in the UK, One Canada Square (235m), and the cluster of brassy skyscrapers are the closest thing we have to the iconic city skyline of New York. It's fitting, then, that the place which brought the banking world into the 21st century – at least in property terms – will be connected to the development that will bring London's infrastructure into the 21st century.


"When Crossrail was revived in 2001, the Jubilee line had been open for 18 months and the development had expanded," says Canary Wharf Group transport adviser Jim Berry, who is also responsible for working with the Crossrail design team on this element. "It was natural that Crossrail should come to Canary Wharf. "It's positive not only for this area but also the East End [of London]. It improves the level of accessibility and travel times will be reduced dramatically, and it will also support future growth and support growth for housing to the east," adds Berry.

Canary Wharf Contractors (CWC) will be building a large part of the new station for Canary Wharf Group, of which it is a subsidiary. CWC will provide the shell and core (for the station) and interfacing with the rail infrastructure as it comes through. The shell of the basement needs to be in place by the time the Crossrail tunnel boring machines (TBMs) hit Canary Wharf in about four years. This will happen as they progress from the starting point at the Limmo peninsula (in the area of Canning Town) and work westwards towards Farringdon. "The size of the project is something we're quite happy to undertake, but the challenge is building it in time," admits CWC operations executive Michael Bryant.

Although the station is just one part of the overall Crossrail scheme, it is a huge project in its own right. It will take the form of a 260m-long box – as long as the tallest building at Canary Wharf. "The station [design] is like a long thin building on its side, underwater," says Bryant. "Canary Wharf is good at building tall buildings. It's big, but the magnitude doesn't hold any mysteries for us."

The box is between 27m and 30m wide and is six storeys high. Four of these storeys will be underwater or underground as the station is being built in the north dock of West India Quay in Canary Wharf. The bottom floor of the station will be the platform level, around 22m below water level and 13m below the dock bed. Above this will be a concourse level, two levels of retail, followed by two further retail levels above water and a man-made landscaped park level. The top of the box is finished off by a wooden lattice structure with ETFE cladding to allow light into the area.

http://img394.imageshack.us/img394/2708/isleofdogscrossrailstatpw6.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img394.imageshack.us/img394/isleofdogscrossrailstatpw6.jpg/1/w656.png (http://g.imageshack.us/img394/isleofdogscrossrailstatpw6.jpg/1/)

Because of the dock, a cofferdam will be built to create a dry area to work in and to allow the working dock to continue operations. This involves using 1.2m-diameter steel tube piles that have channels along their side which can interlock to form a watertight wall. However, these steel piles can only go as far as the top of the Crossrail tunnel. If the TBMs had to bore through steel, the expensive equipment could be damaged. An auger is sent down inside piles into the bedrock below and contiguous piles cast to form the lower station walls. "The steel piles go 6m into the dock bottom," says Bryant. "It was a balance between keeping it high enough for the tunnel boring machine and socketing it in enough into impermeable layer [to make it watertight] and to give enough stability."

Not only does CWC have around 9m of water pressure from the docks to worry about, but the basement construction will also cut through a layer of clay below the dock bottom, where groundwater is trapped. Work has already started on lowering the water table and will continue for three years. A concrete wall will be built inside the tubular cofferdam to create the permanent box. The integrated structure will then be able to take the pressure from the dock water and the groundwater when the dewatering is stopped. Final planning permission is expected by the end of the year and work on site is due to begin in January.

Crossrail is finally here. "I think Crossrail is one of the great projects, like the Paris RER, which has taken a long time to get here, but it's important that it gets built," says Berry. "Great things will happen once it's done."

Better access for all
Improving access into Canary Wharf isn't the only benefit the Isle of Dogs Crossrail station will bring. It will also improve access around the area as a whole.

The docks add charm, but they also isolate Canary Wharf and make it harder to move around. The new station nestled in the bustling Canary Wharf development to the south and the residential area to the north will also make it easier to get around. "We will be using the station to create a bridge between us and the community," says Canary Wharf Group transport adviser Jim Berry. "The docks, to some extent, separate us from the surrounding area. The station includes three bridges on each side of the development."




Thameslink Project

Blackfriars
Part terminus, part through-station. Blackfriars is currently a station on the north bank of the Thames, but with the Thameslink project to provide a high-frequency 12-carriage service through Central London, the station will need to be re-built. The plan is to swap the terminating and through platforms over to allow for the station to be built across the span of the Thames creating two entrances on either side of the river. The views from the platform will be very interesting.

http://img512.imageshack.us/img512/1711/blackfriars1mp5.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img512.imageshack.us/img512/blackfriars1mp5.jpg/1/w1200.png (http://g.imageshack.us/img512/blackfriars1mp5.jpg/1/)

http://img208.imageshack.us/img208/8957/blackfriars2jm3.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img208.imageshack.us/img208/blackfriars2jm3.jpg/1/w1200.png (http://g.imageshack.us/img208/blackfriars2jm3.jpg/1/)


London Bridge
Another major choke-point for the Thameslink programme is at London Bridge station and the approaches to the station that will require a complete re-build. At the same time, the London Bridge Tower will rise from the concourse to the station.

http://img208.imageshack.us/img208/5692/londonbridge1an8.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img208.imageshack.us/img208/londonbridge1an8.jpg/1/w1200.png (http://g.imageshack.us/img208/londonbridge1an8.jpg/1/)

http://img208.imageshack.us/img208/5484/londonbridge2vv7.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img208.imageshack.us/img208/londonbridge2vv7.jpg/1/w1200.png (http://g.imageshack.us/img208/londonbridge2vv7.jpg/1/)

http://img208.imageshack.us/img208/122/londonbridge3fp4.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img208.imageshack.us/img208/londonbridge3fp4.jpg/1/w1138.png (http://g.imageshack.us/img208/londonbridge3fp4.jpg/1/)




Additional Crossrail Images

Ealing Broadway

http://img72.imageshack.us/img72/5268/ealingbroadway1qx6.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img72.imageshack.us/img72/ealingbroadway1qx6.jpg/1/w1200.png (http://g.imageshack.us/img72/ealingbroadway1qx6.jpg/1/)


Ilford

http://img367.imageshack.us/img367/8124/ilford1vz1.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img367.imageshack.us/img367/ilford1vz1.jpg/1/w1200.png (http://g.imageshack.us/img367/ilford1vz1.jpg/1/)


Whitechapel

http://img367.imageshack.us/img367/2876/whitechapel1hh8.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img367.imageshack.us/img367/whitechapel1hh8.jpg/1/w1200.png (http://g.imageshack.us/img367/whitechapel1hh8.jpg/1/)


London Liverpool Street

http://img264.imageshack.us/img264/3118/liverpoolstreet1cw4.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img264.imageshack.us/img264/liverpoolstreet1cw4.jpg/1/w1200.png (http://g.imageshack.us/img264/liverpoolstreet1cw4.jpg/1/)


Tottenham Court Road

http://img264.imageshack.us/img264/1296/tottenhamcourtroad1kz2.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img264.imageshack.us/img264/tottenhamcourtroad1kz2.jpg/1/w1200.png (http://g.imageshack.us/img264/tottenhamcourtroad1kz2.jpg/1/)




Rail timetable change: Virgin adds 30% more services
Filed 09/12/08 http://transportbriefing.co.uk/story.php?id=5373

The new Virgin Trains VHF timetable from 14 December represents "the most frequent long-distance inter-city service in Europe" according to Brendan Fox, editor of Thomas Cook’s European Timetable.

Train services on the Virgin routes will increase overall by 30% following the £9bn upgrade of the West Coast Main Line that links London Euston with Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool and Glasgow - as well as important tourist destinations such as north Wales and the Lake District.

The routes from Manchester and Birmingham to London Euston see train frequencies increased to every 20 minutes, comparable with many local commuter routes, and average journey times in the case of Manchester cut to 2h 05. The number of direct trains from London to Glasgow increases from nine to 13 per day while from 26 January Chester will be linked to the capital by a train each hour. Liverpool receives extra peak period trains to and from Euston.

Tony Collins, Virgin Rail Group chief executive, said: "The new West Coast timetable represents a huge opportunity for the industry following the £9bn upgrade by Network Rail. More seats and dramatically reduced journey times are huge wins for passengers but quite rightly we will all be judged on how well this railway will perform.

"The successful running of Europe’s busiest main line railway is going to be a huge challenge for the train operators and Network Rail and, during the first few months as the timetable beds in, passengers’ expectations may not always be fulfilled. I believe, however, that within six months we shall have a railway of which the nation can truly be proud."

Passengers travelling at weekends and previously used to slow schedules will see some of the biggest changes as the weekday improvements will be carried over into Saturdays and Sunday afternoons. Those travelling after weekend breaks will, for example, enjoy 20 minute interval services between London and Birmingham through to mid-evening on Sundays.

==========================

The result in the increase in capacity is due to the completion of the £9bn ($18bn) West Coast Main Line project that links the major conurbations of Britain. It is the busiest trunk railway in Europe, and the busiest outside Japan with thousands of trains using it on a daily basis.

The scale of the job (text from transportbriefing):
- Changes to all 13 major junctions on the route, including a bottleneck at Rugby, enabling trains to travel at up to 125mph
- Laying more than 36 kilometres of new track through the Trent Valley, meaning that four tracks now run nearly all the way from London to Crewe
- 174 new or altered bridges
- 53 new or extended platforms at places like Milton Keynes and Manchester Airport
- Replacing over 800 points
- Line speed improvements across the whole line, including between Preston, Carlisle and Motherwell and between London Euston and Wembley
- Putting up over 11,000 structures
- Over three million yards of rail, ballast and sleepers have been laid




iBus
Over 6,000 of London's buses (three quarters of the fleet) have now been fitted with the Automatic Vehicle Location system that provides passengers with information on where exactly their bus is even before leaving home, as well as giving bus controllers greater accuracy on increasing performance and reliability.




East London Line Update

Works continue to progress on the East London Line Extension. These pictures (from londonreconnections.blogspot.com)

The first eight pictures show works at Dalston Junction and the approaches to the station. There will be eight platforms here, two which terminate and another two which continue through tunnels on to the North London Line to connect up with Highbury & Islington

http://img389.imageshack.us/img389/2722/82241487vm7.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img389.imageshack.us/img389/82241487vm7.jpg/1/w1000.png (http://g.imageshack.us/img389/82241487vm7.jpg/1/)

http://img291.imageshack.us/img291/9408/99177324co3.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img291.imageshack.us/img291/99177324co3.jpg/1/w1000.png (http://g.imageshack.us/img291/99177324co3.jpg/1/)

http://img72.imageshack.us/img72/2817/42535395xa3.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img72.imageshack.us/img72/42535395xa3.jpg/1/w1000.png (http://g.imageshack.us/img72/42535395xa3.jpg/1/)

http://img72.imageshack.us/img72/9130/14865707tu0.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img72.imageshack.us/img72/14865707tu0.jpg/1/w1000.png (http://g.imageshack.us/img72/14865707tu0.jpg/1/)

http://img72.imageshack.us/img72/1679/51825081st3.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img72.imageshack.us/img72/51825081st3.jpg/1/w1000.png (http://g.imageshack.us/img72/51825081st3.jpg/1/)

http://img72.imageshack.us/img72/3690/86058076pg4.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img72.imageshack.us/img72/86058076pg4.jpg/1/w1000.png (http://g.imageshack.us/img72/86058076pg4.jpg/1/)

http://img72.imageshack.us/img72/4597/35478748we3.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img72.imageshack.us/img72/35478748we3.jpg/1/w1000.png (http://g.imageshack.us/img72/35478748we3.jpg/1/)

http://img72.imageshack.us/img72/384/14230724on4.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img72.imageshack.us/img72/14230724on4.jpg/1/w1000.png (http://g.imageshack.us/img72/14230724on4.jpg/1/)


Moving southwards to Shoreditch works continue where the ELLE rises from a tunnel on to a viaduct.

http://img123.imageshack.us/img123/2001/1avw6.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img123.imageshack.us/img123/1avw6.jpg/1/w800.png (http://g.imageshack.us/img123/1avw6.jpg/1/)

http://img123.imageshack.us/img123/8696/1bxm9.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img123.imageshack.us/img123/1bxm9.jpg/1/w800.png (http://g.imageshack.us/img123/1bxm9.jpg/1/)

http://img123.imageshack.us/img123/7627/1cpo4.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img123.imageshack.us/img123/1cpo4.jpg/1/w800.png (http://g.imageshack.us/img123/1cpo4.jpg/1/)


The following two pics are firstly of Rotherhithe Station and the tunnel between Shadwell and Wapping

http://img341.imageshack.us/img341/6759/2avi2.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img341.imageshack.us/img341/2avi2.jpg/1/w800.png (http://g.imageshack.us/img341/2avi2.jpg/1/)

http://img341.imageshack.us/img341/9742/2bwk0.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img341.imageshack.us/img341/2bwk0.jpg/1/w800.png (http://g.imageshack.us/img341/2bwk0.jpg/1/)




This will be my last update for a few weeks as I set off for a trip around the Far East so take it all in!




2012 London Olympics Update


1 - The Olympic Stadium to the north, and the site for the Aquatic Centre to the bottom.

http://img78.imageshack.us/img78/9943/aerialimageaquaticscentxg9.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img78.imageshack.us/img78/aerialimageaquaticscentxg9.jpg/1/w1200.png (http://g.imageshack.us/img78/aerialimageaquaticscentxg9.jpg/1/)


2 - The Aquatic Centre site.

http://img149.imageshack.us/img149/7614/aerialimageaquaticscentyz1.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img149.imageshack.us/img149/aerialimageaquaticscentyz1.jpg/1/w1200.png (http://g.imageshack.us/img149/aerialimageaquaticscentyz1.jpg/1/)


3 - Another view of the above.

http://img154.imageshack.us/img154/9906/aerialimageaquaticscentyr6.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img154.imageshack.us/img154/aerialimageaquaticscentyr6.jpg/1/w1200.png (http://g.imageshack.us/img154/aerialimageaquaticscentyr6.jpg/1/)


4 - The 2012 Energy Centre that will power the Olympic Site.

http://img67.imageshack.us/img67/6651/aerialimageenergycentreic1.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img67.imageshack.us/img67/aerialimageenergycentreic1.jpg/1/w800.png (http://g.imageshack.us/img67/aerialimageenergycentreic1.jpg/1/)


5 - View of Stratford City (major new development), the Stratford International station (Eurostar, Shinkansen) and the sites for various developments.

http://img146.imageshack.us/img146/5862/aerialimageibcmpcnovembwa4.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img146.imageshack.us/img146/aerialimageibcmpcnovembwa4.jpg/1/w1200.png (http://g.imageshack.us/img146/aerialimageibcmpcnovembwa4.jpg/1/)


6 - Stratford City.

http://img401.imageshack.us/img401/5565/aerialimageolympicparknbi0.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img401.imageshack.us/img401/aerialimageolympicparknbi0.jpg/1/w1200.png (http://g.imageshack.us/img401/aerialimageolympicparknbi0.jpg/1/)


7 - The Olympic Stadium with Canary Wharf in the background.

http://img377.imageshack.us/img377/5654/aerialimageolympicstadibt7.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img377.imageshack.us/img377/aerialimageolympicstadibt7.jpg/1/w1200.png (http://g.imageshack.us/img377/aerialimageolympicstadibt7.jpg/1/)


8 - The Olympic Stadium from above.

http://img142.imageshack.us/img142/1012/aerialimageolympicstadiod2.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img142.imageshack.us/img142/aerialimageolympicstadiod2.jpg/1/w1200.png (http://g.imageshack.us/img142/aerialimageolympicstadiod2.jpg/1/)


9 - Olympic Stadium and Aquatic Centre from an alternative angle.

http://img71.imageshack.us/img71/434/aerialimageolympicstadipq0.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img71.imageshack.us/img71/aerialimageolympicstadipq0.jpg/1/w1200.png (http://g.imageshack.us/img71/aerialimageolympicstadipq0.jpg/1/)


10 - The stadium tiers rise.

http://img384.imageshack.us/img384/6970/aerialimageolympicstadiau5.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img384.imageshack.us/img384/aerialimageolympicstadiau5.jpg/1/w1200.png (http://g.imageshack.us/img384/aerialimageolympicstadiau5.jpg/1/)


11 - Stratford City.

http://img530.imageshack.us/img530/5717/aerialimageolympicvillaug9.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img530.imageshack.us/img530/aerialimageolympicvillaug9.jpg/1/w1200.png (http://g.imageshack.us/img530/aerialimageolympicvillaug9.jpg/1/)


12 - The Velodrome.

http://img530.imageshack.us/img530/6895/aerialimagevelopark2novwf1.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img530.imageshack.us/img530/aerialimagevelopark2novwf1.jpg/1/w1200.png (http://g.imageshack.us/img530/aerialimagevelopark2novwf1.jpg/1/)


13 - Another view of the Velodrome.

http://img71.imageshack.us/img71/8143/aerialimageveloparknoveqc1.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img71.imageshack.us/img71/aerialimageveloparknoveqc1.jpg/1/w1200.png (http://g.imageshack.us/img71/aerialimageveloparknoveqc1.jpg/1/)

[nick-taylor]

A - Panorama of the entire Olympic construction site.

http://img155.imageshack.us/img155/3451/aerialimageolympicparkelr1.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img155.imageshack.us/img155/aerialimageolympicparkelr1.jpg/1/w2943.png (http://g.imageshack.us/img155/aerialimageolympicparkelr1.jpg/1/)




8 - Another impressive panorama from the Olympic Stadium to Stratford Station.

http://img374.imageshack.us/img374/5930/aerialimageolympicparksfl7.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img374.imageshack.us/img374/aerialimageolympicparksfl7.jpg/1/w2777.png (http://g.imageshack.us/img374/aerialimageolympicparksfl7.jpg/1/)

[ablarc]

This will be my last update for a few weeks as I set off for a trip around the Far East so take it all in!
You will of course bring us back oodles of pictures to admire, n'est-ce pas?

[mtj73]

Nick Taylor, I just signed up to say your photos and updates are fantastic. It's great to see all this construction in London at such uncertain times. I have just found this site and it's going take hours to backtrack through this thread:-) Look forward to your updates when you back from the far east.

[Mescaline]

I agree: they ARE great shots of the olympic park.

Going back a bit to Zaha Hadid: the history of great buildings is filled with "impossible" structures which eventually were finished. Think about Sydney Opera House.

I went to see the Contremporary Arts Centre while in Cincinnati which is less than impressive from outside, but inside it quite astounding. Her new MAXXI in Rome is another corker. She must have something for the Mayor of Rome to choose her for such a high profile project in a city littered with ancient sites.

[Alonzo-ny]

She has some decent buildings but she is a fashion accessory.

[crystal]

I am realy impressed by the series constructions of London, and would like to know more details. Is there any one can provide me some plans, elevations or other files of the listed buildings:

1.122 leadenhall building
2.Bishopgate tower
3.Heron tower
4.100 bishopgate
5.60-70 St Mary Axe

Thanks in advance. Cross finger for good new:).

[zupermaus]

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=735222

[crystal]

Thanks. It is very helpful and I do find some usefull information. But I still want to know the elevations and plan of 100 bishopsgate. I believe its plan should be erose, while I am not sure what exact shape it is. Any idea that where I can find this?:confused:

[Gregory Tenenbaum]

Cant wait for the Olympics. It doesnt matter how big that park is, its too close to London for it not to grind the city to a halt - literally. They should have put it in Surrey or Kent.

The glory, the...the...

the traffic, the spiv-ery, the shill-ery..

Spivtacular...

[zupermaus]

Zaha Hadid Olympic Pool, London

During the Olympics:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/spl/hi/pop_ups/06/magazine_olympic_architect_zaha_hadid/img/1.jpg http://www.building.co.uk/Pictures/436xAny/w/d/u/aquatic_2012_hadid_5.jpg

http://dvice.com/pics/london_aquatics_comp.jpg http://london2012olympics.com/news/wp-content/uploads/2007/07/aquaticcentre-exterior1.jpg

http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Arts/Arts_/Pictures/2008/07/15/ha460.jpg http://www.diving-gbdf.com/images/StratfordInterior.jpg http://i.thisislondon.co.uk/i/pix/2008/01/11a_30_pool_415x275.jpg

After the Olympics:

http://www.e-architect.co.uk/london/jpgs/london_olympics_aquatics_centrelegacy_oda07.jpg

http://www.square-mag.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/zaha_hadid_designed_aquatics_centre.jpg http://www.square-mag.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/zaha_hadid_designed_aquatics_centre1.jpg

[zupermaus]

...if I may take the liberty, some of Nick's updates from skyscraperpage:


Olympic Site Developments

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3230/3037788487_b169091a15_o.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3024/3037788765_8e78a4cec2_o.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3023/3039844079_313920d658_o.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3009/3040682236_343e16553c_o.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3031/3039844053_1353f5f043_o.jpg



A - Panorama of the entire Olympic construction site.

http://img155.imageshack.us/img155/3451/aerialimageolympicparkelr1.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img155.imageshack.us/img155/aerialimageolympicparkelr1.jpg/1/w2943.png (http://g.imageshack.us/img155/aerialimageolympicparkelr1.jpg/1/)




8 - Another impressive panorama from the Olympic Stadium to Stratford Station.

http://img374.imageshack.us/img374/5930/aerialimageolympicparksfl7.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img374.imageshack.us/img374/aerialimageolympicparksfl7.jpg/1/w2777.png (http://g.imageshack.us/img374/aerialimageolympicparksfl7.jpg/1/)

[zupermaus]

another stadium, cheers Nick


New 60,000 Stadium for London


Below are the first images of Tottenham Hotspurs new 60,000 capacity stadium to replace White Hart Lane their current stadium (capacity of 36,000). Spurs are looking for a new stadium to compete (fan and revenue wise) with their arch-rivals Arsenal who recently built a 60,000 (Emirates) stadium 4 miles down the road.

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2008/12/15/article-1094978-02D0176F000005DC-340_468x322_popup.jpg

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2008/12/15/article-1094978-02D01730000005DC-852_468x239_popup.jpg

There are at present three stadiums over 60,000 in London:
- Wembley - 90,000
- Twickenham - 82,500
- Emirates Stadium - 60,000

The Olympic Stadium (80,000 capacity) is under construction, as are other supporting Olympic venues.

West Ham and Chelsea (two other Premiership temas) have plans for 60,000 capacity stadiums which would bring the number of stadiums over 60,000 capacity to 6!

[Padfoot]

Cant wait for the Olympics. It doesnt matter how big that park is, its too close to London for it not to grind the city to a halt - literally. They should have put it in Surrey or Kent.

The glory, the...the...

the traffic, the spiv-ery, the shill-ery..

Spivtacular...


No cars allowed, old chap.:D


Eight million people are expected at the London 2012 Olympics but their cars are not invited. The 201 games will be car free, a first for the Olympics, with the only options for transport between the venues 1) walking, 2) biking or 3) public transport. The "car exclusion zones" include parts of London, Birmingham, Manchester, Newcastle, Glasgow, Cardiff, and Weymouth and Portland in Dorset.

With 800,000 people expected to converge on venues in a day, one organizer described it as the "country's largest peacetime logistical operation." The organizers expect the ban on cars to extend to other events in the future. Hugh Sumner, the ODA transport director, said "We want to leave both a hard legacy in terms of infrastructure and a living legacy in the way people think about transport and about how they travel to sports and cultural events."

The organizers don't even want to encourage driving to edge of the car free zones. Plans were scrapped for two park-and-ride sites on the M25 and M11. Even the handicapped will only be allowed a limited number of parking spots outside of the car exclusion zones. Hugh says "We want to accelerate the shift to public transport and cycling that we have seen in London in recent years. ... We will make it very plain to people that there isn't going to be parking."

The organizers are giving detailed information on how to get to the events with the ticket order and updated information will be sent to cell phones. Organizers will help in getting to the games car free by giving out all-zones travel card and discounted, flat-rate rail tickets. Don't feel too bad for the people that decide to brave the first car free Olympics. The gap between the trains at the London 2012 Olympics will be literally only seconds. For two months around the games, 80,000 people in the "Olympic Family" (athletes, officials and media), get their own lane, called "Zil Lanes" on major routes in London.

[ablarc]

"We want to accelerate the shift to public transport and cycling that we have seen in London in recent years. ... We will make it very plain to people that there isn't going to be parking."
Bravo!

[meesalikeu]

from spitalfields, i took these a couple weeks ago.

what am i looking at? and if you know it what do you think of the project? looks interesting. thx!

http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f370/meesalikeu2/number%20one/P1150869.jpg http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f370/meesalikeu2/number%20one/P1150871.jpg

[Dick Van Dyke]

Its a resi block for students

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=342614&page=16



from spitalfields, i took these a couple weeks ago.

what am i looking at? and if you know it what do you think of the project? looks interesting. thx!

http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f370/meesalikeu2/number%20one/P1150869.jpg http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f370/meesalikeu2/number%20one/P1150871.jpg

[Dick Van Dyke]

http://www.bdonline.co.uk/Pictures/468xAny/p/e/y/Herzog_artists_impression.jpg (http://www.bdonline.co.uk/story_attachment.asp?storycode=3131534&seq=4&type=P&c=1)
Herzog & de Meuron plans London towers

16 January 2009
By Will Hurst (http://www.bdonline.co.uk/biography.asp?contact=14998)

Swiss practice is working with Shard developer on UK’s tallest residential development

Herzog & de Meuron is working with the developer behind the Shard, Sellar Property Group, on credit crunch-defying designs for the tallest residential development in the country.
In an extraordinary move given Britain’s worsening recession, the Swiss-based practice is proposing three slender and snaking towers with respective heights of 100m, 200m and 250m, close to the 310m-high Renzo Piano-designed Shard and soon-to-be-redeveloped London Bridge station.
If successful, the glazed scheme, dubbed the Three Houses project and masterminded by Sellar managing director James Sellar, who also commissioned Herzog & de Meuron for the proposed new Portsmouth FC stadium, would signal the emergence of a long proposed cluster of skyscrapers at London Bridge to rival those of Canary Wharf and the City.
http://www.bdonline.co.uk/Pictures/web/v/u/c/James_Sellar_colour__1A642E.jpg
James Sellar

The towers, which would dwarf Ian Simpson’s proposed 175m-high Beetham Tower at Blackfriars, would boast 380 apartments, along with a hotel, and retail and cinema space. But the sheer scale of the project is already dividing opinion among the select few who have seen it.
Fashion designer Zandra Rhodes, whose home and studio would be overshadowed by the proposed skyscrapers, has seen early plans and backs the scheme, but said it needed modification before being submitted for planning.
“This would fit in with the Shard,” she said. “These blocks would be good for the area and will tie in with other things going on. At the moment, this area is only car parks and needs reworking.”
But Rhodes also called for the scheme to include parkland, and for the tower nearest to the Bermondsey Street conservation area to be modified to lessen its impact. “You don’t need blocks annihilating Bermondsey Street,” she said.
New London Architecture director Peter Murray also gave the scheme his support.

“It’s quite a brave thing to be proposing at the moment,” he said.
“But they are looking at a very long-term plan, which is always a good thing.”
However, officers at Southwark Council are believed to have serious reservations about the height of the towers, a view echoed by local developer and conservation specialist Russell Gray.
“High-rise buildings have a place,” he said. “But this is slap bang next to buildings of consistent character and scale. I’m not impressed by this brash, brazen, in-your-face approach.
“If it got permission, it would establish a precedent… and you could do something a lot cheaper and nastier.”
The tallest tower, which would be 65 storeys, would include 121 flats along with the hotel, while the shortest, at 31 storeys, will boast 144 flats. The other tower will have a total of 115 flats contained within 51 storeys.
Sellar Property Group declined to comment, but is due to unveil the project officially with Herzog & de Meuron in mid-February.
The Shard itself is set to be the tallest tower in Europe. Work on the skyscraper — part of a wider £1.4 billion complex — is due to begin this month after a vital investment was made last month by Middle Eastern developer Qatari Diar.

[zupermaus]

http://i527.photobucket.com/albums/cc360/londonfire/IMG_6101.jpg

[Canada]

It's really good to see this marvelous city continuing it's path to perfection. I've got a feeling that London2012 will be even more spectacular than Beijing's

[londonlawyer]

That's a beautiful photo. Where is it? It looks like East London.

[zupermaus]

Just by Liverpool St station.

Note the sign saying 'Dirty Dicks' - its not a strip bar, its a historic pub:

http://i527.photobucket.com/albums/cc360/londonfire/IMG_6101.jpg

It was named after a man who lived above there in the Nineteenth Century, whose wife died tragically on their wedding day, and who became a recluse after. On his death as an old man years later they discovered his apartment full of junk, mummified cats and the wedding cake itself, untouched. Right until the 1980s some of the now stuffed cats, and pieces of the cake were displayed in the pub.

[londonlawyer]

Thanks. Where is it exactly?

PS: Do you have a rendering of what this building will look like?

http://i527.photobucket.com/albums/cc360/londonfire/IMG_6101.jpg

[zupermaus]

Its 100 Middlesex Street, near Liverpool St station. This will be a student residential block, and the height will be 34 floors / 112m.



http://i1.tinypic.com/6jp43mu.jpg



http://i12.tinypic.com/7xnfyn8.jpg



http://i4.tinypic.com/6nunbx0.jpg


http://i1.tinypic.com/6lcw32w.jpg



http://i13.tinypic.com/6jczifs.jpg

[nick-taylor]

Woolwich Arsenal DLR Extension

The latest extension to the DLR network opened a few days ago. The DLR platforms are constructed beneath the North Kent Line platforms. The DLR frequency is a train every 10minutes of 6tph, with journey times of 28minutes to Bank (the Square Mile), Canary Wharf or Stratford (& Olympic Park) in 19 minutes, and 6 minutes to London City Airport.

Despite being only a few days old, trains are said to be full when leaving the station which illustrates the demand to access the Dockland regeneration sites in Canary Wharf and Stratford.

The North Kent Line platforms are used by trains going to London Charing Cross and London Cannon Street (10tph) and was originally opened back in 1849.

Woolwich is the site for the shooting events during the 2012 Olympics.

The Crossrail station for Woolwich will be situated slightly to the north of the station.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3312/3184955337_4a8bf58e6e_b.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3379/3184913517_6bc552f6da_b.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3429/3203877560_53e6c0ce42_b.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3516/3203890962_aa1747cbbf_b.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3376/3191903127_792b14688f_b.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3370/3191897911_a674791ec3_b.jpg


Youtube Video:
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=XYDhMNaWFfw

Due to the DLR being a fully automated train (ie there isn't a driver and no driver cab), you can ride at the front of the train. This is one of the best ways to see how the Docklands are changing.


London City Airport Station

The opening of the DLR Woolwich Arsenal station marks the completion of the final stretch of the London City Airport Extension. The first segment was built on an elevated structure, while the final stretch to Woolwich Arsenal was via two new tunnels under the Thames.

The station provides connections to Canary Wharf, Stratford and the Square Mile.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3116/3218176837_f08f5089e3_b.jpg

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/74/198261975_37e991bec8_b.jpg




Cherry Orchard Towers, Croydon

Few pics of the towers planned to go alongside East Croydon Station (on the Brighton Main Line) ranging from 160m and down.

http://i34.tinypic.com/b4gmpw.jpg

http://i34.tinypic.com/2ztjzo9.jpg

http://i33.tinypic.com/34tepax.jpg




Columbus Tower, 237m

Plans have been resubmitted for Columbus tower at Canary Wharf for mixed uses. This tower was on hold due to the construction of the Crossrail station that will begin shortly. The tunnels would go through the foundations of the site.

http://i39.tinypic.com/vj1u.jpg

http://i41.tinypic.com/4fx1rp.jpg




Crossrail handed keys to Tottenham Court Road sites
Filed 19/01/09 http://www.transportbriefing.co.uk/story.php?id=5473

Land required to expand Tottenham Court Road Underground station to handle Crossrail services passes to the Transport for London subsidiary’s control today (19 January).

The property acquisition notices issued in October 2008 come into effect and will see landmark properties, including the London Astoria music venue (pictured above, left), transfer to Crossrail control.

Work will begin immediately to prepare the buildings for demolition. This will start in the spring and is scheduled to finish in mid-2010.

Earlier this month a number of local bus services were re-routed for up to seven years to allow the redevelopment of Tottenham Court Road station.

The station is one of the most congested on the Tube network and is used by approximately 150,000 people a day which is expected to exceed 200,000 a day when Crossrail opens in 2017. Expansion plans include creating a ticket hall six times the size of the existing one.

Richard Parry, London Underground director of strategy and service development, said: “While the entire Crossrail project will be the biggest construction project in Europe, no one should underestimate the scale and extent of the work that will take place at Tottenham Court Road.

“This will be one of the biggest station redevelopment projects ever undertaken in central London. By 2017, Tottenham Court Road station will be one of the most important stations in the West End serving both London Underground and Crossrail.”

To deliver a bigger station, the space under the road and the pavement where the current ticket hall is located needs to be enlarged - but is full of sewers and pipes carrying electricity, telecommunications and water. London Underground is continuing with a programme of utility diversions and other preliminary works into 2009.

New station entrances will be built at Dean Street for additional access to Crossrail, at the corner of Oxford Street, and on a new piazza outside the Centre Point building.

Once the redevelopment of the station is complete, the existing cramped station entrances will be replaced with new, more spacious openings to accommodate the hundreds of thousands of passengers who will enter and exit the station each day.

As the project continues there will be two main construction sites. One will be at Charing Cross Road split between Centre Point and across the road from the current station.

The second site is on Dean Street where one of the new Crossrail entrances and ticket halls will be located. This work site will commence from late 2009.

Before demolition starts, archaeologists from the Museum of London will assess and appraise the buildings in accordance with guidance from English Heritage. This will provide a record of the area for future generations.




Heathrow runway ready by 2015 under new laws
The Times, January 16, 2009
http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/transport/article5527512.ece

The new runway at Heathrow could be built five years earlier than expected as the Government rushes the planning process to prevent opponents from blocking the expansion.

Ministers yesterday asked BAA to submit a planning application as soon as possible with a view to opening the new runway and terminal as early as 2015. Previously, the Government had suggested the runway would not open until 2020.

The £9 billion expansion, which will increase Heathrow’s capacity by almost 50 per cent, is likely to be one of the first projects considered by the new Infrastructure Planning Commission, due to be appointed this year. The commission will make the final decision, rather than the current practice of a planning inspector making a recommendation to ministers. The inquiry will be much shorter and simply consider whether the application complies with the Government’s aviation policy, giving only limited scope to objectors.

There were angry scenes in the Commons as Geoff Hoon, the Transport Secretary, announced that he was approving the runway.

Far from conceding defeat, the environmental and heritage groups opposing the runway pledged to step up their campaign, both in the courts and by direct action at airports.

The Conservatives repeated their pledge to scrap the runway if they win the next election. However, blocking the plans will become more difficult once the planning process is under way. Lord Adonis, the Transport Minister, told The Times: “It is possible it could open in 2015 if the planning process is completed in time.”

He said that the Government’s decision to reject plans for more intensive use of the existing runways made it imperative to build the third one as soon as possible. He admitted that the absence of extra capacity in the next few years meant that Heathrow would continue to operate more than 99 per cent full and be prone to long delays after even minor incidents.

BAA welcomed the decision and said it was confident of being able to comply with environmental conditions. Mr Hoon said that airlines would only be allowed to use half the capacity of the new runway, or 125,000 flights a year, until 2020.

Flights would rise after that if total emissions from UK aviation were on course to fall below 2005 levels by 2050. He said that a £250 million fund to boost sales of electric cars would more than make up for emissions from the expansion. Mr Hoon also announced a study into a high-speed rail line linked to Heathrow but did not make a commitment to building it.

Greenpeace said: “If Gordon Brown thinks this is a green runway he must be colour-blind.” It said that more than 20,000 people had offered to invest in the piece of land it has bought on the site of the proposed expansion.

http://img136.imageshack.us/img136/858/heathrowbe3.jpg

http://img136.imageshack.us/img136/heathrowbe3.jpg/1/w1284.png




DRMM beats five to win Brunel Museum
21 January, 2009, Clive Walker, http://www.bdonline.co.uk/story.asp?sectioncode=725&storycode=3131976&c=2

DRMM has won a competition to redevelop the Brunel Museum in south London, trumping five other practices including Fat and Ash Sakula.

The winning proposal includes creating better public areas around the Rotherhithe museum and safe public access to a 15m diameter vent shaft and former stairwell — closed since 1865 — which leads to Brunel’s Thames Tunnel.

The tunnel, running between Rotherhithe and Wapping, is currently being upgraded as part of the East London Line extension.

Part of dRMM’s solution is a suspended mobile platform allowing public access to all parts of the museum — old and new.

Explaining the scheme’s rationale, practice director Alex de Rijke said: “DRMM’s proposal consists of several ambitious site-specific responses, inspired by the Brunel legacy of inventive lateral design.”

Brunel Museum competition judges included museum trustee and CZWG director Piers Gough, museum director Robert Hulse, Brunel Trust engineer Bryn Bird and treasurer Molly Lowell.

The decision to choose dRMM was “unanimous” according to Gough. “The Brunel Museum chose dRMM ahead of their rivals due to their clever grasp of the situation and its opportunities, coupled with their own technologically imaginative passion,” he said.

http://www.bdonline.co.uk/Pictures/468xAny/l/p/a/Brunel_engraving_drmm.jpg




East-West Rail Link clearance work gets underway
Filed 19/01/09 http://www.transportbriefing.co.uk/story.php?id=5472

Around 20 kilometres of disused railway line between Bletchley and Claydon Junction stations in Buckinghamshire will be cleared of scrub, brambles and overgrown vegetation so that survey and investigation work can be carried out for the design development phase of the East-West Rail project.

Starting on 26 January, the clearance will take two to three weeks and some will be done with manual equipment, although the more densely overgrown areas will need to be cleared with chainsaws and tractor mounted flails. All of the waste materials will be left chipped and spread on the site.

Patrick O’Sullivan, East-West Rail project manager at Milton Keynes Partnership, said: “Once the site clearance is completed, the engineers and surveyors will begin their technical surveys and ground investigations to enable the design work of the new track and associated railway engineering works for the western section of the East-West Rail project.”

The design development work is being undertaken by Atkins which was recently appointed to carry out the design work (Guidance for Railway Investment Projects - GRIP Stage 4) on the western section of the East-West Rail project.

Milton Keynes Partnership is the lead member of the East-West Rail Consortium, a group of local authorities and government agencies with an objective of securing a new rail route from East Anglia to Oxford via the Milton Keynes South Midlands growth area.




The Three Houses, Southwark, 250m, 200m & 100m

Herzog & de Meuron plans London towers
16 January 2009, By Will Hurst
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=787222

Swiss practice is working with Shard developer on UK’s tallest residential development

Herzog & de Meuron is working with the developer behind the Shard, Sellar Property Group, on credit crunch-defying designs for the tallest residential development in the country.

http://www.bdonline.co.uk/Pictures/web/p/e/y/Herzog_artists_impression.jpg

In an extraordinary move given Britain’s worsening recession, the Swiss-based practice is proposing three slender and snaking towers with respective heights of 100m, 200m and 250m, close to the 310m-high Renzo Piano-designed Shard and soon-to-be-redeveloped London Bridge station.

If successful, the glazed scheme, dubbed the Three Houses project and masterminded by Sellar managing director James Sellar, who also commissioned Herzog & de Meuron for the proposed new Portsmouth FC stadium, would signal the emergence of a long proposed cluster of skyscrapers at London Bridge to rival those of Canary Wharf and the City.

The towers, which would dwarf Ian Simpson’s proposed 175m-high Beetham Tower at Blackfriars, would boast 380 apartments, along with a hotel, and retail and cinema space. But the sheer scale of the project is already dividing opinion among the select few who have seen it.

Fashion designer Zandra Rhodes, whose home and studio would be overshadowed by the proposed skyscrapers, has seen early plans and backs the scheme, but said it needed modification before being submitted for planning.

“This would fit in with the Shard,” she said. “These blocks would be good for the area and will tie in with other things going on. At the moment, this area is only car parks and needs reworking.”

But Rhodes also called for the scheme to include parkland, and for the tower nearest to the Bermondsey Street conservation area to be modified to lessen its impact. “You don’t need blocks annihilating Bermondsey Street,” she said.

New London Architecture director Peter Murray also gave the scheme his support.

“It’s quite a brave thing to be proposing at the moment,” he said.

“But they are looking at a very long-term plan, which is always a good thing.”

However, officers at Southwark Council are believed to have serious reservations about the height of the towers, a view echoed by local developer and conservation specialist Russell Gray.

“High-rise buildings have a place,” he said. “But this is slap bang next to buildings of consistent character and scale. I’m not impressed by this brash, brazen, in-your-face approach.

“If it got permission, it would establish a precedent… and you could do something a lot cheaper and nastier.”

The tallest tower, which would be 65 storeys, would include 121 flats along with the hotel, while the shortest, at 31 storeys, will boast 144 flats. The other tower will have a total of 115 flats contained within 51 storeys.

Sellar Property Group declined to comment, but is due to unveil the project officially with Herzog & de Meuron in mid-February.

The Shard itself is set to be the tallest tower in Europe. Work on the skyscraper — part of a wider £1.4 billion complex — is due to begin this month after a vital investment was made last month by Middle Eastern developer Qatari Diar.


In the below image shows:
- London Bridge Station (ready to be completely renovated)
- The site for the Shard (the construction site is where the tower, now completely dismantled is)
- More London and the Greater London Authority building (bottom)
- Guys Hospital (world's talest hospital is just behind)
- The area just to the north of the train tracks is roughly where the 'Breadsticks' will be located.

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Crown Wharf

New development for the Canning Town area which is due south of the Olympic Park. Lots of towers for this area.

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Another development for Canning Tower is this tower and surrounding development.

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And further north right on the edge of the Olympic Park heart.

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Moving towards Stratford Town Centre is this other tower development.

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Greenwich Peninsula

The area surrounding the 02 Arena and Greenwich Jubilee Station is at present a bit of a wasteland. The masterplan for the area as illustrated below shows the high density that the development is aiming to attain (the heights can't be too high due to the approach path of London City Airport).

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Clapham Junction Towers

Clapham Junction is a major station in the UK where lines going to the termini of London Victoria and London Waterloo converge. It is termed as the busiest station in Europe due to the very large volume of trains that run through the station. Interestingly it doesn't have a London Underground connection and despite having so many connections has lacked much high-rise development

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2012 London Olympics Update

Designs for the 12,000 capacity Basketball Arena have been released.

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Wilkinson Eyre Aldgate Tower

New dual 100m tower by Wilkinson Eyre with a shared atrium in Aldgate.

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Church Conversion

Housing scheme places Hackney church at centre of community
12 December 2008
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Matthew Lloyd Architects has submitted a planning application for a project in London’s Hackney Wick which would provide community facilities and 30 new homes around a grade II* listed church

The client, the St Mary of Eton Church group, wanted the design to be based on the religious concept of “liminality”, which broadly means a procession from one place to another.

“The idea of threshold and transition is very important to the scheme,” project architect Juliette Scalbert said.

“The spaces merge into one another, and the procession from street to courtyard to church is an integral part of the design.”

The £8 million scheme boasts two proposed new buildings on Eastway which bookend the church, while a third new building, containing four homes, sits alongside the grade II listed Mission Hall, which itself will be converted to contain 10 homes.

The two bookend buildings contain six storeys and eight flats each. The Wedge, to the south of the church, has space for community use on the ground floor and steps down to two/three storeys to reveal the church to Wick Road and the train lines.

The Verges building, meanwhile, is smaller in plan and ties together the listed tower with Mission Hall, linking to the church via a glass walkway.

The diamond-shaped pattern and colour of the brickwork is influenced by late Victorian design of the church, and the asymmetrical arrangements of the windows are designed to soften its appearance.

Subject to planning, the scheme is due to go on site in 2010 and finish in time for the nearby 2012 Olympics.

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Croxley rail extension nominated by regional assembly
Filed 20/01/09 http://www.transportbriefing.co.uk/story.php?id=5481

The extension of the London Underground Metropolitan line to Watford Junction station inched a step forward this week.

Along with the redevelopment of Watford Junction station, the two schemes, promoted by Hertfordshire County Council, were backed by the East of England Regional Assembly’s Regional Planning Panel. The county council has welcomed the news that the regional assembly will advise the Department for Transport to fund the two schemes, which will reduce congestion and boost the economy in the Watford area.

The £162m Croxley Rail Link scheme would see the Metropolitan Line re-routed and extended to Watford Junction, where it will meet Network Rail services. Tube trains will run from Watford Junction to central London every 10 minutes.

New stations would be provided at Ascot Road and Watford West, with improvements made to the existing stations at Watford High Street and Watford Junction. This would improve public transport for residents, improve access to the Harlequin Centre and the hospital, and reduce congestion.

The separate £38m Watford Junction Station Interchange scheme, which involves a major redevelopment of the station, has also been backed by the regional assembly. The station will get more drop-off points, easier pedestrian access and better bus and coach facilities. New car parks will be built along with a new link road.

Stuart Pile, Executive Member for Highways, Transport and Rural Affairs, said: “I’m delighted that the regional assembly will be pushing the government to fund these schemes. We need to invest in our transport infrastructure if we’re going to support our economy and reduce congestion. The Department for Transport bases its funding decisions on the regional advice, so we’re optimistic that we’ll get the go-ahead and that the line can open in 2017.”

Hertfordshire County Council is promoting the Croxley Rail Link scheme, working with London Underground and Network Rail. The scheme will be funded with £136m from the DfT and a further £26m from Hertfordshire County Council and partners including London Underground.

The government asked the East of England Regional Assembly for advice on which major transport schemes to fund in the East of England, which includes Hertfordshire. The assembly’s Regional Planning Panel has considered the schemes and its recommendations will now be considered by the full regional assembly as formal advice to the government. The government will make a decision on which schemes to fund, based on this advice.




Tate Modern Extension by Herzog & de Meuron

Pictures by [/b]DarJoLe[/b]. Richard Rogers planned towers are also visible next door.

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Rail electrification plan for Midland and Great Western
Filed 16/01/09 http://www.transportbriefing.co.uk/story.php?id=5464

Railway lines from London to Bristol and the East Midlands are set to be upgraded to support electric trains under the first route electrification programme since Labour came to power and Britain's railways were privatised.

Transport Secretary Geoff Hoon this week told the House of Commons that the Department for Transport and Network Rail have been jointly examining the case for further rail electrification which, he said, can have advantages on busy parts of the rail network, given the lower carbon emissions and better performance of electric trains.

Great Western Main Line
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The announcement is the first time the government has made a commitment to route electrification - and follows a decision to set up a working group to examine the issue last year (Transport Briefing 29/10/08). A decision on whether or not to electrify the most heavily used parts of the Great Western Main Line from London Paddington and the Midland Main Line north from Bedford, where the wires currently end, to Kettering, Leicester, Nottingham and Sheffield, will be announced later this year.

This decision is likely to accompany an announcement on the deployment of the new generation of intercity express trains which will replace the 1970s rolling stock currently in use on the Great Western, Midland and East Coast main lines. Ministers are considering bids for a range of power cars from two consortia - the Express Rail Alliance, which includes Canadian rolling stock manufacturer Bombardier and German engineering giant Siemens, and Hitachi, the Japanese company supplying trains for the new domestic High Speed 1 services which is working with John Laing Projects and Developments and Barclays.

The inter-city express programme calls for an all-new design of environmentally friendly train which will be available with electric and diesel power cars along with a third hybrid variation suitable for use on routes which are partly electrified. With the East Coast line already electrified a decision to add wires to other routes earmarked for the new trains could ease deployment and cut manufacturing costs by minimising the different power car designs required and allowing electric vehicles to be specified for most services.

Midland Main Line
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Announcing the plans for electrification Transport Secretary Geoff Hoon also pledged to back other rail improvements which would support the expansion of Heathrow Airport. He said a new company - High Speed 2 - has been set up to examine options for building a new high speed rail line linking London with the West Midlands and supporting a Heathrow hub station. High Speed 2 will be chaired by Sir David Rowlands who earlier in his career advised ministers on the preferred route for the Channel Tunnel Rail Link and subsequently oversaw delivery of the Link on time and on budget.

Geoff Hoon said: "A new rail line between London and the West Midlands approaching London via a Heathrow International interchange would enable faster journeys to the north and Scotland and could link the airport with rail destinations throughout the UK. This would unlock Heathrow for the rest of the country, making it a truly national asset. I expect to receive advice from High Speed 2 by the end of the year on a credible plan for a new line with financing proposals.

"We also need to look at ways of making the railway more efficient and greener. The case for electrification on the Great Western and the Midland Mainline routes appears strong as electric trains are quicker, quieter and they emit less CO2.”

Hoon also pledged to support the Airtrack project, currently being promoted by Heathrow Airport owner BAA, which would provide new connections to the airport from Reading, Guildford and the south west.

Airtrack
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Leicester Square Developments

Two developments are taking place at either ends of the Square which look very interesting.

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Ropemaker Place

Uncertain of what to make of this. Its just under 100m, but is a hulking mass with lots of different types of cladding. Pics by henry at SSC.


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One New Change

This project by Jean Nouvel is rapidly rising. It is opposite St Paul's Cathedral. Pictures by chest @ SSC.


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City Road Basin

City Road is going to see a few towers rise in the neighbourhood in the coming years due to its location bordering the north of the area inbetween the City and West End.

While there are several different developments planned, a part of the transformation of the local area is to open City Road on to the City Road Basin with a new open space.

The Basin is a junction off of the Regents Canal and the idea is to create a residential version of the developments that have taken place around the Paddington Basin.

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20 Fenchurch Street, aka the Walkie Talkie

Piling has started on this.

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Riverside South, 236m + 189m

Pics by SZR and chest


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London 2012 Olympics

Updates from Flickr of the stadium.

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Bankside Development

Located just behind Tate Modern (and soon to be next door to the Richard Rogers towers) is the Bankside development that connects Tate Modern to the inner sanctum of Southwark. Pics by DarJoLe.

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Pan Peninsula

Pics taken by chest of the lighting scheme atop Pan Peninsula (147m + 122m towers).

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Strata, Elephant & Castle - 147m

Quite a bit to go for this tower in an area that is set to see lots of redeveloped as it is not a nice area. Pics by .

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Eurostar sees record passenger numbers
Financial Times, Tuesday January 13, 10:20 AM

Passenger numbers on Eurostar, the cross-Channel high-speed rail service, grew more than 10 per cent in 2008, thanks to improved journey times and a more accessible London terminus.

Growth would have been still faster, however, without disruption in the last quarter following the September 11 fire in the Channel Tunnel, which continues to restrict service frequency and is prolonging journeys.

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The operator, jointly managed by the UK's London & Continental Railways, France's state train operator and the Belgian national railways, carried a record 9.1m passengers during 2008, up 10.3 per cent from the 8.26m it carried during 2007.

Much of the growth was a result of the opening in November 2007 of the second section of High Speed 1, the UK's first dedicated high-speed rail line.

The opening cut journey times on the core London-Paris and London-Brussels routes by around 20 minutes, giving best journey times on London-Paris of two hours 15 minutes and on London-Brussels of one hour 51 minutes.

The new route also brought trains into St Pancras International, which is more accessible for most passengers than the previous terminus at London Waterloo.

The full-year growth, however, was markedly slower than the 18.3 per cent growth recorded in the first half of the year because of the disruption caused by the Channel Tunnel fire.

Eurostar has had to cancel one service a day in each direction between London and both Paris and Brussels because of the fire. Services take 20 minutes longer because of speed restrictions in the tunnel and the availability of only one tunnel for the last 17km of the 50km twin-bore undersea tunnel on the French side. Eurtounnel, the tunnel owner, hopes to complete repair work by mid-February.

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Eurostar's revenues grew 10.9 per cent to £664m, from £599m in 2007. The operator said the economic downturn had so far had little effect on it.

Richard Brown, chief executive, said the increase of 1m passengers in the year demonstrated beyond doubt that passengers preferred high-speed rail to short-haul air.

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"The short-term outlook for 2009 is challenging, but the long-term prospects for Eurostar and high-speed rail are very good," he said.

================================================== =========

For comparison, the entire Amtrak network has handles 28.7mn passengers. The aim of Eurostar is to have 20mn passengers over the coming few years.




[B]O2 tops bills as world's favourite pop venue
Amar Singh, 14.01.09

LONDON'S O2 arena has broken records to become the world's most popular music arena for the second year in a row.

Official figures released by industry publication Pollstar show the Greenwich venue sold nearly two million tickets last year.

Pollstar says the 1,806, 447 total is the highest figure since it started monitoring annual ticket sales in 2000. The figure for the 20,000-seat arena inside the former Millennium Dome is attributable to sell-out shows by Kylie Minogue, the Eagles, Kanye West, Kings of Leon, Stevie Wonder, the Spice Girls and Sir Elton John.

But it was bad news for Wembley Arena which has struggled to compete since its east London rival opened for business in 2007. The 12,500-capacity venue - once London's most popular - was listed 38th in the world.

Gary Bongiovanni, editor-in-chief of Pollstar said: "This is certainly the highest year-end tickets sales we have had since our records began in 2000. The O2 has made a massive impact on the global concert business."

Arena chiefs hope that another flurry of big name acts this year including Britney Spears, Tina Turner, The Killers, Beyoncé, Pink, AC/DC, and Bob Dylan will help the venue break the two million mark.

Venue Ticket sales
1. O2 arena, London - 1,806, 447
2. Madison Square Gardens, New York - 1,161,035
3. Manchester Evening News Arena, Manchester - 1,157,892
4. Sportpaleis Antwerpen Merksem, Belgium - 889,137
5. Air Canada Centre, Toronto - 723,469

Source: Pollstar




Shinkansen (Japanese Bullet) Trains in London

All ready for December 2009 - The access to the Shinkansen platforms at London St Pancras.

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[Alonzo-ny]

Great stuff. Amazing the amount of infrastructure projects that are going on. Its remarkable.

[zupermaus]

some pix of More London development by Tower Bridge:



They have a really good site photographer for this development. Its easily looking like the best of the More London buildings.

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It also has a more varied and heavier facade;

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Reflected in the neighbouring building;

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Some pics of the estate by Jonas @ skyscraperpage


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[londonlawyer]

Just by Liverpool St station.

Note the sign saying 'Dirty Dicks' - its not a strip bar, its a historic pub:

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It was named after a man who lived above there in the Nineteenth Century, whose wife died tragically on their wedding day, and who became a recluse after. On his death as an old man years later they discovered his apartment full of junk, mummified cats and the wedding cake itself, untouched. Right until the 1980s some of the now stuffed cats, and pieces of the cake were displayed in the pub.

Thanks. I hadn't noted your prior post with the address of 100 Middlesex Street. However, I subsequently noted that this photo appears to have been take from the Broadgate Centre building on Bishopsgate. (I recognize the lanterns and the balustrade.)

I know Dirty Dicks.

By the way, there was an article in The NY Times recently about "vulgar" names in Britain. It's funny.

No Snickering: That Road Sign Means Something Else
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The “Butt” in this road, in South Yorkshire, probably refers to a container for collecting water.

By SARAH LYALL
Published: January 22, 2009

CRAPSTONE, England — When ordering things by telephone, Stewart Pearce tends to take a proactive approach to the inevitable question “What is your address?”


Pratts Bottom, a village in Kent, is doubly cursed because “prat” is slang for buffoon.

If you’re smirking at this sign, you’re mispronouncing the town’s name. It’s PENNIS-tun.


He lays it out straight, so there is no room for unpleasant confusion. “I say, ‘It’s spelled “crap,” as in crap,’ ” said Mr. Pearce, 61, who has lived in Crapstone, a one-shop country village in Devon, for decades.

Disappointingly, Mr. Pearce has so far been unable to parlay such delicate encounters into material gain, as a neighbor once did.

“Crapstone,” the neighbor said forthrightly, Mr. Pearce related, whereupon the person on the other end of the telephone repeated it to his co-workers and burst out laughing. “They said, ‘Oh, we thought it didn’t really exist,’ ” Mr. Pearce said, “and then they gave him a free something.”

In the scale of embarrassing place names, Crapstone ranks pretty high. But Britain is full of them. Some are mostly amusing, like Ugley, Essex; East Breast, in western Scotland; North Piddle, in Worcestershire; and Spanker Lane, in Derbyshire.

Others evoke images that may conflict with residents’ efforts to appear dignified when, for example, applying for jobs.

These include Crotch Crescent, Oxford; Titty Ho, Northamptonshire; Wetwang, East Yorkshire; Slutshole Lane, Norfolk; and Thong, Kent. And, in a country that delights in lavatory humor, particularly if the word “bottom” is involved, there is Pratts Bottom, in Kent, doubly cursed because “prat” is slang for buffoon.

As for Penistone, a thriving South Yorkshire town, just stop that sophomoric snickering.

“It’s pronounced ‘PENNIS-tun,’ ” Fiona Moran, manager of the Old Vicarage Hotel in Penistone, said over the telephone, rather sharply. When forced to spell her address for outsiders, she uses misdirection, separating the tricky section into two blameless parts: “p-e-n” — pause — “i-s-t-o-n-e.”

Several months ago, Lewes District Council in East Sussex tried to address the problem of inadvertent place-name titillation by saying that “street names which could give offense” would no longer be allowed on new roads.

“Avoid aesthetically unsuitable names,” like Gaswork Road, the council decreed. Also, avoid “names capable of deliberate misinterpretation,” like Hoare Road, Typple Avenue, Quare Street and Corfe Close.

(What is wrong with Corfe Close, you might ask? The guidelines mention the hypothetical residents of No. 4, with their unfortunate hypothetical address, “4 Corfe Close.” To find the naughty meaning, you have to repeat the first two words rapidly many times, preferably in the presence of your fifth-grade classmates.)

The council explained that it was only following national guidelines and that it did not intend to change any existing lewd names.

Still, news of the revised policy raised an outcry.

“Sniggering at double entendres is a loved and time-honored tradition in this country,” Carol Midgley wrote in The Times of London. Ed Hurst, a co-author, with Rob Bailey, of “Rude Britain” and “Rude UK,” which list arguably offensive place names — some so arguably offensive that, unfortunately, they cannot be printed here — said that many such communities were established hundreds of years ago and that their names were not rude at the time.

“Place names and street names are full of history and culture, and it’s only because language has evolved over the centuries that they’ve wound up sounding rude,” Mr. Hurst said in an interview.

Mr. Bailey, who grew up on Tumbledown Dick Road in Oxfordshire, and Mr. Hurst got the idea for the books when they read about a couple who bought a house on Butt Hole Road, in South Yorkshire.

The name most likely has to do with the spot’s historic function as a source of water, a water butt being a container for collecting water. But it proved to be prohibitively hilarious.

“If they ordered a pizza, the pizza company wouldn’t deliver it, because they thought it was a made-up name,” Mr. Hurst said. “People would stand in front of the sign, pull down their trousers and take pictures of each other’s naked buttocks.”

The couple moved away.

The people in Crapstone have not had similar problems, although their sign is periodically stolen by word-loving merrymakers. And their village became a stock joke a few years ago, when a television ad featuring a prone-to-swearing soccer player named Vinnie Jones showed Mr. Jones’s car breaking down just under the Crapstone sign.

In the commercial, Mr. Jones tries to alert the towing company to his location while covering the sign and trying not to say “crap” in front of his young daughter.

The consensus in the village is that there is a perfectly innocent reason for the name “Crapstone,” though it is unclear what that is. Theories put forth by various residents the other day included “place of the rocks,” “a kind of twisting of the original word,” “something to do with the soil” and “something to do with Sir Francis Drake,” who lived nearby.

Jacqui Anderson, a doctor in Crapstone who used to live in a village called Horrabridge, which has its own issues, said that she no longer thought about the “crap” in “Crapstone.”

Still, when strangers ask where she’s from, she admitted, “I just say I live near Plymouth.”

[zupermaus]

yep, there are loads of silly names - London once had a Gropecunt Lane ^. Titty Ho though has to be my favourite.

Also ('twat' in UK means c*nt):

http://www.concal.org/images/2007-06-26twatt.jpg

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/209/472693386_3040ce4af0.jpg?v=0

http://www.mrpip.me.uk/Files/TittyHo.jpg

[londonlawyer]

It means the same here.

One word with a different meaning in the US and Britain is fanny. Thus, my English friends always were amused by Yanks referring to "fanny packs"!

P.S.: Gropecunt Lane is awesome!

[zupermaus]

1 Westminster Bridge was one of the most reviled of London's buildings, stranded on a busy traffic island it faced Big Ben at the other end of Westminster Bridge:

http://img306.imageshack.us/img306/6162/img07903vn.jpg

http://i4.tinypic.com/104oihf.jpg http://www.london-se1.co.uk/news/images/060525_demolition5.jpg

renders of its replacements:

http://www.london-se1.co.uk/news/images/051005_westminsterbridgeparkplaza.jpg http://www.london-se1.co.uk/news/images/051005_countyhallparkplaza.jpg

http://www.galliardhomes.com/public/property_photo/photo_27.gifhttp://www.galliardhomes.com/public/property_photo/photo_70.jpg

overview (area with cranes):

http://photos-d.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-sf2p/v249/134/4/603132597/n603132597_943011_983.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3267/2521679199_98c8a69e4a_o.jpg

photos:

http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa278/fit3xl/230109089.jpg

http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa278/fit3xl/6nov08135.jpg

http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa278/fit3xl/230109059.jpg

http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa278/fit3xl/6nov08128.jpg

adjacent buildings:

http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa278/fit3xl/6nov08139.jpg

http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa278/fit3xl/london/London971-1.jpg

http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa278/fit3xl/london/London974-2.jpg

This is also going up nearby:


http://www.propertyweek.com/Pictures/web/d/c/l/18_p13_Delancey.jpg http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa278/fit3xl/london/10110_westminster3main.jpg

http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa278/fit3xl/london/10110_2_Westminster2big.jpg

http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa278/fit3xl/london/10110_4_westminster4big.jpg
http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa278/fit3xl/london/10110_1_Westminster1big.jpg


That will join this, the IMAX Theatre

http://www.artofthestate.co.uk/photos/Imax_cinema.jpg

In short 3 drum towers in the same area

These are also going up next door:

http://i25.tinypic.com/1y3haq.jpg http://i1.tinypic.com/6ugp7c5.jpg

...and one day will get joined by this? The Waterloss Trilogy Tower in pre-planning:

http://i15.tinypic.com/86y2kx3.jpg

http://i14.tinypic.com/82i8ubk.jpg

[Dick Van Dyke]

The Bishopsgate tower continues to see work done almost around the clock 6 days a week. The developers have announced they have secured over a third of the finance of construction from Arab investors & American funds. Also 25% of the tower is apparently pre-let.

http://i39.tinypic.com/dnj1ci.jpg

[zupermaus]

some pix from the recent whiteout:

Thanx to aclifford


Some photos I took whilst walking in the snow today through Hyde Park and into Mayfair. Because I wasn't planning to take any pics I didn't have my camera with me and so had to make do with my camera-phone. Apologies if the quality as a result isn't great.

(1)
http://i167.photobucket.com/albums/u155/acl1980/DSC00031.jpg

(2)
http://i167.photobucket.com/albums/u155/acl1980/DSC00037.jpg

(3)
http://i167.photobucket.com/albums/u155/acl1980/DSC000391.jpg

(4)
http://i167.photobucket.com/albums/u155/acl1980/DSC00042.jpg

(5)
http://i167.photobucket.com/albums/u155/acl1980/DSC00043.jpg

(6)
http://i167.photobucket.com/albums/u155/acl1980/DSC00044.jpg

(7)
http://i167.photobucket.com/albums/u155/acl1980/DSC000451.jpg

(8)
http://i167.photobucket.com/albums/u155/acl1980/DSC000461.jpg

(9)
http://i167.photobucket.com/albums/u155/acl1980/DSC00049.jpg

(10)
http://i167.photobucket.com/albums/u155/acl1980/DSC000521.jpg

(11)
http://i167.photobucket.com/albums/u155/acl1980/DSC000511.jpg

(12)
http://i167.photobucket.com/albums/u155/acl1980/DSC000531.jpg

(13)
http://i167.photobucket.com/albums/u155/acl1980/DSC000541.jpg

(14)
http://i167.photobucket.com/albums/u155/acl1980/DSC00055.jpg

(15)
http://i167.photobucket.com/albums/u155/acl1980/DSC000561.jpg

(16)
http://i167.photobucket.com/albums/u155/acl1980/DSC00059.jpg

(17)
http://i167.photobucket.com/albums/u155/acl1980/DSC00060.jpg

(18)
http://i167.photobucket.com/albums/u155/acl1980/DSC00048.jpg

(19)
http://i167.photobucket.com/albums/u155/acl1980/DSC00061.jpg

(20)
http://i167.photobucket.com/albums/u155/acl1980/DSC00062.jpg

(21)
http://i167.photobucket.com/albums/u155/acl1980/DSC00064.jpg

[NYatKNIGHT]

Excellent! London looks great in snow.

[londonbimguy]

one of the schemes for the greenwich peninsula

[nick-taylor]

East London Line Extension - Phase II Approved

Some good news - the government has stepped up and put money forward for Phase II of the East London Line Extension which runs from Surrey Quays to Clapham Junction. Phase I (the red line) is due to be completed in 2010, while Phase II (blue line) would be completed in 2011.

The majority of infrastructure for Phase II is mostly in place, but a few sections of work need to be (new fly-overs, platforms, etc...) done to connect the dots. Once finished it will not create a second circle line, but an orbital rail service starting/finishing at Clapham Junction - the busiest train station outside Japan.

However, one of the initial stations on the line: a new station called Surrey Canal Road (which would be located on new track between Surrey Quays and Queens Road Peckham) has not been included in the plan. Construction work will however allow for a future station to be built on the site at a later date.

Interestingly Phase II (inbetween Clapham High Street and Denmark Hill) goes past/over two other stations which would create important interchanges. The proble however is that at Brixton (interchange for Victoria Line, Chatham Main Line), the ELLE platforms would be located on a viaduct above another viaduct (which house the CML platforms). At Loughborough Junction (interchange for Thameslink and other suburban train lines) the situation is similar as found at Brixton. Fortunately part of the works includes creating the necessary ammendments to allow for future stations to be slotted in

http://img513.imageshack.us/img513/3530/ellx2ex3.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img513.imageshack.us/img513/ellx2ex3.jpg/1/w1280.png (http://g.imageshack.us/img513/ellx2ex3.jpg/1/)


Queens Road Peckham Station
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3273/3025710530_a86f6eda37_b.jpg


Peckham Rye Station
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1054/609276477_993b20eb5a_b.jpg


Denmark Hill Station
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3266/3162962785_e873c29310_b.jpg

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/162/367987192_13deaaa57c_b.jpg


Brixton Station
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3384/3246698779_da97eb2757_b.jpg


Clapham High Street Station
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1383/623947958_77ca059ff1_b.jpg


Wandsworth Road Station
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f7/Wandsworth_Road_stn_entrance.JPG/800px-Wandsworth_Road_stn_entrance.JPG


Clapham Junction
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3276/2811195245_e144f80dec_b.jpg

The little used northern entrance. The platform immediately above the entrance is presently disused, but wil be brought back into use for the ELLE
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3470/3274970618_5352218617_b.jpg




Wimbledon Centre Court

With the retractable roof pretty much complete, the only work left is the reinstalling of chairs for this Summers' tournament

http://www.siteeyelive.com/monitor/camputer41.jpg




Giant horse to become £2m artwork
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/kent/7880889.stm

A giant white horse has been chosen as a new £2m art commission for south east England dubbed "Angel of the South".

The design, by former Turner Prize winner Mark Wallinger, was selected from a three-strong shortlist as part of the Ebbsfleet Landmark Project.

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2008/05/07/article-1018531-012A163600000578-800_468x286_popup.jpg

His design for the public art commission will see a horse standing on all four hooves at 33 times life-size.

Once built, it will dominate the north Kent landscape, standing as high as Nelson's Column at about 164ft (50m).

The announcement was made at Swan Valley Community School in Swanscombe in Kent, which overlooks the Springhead Park area where the giant statue will be built.

The landmark, which will be close to Eurostar's international station, is intended as an iconic symbol representing the regeneration of north-west Kent, and the eastwards growth of London.

Mr Wallinger, who was chosen over artists Daniel Buren and Richard Deacon, described it as a "tremendously exciting project".

"There was some very tough competition and I am honoured that the horse has won through," he said.

His team will be involved in an application for planning permission from Gravesham Borough Council, which is expected to take about 12 months.

The Ebbsfleet Landmark Project has been dubbed the "Angel of the South", in reference to Antony Gormley's Angel of the North sculpture which overlooks the A1 motorway in Gateshead.

A prancing white horse is the logo for the county council and has been the symbol of Kent for hundreds of years.

However, a sculpture of the Invicta, supported by Kent County Council in response to Mr Wallinger's entry, was rejected by judges last year.

Victoria Pomery, chairman of the Ebbsfleet Landmark Project's selection panel, said their decision was based on "artistic merit".

She added: "Mark is a superb artist of world renown and his sculpture will become a real landmark for Ebbsfleet and the whole region."

Last week, organisers of the project said they were still hoping it would be in place for the London 2012 Olympics, despite the recession.

Project manager Mark Davy revealed to the BBC that there could be short-term funding problems for the Ebbsfleet scheme.

Following Tuesday's decision, he said: "The 2012 Olympics is a significant milestone but outside of our control.

"The project is such a complex one that it will be difficult to set a specific deadline until we have undertaken the significant technical studies and costing investigations."

It was commissioned by Eurostar, London & Continental Railways and Land Securities, the developers of Ebbsfleet Valley.




81 Black Prince Road

A mid-rise for Lambeth Embankment (close to London Waterloo station)

http://i44.tinypic.com/ogmhzq.jpg

http://i41.tinypic.com/25a41vs.jpg




The 2010 DLR Network

With the recently opened extension to Woolwich Arsenal now open, work is progressing well on the Stratford International extension which will open in 2010. After 2010, there are extensions in the pipeline to Dagenham Dock, Charing Cross and other feasability plans in the work.

Diagram by mackenzie_blu at flickr.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3056/2752207269_df5c80cbaf_b.jpg




Olympic Park/Stratford City post London 2012

A few excellent pics of the post-2012 London Olympics site.

1 - Looking south roughly along the GMT line (02 in the background, Canary Wharf just to the right). South Stratford City is the area with towers and the golden structure. North Stratford City (or the Olympic Village during the games) is to the left next door to the Velodrome.

http://img513.imageshack.us/img513/7205/80463465un9.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img513.imageshack.us/img513/80463465un9.jpg/1/w1280.png (http://g.imageshack.us/img513/80463465un9.jpg/1/)


2 - Closer view of the River Lea, and the Olympic Park in legacy mode, Olympic Stadium with Canary Wharf are visible.

http://img9.imageshack.us/img9/8232/54682899mp0.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img9.imageshack.us/img9/54682899mp0.jpg/1/w1280.png (http://g.imageshack.us/img9/54682899mp0.jpg/1/)


3 - Similar as above, but further out - the Olympic Park will for comparisons sake be slightly larger than Central Park, New York.

http://img242.imageshack.us/img242/6669/17573198ho1.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img242.imageshack.us/img242/17573198ho1.jpg/1/w1280.png (http://g.imageshack.us/img242/17573198ho1.jpg/1/)


4 - Another view of the park - all the residential and commercial development around the park steps down so as to give the impression that the park is more wilderness, than slap bang in East London.

http://img502.imageshack.us/img502/3682/57623628vw5.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img502.imageshack.us/img502/57623628vw5.jpg/1/w1255.png (http://g.imageshack.us/img502/57623628vw5.jpg/1/)




London King's Cross Northern Ticket Hall

A few pictures from www.contractjournal.com (http://www.contractjournal.com) of the Northern Ticket Hall at King's Cross that will provide another link between the Tube, King's Cross and St Pancras termini.


1 - King's Cross is to the left, St Pancras to the right. New ticket hall in the centre.

http://img22.imageshack.us/img22/374/kc1nm6.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img22.imageshack.us/img22/kc1nm6.jpg/1/w692.png (http://g.imageshack.us/img22/kc1nm6.jpg/1/)

2 - Same view, but at night
http://img10.imageshack.us/img10/8089/kc2lk2.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img10.imageshack.us/img10/kc2lk2.jpg/1/w692.png (http://g.imageshack.us/img10/kc2lk2.jpg/1/)

3 - Ground view of the several levels for the ticket hall (there will also be a large semi-circular glass roof that follows the curve of the Great Northern Hotel and the station to the left
http://img16.imageshack.us/img16/5152/kc3cc4.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img16.imageshack.us/img16/kc3cc4.jpg/1/w600.png (http://g.imageshack.us/img16/kc3cc4.jpg/1/)

4 - A new connecting passage
http://img7.imageshack.us/img7/9240/kc4fd0.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img7.imageshack.us/img7/kc4fd0.jpg/1/w908.png (http://g.imageshack.us/img7/kc4fd0.jpg/1/)

5 - A better idea of how big the ticket hall will be
http://img13.imageshack.us/img13/8499/kc5xd6.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img13.imageshack.us/img13/kc5xd6.jpg/1/w1037.png (http://g.imageshack.us/img13/kc5xd6.jpg/1/)

6 - Where new escalators down to the Northern Line platforms will reside
http://img26.imageshack.us/img26/604/kc6gk2.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img26.imageshack.us/img26/kc6gk2.jpg/1/w855.png (http://g.imageshack.us/img26/kc6gk2.jpg/1/)


7 - King's Cross St Pancras is the busiest tube station on the network, and will get bigger when Crossrail 2 arrives in a few years
http://img502.imageshack.us/img502/5715/kc7gl8.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img502.imageshack.us/img502/kc7gl8.jpg/1/w692.png (http://g.imageshack.us/img502/kc7gl8.jpg/1/)




Heron Tower Update, 246m

This one is shooting up, pics by LONDON STAR

http://i39.tinypic.com/mskh2d.jpg

http://i44.tinypic.com/bbwuc.jpg

http://i44.tinypic.com/2njah61.jpg

http://i39.tinypic.com/1085ufr.jpg




London Bridge Tower, 310m

Work continues to progress on demolishing the foundations of the old 100m Southwark Tower (PWC's former HQ). In the background of the pictures you can see London Bridge Station - the world's oldest train terminus which will all be renovated/replaced by 2015 (Mace will start work on the station once finished on the Shard). Work also has to be careful as there is a tube ticket hall beneath the site. Pics by fitz44 (first four) and SE9 (last pic)

http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa278/fit3xl/120109069.jpg

http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa278/fit3xl/120109071.jpg

http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa278/fit3xl/120109077.jpg

http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa278/fit3xl/120109073.jpg

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b281/SE9/P1000783.jpg

And once finished:

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b281/SE9/Shard.jpg?t=1234526538


Also some new renders of LBT and the redevelopment of London Bridge station.

http://i43.tinypic.com/kcxbvo.jpg

http://i41.tinypic.com/2entjr9.jpg

http://i39.tinypic.com/1zecfoh.jpg


Also a picture of the interior of the terminus platforms. The LBT construction site is immediately behind the white hoarding to the left. Technically the station is split in two - 9 terminating, and 6 through platforms. With the redevelopment of London Bridge station to coincide with the Thameslink line and construction of LBT, there will be 9 through and 6 terminating platforms. The entire station will be renovated in areas or rebuilt as it is starting to show its age.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3338/3261220071_a6f0b2e0ae_b.jpg (there are 9 terminating and 6 throu




Central St Giles, various low-rise towers

Pics by chest of this development next door to Tottenham Court Road tube station and Centrepoint. The immediate area will be given an overhaul in conjunction with the arrival of Crossrail. Pics by chest

http://homepage.mac.com/benveasey/.Pictures/csg.JPG

http://homepage.mac.com/benveasey/.Pictures/csg2.JPG

http://homepage.mac.com/benveasey/.Pictures/csg3.JPG

http://homepage.mac.com/benveasey/.Pictures/csg6.JPG

http://homepage.mac.com/benveasey/.Pictures/csg8.JPG

http://homepage.mac.com/benveasey/.Pictures/csg9.JPG




100 Middlesex Street, 105m

An excellent update from LONDON STAR

http://i44.tinypic.com/1zirex.jpg

http://i43.tinypic.com/2eyasjk.jpg

http://i41.tinypic.com/14jykw5.jpg

http://i44.tinypic.com/258qt6u.jpg




Strata, 147m

An update by SE9

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b281/SE9/P1000773.jpg

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b281/SE9/P1000775.jpg

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b281/SE9/P1000777.jpg




London Cannon Street Redevelopment, 42m

Cannon Street is located immediately on the north bank of the Thames in the Square Mile, but all trains run over the Thames towards SE London and Kent commuter settlements. The station used to be quite grand, with a Victorian frontage and a railway arch right on the riverfront.

The roof was taken down prior to WW2 with the aim to serve it, unfortunately with a sick twist - the factory it was being stored in was destroyed. Without the roof, the station also took several direct hits and was 're-built' afer the war with a disgusting box atop.

As part of a £400mn redevelopment project, a new development will go atop the station, but the station itself will be given an overhaul, new retail area and greater access to national rail and tube platforms. The present station handles 80,000 each day (with a smaller number using the tube station).

Update pics by PFarrey

http://img8.imageshack.us/img8/6725/cs11280x768rl4.jpg

http://img10.imageshack.us/img10/1254/db1280x768eq0.jpg

What the finished article will look like

http://i17.tinypic.com/5zfzgc8.jpg

The old station frontage
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/75/Cannon_Street_Station.jpg

The rear of the station (the Thames would be to the right and left) - the only remaining sign today other than the trains and platforms are the retaining walls with the towers.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1d/Cannon_Street_Station_2.jpg




Bishopsgate Tower, 288m

Construction continues on piling work.

http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa278/fit3xl/120109117.jpg




Royal London Hospital Towers, 2x100m

http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa278/fit3xl/211208046.jpg

http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa278/fit3xl/211208044.jpg

http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa278/fit3xl/211208047.jpg

http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa278/fit3xl/211208053.jpg

http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa278/fit3xl/211208055.jpg




[SIZE=4][B]Islington offers TfL £5m to lose Highbury gyratory
Filed 12/02/09 http://www.transportbriefing.co.uk/story.php?id=5598

Islington Council in north London has offered Transport for London £5m to help pay for improvements to the area outside Highbury and Islington station.

The local authority says it is willing to put up half the cost of the Highbury Corner regeneration scheme, which would replace the existing road gyratory system with a conventional road junction, freeing up space to relieve overcrowding at the station. Council chief executive John Foster has written to TfL commissioner Peter Hendy to formally offer the money, which would require TfL to match the funding.

Highbury and Islington station is expected to see an increase in passenger numbers following its connection to phase one of the new East London Line extension in 2011. The local authority hopes works to relocate the post office and improve the public space in front of the station could begin in 2011/12 and says the cost would be between £6m and £11m.

Cllr James Kempton, leader of Islington Council, said: "By managing our money carefully, we've been able to put aside funding for this large-scale project. I believe residents would much rather see this cash invested in the borough - in a scheme that will create jobs and apprenticeships - rather than sitting in the bank earning paltry sums of interest.

"Highbury Corner is routinely described as 'one of the worst places in the borough'. We want to change that and provide a legacy for future generations."

http://l.yimg.com/g/images/spaceball.gif

The former station that was on Highbury Corner - the station exists, but not in this state...

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3011/2766618080_ceb25b2be9_b.jpg




The Landmark, 140m + 98m

Cladding rising up quickly, pics taken by [B]naturalBlues

http://img142.imageshack.us/img142/4016/naturalbluesthelandmarkux6.jpg

http://img228.imageshack.us/img228/3581/naturalbluesthelandmarkoq2.jpg

http://img517.imageshack.us/img517/9826/naturalbluesthelandmarknl4.jpg

http://img177.imageshack.us/img177/4283/naturalbluesthelandmarkxt8.jpg




[B]Regents Place West Quarter

Update pics by fitz44

http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa278/fit3xl/130109048.jpg

http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa278/fit3xl/130109047.jpg

http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa278/fit3xl/130109056.jpg

http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa278/fit3xl/130109066.jpg




Bombardier salvages train order with Stansted Express
Filed 12/02/09 http://www.transportbriefing.co.uk/story.php?id=5600

Train manufacturer Bombardier Transportation is poised to secure a deal to build 120 new train carriages for the Stansted Express service connecting London Liverpool Street station to Stansted Airport.

The announcement came on the day Bombardier heard that the Express Rail Alliance, of which it is a member, had lost out to rival consortium Agility Trains in the race to clinch a £7.5bn contract to build a new generation of inter-city trains for Britain's main railway lines.

However, news of the Stansted Express order will bolster Bombardier's Derby assembly facility, which is already busy with six production lines working on trains for Southern/First Capital Connect, London Overground and the London Underground Victoria and sub-surface lines. Last month Bombardier's director of communications Neil Harvey told Transport Briefing that despite record production levels at Derby the company had capacity available for further orders.

Transport secretary Geoff Hoon this week said the Department for Transport was in advanced negotiations with National Express East Anglia, which operates the Stansted Express service, to order the new carriages. Bombardier has preferred bidder status and Hoon said the contract award would safeguard jobs in Derby.

The new Stansted Express trains form part of the government's plans to introduce 1,300 new carriages on Britain's rail network over the next five years, which followed a commitment in the 2007 Delivering a Sustainable Railway White Paper.

Last year the Department for Transport published a Rolling Stock Plan which said that the East Anglia rail franchise would receive 188 new electrical multiple units. This anticipated leasing Class 321 trains from London Midland and ordering new EMUs for the Stansted Express route to release Class 317 carriages to lengthen other services.

------

The present trains (at Stansted Airport station - under the terminal designed by Sir Norman Foster) that are used - showing their age a bit.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3154/2503390072_0bac051ea4_b.jpg




BBC Broadcasting House Extension

Pics by chest

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

http://homepage.mac.com/benveasey/.Public/BCH2.JPG

http://homepage.mac.com/benveasey/.Public/BCH3.JPG

http://homepage.mac.com/benveasey/.Public/BCH6.JPG




Park House

The below 'delightful' 60's stump on Oxford Street has now bee demolished to allow for an 8 storey building that is more asthetically pleasing to rise in its place. There are a few unfortunate post-Blitz building mistakes along Oxford Street, so this is a start to rectify that issue. Update pics by fitz44

http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa278/fit3xl/park_house.jpg

http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa278/fit3xl/BakerSt019-1.jpg

http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa278/fit3xl/sun19oct002.jpg

http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa278/fit3xl/sun19oct004.jpg




Cotswold rail double-tracking sets July start date
Filed 10/02/09 http://www.transportbriefing.co.uk/story.php?id=5588

Work on site to redouble the Cotswold railway line will begin in July after Network Rail announced the project had reached the final design stage.

The Cotswold redoubling scheme will reinstate dual track between Evesham and Charlbury to help raise train punctuality on the line from 76% to 92%. The capacity enhancing scheme will also enable more passenger trains to run on the line.

A key element in the scheme is the restoration of a total of 20 miles of track across the Evesham to Moreton-in-Marsh and Ascott-under-Wychwood to Charlbury sections. At present these lengths of single line are limiting capacity growth and train movements, causing congestion and further delays if services are disrupted for any reason.

Mike Gallop, route enhancement manager for Network Rail, said: "This is an exciting milestone for a scheme that has come far. In this final stage of design, detailed improvement work for the next two-and-a-half years will be nailed down. We have a big task ahead to bring the scheme to commission, and we will continue to work hard to progress these improvements. We are also really grateful for the support from the industry and community and this is vital for the future success of this scheme."

The first intensive work is planned for 18 July-30 August this year when the track, and underground signal cables between Evesham to Moreton-in-Marsh and Ascott-under-Wychwood to Charlbury will be re-aligned. The improvement will help create space for the new tracks and for engineers to access the railway without having to close the line for subsequent track work.

Delivery of the work will be phased so that parts of the railway line can remain open while improvements are being carried out. However the line will be closed for several weeks in July and August. The majority of the subsequent improvement work will not affect train services and will deploy efficient engineering techniques to reduce construction time on site.

------

The Cotsworld Line is a branch off the line connected Oxford to London Paddington and serves West England providing connections into Wales.




Noho Square

Sandmaiden @ flickr took a picture of Candy & Candy's (the ultra-rich property developers) Noho development. There is to be a square and path through the site of the former Middlesex Hospital (hence the chapel in the centre of the site that isn't going anywhere). Comletion is due in 2011.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3055/3249908705_ed616efe0c_b.jpg




Tottenham Hale Regeneration

Tottenham Hale is located in North London, this large redevelopment project is focused around the the transport interchange of the Victoria tube line, West Anglia Main Line, Stansted Express and bus station which forms one border. The River Lea forms a parallel border to this extensive project that will have 1,250 homes, office space, a hotel, retail units, a primary school and extensive student accomodation,

Pictures taken by Medo.

http://www.bdp.com/Global/Projects/Hale%20Village/2_hale_village_aerial.jpg

http://i43.tinypic.com/smd9gg.jpg

http://img177.imageshack.us/img177/8610/13072128fo3.jpg

http://img102.imageshack.us/img102/9510/55538438se6.jpg

http://img177.imageshack.us/img177/340/79621975lk9.jpg

http://img177.imageshack.us/img177/4727/80621646oj4.jpg




£7.5bn Intercity Express order will be built in Britain
Filed 12/02/09 http://www.transportbriefing.co.uk/story.php?id=5593

Hitachi has been selected by the government to build a new generation of 'Super Express' trains for Britain's inter-city railway lines as part of a £7.5bn contract, the largest ever rolling stock order placed for the UK rail network.

http://img294.imageshack.us/img294/2387/81950053ao5.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img294.imageshack.us/img294/81950053ao5.jpg/1/w510.png (http://g.imageshack.us/img294/81950053ao5.jpg/1/)

Confirmation of the Intercity Express Programme (IEP) order represents a coup for the Japanese electronics giant, which narrowly beat a consortium including train manufacturers Bombardier and Siemens to clinch the business. It is also good news for British firms Barclays and John Laing which, through the Agility Trains consortium, have teamed up with Hitachi to set up a new train manufacturing plant and depots in the UK.

The government admitted that it had been difficult to separate the winning bid from the alternative submitted by Express Rail Alliance, a consortium comprising Bombardier Transportation, Siemens, Angel Trains and Babcock and Brown. It said both bids were deliverable and "substantially compliant" with the IEP Invitation To Tender, Train Technical Specification and associated procurement document published in March 2007. Hitachi's decision to team up with John Laing and Barclays in June 2008, after having already been shortlisted in its own right, now appears to have been a masterstroke enabling it to secure the contract.

John Laing's infrastructure expertise will enable the consortium to establish a new train manufacturing facility in the UK. Currently, the only volume train production plant in Britain is Bombardier's Derby works. The location of the new facility has yet to be revealed but new depots are planned for Bristol, Reading, Doncaster, Leeds and west London with upgrades to existing depots across Britain. By ensuring the new trains are built in the UK around 12,500 jobs will be created or safeguarded.

http://img101.imageshack.us/img101/8111/10870799wj5.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img101.imageshack.us/img101/10870799wj5.jpg/1/w510.png (http://g.imageshack.us/img101/10870799wj5.jpg/1/)

However, in a warning to Agility that ministers expect it to be accommodating in final contract negotiations, the Department for Transport has asked Express Rail Alliance to maintain its status as reserve bidder in case the DfT is unable to reach satisfactory terms with its first choice.

The contract structure passes the responsibility for constructing depots and maintaining trains to the successful bidder. Train operating companies will pay the successful bidder 'Set Availability Payments' for each train that reports for duty each day and remains reliable during the operational period.

The DfT has not said precisely how many train carriages will be ordered. The original IEP specification talked of between 500 and 2,000 but this week's announcement said only that there would be "up to 1,400" carriages.

Secretary of State for Transport Geoff Hoon said: "This announcement demonstrates that this government is prepared to invest, even in difficult economic times, by improving our national infrastructure. It is good news for the British economy that over 12,500 jobs will be created and safeguarded; good news for the regions that the government is supporting significant inward investment; and good news for passengers that we are taking the steps necessary to improve their rail journeys."

Assuming the contract goes ahead as planned, Hitachi will have dramatically consolidated its presence in the UK rail industry after winning its first British train order only five years ago. The company is currently supplying new 140mph 'bullet' trains for domestic High Speed 1 services from Kent to London St Pancras International which will enter passenger service in December this year. However, unlike the Super Express trains ordered this week, the High Speed 1 trains are being built in Japan.

http://img525.imageshack.us/img525/6174/17140089wx2.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img525.imageshack.us/img525/17140089wx2.jpg/1/w510.png (http://g.imageshack.us/img525/17140089wx2.jpg/1/)


The first Hitachi trains are already commencing test runs, for public operation in December. Note that these versions are dual-voltage (for OHLE and 3rd rail), while e ICE trains will be hybrids or full-OHLE.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3381/3276357643_76a85b90b0_b.jpg


Arsenal Developments

To help fund their move from their historic Highbury stadium to the Emirates, Arsenal FC turned to property to fund the stadium construction work. Most of the work is either completed (1, 3, and 5) close to being finished (4) or to see work start shortly (6). Pics by henry and flickr.

http://www.czwg.com//DbImages/CZWG_730_Image.jpg

1

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3352/3219682453_54a9dbc5c8_o.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3217/2408637238_11e67469c1_o.jpg


2 - Emirates Stadium

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1035/939728711_7b61fae014_o.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3421/3275108357_894819a752_b.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3409/3271934318_c40b78d528_b.jpg

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/154/384008196_907d2dd955_b.jpg


3

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3337/3220530564_4aa6a2b071_o.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3114/2880334642_ae7b2a181d_o.jpg


4 - The Stadium (Highbury: the former art-deco home of Arsenal)

http://www.thestadium-highbury.com/downloads/cgi001_640x480.jpg

http://www.thestadium-highbury.com/downloads/cgi002_640x480.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3419/3220528968_47d02174c1_o.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3321/3220528750_df9736265b_o.jpg


5

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3475/3220532344_d3b36a1494_o.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3266/3220531822_c9501b45e1_o.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3362/3219680415_50feeb0ac2_o.jpg


6 - Queensland Road

http://www.czwg.com/DbImages/ImageLib_1_40.gif

http://www.czwg.com/DbImages/ImageLib_1_41.gif




Various Hackney-Shoreditch Developments

A small development that incorporates several of the latest development trends, found in Hackney. All pics by fitz44

http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa278/fit3xl/300109040.jpg

http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa278/fit3xl/300109042.jpg

Dalston Square - This is a very dense project located north of Shoreditch where the present North London Line and soon-to-open East London Line Extension converge. The development is being built above the actual station, includes 550+ homes, a major new public library and a new square that runs the length of the site (and the station below).

http://www.dalstonsquare.co.uk/media/map.jpg

http://www.dalstonsquare.co.uk/media/model.jpg

http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa278/fit3xl/300109001.jpg

http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa278/fit3xl/300109005.jpg

http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa278/fit3xl/300109006.jpg

http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa278/fit3xl/300109015.jpg




Queen's Market Redevelopment,96m

Demolition has begun on the current buildings which will see the re-housing of the Queen's Market, and several large residential blocks and an open space

http://i39.tinypic.com/2rdu35k.jpg

http://i39.tinypic.com/zyeg6g.jpg

http://i42.tinypic.com/vr4h85.jpg

[zupermaus]

A joint venture between MacDonald Egan will lead a £165 million redevelopment of Lewisham College's campus. Currently the College operates from two sites - in Lewisham Way and Deptford Bridge, but will relocate all its activities to a new state-of-the-art 350,000 sq ft campus at Deptford Bridge when construction of two new buildings is completed by September 2012. Once the campus is finished, the joint venture, known as Deptford Bridge Developments, will also develop surplus land sites vacated by the College's move. The approximately 7 acres of surplus land has the potential for about 500 homes and commercial space to complement the College and contribute to the wider regeneration of Deptford and Lewisham.

http://i42.tinypic.com/9fm791.jpg

http://www.stanhopeplc.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=487&Itemid=497

http://www.macdonaldegan.co.uk/

[London Lad]

Zupermaus & Nick Taylor.

If you are going to reproduce news, projects & info can you please credit the people you have got the info from. I see an awfully lot of stuff you have posted here that I know full well you have not found yourselves.

Other than that it is a very nice & concise thread.

Cheers

[Alonzo-ny]

What is it with people these days? I dont want to read massive amount of credits on every post these guys do nor do I care. Unless you created all these images personally then get a grip.

[lofter1]

It's a rule (http://www.wirednewyork.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3711) of this Forum to post links / credits of copyrighted articles & pictures:


When quoting/posting copyrighted material, you must include author, copyright statement and a link to the source.

[Alonzo-ny]

Percentage of users who do? Percentage who dont who get called on it? I never do it and I never called called on it. Its one of those rules that would be a full time job to enforce. I would say its pretty much just a disclaimer for Ed. To credit every image some of these guys post would be very prohibitive to them posting in the first place.

I take special issue with people who dont own the copyright but complain that THEIR copyright infringement isnt being credited. If they cared so much they would have posted the images personally in the first place.

[ZippyTheChimp]

We've been embarrassed by copyright owners who've come on here to complain. It would be a poor excuse to say to such a person that hardly anyone complains. It's especially indefensible when it involves a rendering, which is professional work.

Besides not acknowledging ownership, hotlinking the images robs them of bandwidth without the benefit of traffic on their site, which is why they post the work in the first place.

[Alonzo-ny]

Its pretty clear that the images did not belong to the person who complained. From my point of view the person who complained has done just what Nick or Zupermaus had done on another site but wanted to whine because he put the images together elsewhere and wanted credit for that. He wasnt complaining about copyright IMO, because all those images come from so many different sites he couldnt possibly have rights on them all.


It would be a poor excuse to say to such a person that hardly anyone complains. It's especially indefensible when it involves a rendering, which is professional work.

Besides not acknowledging ownership, hotlinking the images robs them of bandwidth without the benefit of traffic on their site, which is why they post the work in the first place.

I didnt say that. If you are defending this person then I hope you remove images that havent been linked, or PM the user who posted them? I bet you dont because of the work it would involve. Ill say it again, those renders dont belong to that poster who complained, and I bet he doesnt own the website he posted it on either. From what I can guess from previous situations is that this person assembled the images on somewhere like SSC and is whining because the images were posted here.

[ZippyTheChimp]

I didnt say that. If you are defending this person then I hope you remove images that havent been linked, or PM the user who posted them? I bet you dont because of the work it would involve.I don't care about "this person" and made no mention of him. I was responding directly to your post:

Percentage of users who do? Percentage who dont who get called on it? I never do it and I never called called on it. Its one of those rules that would be a full time job to enforce. I would say its pretty much just a disclaimer for Ed. To credit every image some of these guys post would be very prohibitive to them posting in the first place.It's not just a forum rule, but relates to copyright law. Whether or not the moderators enforce it doesn't change the legality. And the motive of the person who complains doesn't change it either.

The rule would be easy to enforce. Delete Post > PM.

It's also easy for everyone else to just ignore the one-in-a-thousand post where a complaint is made. But bringing it up forces us to restate the policy.

Some members post a lot of images, and credit every one of them.

[nick-taylor]

Zupermaus & Nick Taylor.

If you are going to reproduce news, projects & info can you please credit the people you have got the info from. I see an awfully lot of stuff you have posted here that I know full well you have not found yourselves.

Other than that it is a very nice & concise thread.

CheersI apologise for any issues that may have been brought up with my busy posts. I do go through and make an attempt to place credit where due, with names in bold to highlight that. The only times I can think of when I may accidently have omitted due credit is when posting/editing the information before pressing the submit reply button.

[nick-taylor]

Been busy recently - money to be made even in these most difficult of times! Will follow up with an update (fully credited of course), but in the meantime - a taster....I was just taking a look at my future apartment (:D) plan in the Shard aka London Bridge Tower. The below picture is from the Shard brochure. 360 degree views from your apartment!


http://img55.imageshack.us/img55/1382/lbt.jpg (http://img55.imageshack.us/my.php?image=lbt.jpg)
http://img55.imageshack.us/img55/lbt.jpg/1/w1212.png (http://g.imageshack.us/img55/lbt.jpg/1/)

[lofter1]

I will fight you for that one ^ :cool:

[nick-taylor]

East London Line Extension

Pictures provided by TfL, sourced from londonreconnections.blogspot.com

Dalston Junction - 4 platform station. The platforms are located under the concrete slab. Residential developments are planned on either side of the submerged line, which will have a park running above.

http://img10.imageshack.us/img10/5889/dalstonandcouncil.jpg (http://img10.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dalstonandcouncil.jpg)

Hoxton Station - Moving southwards towards the Square Mile, we come to Hoxton Station which shows the incorporation of the historic brick viaducts and the modern track.

http://img10.imageshack.us/img10/7108/hoxton.jpg (http://img10.imageshack.us/my.php?image=hoxton.jpg)

Shoreditch Station - While above ground, Shoreditch station will be a fully enclosed structure. This box is intended to protect those using the station while several tall buildings are built above and around the station, essentially enclosing it.

http://img10.imageshack.us/img10/6781/shoreditchboxeast.jpg (http://img10.imageshack.us/my.php?image=shoreditchboxeast.jpg)

The outside illustrating the enclosed elevated station

http://img10.imageshack.us/img10/546/shoreditchboxoutside.jpg (http://img10.imageshack.us/my.php?image=shoreditchboxoutside.jpg)

The bridge that connects Shoreditch station and the old East London Line further on, with the old Broad Street viaduct pictured in previous images

http://img10.imageshack.us/img10/364/bowstringbridge.jpg (http://img10.imageshack.us/my.php?image=bowstringbridge.jpg)

Whitechapel Station - New access stairway at the end of the ELLE platforms. Whitechapel currently also serves the Hammersmith & City and District lines. In 2017 it will also serve the Crossrail line.

http://img7.imageshack.us/img7/5963/whitechapel3.jpg (http://img7.imageshack.us/my.php?image=whitechapel3.jpg)

http://img7.imageshack.us/img7/1121/whitechapel4.jpg (http://img7.imageshack.us/my.php?image=whitechapel4.jpg)

http://img7.imageshack.us/img7/8527/whitechapel2.jpg (http://img7.imageshack.us/my.php?image=whitechapel2.jpg)

http://img7.imageshack.us/img7/3825/whitechapel1.jpg (http://img7.imageshack.us/my.php?image=whitechapel1.jpg)

New Cross - South of the Thames, the ELLE will take over local stations to West Croydon ensuring that other train services can provide express services to Central London. This image illustrates a fly-over in New Cross to ensure that services don't conflict.

http://img6.imageshack.us/img6/5774/newcross.jpg (http://img6.imageshack.us/my.php?image=newcross.jpg)




London Bridge Tower

Mace (master contractor) and Stent (piling contractor) are now on site. Full steam ahead, pictures taken by jimbo at SSC!

A few notes:
- The station is still in use despite the work going on around
- Parts of the original brick vaults that support the station are clearly visible - these go back to its opening in 1836 (173 years ago!). Technically this is the oldest terminus in use on the planet, and also the oldest elevated railway as the brick viaducts stretch for several miles through south-east London
- Once London Bridge Tower is finished, work can progress on the complete re-build of the station itself (LBT works will see a new concourse) as Mace move on to complete that


http://img366.imageshack.us/img366/4098/img2589.jpg

http://img517.imageshack.us/img517/5616/img2588.jpg

http://img72.imageshack.us/img72/9853/img2591.jpg

http://img147.imageshack.us/img147/1893/img2587.jpg




55 Baker Street

Located in London's West End this 60's refurbishment job by MAKE (the architecture firm headed by Ken Shuttleworth who was part of the brains behind most of the works labelled under Foster) of the old Marks & Spencer HQ is now finished. Pictures taken by fitz44 at SSC.

http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa278/fit3xl/140309092.jpg

http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa278/fit3xl/140309080.jpg

http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa278/fit3xl/140309089.jpg

http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa278/fit3xl/140309087.jpg

http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa278/fit3xl/140309071.jpg

http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa278/fit3xl/140309076.jpg




1 New Change

Shopping and office complex designed by Jean Nouvel - next door to St Paul's Cathedral is now fully u/c. This is low-rise - 8 storeys due to the close nature to St Paul's. The first pic still shows that despite the recession, construction continues apace in the City. Pic from above St Pauls by lath75, others taken by jimbo over at SSC.

http://img99.imageshack.us/img99/8792/sta70239.jpg

http://img7.imageshack.us/img7/6314/img2571q.jpg

http://img11.imageshack.us/img11/7051/img2573.jpg

http://img25.imageshack.us/img25/1158/img2574y.jpg

http://img10.imageshack.us/img10/914/img2575m.jpg




Riverside South

Work on Richard Roger's two towers (236m + 189m) on the bank of the Thames gathers pace. JP Morgan are looking to occupy this in 2013. Aerial picture from skyscrapernews.com. Site plan and covered walkway pics uploaded by london lad (the Jubilee line is visible running under the site and explains the 'concrete bunker' to the right of the site)

http://www.skyscrapernews.com/images/pics/2031RiversideSouthConstructionUpdate_pic1.jpg

http://i44.tinypic.com/300a0kw.jpg

http://i33.tinypic.com/29ly9zo.jpg

http://i36.tinypic.com/2yxhy60.jpg

http://i35.tinypic.com/155jpxj.jpg

http://i38.tinypic.com/2hgr4ty.jpg

http://i35.tinypic.com/1zm11rr.jpg




Imperial Wharf Station

A long delayed station on the West London Line. Pictures by irstan74 on SSC.

http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u90/sirstan74/DSC_0061.jpg

http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u90/sirstan74/DSC_0062.jpg




Pan Peninsula Towers

Now externally complete, the finishing touches to the lighting scheme is going ahead. Pictures taken by wawd

http://r.foxtons.co.uk/1235494820/nwca0280209_large-6.jpg

http://r.foxtons.co.uk/1235574135/nwca0280209_large-1.jpg

http://r.foxtons.co.uk/1235574136/nwca0280209_large-3.jpg

http://r.foxtons.co.uk/1235574136/nwca0280209_large-5.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3627/3319289385_87e8b6b225_b.jpg

And a night image taken by [c]chest[/b] - the green laser represents the Greenwich Meridian from the Royal Observatory
http://homepage.mac.com/benveasey/.Public/P1100050.JPG




100 Middlesex Street

105m tall tower on the City fringe. Pics taken by Comdot from the local neighbourhood.

http://www.nickgrayson.net/ssc/7%20march%202009%20london/100%20middlesex%20street/IMG_7568.jpg

http://www.nickgrayson.net/ssc/7%20march%202009%20london/100%20middlesex%20street/IMG_7569.jpg

http://www.nickgrayson.net/ssc/7%20march%202009%20london/100%20middlesex%20street/IMG_7582.jpg

http://www.nickgrayson.net/ssc/7%20march%202009%20london/100%20middlesex%20street/IMG_7570.jpg




Bezier Apartments

Pics taken by GazKinz at SSC of the Bezier Apartment towers at Old Street. The area is a tip, pretty much re-built after the Blitz. Locals don't like towers and use the argument that it has a 'village atmosphere'...village of concrete crap more like. These aren't too tall, but both look like giant eggs.

http://i527.photobucket.com/albums/cc360/londonfire/Picture139_535.jpg

http://i527.photobucket.com/albums/cc360/londonfire/Picture139_537.jpg

http://i527.photobucket.com/albums/cc360/londonfire/Picture139_538.jpg




Bishopsgate Tower - The Pinnacle

Amazing pictures taken by jimbo (SSC) of the Pinnacle site - piling work continues. The 288m tower will rise in the foreground. The 225m Richard Rogers Leadenhall Tower will rise immediately behind facing the wonderful Lloyds of London - a view that you won't see for long! Behing that is Fosters' Willis Building. The Gherkin is off to the background left

http://img5.imageshack.us/img5/1646/img2585srt.jpg

http://img205.imageshack.us/img205/1450/img2586.jpg

As posted by london lad over at SSC, Arab Investments have revised (and gained approval) to add balconies to the top 15 floors of the tower.

http://i44.tinypic.com/wvx3s0.jpg




Strata Tower - The Shaver

At 147m tall, this curved black and white shaver-like tower continues to grow in the Elephant & Castle area. Hopefully this is the catalyst to spur on the massive regeneration project for the local area which is much needed. Pictures taken by SSC forumer fitz44.

http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa278/fit3xl/140309038.jpg

http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa278/fit3xl/140309031.jpg

http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa278/fit3xl/140309040.jpg

http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa278/fit3xl/140309044.jpg

http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa278/fit3xl/140309049.jpg

http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa278/fit3xl/140309057.jpg

http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa278/fit3xl/140309058.jpg

http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa278/fit3xl/140309063.jpg

http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa278/fit3xl/140309056.jpg




Thameslink Programme

Thameslink is a massive multi-£bn project to create a 24tph central corridor line that connects commuter settlements to the north and the south. Due to the complexity of the project (it could be argued more so than Crossrail due to the immense station rebuilds required), it has been divided into three Key Outputs as to not conflict with other transport projects and the 2012 Olympics.

Key Output 0 - Going live on the 22nd March will see additonal services running through the central corridor providing 15tph.

Key Output 1 - The main product from this scheme will be to enable 12-carriage trains to run across the majority of the network, which also includes the complete re-building of Farringdon and Blackfriars

Key Output 2 - The final phase will see London Bridge station completely rebuilt in tandem with the final construction on the London Bridge Tower, and the finalisation of the 1,100 new carriage order supplied. The peak capacity of the Central London route will be 24tph.

The map of the Thameslink network at Key Output 0 is below. Map and picture by mackenzieblu (flickr.com)

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3445/3353250047_0d5de77a21_b.jpg

The rebuilding of Blackfriars - note the new entrance to help during the rebuilding (the Underground station below ground will be closed to help construction) - also of note is that the gap in the background is where Thameslink crosses the Thames - the new station will span the entire length of the river.

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The below map is from Joe Brown's London Railway Atlas illustrating the railways around St Paul's and the Thameslink line which runs north to south.

Its an excellent book, now on its second edition (London's railways don't stop changing), if you're a rail nut and want an atlas on all of the railways in London, pre-order it now! http://www.amazon.co.uk/London-Railway-Atlas-Joe-Brown/dp/0711033978/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1237151260&sr=1-4

http://img13.imageshack.us/img13/4945/thameslink.png (http://img13.imageshack.us/my.php?image=thameslink.png)


Of interest to New Yorkers may be the connection that Thameslink (currently offered - but frequencies will improve) has: connecting London Luton Airport (north) and London Gatwick Airport (south). A similar idea could be implemented for Newark - JFK with a wee bit of engineering work.




Eagle House

Rising slowly, this is a tower in Hackney to the north of the Square Mile. First picture taken by fitz44 and others by Comdot

http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa278/fit3xl/270209001.jpg

http://www.nickgrayson.net/ssc/7%20march%202009%20london/eagle%20house%20hackney/IMG_7532.jpg

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Battersea Reach Tower

Smallish tower (59m) on the Thames in the London Borough of Wandsworth - this is pretty much finished now.

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Broadgate Tower & 201 Bishopsgate

This is now a completed project, with tenants moving in. Pictures taken by DarJoLe over at SSC. This is an excellent addition to the Broadgate complex, and creates a new avenue up into Shoreditch (below the site are the approach tracks into London Liverpool Street station).

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Britain's Biggest Bus Garage

On a massive site in East London, close to West Ham station, and south of the Olympic park a vast new bus garage is being built. With a capacity for 300 buses, and 650 drivers, the building resembles the barrel-vaulted Victorian train stations or a time gone by. The modern adaptation however is to cover the entire roof with grass, and incorporate a biomass generator and wind turbines to create a depot with probably the greenest credentials.

Picture from londonreconnections.blogspot.com

http://img7.imageshack.us/img7/4154/depotroofz.jpg (http://img7.imageshack.us/my.php?image=depotroofz.jpg)




London - Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger

David Hubert has compiled an amazing video of some 3,000+ photos taken in London.... definately worth a glance.

http://vimeo.com/2169237




St Botolphs' House

Prior to the Credit Crunch, there was an excellent slender tower named Minerva planned for this site. However the developers were ignorant in seeking a single tenant, rather than tapping into the multi-tenant market which is the driver for most towers rising in Central London. The result is a rather fat sulking blob of a groundscraper. Pics taken by Comdot at SSC.

http://www.nickgrayson.net/ssc/7%20march%202009%20london/saint%20boloph%27s%20house/IMG_7592.jpg

http://www.nickgrayson.net/ssc/7%20march%202009%20london/saint%20boloph%27s%20house/IMG_7591.jpg

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100 George Street - Chroma

A mid-rise for Croydon is now u/c. Images sourced by csk at SSC.

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Arundel Great Court

Various group of low-rises (no taller than 14 storeys) filling a block from the Thames up to the Strand. According to london lad at SSC, the scheme is split into two - with what looks like the higher quality development being designed by Wilkinson Eyre (no guessing which one that is below), with Horden Cherry Lee doing the rest. Pics sourced also by london lad.

This plan went to planning, but was turned down because of the bulk, height and design of the lessor-known architect's part.

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Future Circle Line

On the present tube map, the Circle Line is represented as a yellow circle, but there are several issues with he service which impact its performance. To overcome this issue, the Circle line will be re-worked to run from Hammersmith, go around the present Circle line route, but terminate at Edgware Road instead of continuing to go around and around.

The situation should ensure that the service is more efficient, although it could become a bit confusing for those at Edgware Road, where you could get four Circle Line trains in the station at the same time (a similar issue as found at Earl's Court where all the district line spurs converge).

Mackenzie Blu on his flickr account has drafted a tube map (minus National Rail and DLR lines) illustrating the change.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3360/3331463606_c7946fb4d5_b.jpg




Merchant Square

Paddington Basin has had a few projects on the go for a while. Conveniently located next door to London Paddington station (terminus for the Heathrow Express meaning Heathrow is only 15minutes away non-stop), so good for commuters, but also pleasant because of the regenerated Paddington Basin which dominates the locality. When all the projects are finished this will be a really lively and vibrant quarter.

That and it has the coolest bridge ever....

Pics taken by fitz44 in February.

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Watermark Place

Right on the Thames in the Square Mile is this mixed bag of architecture - glass, steel and wood. First four pictures taken by chest via a river boat, later pictures taken by Nihil Dicit, the last of which gives a good view with pretty much the only remains of the original London Cannon Street Station (the rest is under an office development.

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One Hyde Park - Most Expensive Apartments on the Planet

Work on the world's most expensive apartments continues apace. SSC forum member henry managed to get a few shot of this development which looks on to Knightsbridge on one side, and Hyde Park on the other.

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DLR Updates

South Quay Station - Work progresses on the new South Quay DLR station. Picture by sirstan74

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Tower Gateway Station - Now re-opened, this former two platform terminus station has been re-built to allow for passengers to board from both sides, which will allow for an increase in capacity on the line. Pictures by bowroaduk from flickr. Note the sea of portacabins on the back!

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Stratford International Extension -
Pictures taken by kpmarek on flickr.

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7 More London

Next door to the Greater London Authority Building (aka the Testical) is this low-rise with an interesting atrium. Pics by Nihil Dicit.

http://www.7morelondon.com/albums/feb09/photo5.jpg

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Pioneer Point

Out in Ilford (London Outer Borough's) is another 100m+ tower - this has been stop starting for the last few years, but despite the current climate is actually now in full flow. Pictures from SSC by PFarrey

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St Giles Court

Located in London's West End close to the junction of Tottenham Court Road and Oxford Street - a multi-mid-rise tower development. The wacky coloured Renzo Piano cladding makes its appearence! Photos taken by fitz44 at SSC.

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London Overground

Here is an interesting map of the London Overground services, including the East London Line Extension, but not including Phase II of the ELLE which should be built by 2011. Phase II would leave Surrey Quay to the bottom of the map and link Clapham Junction on the right spur, effectively creating a complete orbital service bypassing Central London.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/c/ce/London_Overground_as_a_circle_2007-2010.svg/600px-London_Overground_as_a_circle_2007-2010.svg.png




Heron Tower

Pictures by ghost101 of the 246m tower that is rising very quickly - this is just visible from certain angles on the relatively low-rise city skyline.


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The Wallbrook

Picture taken by Nihil Dicit shows this low-rise in its curvy glory.

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Street level pictures taken by fitz44

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Wenlock Street Development

Interesting colours for this development to the north of the Square Mile! Pics by fitz44.

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Lots Road Towers + Power Station

Lots Road Power Station used to power the London Underground system. When the system was connected up to the National Grid in 2002 it's requirement was no longer needed. The plans are pretty similar to that for the Battersea Power Station with several mixed uses, but this development will include two towers. Permission was granted back in 2006, but construction won't occur until the site is fully de-industrialised from any possible harmful substances. The developers are aiming for a 2013 opening. (first two)Pictures from london lad and fitz44.

London definately has a fascination with converting its dis-used power plants:
Bankside Power Station - Tate Modern Modern Art Gallery
Battersea Power Station - Multi-use development (awaiting approval)
Lots Road Power Station - demolition/de-industrialisation

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The Stonebridge Centre

Lowrise development in north west London. Pics taken by fitz44

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fitz44 also managed to get a few shots of the modern take on a pair of town houses.

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And now to start on project updates, proposed and approved!

[Alonzo-ny]

So much great stuff going on in London still. There is so much variety and visual stimulation in that one post that it blows NY away.

[MidtownGuy]

I know...it's incredible...and confusing; it looks as if the worldwide economic crisis hasn't even touched London, and yet I've been told that it has indeed. It's like a construction orgy over there.

[Derek2k3]

I think half of it is placing all of a city's projects in one thread. The total space of those previously posted projects couldn't even add up to the WTC.

The quality of the architecture (and the photos) are very refreshing though, puts most of our current projects to shame.

[Alonzo-ny]

You cant compare it by the size of the floor space as its pretty irrelevant. There are tons of buildings in the last post, if you completed a similar compilation for NY it would be filled with Costas and Kaufman.

[ablarc]

This stuff all seems so soulless.

There's lots of it, but none of it seems much good.

[Derek2k3]

You cant compare it by the size of the floor space as its pretty irrelevant. There are tons of buildings in the last post, if you completed a similar compilation for NY it would be filled with Costas and Kaufman.

Wasn't talking about quality, I was just responding to MG's comment on how it seems so much is being constructed. Didn't I already say these projects puts the average NY building to shame.

[Alonzo-ny]

This stuff all seems so soulless.

There's lots of it, but none of it seems much good.

Id say some seems that way but not the majority. If you think all of it is then you probably dont like many buildings at all.

It seems to me developers in London use alot more quality materials and a variety of materials. Not alot of it seems cheap. There is experimentation going on whether the result is good or bad, and that is good.

[londonlawyer]

So much great stuff going on in London still. There is so much variety and visual stimulation in that one post that blows NY away.

I respectfully disagree with your esteemed opinion, mate.

While I love London and prefer it to NY, NY has much taller projects by world-reknowned architetcs. In five to ten years, NY will have the Torre Verre, 56 Leonard, the Foster tower at the WTC, Gehry's Beekman Place and an aproximately 1,000 foot tower by de Portzamparc on 57th Street. Moreover, I guarantee that something amazing will rise at The Drake site.

Other than the Shard (which is stunning), London has no 1,000 foot towers rising or about to rise. Moreover, the Pinnacle is nice, but its shape is no better than BofA in my view.

In addition, NY has scores of mid-rise buildings (like Willis) being built in Chelsea and near Astor place by world-famouse architects.

[Alonzo-ny]

In the high rise department it is no contest of course, clear NY win. I just think the general bar is higher in London. No crappy Kaufmans in London. Even if the architecture isnt the best the quality materials and ambition are there. London is host to many world famous architects on a regular basis. All the ones who have just arrived in NY (foster, rogers, nouvel, libeskind, herzog and de meuron, zaha hadid etc) have buildings in London and in some cases multiple projects.

[londonlawyer]

Once again, I respectfully disagree. There are crappy little hotels that have risen in recent years in London that are simple brick boxes. Kaufman is the exception -- not the rule -- in NY.


Not to mention, much of what's rising in the Wharf are boxes that are Kondylis-esque.


P.S.: As a fellow ornithologist, you will surely agree with me that London birds with curvacious bums beat the annoying, anorexic Long Island princesses anyday!

[Alonzo-ny]

You've got that right! Paris has some stunning birds also, I dont think you can lose between the two.

[nick-taylor]

I personally couldn't care whether there are more and/or taller projects. Quality is the key.


Anyway - a little project that I have been working on - mapping the heavy railways of London. Taken quite some time, looking to do Tokyo next.


http://img18.imageshack.us/img18/983/londonmap1a.jpg (http://img18.imageshack.us/my.php?image=londonmap1a.jpg)

[londonlawyer]

You've got that right! Paris has some stunning birds also, I dont think you can lose between the two.

I like Parisian women too, but they tend to be too thin. I like curvacious English and German women!

[nick-taylor]

Chancery Lane will be free of traffic in City's bid for beauty
http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23666600-details/Chancery+Lane+will+be+free+of+traffic+in+City%27s+ bid+for+beauty/article.do?expand=true#StartComments

Ruth Bloomfield
25.03.09

CHANCERY LANE is gearing up to become a pedestrian precinct.

Under proposals from the Corporation of London to make the City more pleasant for pedestrians, the street - home of the Law Society, the Public Record Office, the Royal Courts of Justice and parts of King's College London - could be closed to cars and vans.

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Consultation on the idea began this month and will continue until 17April. If approved, works could begin this year.

A report on the plans explains that the aim is to create a "high quality streetscape that makes the area more pleasant and easy to use for workers, residents and visitors to the area".

The plan aims to encourage cycling, reduce traffic and give pedestrians more space to walk.

The report added: "Streets in the area are particularly busy during business hours - especially at the lunchtime peak. The area's popularity generates high footfall. This, combined with narrow footpaths, forces many pedestrians onto the road which means the area's vitality and vibrancy is compromised as pedestrians compete for space."

Traders and local businesses welcomed the scheme and said it would help create a "village atmosphere".

Helen Yates, 47, who works for a legal publisher in Chancery Lane, said: "The traffic-free days were excellent. There was a real village feel with people strolling around and I think most people who work around here would support the plans."

Teddy Shattock, 65, managing director of Aldridge jewellers in Chancery Lane, said: "We need to do all we can to create a more pleasant environment for pedestrians."

But junior barrister Sebastian Winnett, 25, said: "It could interfere with getting a taxi. Lawyers are often in a hurry to get to chambers or court, but overall I think most would be in favour especially if they're going to create a new public square."

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The City proposes a pedestrianised zone between the junctions of Chancery Lane and Southampton Buildings, and Chancery Lane and Carey Street. Only emergency vehicles will be allowed into the zone.

It is considering two options - a 24-hour closure, or a timed closure, allowing the central section of Chancery Lane to open to traffic at certain times of day. The report said: "This will create a more pleasant street environment for pedestrians and cyclists and facilitate more vibrant commercial activity in the area."

As well as banning traffic the City would like to widen the pavement at Southampton Buildings and plant trees to improve the environment. It would create a new public open space north of Chancery House on the site where the Knights Templar - who created Chancery Lane in the 12th century - established their first Preceptory Chapel. The City also proposes to close part of Cursitor Street and Breams Buildings, adding new trees and cycle parking facilities. Northbound traffic would have to use Fetter Lane, Kingsway or Carey Street.

An exhibition of the proposals is being held at 48 Chancery Lane until Friday 17 April and officers will be available to answer any queries on Tuesdays between midday and 2pm and on Thursdays between 4pm and 6pm.

Article sourced by DarJoLe at SSC.




1 Blackfiars Road (163m) + 20 Blackfriars Road (133m and 98m)

These towers on the south bank were approved through PI today. Images sourced from www.skyscrapernews.com (http://www.skyscrapernews.com)

1 Blackfriars Road
http://www.skyscrapernews.com/images/pics/1524BeethamLondon_pic2.jpg

20 Blackfriars Road
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Ormond Street goes green with £320mn extension
http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23666689-details/Ormond+Street+goes+green+with+320million+extension/article.do
Anna Davis, 25.3.09

THIS is the new £321 million eco-extension to Great Ormond Street Hospital.

Work began this week on the first phase of a major redevelopment of the famous children's hospital, which will expand its capacity by 20 per cent.

http://i.thisislondon.co.uk/i/pix/2009/03/ormond-st-415x699.jpg

The two glass buildings are thought to be the most environmentally sound hospital buildings in the UK. They will house new wards where parents can stay alongside their children, as well as operating theatres, imaging facilities, an office and a staff and family restaurant.

The 30,000sqm Mittal Children's Medical Centre is named in honour of Aditya Mittal and his wife Megha.

Mr Mittal is the son of steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal. The couple have donated £15 million to the project.

The centre, designed by Llewelyn Davies Yeang architects, will be carbon-neutral.

The first phase comprises an eight-storey block and will include a new cardiac unit, theatres, and renal and neurological units. This part of the site will be named in honour of investment bank Morgan Stanley, which has pledged £10 million towards the project. It is due to be completed in 2012.

http://www.skyscrapernews.com/images/pics/5490GreatOrmondStreetPhase2Redevelopment_pic1.jpg

Its energy-saving technologies include sensor taps and water-efficient toilets and showers.

It will be fitted with two cooling power units. It is hoped they will lower hospital emissions by 60 per cent.

The second phase of the scheme, due to be complete in 2016, involves the refurbishment of the cardiac wing in the Southwood building.

Dr Jane Collins, the chief executive of GOSH, said today: "The Southwood building is one of the oldest buildings in London being used for patient care.

"Inconvenient, cramped and outdated wards with little space to accommodate modern equipment will be replaced with new facilities where parents can sleep alongside their child in comfort." The Government has contributed £75 million towards the redevelopment.

Article sourced by DarJoLe. Second image from www.skyscrapernews.com (http://www.skyscrapernews.com)




Bow Enterprise Park Development

Located in Tower Hamlets, not to big. Images from london lad

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250 City Road

Information and renders sourced by london lad at SSC shows a new development in Islington that while not too tall, creates a new square for London, appears to incorporate various different types of cladding and is a vast improvement to the present low-density business centre that is on the location at present.

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Heron Quays West, 198m, 147m, 95m

These renders sourced by london lad at SSC. These are watered down Richard Roger towers. Yet if there is one thing to understand of Canary Wharf, it is that while the skyscraper designs aren't pushing envelopes, the true highlights are in the public spaces, ie the docks, the tube station, the DLR station, and the future Crossrail station.

CGI fly-through of the towers: http://foundationcgi.com/#/work-in-progress/

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Project Three Houses - 250m, 200m, 100m

Three triangular blades for a site very close to the Shard/LBT site. The architects are Herzog & de Meuron. Image sourced by

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Eileen House, 143m

First render sourced by skyscrapernews.com of a new 143m tower for Elephant & Castle (close to the Shaver Blade tower). All other renders sourced by london lad at SSc.

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Crossrail

And so it begins. Unfortunately there are casualties in this massive project - these Victorian era buildings will be taken down to allow for a new access for the Tube and Crossrail platforms.

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Britain to have fastest train service in the world within 12 years
The Times, March 23, 2009, Ben Webster, Transport Correspondent
http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/transport/article5955710.ece

The fastest, most frequent train service in the world could run between London and the North within 12 years, according to the chairman of the government-owned company planning the high-speed link.

Double-deck trains travelling at 225mph (360km/h) and carrying up to 800 passengers would depart every four minutes, cutting the journey time from London to Birmingham to 30 minutes and from London to Manchester to just over an hour. Passengers may, however, have to travel to the suburbs of London to catch the trains because the terminus could be built up to five miles from the centre to reduce the cost of the line.

Sir David Rowlands, the chairman of High Speed Two, which is preparing detailed plans for a new North-South line, said that the preferred option was for four tracks to double the capacity of the route.

No high-speed line anywhere in the world has more than two tracks but Sir David said that Britain needed to plan ahead for continuing rail growth over several decades. In his first interview since being appointed in January, Sir David said: “We are looking at four tracks because two tracks could quickly be filled. It is much cheaper to safeguard the land at the start rather than having to go back in another 20 years and build another two tracks.”

He said that the initial high-speed trunk line from London to the West Midlands would open soon after 2020 and later be extended with branches to the North East and North West, eventually running to Glasgow and Edinburgh. Britain would copy the French strategy of building a high-speed network gradually.

A site near Wormwood Scrubs in West London is being considered as a giant rail hub where passengers would switch from the high-speed line to Crossrail, the mainline railway being built under Central London to link tracks to the East and West.

The hub, at Old Oak Common rail depot, would also connect with the Heathrow Express and the Great Western Main Line.

Sir David, a former Permanent Secretary at the Department for Transport, said that the line would allow tens of thousands of homes for long-distance commuters to be built between London and Birmingham. Commuters would travel to work on the existing West Coast Main Line.

Most of the 225mph trains would run non-stop to Birmingham, Manchester or Leeds, but some could stop at a new parkway station 50 miles north of London.

Sir David admitted that there would be opposition to cutting through the Chilterns Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. He said that a new line would not remove the need for more airport capacity because most switching from other transport would come from cars. Asked whether he believed that a future government would finance the line, he said: “It’s a huge challenge but I believe it will eventually happen because the railway is full.”

Map produced by the dailymail.co.uk
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2009/03/23/article-1164099-040D8912000005DC-176_468x569.jpg




2012 London Olympics

Lots of work continues on the site, the first batch of pictures is of a new bridge that spans the u/c DLR Stratford International Extension. The lines in the trench are part of HSR - connecting London St Pancras to Paris Gare du Nord. The bridge will create another route from those moving between old Stratford, Stratford City, and the Olympic Park. Images from darrenjle15 at flickr.

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Pictures taken in March by darrenjle15 at flickr of the Olympic Stadium

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Pictures of the Olympic Stadium and Aquatic Centre taken by David Poultney - on darrenjle15 flickr page.

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A New Statue for London

This is a new statue of the Queen's Mother in front of her husband (Queen Elizabeth II inherited the crown from him) down on the Mall. Images from darrenjle15 at flickr.

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Barking Central

Barking is located in an Outer London borough and is undergoing a large renovation project with several small, but colourful towers. Pics by Ciudad Bristol

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Hackney New-build

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Bear Lane Development

Wadi Dhar (Yemen) comes to the South Bank.

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St Martins-in-the-Field

The rejuvinated St Martins-in-the-Fields - now cleaned and refurbished with a new glass access and excellent crypt. Images from darrenjle15 at flickr. St Martins-in-the-Fields is located on the edge of Trafalgar Square.

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Riverside South, 236m, 189m

Very large hole being excavated for the Riverside South towers at Canary Wharf. Pictures taken by Nihil Dicit. More a mine than site excavation - but gives an indication to the scale of the towers.

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100 Middlesex Street

Photo update by wawd

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Battersea Power Station Gas Holders Development

London lad has sourced from Wandsworth Borough planning documents, a multi-tower scheme by MAKE (tallest tower is 30 storeys). The expanse to the left is the mainline leading to London Victoria, the power station is Battersea Power Station, while behind both is the Thames.

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Heron Tower, 246m

Model picture by DarJoLe, construction pictures taken by Nihil Dicit

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Greenwich Peninsula

This is a massive project, essentially taking a vast industrial wasteland and creating a new high-density (but no buildings of significant height) hub concentrated around the 02 Arena and North Greenwich Station.

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Pics by wawd

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London Bridge Tower, 310m

Pictures taken by LiamF1

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[Veermer]

Great!

It seems like the crisis don´t beats London. Congratulations for all of this projets and works. (And sorry for my english :))

[mtj73]

That's a monster update, thanks. I agree, quality projects are the key and London has no shortage of them.

Don't know if this has been asked further down the thread but are there many recession victims (projects not people) in London? I am not concerned too much proposed projects that have been delayed but any under construction that have stopped are slowed to crawl?

Great to Crossrail finally on the go, we should see some activity on the new Canary wharf station soon, hopefully.

[nick-taylor]

That's a monster update, thanks. I agree, quality projects are the key and London has no shortage of them.

Don't know if this has been asked further down the thread but are there many recession victims (projects not people) in London? I am not concerned too much proposed projects that have been delayed but any under construction that have stopped are slowed to crawl?

Great to Crossrail finally on the go, we should see some activity on the new Canary wharf station soon, hopefully.There have been victims, with construction jobs lost, lower office uptake, and until last month declines in property values. Interestingly mortgage approvals have been up over the last three months - possibly indicating that the UK property market has touched or is close to the bottom of the trough.

The big property projects like the Shard (in order of tallest built & u/c in London - 1st), the Pinnacle (2nd), Heron (3rd), Riverside South (5th) are all steamrolling ahead - the 2012 Olympics being a deadline. You also of course have the massive transport and cultural works that have begun and will soon kick off, eg Crossrail, Thameslink, East London Line Extension, Heathrow East, 2012 Olympic Venues, British Museum Extension, Tate Modern Extension, etc...

There are some 25 towers over 150m+ that are either u/c, approved or proposed that will most likely be built by 2020 (and then that excludes the multitude of future unknown towers expected as London powers on). Prior to 2000, there were only 2 x 150m towers.

Most projects that aren't in full speed ahead construction mode are either seeing gradual work done on site or works are postponed until 2010, eg 122 Leadenhall. You do of course have several 100m residential developments that have stalled, eg Eagle House which has seen four floors built but not much else - but even these I expect will begin to rise in the next 2-3 years.

There are several attractions as to why London is able to pull off all these projects:
- Unlike most other cities - supply didn't meet demand in the good times, and still doesn't even in the bad times
- Construction costs (and materials) have fallen off a cliff (although that is pretty much similar across the globe)
- The £ is making London an exceptionally attractive place to invest, hence why the Arabs and Russians are pumping funds in, with the Chinese and Japanese following suit
- London 2012 is creating an extra stimulus for hotels, housing, stadia, and new infrastructure to connect them all
- The UK government is pumping significant sums of money into initiatives to help employment, eg Crossrail and ensure that the UK and London are in a position to seize the world once the global economy picks up.

Due to London's nature of being intrinsically more connected to the outlook of the global economy than that of the UK or Europe's (in contrast to say New York which is more reliant on the US), I think London will respond far quicker in the up turn than other world cities. That will in turn ensure that further developments are announced or present ones are not held back for longer.

And indeed, thank god for Crossrail! This is the biggest project in Europe at the moment. Crossrail is the purple line running right to left in the below map.

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Just need to get started on Crossrail 2 (bottom left to top right via London Victoria and London King's Cross & St Pancras), and then Crossrail 3 (via London Euston and London Waterloo), and a few other Crossrail lines to complete the package - I have always enivisioned several lines....
Thameslink - London St Pancras - London Bridge (massive expansion of the system to cope with 12-carriage 24tph services)
Crossrail 1 - London Paddington - London Liverpool Street (u/c)
Crossrail 2 - London King's Cross - London Victoria (route safeguarded - possible construction starting in 2010 once the East London Line Extension is opened)
Crossrail 3 - London Euston - London Waterloo (planning stage)
Crossrail 4 - London Liverpool Street - London Waterloo
Crossrail 5 - London Marylebone - London Fenchurch Street
Crossrail 6 - Loop Line around Central London with lines entering from London Bridge
Crossrail 7 - Loop Line around Central London with lines entering from London Victoria....

It will happen one day!




New White Hart Lane, 58,237 - Proposed

Tottenham Hotspurs (or Spurs for short) have officially announced their plans for rebuilding their stadium in North London. It will be built on the current stadium site, with an all-seated capacity of 58,237 spread across four tiers.

Spurs have a large fan base, but have in recent seasons been under performing, and while construction costs have fallen, financing is a big hurdle to be crossed.

Another issue that the owners face is that unlike their bitter rivals Arsenal who built the 60,000 Emirates Stadium a few years ago - White Hart Lane lacks the numerous train lines to allow fans to easily leave the stadium and surrounding area. There are four (three of which are tube) stations surrounding the Emirates, compared to two (none are tube) stations for White Hart Lane.

Also like the Emirates, White Hart Lane is located in an urban area and parking is not a serious consideration, unlike most North American stadia. The great bonus of this is that the communities are tight-knit and create an eccentric neighbourhood atmopshere absent in the US and Canada.

Being so close to the community also means that the new stadium will incorporate new facilites for the community including a new public square, new housing, a hotel, a museum, and shops.

The new White Hart Lane would become London's fifth largest stadium (Wembley: 90,000, Twickenham: 82,000, 2012 Stadium: 80,000, Emirates: 60,000), but it could be London's 7th largest stadium if West Ham (60,000) and Chelsea (60,000) manage to officially announce, finance and build their stadiums.

Pictures sourced by Jim B at SSC.

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Wimbledon Centre Court, Retractable Roof

Work is coming to a close on an expanded Centre Court (15,000 capacity) with a new retractable roof.

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London 2012

Aquatic Centre. Pictures taken by Manuel at SSC.

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Olympic Stadium. Pictures taken by Manuel at SSC.

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And MartinLeRoy from SSC has created some amazing renders of the Olympic stadium. It is planned that the 'wrap' will be a giant digital canvass that ensures that those not inside the stadium or in front of a TV can view the games. The London 2012 games will be about being as inclusive as possible to all people - a contrast and defining difference to the Beijing Olympics.

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Rogers' British Museum extension plans revealed
1 April, 2009, Richard Waite
http://www.architectsjournal.co.uk/news/daily-news/rogers-british-museum-extension-plans-revealed/1996333.article

Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners (RSHP) has revealed its long-awaited design for the £135 million extension to the British Museum in London

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The 17,000m2 project, facing Montagu Place in the north-west corner of the museum site, will house conservation laboratories, a logistics hub for moving collections and storage areas spread over seven levels – three below ground.

The only part of the new ‘five pavilion’ scheme open to the public will be a 1,000m2 special exhibition space, which will replace the Reading Room as the home for temporary shows.

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Due to be submitted to Camden Council for planning later this month, the scheme is the largest development of the museum complex since Foster + Partners’ reworking of the Great Court in 2000. It will sit next to the Grade I-listed King Edward VII galleries, designed by JJ Burnet and completed in 1914.

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It has taken nearly two years since RSHP first won the project in May 2007, ahead of the likes of David Chipperfield and Stanton Williams, for the final designs to emerge.

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Following discussions with CABE, English Heritage and local conservation groups, an original heavily glazed proposal made way for a more ‘restrained’ cast glass and stone facade over a ‘delicate’ steel frame.

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Project architect Graham Stirk said: ‘The plan form had always been a series of Kahn-esque staggered pavilions, but the language has evolved. Initially we had very consistent columns with a series of suspended volumes under big curved soffits.

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‘But people got worked up by the amount of glazing and the special exhibition team wanted a [closed] black box that could house lighting rigs.’

Stirk said the scheme now balanced ‘monumentality with transparency and delicacy’.

He added: ‘The designs have a sense of solidity, but with the cast glass you’ll see the activity inside, with glimpses into a private world with people in white coats working on collections. It is working in a quiet way… but at night it will be amazingly vibrant.’

The building, which will use modular off-site construction, is expected to open in late 2012.




Tate Modern Extension - Approved

The world's largest modern art museum has just got larger - the Tate Modern has now been awarded planning permission for its large extension designed by Herzog & de Meuron (the original architects who converted the power station). The extension is anticipated to open by 2014, but if additional funding is sourced, it could be complete by 2012. Images from the Tate's website. Model images taken by DarJoLe at SSC.

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[mtj73]

Love that TFL map for 2025, could just about make out the legend, I know the crossriver and the west end tram plans have been binned by Boris, a few more on there I suspect will never see the light of day. 7 Crossrails, now that is pushing the boat out, confident about crossrail 1, thameslink and the overground extensions but not sure about the one with asterix next them, saying that 2025 is long way off.

We are seeing a real flurry of approved stamps coming through at the moment, Mirax-Beetham just a week os ago a good example. Not sure what to make of the Tate modern render, will have to see that in the flesh I think.

[nick-taylor]

Love that TFL map for 2025, could just about make out the legend, I know the crossriver and the west end tram plans have been binned by Boris, a few more on there I suspect will never see the light of day. 7 Crossrails, now that is pushing the boat out, confident about crossrail 1, thameslink and the overground extensions but not sure about the one with asterix next them, saying that 2025 is long way off.

We are seeing a real flurry of approved stamps coming through at the moment, Mirax-Beetham just a week os ago a good example. Not sure what to make of the Tate modern render, will have to see that in the flesh I think.So far Boris has axed: the Greenwich Waterfront Transit, West London Tram, Cross River Tram, DLR Extension to Dagenham Dock, East London Transit and the Croydon Tramlink Extensions. The issue is with Boris is that he is the typical short-term politician who lacks a vision - something Ken had, and a successor will hopefully have.

Yet while they have been binned, they will probably see the light of day in some form from 2012 onwards, either under a new mayor or because congestion becomes to bad that there is no other way to solve the issues that those neighbourhoods face. As you note - 2025 is a long time into the future.

Work on Crossrail Line 1 has just begun, while we have just entered Key Output 0 on the Thameslink programme an the East London Line Extensions are presently being built due for around 2010.

The route for Crossrail 2 is already protected: http://www.dft.gov.uk/consultations/archive/2007/consulchelhackney/pdfdraftdirectsafe.pdf

The only new lines that will be built in London this century (excluding extensions and line splits, eg Northern Line) will be Crossrail-like lines connecting National Rail metro services (what Thameslink and Crossrail do) to take the burden off of the 13 termini and those who then bundle onto the Tube.

Crossrail 1 is due by 2017. Crossrail 2 will probably follow in 2020, and I suspect that we will hear before the Olympics, detailed plans for Crossrail 3. The other plans will take longer, but variations of those routes will most likely be built this century.

More outlandish would be seperate tunnels under Central London connecting the airport express rail services together allowing for cross-city airport transfers.

[nick-taylor]

London 2012 Olympics Update


Pictures sourced from darrenjle15 @ Flickr. Pictures taken by Anthony Charlton

Olympic Stadium

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Aquatic Centre

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Velopark

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International Broadcasting Centre

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Olympic Village

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[nick-taylor]

Oxford Circus Tokyo-inspired crossing work starts
Filed 15/04/09 http://www.transportbriefing.co.uk/story.php?id=5798

Work begins this week on a £5m project to transform one of Britain's busiest pedestrian crossings to make it easier for shoppers to access London's West End.

Taking a lead from Tokyo's famous Shibuya crossing, existing barriers and street clutter around Oxford Circus will be removed and crossings remodelled in order to give pedestrians the freedom to move around quickly both straight ahead and diagonally across Regent Street and Oxford Street.

Redesigned road edges will double the amount of pavement and space around the exits to Oxford Circus Tube station will be freed up. As part of the scheme more than half a kilometre of Regent Street and Oxford Street are being updated with wider pavements and new lighting.

Main contractor for the work is West One while the new crossing designs have been drawn up by engineering consultant Atkins following discussions with Westminster City Council's transport department. The project team has utilised computer software adapted from technology used in blockbuster films, including Lord of the Rings and known as 'Fathom' and 'Legion', to model pedestrian movements.

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The revamped crossing is due to reopen in time for the Regent Street and Oxford Street Christmas lights to be switched on in November and forms a key part Westminster City Council's wider plans to renew the West End ahead of 2012. The Oxford Circus project is being funded with £2.5m from The Crown Estate, which owns the whole of Regent Street, and £2.85m from Transport for London, and is supported by the New West End Company which represents businesses in Bond Street, Oxford Street and Regent Street.

Atkins project manager, Chris Greenwood, said: "By using the latest 3D modelling techniques we were able effectively to put 5,000 people into the redesigned crossing area to see what would happen. The results we got indicated the design changes should have a massively beneficial effect. While this was a virtual simulation the software we're now using is so realistic we are totally confident the real world results will be just as good."

Cllr Danny Chalkley, Westminster City Council's cabinet member for environment and transport, added: "Taking our inspiration from the Far East makes perfect sense as the Japanese have perfected the art of managing large numbers of people through good design and engineering, and the West End, like Tokyo's Shibuya district, is a fashion and entertainment hub which attracts visitors in huge numbers.

"This new crossing, which will transform Oxford Circus and ensure visitors who emerge from the Tube are impressed by what greets them, is part of a whole series of improvements taking place to ensure the West End looks truly world class in time for 2012."

The designated pedestrian crossings on each of the four roads entering Oxford Circus will be enhanced by two diagonal crossings across the centre of the junction, which will link with each corner. Traffic lights will be rephased so that vehicles from all four directions will be stopped simultaneously for 30 seconds allowing people to walk safely across the junction diagonally. The complete traffic sequence will be 115-120 seconds.

As part of the work additional 'oases' will be created in nearby side roads Princes Street and Little Argyll Street, which will be part pedestrianised to allow for al fresco dining and possible street entertainment. For the duration of the works Princes Street will act as the main support depot for construction.


Impressive Video: http://vimeo.com/4146548




Redevelopment of Guy's Hospital

Rumours have been circulated that the world's tallest hospital was due to be given a reclad. An image has now appeared of said job. The present tower is 143m tall, but what looks like an addition to the tower would see it increased to over 150m. Also visible in the render is a complete London Bridge Tower, and a pre-redeveloped London Bridge station (the world's oldest train terminus that will be given a massive modernisation programme. Image sourced by Ciudad Bristol at SSC.

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Columbus Tower, 237m

london lad at SSC has sourced new images from CABE's review of ammendments to the crown and base for the Columbus Tower. This won't be constructed until the Crossrail station is built as the tunnels will be built directly under the station.

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London St Pancras Station

Interesting shots of St Pancras from where Eurostars depart to the continent. Pics taken by Vodski Bandit

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I’ll turn West End building site into the grow-bag allotments
Rosamund Urwin, 21.04.09, http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23678495-details/I+ll+turn+West+End+building+site+into+the+grow-bag+allotments/article.do

THE abandoned “Noho Square” development could be turned into allotments where residents grow fruit and vegetables in large, portable “grow bags”.

Rebecca Hossack, a Conservative councillor for Camden who also runs two art galleries in the area, is campaigning for residents to use the three-acre building site north of Oxford Street as demand for allotments soars.

The Bloomsbury site is expected to lie empty for at least two years after developers the Candy brothers pulled out of the scheme, which they had named Noho Square, last October.

Their partner in the development, Icelandic bank Kaupthing, still owns the site, but is now in exclusive talks with developer Stanhope about building there and has said it will consider the allotment request.

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Industry experts predict that they will not start building on the square for up to five years.

Ms Hossack, 53, who already grows her own vegetables outside her Conway Street gallery, believes the former Middlesex Hospital site should be used to help offset the shortage of growing space in London. Her other gallery is in nearby Charlotte Street.

“We hope the developers will see this as a good way of giving something back to the community,” Ms Hossack said.

“This is a huge site at the heart of London and it would be a shame to leave it empty when so much could be grown there.”

The bare ground is unsuitable for plants but she plans to use the giant grow bags filled with soil on the land. She has been inspired by other Londoners who have managed to convert spaces previously considered unsuitable into gardens.

The John Scurr Community Centre in Limehouse has turned wasteland into a community garden, using boxes made out of recycled timber and tyres in which to grow vegetables.

Kaupthing admits that it will take at least a year to get planning permission for its development.

Mike Samuels, head of Kaupthing's real estate team, said: “We would like to help them with this if we can. There is a question of insurance and liabilities, but if these problems can be overcome, they may well be able to use the site.”

Gardeners in London can face up to a 10-year wait for an allotment after the number of plots available fell by 1,500 in the last decade as developers claimed green spaces.

Geoff Stokes, Secretary of the National Society of Allotments & Leisure Gardeners, said: “There is a huge demand for allotments in London, particularly in the inner boroughs.”

Sam Clark, chef at Moro restaurant in Exmouth Market, who ran the Manor Garden allotments on the river Lea until they were moved to make way for the Olympics, said: “It's a fantastic idea. I love raised beds and you can be very productive on an allotment in a year. All you need is a summer and a spring and you can produce a fantastic amount of crops. Everyone is aware of the importance of not wasting space in London and it's such an untapped source to use a small area of land for growing on.”

Growing bags — which can be bought from garden centres and seed sellers such as Unwins for less than £5 — are also used in the Vacant Lot site in Hoxton, a formerly inaccessible and run-down plot of housing estate land.

It was turned into a garden by handing residents a half-tonne bag each of soil as their plot.

After spending £6 on seeds, one managed to grow 200 lettuces, as well as cucumbers, carrots and spring onions.

Best plots to grow your own[/]

Prior Street Allotments, Greenwich, 18 plots
Site is so popular there is a waiting list of more than 100 names. The person at the top of the list applied for a plot in 1998.

Fulham Palace Meadows, 406 plots
Covers Anglo-Saxon site of historical importance. Protected from development.

Spa Hill, Crystal Palace Hill, 300 plots
Site has an electricity generating wind turbine and a 200-year-old pond.

Fitzroy Park Allotments, Hampstead, 88 plots
The largest site in Camden. Holders are encouraged to swap produce.

One Tree Hill, Honor Oak Park, 75 plots
The site is on a steep hillside with a small wood. Holders proud of regular social events such as barbecues and bonfires.

The Rosendale Allotments, Tulse Hill, 480 plots
Site has a beekeeping area and greenhouses. Runs a farmers' market every second Sunday.

King Henry's Walk Garden, Islington, 76 raised small bed plots
Current president is Joe Swift of BBC television programme Gardeners' World.

The Royal Paddocks, Hampton Wick, More than 200 plots
The former paddock of the king's horses was granted by George V in 1921 for “use as allotments for the public”.

Old Palace Lane, Richmond, 29 plots
Once part of the old Sheen monastery, built in 1414 by Henry V for 40 monks.




[B]Rail franchises seek bids for 300 train carriages
Filed 14/04/09 http://www.transportbriefing.co.uk/story.php?id=5795

Two train operators have invited expressions of interest from rolling stock manufacturers to supply a total of up to 300 new carriages.

Stagecoach's South West Trains franchise is looking to buy between 120 and 180 vehicles to operate in 5-car formations in an order valued at approximately £180m. The company hopes to introduce the trains into service by December 2011 and has also requested a priced option covering maintenance of the carriages.

Meanwhile London Midland, the Go-Ahead/Keolis owned franchise running commuter services along the West Coast Main Line, has invited tenders to supply between 40 and 120 electric multiple units with a top speed of 100mph. The company has invited tenders for three lots worth between £85m and £190m in total. Expected to run for up to six years, these contracts would cover the supply of the rolling stock, a full service maintenance contract plus operating lease finance.

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The new vehicles will run in 3 or 4-car formations and be capable of use on both inner and outer commuting services. A minimum of 240 standard seats and 18 first class seats are required in each 4-car train.

London Midland says that the new carriages must be introduced into revenue earning service from May 2011 and requests to participate in the procurement process must be submitted by 14 May this year. Expressions of interest for the South West Trains order are due in a fortnight earlier - by 1 May.




'Baby' Heron, 150m

When the original Heron tower was designed, there would be a new piazza and a smaller tower. The smaller tower has now had a height increase to 150m. Noostairz at SSC has 'stretched' the original smaller tower design. Heron Tower is now fully u/c

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Riva Hotel at Heathrow Airport

Foster has designed a new hotel at Heathrow Airport. The images sourced by Ciudad Bristol don't really show an exciting exterior, but the interior looks interesting.

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25,000 electric car charge points planned by Mayor

Filed 09/04/09 http://www.transportbriefing.co.uk/story.php?id=5790

Mayor of London Boris Johnson has unveiled a package of measures designed to support an increase in the use of electric cars in the capital.

The Mayor has pledged to work with businesses, boroughs and other public sector organisations to deliver 25,000 charging spaces alongside London's workplaces and shops and in streets, public car parks and railway station car parks by 2015. He has also promised to convert at least 1,000 Greater London Authority fleet vehicles to electric power by 2015.

However, the Mayor's plans depend on financial support from central government. Costed at £60m, the Mayor is looking to government and the private sector to provide two thirds of the money needed to implement the package. The government has committed £250m to accelerate the electric vehicle market in the UK and the Mayor intends to lobby for London to receive a significant share of this in recognition of the importance of the capital to the uptake of electric vehicles.

Johnson also proposes to alter the London Plan to require the installation of charging points in all new developments. The Mayor wants 20% of all new car parking spaces to be equipped with electric charge points. He has also guaranteed that the 100% exemption of the Congestion Charge for electric vehicles will remain in place, offering electric car users a saving of approximately £1,700 a year compared to running a diesel or petrol powered car.

The measures are intended to build on the work of the London Electric Vehicle Partnership, founded by the Mayor in November 2008 and which includes representatives of the Greater London Authority, the motor and energy industries and the capital's boroughs, all working to share best practice, co-ordinate activity, and encourage greater funding of the technology.

Boris Johnson said: "The time for simply talking about electric vehicles is over - we need real action on the ground to make the electric vehicle an easy choice for Londoners. I am today [8 April] committing millions to install the infrastructure needed for when, in just a few years time, these vehicles become much more widely available.

"This is an unprecedented package of measures to make London the electric car capital of Europe. By taking these steps, we will not only create green collar jobs, but also smooth the way for less polluting transport choices which will improve our air quality, reduce traffic noise and contribute significantly to my carbon emissions reduction target. It is time for the government to put its money where its mouth is and back my plan to make electric vehicles the first choice for Londoners."




1 New Change

Pictures taken by Nihil Dicit of the Nouvel project opposite St Paul's Cathedral. The walls are meant to be 'crooked'.

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Heron Tower, 246m

Various picture updates of the 246m tower:
- GazKinz provides the first four photos
- wjfox provides the last four photos

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The Landmark - 140m + 98m

Simple blocks that are nearly finished externally for the Isle of Dogs. Update by chest

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100 Middlesex Street

Picture update from SSC by chest (first 3 pics) and GazKinz (last 4 pics)

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Rail options rejected by Dartford crossing study
Filed 21/04/09 http://www.transportbriefing.co.uk/story.php?id=5814

Three options for a new river crossing in the Thames Estuary are to be explored by the Department for Transport following publication of a new report examining how to alleviate traffic congestion encountered by drivers at the existing Dartford crossing.

The DfT-commissioned research - Dartford River Crossing Study into Capacity Requirements - proposes further detailed work should be carried out into the long term feasibility of providing a new crossing at one of three sites: at the site of the existing crossing; between the Swanscombe Peninsula and the A1089; or from east of Tilbury to east of Gravesend to the M20. The Dartford and Swanscombe Peninsula schemes are estimated to cost £1bn-£3bn to develop while the third option has a price tag of between £2.5bn and £7.5bn.

Two other route alignments - an M2 link to Canvey Island and an Isle of Grain link to east of Southend, each of which was estimated to cost between £3.5bn and £10.5bn - were rejected. The report also rejects plans to provide new rail passenger or freight links as part of any new crossing. It reports that there is adequate capacity for international freight services between the Channel Tunnel and the West Coast Main Line via Maidstone and Swanley until 2031.

According to the report, total passenger volumes between north Kent and Medway Towns and areas of south Essex are currently low, meaning that there is unlikely to be any significant demand for rail travel between these groups of stations, even assuming that a direct rail service was provided.

The study, undertaken by transport engineering consultants WSP and Parsons Brinckerhoff, proposes further work on two scenarios which may provide improvements in the short-term. The first set of measures could see changes to the configuration of the toll plaza, signing and promotion of DART-Tags to see whether this would improve traffic flows. An alternative approach could result in one-way tolling with the removal of the southbound plaza to allow a larger improved northbound plaza.

Transport Minister Andrew Adonis said: "The Dartford-Thurrock river crossing is a vital transport link for both the national and south east economies which has brought huge economic benefits and opportunities. However many more vehicles want to use the crossing than it can accommodate and congestion here is likely to get worse in the future unless something is done.

"Following the completion of the first phase of a DfT-commissioned study, I am pleased to announce that further work is now to be carried out to look at improving journey time reliability and safety at the existing Dartford crossing, alongside a more detailed analysis of potential options for a new crossing."

In February 2008 the DfT commissioned research to provide advice on the future need for additional crossing capacity in the Lower Thames and identify possible future options. The study concluded that the existing tunnel and bridge crossing is operating at or above its effective capacity for long periods, with typical daily flows of between 145,000 and 150,000 vehicles per day. The overall flows have reduced slightly in the last few years but the make up of traffic has changed, with greater number of HGV movements. Movements over the crossing show no pronounced morning or evening peaks, instead flows are high across the day.

Recent analysis of performance under the Public Service Agreement for roads shows that the route containing the Dartford crossing is one of the routes with the highest levels of delay nationally with around 40 to 45% of crossing users experiencing delays. The injury accident rate for the network surrounding and including the crossing is twice the national average.

The study looked at the forecast future performance of the existing Dartford crossing up to 2037 based on the predicted levels of traffic growth, the impacts of the planned expansion of the Port of Dover and the planned growth in the Thames Gateway. It concluded that without action, the situation is set to worsen significantly. The DfT says it has accepted the findings set out in the study and will commission the further work necessary to assess the suitability, deliverability and impacts of each of the three options.


The three shortlisted options for a new Thames crossing

Major Option A: This would provide additional long-term capacity at Dartford through the delivery of a new crossing while retaining all existing infrastructure (bridge and tunnels). This option would allow the possibility of taking the existing tunnels out of the strategic network and simplifying the network around the crossing. It also offers the shortest and most direct crossing route among the options tested. It potentially provides links to the Fastrack and SERT rapid bus schemes and has relatively low levels of environmental impact.

Major Option B: This involves a new crossing in the vicinity of the Swanscombe peninsula. It would connect the A2 to the south in the vicinity of Dartford to the A1089 to the north in the vicinity of Tilbury Docks. It has been examined primarily to understand the impact of a solution for local traffic to relieve the existing Dartford crossing. For the purpose of the assessment, no major connections were included that would link the new crossing to the M25 to the north or the M20 to the south. The committed Eastern Quarry development site acts as a major constraint but if a route can be designed without an impact on Eastern Quarry, then it is recommended that Option B be carried forward into the next phase of assessment. If not, then it is recommended that the option should be rejected given the importance of Eastern Quarry to the Thames Gateway strategy.

Major Option C: This option involves the provision of a new crossing to connect the M2 to the M25, located to the east of Gravesend and Thurrock. It would form a major new piece of infrastructure in the national highway network. While this option has considerable environmental impacts, it provides a direct route for longer distance routes using the M25 and M20 and would provide some relief to the existing Dartford crossing (although this would still be operating with high flows). It has the potential to support regeneration in the Thames Gateway area and could link to the flood relief barrage proposals.




London Bridge Tower - 310m

Nihil Dicit update of the site - the giant yellow device tests the piles to ensure that they are secure.

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Wimbledon Centre Court

Centre Courts' new roof and expanded capacity has now been finished. Work should also be finished soon on the expanded Court No 2. Wimbledon will also be used for the Olympics.

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Animation of the Roof: http://www.building.co.uk/story.asp?sectioncode=756&storycode=3139088&c=3

8 Litres per second of fresh air per person pumped into the bowl to manage the environment
9 Chiller units required to cool the air
10 Minutes (maximum) that the roof takes to close
10 Trusses holding up the roof
16 Metres - height of the roof above the court surface
30 Minutes – maximum time expected before play can start/continue after the roof is closed and the internal environment is controlled and stabilised
43 Miles per hour - wind speed up to which the roof can be deployed/retracted
77 Metres - the span of the moving roof trusses (width of football pitch = 68m)
70 Tonnes - weight of each of the 10 trusses without extra parts
100 Tonnes - weight of each of the 10 trusses with all extras – eg motors, locking arms
100 Percent of the roof’s fabric which is recyclable
214 MM per second - maximum speed of truss deployment
1,200 Extra seats installed in 2008
3,000 Tonnes - combined weight (both fixed and moving) of the roof
5,200 Square metres, area of retractable roof when fully deployed
7,500 Wimbledon umbrellas, needed to cover the same area as the retractable roof
15,000 Maximum spectator capacity
143,000 Litres per second – total amount of conditioned air that the air-management system supplies to the bowl
290million Tennis balls – number that could fit in the Centre Court with the roof closed

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Greenwich Market Modernisation

Pics sourced by london lad. The architects are Hopkins, who will add a new roofm, pedestrian link, a hotel, and new retail units. Work will begin in 2010, and all works will be finished prior to the Olympics.

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Clapham One

Mixed-use scheme with a new library, healthcare centre and homes. Pics by london lad.

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Beckton cash heralds DLR-wide 3-car rail service
Filed 20/04/09 http://www.transportbriefing.co.uk/story.php?id=5807

Docklands Light Railway has secured an £18.2m funding package to complete the upgrade of the DLR network to 3-car running.

The money will allow 3-car trains to be introduced on the Beckton branch in time for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. By upgrading all DLR trains from two to three carriages capacity on the network will be increased by 50%.

Three-car upgrade work is already underway on the Bank-Lewisham and Poplar-Stratford routes with a network-wide roll out of the extended trains due to start next year.

Earlier this month Vinci Construction, the engineering contractor working on the £208m design and build 3-car infrastructure project, carried out a 52-hour weekend possession of East India station to extend platforms by 30 metres which involved lifting pre-cast concrete beams into place using two 500-tonne cranes.

TfL London Rail managing director Ian Brown met representatives of the agencies which contributed to the Beckton spur funding package - the Olympic Delivery Authority, the London Development Agency and the Housing and Communities Agency - at DLR Prince Regent Station on Friday (17 April). The ODA provided £10.8m, the HCA £5.4m and the LDA £2m.

Brown said: "We were concerned that the Beckton line was the only line where funding was not in place to upgrade to 3-car operation. It is a route which is growing fast as it serves the ExCeL exhibition and conference centre and the University of East London.

"The funding partners have all come together to allow this route to be converted before the Games, so adding the last piece of the jigsaw to complete the DLR upgrade. It really does show commitment to ensuring that this route is capable of meeting future demand."

Boris Johnson, Mayor of London, added: "Before a javelin has been thrown or a medal won the 3-car service will be running and delivering a fabulous service for 2012 Games goers. But most importantly it will leave a legacy of increased public transport capacity for the local people who use this route every day."

The Beckton route is expected to carry 70,000 passengers - approximately 55,000 London 2012 spectators and 15,000 other passengers - a day during the Olympic and Paralympic Games.




Royal London Hospital Towers

Chest at SSC provides the pictures for the almost externally complete super-hospital development in Whitechapel (East London).

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Tube cooling contract won by Mansell Construction
Filed 14/04/09 http://www.transportbriefing.co.uk/story.php?id=5796

Transport for London has awarded Mansell Construction Services a £6m contract for work forming part of the Cooling the Tube Programme to improve ventilation on the London Underground.

The Balfour Beatty subsidiary beat three other bidders to clinch a design and construction deal relating to the upgrade of mid-tunnel ventilation shafts along the Victoria Line. Environmental monitoring will form a large part of the job.

TfL set up a dedicated project team for the Cooling The Tube Programme last year (Transport Briefing 24/06/08) in response to the problem of uncomfortable and potentially dangerous temperatures recorded on the Underground network during the summer months. However, the collapse of Metronet and cost of bringing work in-house has put pressure on the budget for planned Tube improvement works including the cooling programme.

Victoria Line upgrade work is intended to build on the success of an award-winning ground water cooling scheme at Victoria Tube station by upgrading ventilation shafts along the line to double ventilation capability.

Elsewhere on the Tube network London Underground will introduce air-conditioned trains on the Circle, District, Hammersmith and City and Metropolitan lines as part of an upgrade to the sub-surface lines. The first of these new trains will enter service from 2010.




St Giles Court

Piano's interesting development

First 6 pics by BorderBoy, and last 7 pics by fitz44. Renzo Piano's reason for choosing 20 different colours of ceramic tiles (the cladding isn't plastic even though it looks like it) provided by fitz44.

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Strata, 147m

Update from Elephant & Castle by SE9 at SSC.

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Greenwich Wharf

A large mixed use development development due east of Greenwich. Pics from henry at SSC.

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Pedestrianised Shaftesbury Avenue

Plans found by fitz44 show a new pedestianised route taking up the northern section of Shaftesbury Avenue. It also shows the new St Giles Courtyard pedestrian space.

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Hitchin flyover plans unveiled by Network Rail
Filed 14/04/09 http://www.transportbriefing.co.uk/story.php?id=5792

Network Rail has revealed detailed plans for a long-awaited to scheme to remove a key bottleneck on the East Coast Main Line.

http://img5.imageshack.us/img5/9665/55296400.png (http://img5.imageshack.us/my.php?image=55296400.png)

The £55m Hitchin flyover project will see construction of a new viaduct near Hitchin in Hertfordshire, allowing trains heading north from King's Cross to switch to the Cambridge line without crossing three ECML tracks. This currently reduces capacity for other services and makes the railway less reliable when delays occur.

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The new rail link would avoid these problems, cutting delays to train services by nearly 18,000 minutes every year and helping create the capacity requested by train operators to run more services to and from the capital every hour.

Improving the railway at the Cambridge junction is needed not only to solve the problems caused by the current track layout but to help meet growing demand for travel on the East Coast route. Over the past decade the number of passengers travelling between Peterborough and London has increased by 35% with an 18% increase in journeys between London and Cambridge. Despite the current recession this growth is expected to continue in the long term, as is freight traffic.

http://img22.imageshack.us/img22/2172/54527137.png (http://img22.imageshack.us/my.php?image=54527137.png)

Richard Lungmuss, route director for Network Rail, said: "The investment we are planning in the Hitchin area is about improving transport links, reducing delays to passengers and increasing the number of services. Rail users the length of the country will feel the benefits of this scheme as we remove the biggest remaining pinch point on the East Coast Main Line."

Network Rail's proposals have been developed working closely with North Hertfordshire District Council and other stakeholders. The design for the new rail line is as low profile as possible, involving a mixture of embankment and viaduct. A full environmental impact study will look at issues including landscaping, noise levels, rivers and flooding and ecology.

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Following consultation with local residents Network Rail intends to apply for permission later this year to build the flyover. The infraco hopes this will be granted by early 2011, allowing work to start on the project later that year. This would mean that trains would be running on the new section of line around the beginning of 2014.




Evergreen 3 rail design build contract advertised
Filed 14/04/09 http://www.transportbriefing.co.uk/story.php?id=5797


Plans to create a new rail route between Oxford and London Marylebone have taken another step forward with the advertisement of a tender for a design and build contract for Project Evergreen 3.

Train operator Chiltern Railways is seeking expressions of interest in the work to upgrade the Chiltern main line from London Marylebone to Fenny Compton Bank and the East West Rail Link from Bicester to Oxford station. The job includes design, construction, testing and commissioning of a new chord line at Bicester, linking the Chiltern line with the Bicester to Oxford east west route.

Chiltern is progressing the Evergreen 3 scheme as part of its rail franchise agreement with government, which is unique in that it requires infrastructure improvements to be delivered in return for a full 20-year franchise. The company is holding a series of exhibitions this month to showcase its plans to local residents (Transport Briefing 06/04/09).

Evergreen 3 will include an upgrade to the Chiltern main line to allow higher train speeds, additional capacity and operational flexibility. The scope of the main line works include major alterations to the signalling system, track changes, station platform alterations, civils and earthworks.

Providing the new rail link to Oxford will entail design, construction, testing and commissioning associated with the upgrading of the East West rail link between Bicester Town and Oxford railway stations. The East West line upgrade will include replacement of old signalling with a new system, double tracking sections of single line, enhancements of existing structures, construction of a new station in north Oxford, reconfigurations of existing stations, replacements of level crossings with overbridges, civils and earthworks.

The project also involves construction of a new Bicester chord linking the two lines and requiring new embankments, tracks, signalling, overbridge, civils and drainage works. Requests to participate in the tender are due in by 21 May.




Wood Wharf - Canary Wharf Part II

DarJoLe has sourced images from the Richard Rogers website of the masterplan for the Wood Wharf development. This is due east of the current Canary Wharf estate, individual towers will be awarded out to individual architects, with several 150m and 200m towers, a new pedestrianised space and park.

http://www.richardrogers.co.uk/Asp/uploadedFiles/image/4660_Wood_Wharf/4660_0013_1_W.jpg

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Riverside South, 236m + 189m

The vast 'pit' continues to be excavated, while piling continues. Pictures taken by Nihil Dicit

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Regents Place West Quarter

Various low-rise developments close to London Euston station. Pics by fitz44

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King's Cross platform construction project begins
Filed 24/04/09 http://www.transportbriefing.co.uk/story.php?id=5823

Work starts today (24 April) to construct a new, twelfth platform at London King's Cross station.

http://img13.imageshack.us/img13/3525/kingscrossstationplatfo.jpg (http://img13.imageshack.us/my.php?image=kingscrossstationplatfo.jpg)

Part of a £450m station redevelopment scheme, the new platform will increase capacity by allowing between 7 and 24 more trains to use the station during the morning peak period and, crucially, will also significantly reduce any service disruption while other platforms are refurbished. It is being constructed next to the existing platform 1 on the eastern side of the station adjacent to York Way, space that was used as a covered taxi pick-up area in the past. Construction is expected to be complete by summer 2010.

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Ian Fry, Kings Cross project director for Network Rail, said: "King's Cross is being transformed into a world class transport hub which can meet future demand and offer the best facilities for passengers. The new platform will allow even more trains to run in the long term, provide more space and enable us to keep train services fully operational throughout the redevelopment."

Over the next decade passenger numbers at King's Cross - Britain's busiest transport interchange - are due to rise by 10m. The station currently suffers from congestion during peak hours. By 2013, passengers will experience a rejuvenated King's Cross station with more capacity, an additional platform for extra services and improved links with international and domestic services from St Pancras and the London Underground.

As well as redeveloping the station itself, Network Rail will spend over £6m to create a major new public piazza space outside the southern end of the station which will be larger than Leicester Square.

The north-east exit to York Way will close permanently from Friday (24 April) to allow work on the new platform to begin.

Additional pictures of the renovation of the historic station (now 157 years old)

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Reading Station Redevelopment

Reading station is a major regional station west of London. Eventually Crossrail will be extended out to here, but currently the station struggles with too many services running through the station - currently even on a Saturday (ie not a weekday), a train leaves the station every 2minutes.

The $2bn project will re-align converging lines to avoid conflict, a new entrances to ease congestion, additional lines, platforms and facilities

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[ablarc]

Canary Wharf should be so much better than it is!

There isn't a shred of inspiration in that Richard Rogers plan for its expansion.

[nick-taylor]

Canary Wharf should be so much better than it is!

There isn't a shred of inspiration in that Richard Rogers plan for its expansion.Although the Wood Wharf plan is just a masterplan and not indicitive of the final designs, I do expect them to resemble most of the other towers in Canary Wharf - ie boxy. The highlights from CW however are the excellent cladding, the parks and docks - but the true quality that stands out is from the transport interchanges, eg Canary Wharf tube and CW and Heron Quas DLR stations, and by 2017 the Crossrail station.

[wjfox2007]

Heron Tower promotional video -

http://www.mindseyemedia.tv/index.php?action=work&do_view=1&id=41

:cool:

[londonlawyer]

Nice video.

I recall that another new building (pictured below) was planned at 100 Bishopsgate.

http://www.skyscrapernews.com/images/pics/713NewLondonSkyscraperFor100Bishopsgate_pic1.jpg

Was it planned on the site of the one shown on the left side of this photo?

http://www.willfox.com/images/skyscrapers/heron/construction/heronpics240409/6.jpg

[nick-taylor]

Crossrail - Construction Begins

The biggest engineering project in Europe officially began today. This is by far and away the most important project going on not just in London, but all of the UK.

With a length of 118km running west to east (with two spurs), once finished it will be as long as the entire Singapore MRT system. The line will call at two of London's international airports, and connect with the lines to its three other international airports. It will serve its 3 biggest CBD's (the Square Mile, West End + Canary Wharf) and provide immense relief in Central London and on several commuter lines that currently terminate at London Paddington (in the east) and London Liverpool Street (in the west).

Below are new renders and a construction picture of the station at Canary Wharf (illustrated as Isle of Dogs on the map). At todays exchange rate, the £500mn station is going to cost $761mn to be built, which will involve the draining of the dock that currently resides in its location (this will later be re-opened to the water), and 7 'levels construction down to the platforms. A new park will be built on the top level running the length of the station.

The station box will be built by 2012, while the first train will run in 2017.



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[nick-taylor]

Stratford Station Expansion

Images sourced by DarJoLe (flickr/SSC) from the london2012 website.

New concourse and approach to the bridge (pics of that further down) that will span the station and connect up with the Stratford City development
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Clockwise from 9'oclock: London Stansted Airport line, Great Eastern Main Line (up to Ipswich and Norwich), two platforms of which will be used for Crossrail, the two (and future third) platforms of the Central line are the runs that pop out of a tunnel at the end of the platforms), the u/c Stratford International Extension (which runs under the the station), the Jubilee line platforms, the DLR Stratford line platforms, slightly off the image to the left - the North London Line platforms.

Stratford International - which is used by the Eurostars and Shinkansens is just off to the left
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The bridge spanning over the North London line platforms
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The third Central line platform - the main concourse is in the glass shed to the left - all platforms at Stratford are connected via three subways
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The bridge for pedestrians eventually pushed over the station - count the number of trains in this shot.
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New Thames Crossing

These are the options for a potential new river crossing of the Thames (due east of London) as undertaken in a study by Parson Brinckerhoff in January 09 (sourced from londonreconnections.blogspot.com).


http://img193.imageshack.us/img193/8360/options.jpg (http://img193.imageshack.us/my.php?image=options.jpg)


The most eastern crossing is located at 'option A', which consists of two tunnels (both northbound traffic) and a bridge (southbound traffic only) - the M25 - London's orbital motorway is connected on either bank. HSR1 (the line connecting London to Paris and the rest of Europe) is visible running along the north of the image (it goes into a tunnel just to the east of the crossing).

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/104/312759612_713c2433e3.jpg?v=0

At present the traffic jams are severe, and a new crossing is needed to help facilitate free traffic movements, especially when Dubai Port World's new port opens on the north bank of the Thames.

In addition there is a long-term requirement to create a new tidal barrier to protect London from future rises in the sea-level. This is due to the Thames Barrier although ensuring that London is protectd, could become inundated within a few decades, and could be incorporated into a new crossing to protect London into the 22nd century. The scale would be far larger and possibly several km in length.

[Gregory Tenenbaum]

I read today on SleepNY (http://sleepny.lefora.com/2009/05/29/london-a-ghost-town/page1/) that the City of London is nearly empty, and has enough space with its present unoccupied office space to fit 2/3 of Canary Wharf.

Why are they building more offices? Have many projects stopped in their tracks?

[nick-taylor]

I read today on SleepNY (http://sleepny.lefora.com/2009/05/29/london-a-ghost-town/page1/) that the City of London is nearly empty, and has enough space with its present unoccupied office space to fit 2/3 of Canary Wharf.

Why are they building more offices? Have many projects stopped in their tracks?Well if a 90% full glass can be called empty.... we can share the pain with New York!

Been meaning to do this for sometime - an update of 150m+ towers in London (note - some towers/developments are grouped together). Info sourced from skyscrapercity.com, and in order of height:

310m - Shard - U/C
288m - Bishopsgate - U/C
250m/200m/100m - Project Three Houses - Still at the design stage
237m - Columbus Tower - Won't start till Crossrail is complete (2016/17) because it is directly above the tunnels
246m - Heron Tower - U/C
236m/189m - Riverside South - both towers U/C
225m - 122 Leadenhall - Constructed up to basement, construction delayed till 2010
216m/203m/120m - North Quay - These 3 towers can't be built until Crossrail is built (so beginning 2016/17) because they're pretty much beside each other
206m - City Pride - Approved in April, so construction won't happen till site is cleared, probably a year off
200m/187/182m/154m - Wood Wharf - Masterplan approved in October 2008, individual towers yet to be designed
200m/180m/150m - Bishopsgate Goods Yard - Still at the design stage
200m - Whitgift Centre Tower - Still at the design stage
198m/147m/95m - Heron Quays West - Approved a year ago, but site has to be cleared first
197m - 1 Park Place - Approved late last year, but won't start till next year
181m - St Georges Tower - Approved, last phase of a massive residential complex down by Vauxhall. Could start 2010
170m/155m - Market Tower Towers - Towers still at the design stage
165m - 100 Bishopsgate - Current site lease doesn't expire till 2011
163m - Jumeriah Tower - Construction to be complete to coincide with the Olympics in 2012
161m/126m - Northgate Tower - Still at the design stage
160m/100m - Odlisk - Still at the design stage
160m - 20 Fenchurch Street - REIT Land Securities won't proceed until market picks up, so 2010 onwards
160m/92m/85m/66m - Cherry Orchard Towers - At desing staghe
159m - Sugar House - On hold
150m - Baltimore Wharf Tower - Will follow the low-rise structure which is still u/c
150m - Merchant Square Tower - Last phase of the Merchant Square project
150m+ Broadgate Centre Rdv - Several towers of unknown height to replace groundscrapers around Liverpool St Station

None of these projects really mean much to London really though - Crossrail is where its at - 24 x 250m trains (per hour) connecting its three primary CBD's, two international airports, and with connections to three other international airports is what will push London forward this half of the century. Vacancy rates are a temporary motion in the great drive forward.

[Gregory Tenenbaum]

I read that Crossrail wont be ready until 2017. What makes Crossrail better than the existing transport scheme?

Who is going to do business in London now in the face of the new revenue laws and the simple fact that practically half or more of the City has already fled?

Just how are they going to sell this?

[mtj73]

I read that Crossrail wont be ready until 2017.

That's right.


What makes Crossrail better than the existing transport scheme?


If I read your question right you are not asking why it is getting built but want to know how it differs from the tube (existing system), right? As they will have very different answers.

Well, for a start it's bigger, the tunnels will be wider so the trains can be wider and taller, they will be air conditioned, a common complaint on the underground. The trains will also be longer and have a higher top speed. The station platforms will be wider and longer too. The stations will be designed to cope with the high demand unlike many of the older stations and they will all have step free access. The signaling system will be up to the job (signal failure is common on the current system). The trains will use overhead AC current instead of third and forth rail DC system of the existing lines(safer).

These are a few things, but remember this is NOT the reason £16 billion pounds are going to be spent on this project, just how it would be better than what we got now. Having said that, new underground trains are being built now and signaling, track and stations are gradually being upgraded so the contrast may not be so stark in 2017.

[futurecity]

A system like Crossrail is the birth of a Parisian style RER network for London. NYC has dropped the ball when it comes to innovative transport solutions that link suburbs, airports and major city nodes into one simple high speed linear conveyance system - think Tokyo/Paris. I always thought a manhattan trunk line linking the major hubs of business, major suburban districts and continuing to airports in both NJ and LI would compliment the subway very nicely and reduce congestion on the forementioned system. Large trains would also be more comfortable, quiet and not to mention faster than rattling subway cars. Thus, being more conducive to get some people out of taxis and into a ultra modern transit system. The subway would continue to be a more local system for transport.

[Gregory Tenenbaum]

A system like Crossrail is the birth of a Parisian style RER network for London. NYC has dropped the ball when it comes to innovative transport solutions that link suburbs, airports and major city nodes into one simple high speed linear conveyance system - think Tokyo/Paris. I always thought a manhattan trunk line linking the major hubs of business, major suburban districts and continuing to airports in both NJ and LI would compliment the subway very nicely and reduce congestion on the forementioned system. Large trains would also be more comfortable, quiet and not to mention faster than rattling subway cars. Thus, being more conducive to get some people out of taxis and into a ultra modern transit system. The subway would continue to be a more local system for transport.

Except that London isnt Paris.

So the trains will be better connected and roomier than the NYC Subway/Airtrain. Im not sure if thats a fair comparison, because NYC taxis are fundamentally providing this service at near the same cost (soon JFK taxis to Manhattan will be 30 dollars and Limousine services (shuttles) cost less than 20 dollars).

Just how are they going to sell this?

The city is empty and people are still getting laid off every day or deciding to flee the taxation regime there.

Crossrail will not be ready for another 8 years?

[Dan Kohn]

Well, for a start it's bigger, the tunnels will be wider so the trains can be wider and taller, they will be air conditioned, a common complaint on the underground.
I've heard the complaint before that Tube tunnels aren't big enough to support air conditioning. But I've never understood why the air conditioners have to go on top of the trains. Couldn't they go on the front or back, with tubing connecting trains together, if you don't want to install a different unit in each train?

Or is there some issue about pushing the hot air forward through the tube?

[mtj73]

I've heard the complaint before that Tube tunnels aren't big enough to support air conditioning. But I've never understood why the air conditioners have to go on top of the trains. Couldn't they go on the front or back, with tubing connecting trains together, if you don't want to install a different unit in each train?

Or is there some issue about pushing the hot air forward through the tube?

I know they have tried to ventilate the tunnels with different ideas. The Victoria line which is a deep level line is currently getting new stock built, these will NOT be air conditioned so this points the finger at tunnel design and not train technology as the trains are specially designed for the LU and are not cheap. I know an air con train will throw out even more heat into the already hot station platforms. The sub surface lines, first to be the Metropolitan, will be getting new air con stock very soon. Known as the s-stock these will also be the first London underground trains to have carriage gangways.

[mtj73]

Just how are they going to sell this?

The city is empty and people are still getting laid off every day or deciding to flee the taxation regime there.

Crossrail will not be ready for another 8 years?

London has been around a long time, it's not going to vanish in 8 years. It's going to get busier no matter what the tax regime is, I was there just 2 weeks ago and it does not appear to be "emptying out" just yet.

London needs crossrail, just try the Central line, any time of the day, crossrail will take a big load off the central as well as all the benefits that have been mentioned. They can't NOT build it, it's not a luxury.

[nick-taylor]

I've heard the complaint before that Tube tunnels aren't big enough to support air conditioning. But I've never understood why the air conditioners have to go on top of the trains. Couldn't they go on the front or back, with tubing connecting trains together, if you don't want to install a different unit in each train?

Or is there some issue about pushing the hot air forward through the tube?Air conditiong produces heat, the issue is that if that heat is trapped in tunnels (especially the deep level lines like the Jubilee, Piccadilly, Northern, Central, Victoria and Bakerloo) and stations you exacerbate the situation; ie it would just get even hotter. In addition, AC units aren't environmentally friendly either.

The sub-surface lines (District, Hammersmith & City, Circle, and Metropolitan lines) however were built in the era of steam which needed 'exits' to allow for the steam to escape. These exits allow for the heat generated by AC units to escape the system.

A few solutions are being used or brought forward, range from redirecting the pumps that take the water that enters the sytem to go via platforms. An alternative option is to create giant gel packs that go under the seats/floor of the deep-level lines, that would gradually melt and cool the trains. When the trains get to the end of the line, they would be re-charged for the next trip.




East London Line Extension
Picture of the East London Line Extension from Flickr. Note that the surrounding walls that defined the old 4-track line into the former terminus of London Broad Street (demolished in the 80's - the tracks with it). Picture sourced from flickr.com.

Despite the fact that the East London Line will re-open as a London Overground line - it will pass under the Underground at Whitechapel station, and use the oldest underwater tunnel in London.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2464/3588096287_179b0e60c0_b.jpg

[londonlawyer]

What's the status of Walbrook Square where Legal & General's HQ was located? Is that eyesore still standing or has it been razed? Between Walbrook Square and 1 New Change, the St. Paul's area will have some magnificent groundscrapers.

[Dan Kohn]

An alternative option is to create giant gel packs that go under the seats/floor of the deep-level lines, that would gradually melt and cool the trains. When the trains get to the end of the line, they would be re-charged for the next trip.
Thanks for the response. Turns out that Wikipedia has a great article on London Underground Cooling (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_Underground_cooling) with good links at the bottom.

[Gregory Tenenbaum]

Sure, but its going to take another 9 years to build it? And they decide to put into place the highest tax levies probably in Western Europe?

The point is that London is still going to have problems for another 9 years or more. The difference in Manhattan is that a taxi or shuttle to the airport is at the end of the day cheaper than getting an airport express train in London.

[nick-taylor]

What's the status of Walbrook Square where Legal & General's HQ was located? Is that eyesore still standing or has it been razed? Between Walbrook Square and 1 New Change, the St. Paul's area will have some magnificent groundscrapers.I believe the site is being demolished (I haven't been in the Bank area for a few months), but won't progress till the global markets pick up.

The development includes access to the Roman Temple of Mithras (which was hidden), a new public square and a new station access point to the Waterloo & City platforms of Bank station. Probably looking at 2010+

[londonlawyer]

Thanks. This, together with 1 New Change, are among my favorite projects in London. It's great that they're close to each other and will have a lot of retail.

Isn't there also another great groundscraper being built near Cannon Street in addition to these?

[nick-taylor]

Thanks. This, together with 1 New Change, are among my favorite projects in London. It's great that they're close to each other and will have a lot of retail.

Isn't there also another great groundscraper being built near Cannon Street in addition to these?I believe you are referring to The Wallbrook which is opposite London Cannon Street Station (itself being re-built at the moment)


The Wallbrook pics taken by DarJoLe from SSC:

Strata, aka the shaver is visible in the background)
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2423/3593383142_4ce4588f0c_b.jpg



1 New Change pic by Chest

http://homepage.mac.com/benveasey/.Public/P1100923.JPG



However, the most exciting groundscraper development at present is the St Giles Court development. Overview pic taken by elskapel, with other pics taken by wjfox

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3349/3536308691_6ae78d91c9_b.jpg

http://i620.photobucket.com/albums/tt283/skyscrapercitypics/london/stgilescourt/1.jpg

http://i620.photobucket.com/albums/tt283/skyscrapercitypics/london/stgilescourt/6.jpg

http://i620.photobucket.com/albums/tt283/skyscrapercitypics/london/stgilescourt/7.jpg

[londonlawyer]

Thanks for the update. I was referring to the Walbrook. Its name is confusing since it's a different project from Walbrook Square.

I don't care for St. Gille's. I deplore the multi-colored cladding.

[Alonzo-ny]

What was Piano smoking when he designed St Giles? He is normally elegance personified, this is brash and gaudy. That 'snot' green should never be used.

[londonlawyer]

I agree with you, mate.

PS: What was on this huge site before?

[Alonzo-ny]

http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa278/fit3xl/10.jpg

http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa278/fit3xl/2_DSC5605.jpg

I could only find these on SSC.

[zupermaus]

Some more of More London progress

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3323/3421470888_0018764f7f_b.jpg

http://i693.photobucket.com/albums/vv295/nihildicit2/11May2009058.jpg

http://www.7morelondon.com/albums/april09/photo34.jpg

http://i44.tinypic.com/29ys66u.jpg

http://i43.tinypic.com/10nut6v.jpg

http://i39.tinypic.com/2qmdqxh.jpg

http://www.7morelondon.com/albums/may09/photo45.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3329/3601165599_434d0ce0aa_b.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3410/3601983734_67584ef4bd_b.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3566/3601985002_7b14950e67_b.jpg

[londonlawyer]

http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa278/fit3xl/10.jpg

http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa278/fit3xl/2_DSC5605.jpg

I could only find these on SSC.

Thanks, Mate.

Good to see that it replaced crap.

[wjfox2007]

Vauxhall Bondway Tower

A new 150m/42 storey tower for Lambeth. The architects are Make.

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=886862

I'm undecided about this. It looks kind of... bulky.



http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa278/fit3xl/VBO2.jpg


http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa278/fit3xl/VBOND1.jpg

[Gregory Tenenbaum]

Sure, but its going to take another 9 years to build it? And they decide to put into place the highest tax levies probably in Western Europe?

The point is that London is still going to have problems for another 9 years or more. The difference in Manhattan is that a taxi or shuttle to the airport is at the end of the day cheaper than getting an airport express train in London.

I guess theres no answer considering no one has bothered replying.

Dont take this the wrong way, but the buildings look pretty close together, similar and unsightly, but I guess if you are starting out with 17th Century streets, theres not much choice.

[londonlawyer]

Vauxhall Bondway Tower

A new 150m/42 storey tower for Lambeth. The architects are Make.

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=886862

I'm undecided about this. It looks kind of... bulky.



http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa278/fit3xl/VBO2.jpg


http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa278/fit3xl/VBOND1.jpg

That's a nice tower. Is it proposed or under construction? What's the exact address?

[zupermaus]

Thanx to WJFox

some great pix of 100 Middlesex St:

http://i44.tinypic.com/2dsqqo7.jpg

ST Giles Court

http://i620.photobucket.com/albums/tt283/skyscrapercitypics/london/stgilescourt/7.jpg

Strata

http://www.willfox.com/images/skyscrapers/strata/construction/stratapics040609/2.jpg

Greenwich Peninsular

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3355/3558439391_9ed9ef963b_b.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3642/3558438573_7b99662564_b.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3592/3559244688_cafc8e9436_b.jpg

[ablarc]

I don't care for St. Gille's. I deplore the multi-colored cladding.


What was Piano smoking when he designed St Giles? He is normally elegance personified, this is brash and gaudy. That 'snot' green should never be used.
You mean that's not just rigid insulation?

[lofter1]

London is quirky enough, with the odd street angles & alignments, that I think it can handle the strong splashes of color from Piano. Will be interesting to see how it all plays out when done.

Do the same thing on a long straight Avenue (ala NYC) and it wouldn't work s well.

[zupermaus]

cranes in London at the moment, less than normal but still, the city seems perpetually unfinished


http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3316/3502400590_fdf3bdfdb6_b.jpg
www.flickr.com (http://www.flickr.com)

Holborn looking toward The City
http://www.vusus.com/a_city_compressed.jpg
www.vusus.com (http://www.vusus.com)

The City
http://i693.photobucket.com/albums/vv295/nihildicit2/24Apr2009178.jpg
Nihil Dicit, www.photobucket.com (http://www.photobucket.com)

http://i527.photobucket.com/albums/cc360/londonfire/Picture139_134.jpg
GazKinz, www.photobucket.com (http://www.photobucket.com)
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3617/3330335843_580623a2e7_b.jpg
::Wendy::, www.flickr.com (http://www.flickr.com)


North Bank
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3297/3601136453_413286b6b3_b.jpg
www.flickr.com (http://www.flickr.com)

south

City fringe
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3391/3582708788_186f14ea1e_b.jpg

City fringe and East End
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3360/3580722389_b033e6b00a_o.jpg

Hyde Park
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2437/3592587043_79416d9b1a_b.jpg
www.flickr.com (http://www.flickr.com)

Regent's Park looking toward West End
http://img8.imageshack.us/img8/3194/mypix.jpg
Jimbo, www.skyscrapercity.com (http://www.skyscrapercity.com)

West End
http://i527.photobucket.com/albums/cc360/londonfire/Picture139_084.jpg
GazKinz, www.skyscrapercity.com (http://www.skyscrapercity.com)

Docklands

http://homepage.mac.com/benveasey/.Public/P1080364d.jpg
http://homepage.mac.com/benveasey/.Public/P1080364d.jpg
http://homepage.mac.com

Hackney looking into suburbs
http://img407.imageshack.us/img407/6001/img2635c.jpg

Olympic site :

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3587/3553171725_d970b82c26_b.jpg http://d.yimg.com/i/ng/sp/afpji/20090521/newsmlmmd.dd28859c5c51705e31cd6ea1c380a86e.a11b.jp g
wjfox, www.flickr.com (http://www.flickr.com), http://d.yimg.com

new CBD, Stratford City:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3618/3391381523_443c0f378b_o.jpg

Great West Quarter, Brentford:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2235/2414150656_870e12b3b5.jpg?v=0 http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3509/3315633293_14c637959a.jpg
Mark Hillary, Phill4, www.flickr.com (http://www.flickr.com)


North Greenwich

http://i43.tinypic.com/65u5no.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3649/3368239794_f9f5ee70f9_o.jpg
henry, www.flickr.com (http://www.flickr.com)

Kings Cross, new quarter

http://www.bbcel.co.uk/documents/1904/1904-full.jpg http://farm1.static.flickr.com/74/200302487_5134e35049.jpg?v=0
www.bbcel.co.uk (http://www.bbcel.co.uk)

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/174/437618352_bfca289de0.jpg?v=0 http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/rail/pi/ctrl/coll_theregenerationbenefitsofth/dft_railways_035483-1.jpg
picslikethis, www.flickr.com (http://www.flickr.com), www.dft.gov.uk (http://www.dft.gov.uk)

[zupermaus]

The Lewisham Regeneration comprises of two distinct but neighbouring projects: Loampit Vale and Lewisham Gateway


Loampit Vale
Lewisham SE13
Status: Proposed (Application submitted March 2009)
Official Website: http://www.loampitvale.co.uk/
Lewisham Council:http://www.lewisham.gov.uk/Environment/Regeneration/LewishamTownCentreRegeneration/LewishamDevelopmentsMap/LoampitVale/
Architect: http://www.assael.co.uk/
Architect: http://www.la-architects.co.uk/
Developer: http://www.barratthomes.co.uk/
CABE: http://www.cabe.org.uk/design-review/loampit-vale-2
Planning Application: http://acolnet.lewisham.gov.uk/LEWIS-XSLPagesDC/acolnetcgi.exe?ACTION=UNWRAP&RIPNAME=Root.PgeDocs&TheSystemkey=56410

Development Facts
4.2 acre site
Buildings ranging from 5 to 24 storeys
788 homes - 30% affordable
New 5* leisure centre - including 25m swimming pool
1,856m² commercial space


http://i43.tinypic.com/2myonly.jpg

http://i40.tinypic.com/301knmg.jpg

http://i41.tinypic.com/29235gp.jpg

http://i43.tinypic.com/25yyuzb.jpg








Lewisham Gateway
Lewisham SE13
Status: Approved (8th May 2009)
Official Website: http://www.newlewisham.com/
Lewisham Council:http://www.lewisham.gov.uk/Environment/Regeneration/LewishamTownCentreRegeneration/LewishamDevelopmentsMap/LewishamGateway.htm
Developer: http://www.musedevelopments.com/lewishamgateway.html
Planning Application: http://acolnet.lewisham.gov.uk/LEWIS-XSLPagesDC/acolnetcgi.exe?ACTION=UNWRAP&RIPNAME=Root.PgeResultDetail&TheSystemkey=47110


Development Facts
5.6 acre site
800 homes
100,000 m² of commercial space


http://i42.tinypic.com/i6w9px.jpg

http://i39.tinypic.com/nlae1k.jpg

http://i40.tinypic.com/2hs8akm.jpg

http://i43.tinypic.com/2eyfert.jpg







Context
Major regeneration projects in South East London

Aylesbury Regeneration: http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=859444
Elephant & Castle Regeneration: http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=496579
Greenwich Peninsula Regeneration:http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=632984
Kidbrooke Regeneration: http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=670786
Lewisham Regeneration: http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=888804

http://i44.tinypic.com/2qmoyg8.jpg



The Quill, student accomodation


http://i40.tinypic.com/33wwi8o.jpg

http://i42.tinypic.com/2cwvj3d.jpg

The Walbrook, City

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3414/3473537907_102a9c5c94_b.jpg


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v281/luke82/BuildingPics290509030.jpg


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v281/luke82/BuildingPics290509027.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3367/3592574033_f221dc8397_b.jpg

http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa278/fit3xl/300509156.jpg

[Padfoot]

All those cranes :eek:

You wouldn't know there was a recession on.

[Padfoot]

Except that London isnt Paris.

So the trains will be better connected and roomier than the NYC Subway/Airtrain. Im not sure if thats a fair comparison, because NYC taxis are fundamentally providing this service at near the same cost (soon JFK taxis to Manhattan will be 30 dollars and Limousine services (shuttles) cost less than 20 dollars).

Just how are they going to sell this?

The city is empty and people are still getting laid off every day or deciding to flee the taxation regime there.

Crossrail will not be ready for another 8 years?

HA.

Surely you jest? The effect of the UK recession was well overplayed.

London was easily Europe's top investment destination over the last 12 months, that is not going to change anytime soon.

http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/economics/article6426544.ece

[Gregory Tenenbaum]

Overplayed?

Yes, overplayed, just like every one of those development graphics about London. In almost every one, the light hitting the buildings is stronger than what we have in Miami, and the sky is blue.

They should have put a picture of your famous Met police pissing over another Londoner on his way home from his newsstand/insert job here.

The English government is a joke, and its a police state. Most of those developments are also very very ugly, as in "London is trying too hard to be like New York" ugly. London is not and will never be NYC in the early 20th Century. Chrysler and ESB and the rest are one in a million, and London cannot capture that by trying to be something that it is not.

Talk up London all you like, we all know that AIG's busiest office was there, because of the lack of any sensible regulation. Its the wild west when it comes to spending other peoples money over there. And your police force is a joke. And your education system. Perhaps if there was more emphasis upon literacy, 1/5 adults being functionally illiterate, instead of bashing Londoners over the head Tomlinson style, or making a nice 18th C city centre into an ugly monstrosity, your community would be stronger, and you wouldnt have 3 people a minute leaving England for good.

Development is the new religion over there in England, because it has nothing else to offer? Except arms sales and smelly expats.

So London is the investment capital of Europe? That makes it just about the capital of....nothing.

[Baggy]

Moderator edit:

USER BANNED

[Gregory Tenenbaum]

What a sad jealous little prick you are....

Yes, I guess putting it in large font makes it more persuasive. Straight from the London School of "OI YOU CANT TORK TO ME MATES LOIKE THAT! *BIFF!* Pub Stoyle Debating"

How about giving the forum a sensible response.

Less of this, (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8KdtgoSCXpU) more of this style (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E21MdXe3BOQ).

As you were.

[londonlawyer]

I like this new building. Are there any plans to redevelop the horrible, post-war building across the street that has the entrance to the Cannon Street station?

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v281/luke82/BuildingPics290509030.jpg

[ablarc]

^ Yeah, Greg ... you might want to give it a rest.

[Gregory Tenenbaum]

^ Yeah, Greg ... you might want to give it a rest.

I will be commenting on the London projects as I see them, and it is just one mans opinion, so be sure to provide a response. Trying to shut me or any other person here doesnt really count now does it.

So even in 2012, if everything goes according to plan, this is what London might look like on a clear day (if theres a solar flare which gets the light up to Miami strength).

I have no objection to builders making money, but development in London seems to be nothing more than a ponzi scheme. It has become a joke, except the joke is on the British public, which is fast losing its sense of humor. (http://wirednewyork.com/forum/I%20have%20no%20objection%20to%20builders%20making %20money,%20but%20development%20in%20London%20seem s%20to%20be%20nothing%20more%20than%20a%20ponzi%20 scheme.%20It%20has%20become%20a%20joke,%20except%2 0the%20joke%20is%20on%20the%20British%20public,%20 and%20it%20isnt%20funny%20anymore.) And here too. (http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23435252-details/Skyscrapers+are+fine+but+only+in+the+right+place/article.do)

What is functional and what is intended to be simply aesthetically pleasing are two different concerns, but you would be hard pressed to find an objective traveler who thinks that London's skyline, even as presented below would be better than say Hong Kongs', or even Manhattan's.

http://www.willfox.com/images/skyscrapers/london2012/28.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://www.pbase.com/liphotos/image/68525912.jpg

[Baggy]

Moderator edit:

USER BANNED

[BrooklynRider]

...They should have put a picture of your famous Met police pissing over another Londoner on his way home from his newsstand/insert job here.

...The English government is a joke... London is not and will never be NYC in the early 20th Century... Talk up London all you like...And your police force is a joke... 1/5 adults being functionally illiterate...Development is the new religion over there in England, because it has nothing else to offer...

WARNING
KNOCK IT OFF - This thread is about London Projects not your assessment of politics.

[zupermaus]

don't worry Bags, he's the resident anti-UK troll. Noone knows where its coming from. In this case I think the sight of those cranes must have pushed him over the edge, like really over it. That rant - on the police force, education, smelly expats, arms deals, solar flares (???), police states, illiteracy and er policemen pissing on someone...

I'm sensing a pattern here, a possible run-in with some Brit policeman in the murky past? :eek:

I'm not sure the relevance to a London development thread, but hey, it's his state of mind that's obvious.

Anyway, we've all got him on IGNORE :cool:

[zupermaus]

This one'll really agg him I think:

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/forumdisplay.php?f=729

[Gregory Tenenbaum]

Part of the science of architecture is utility, being able to use a building, and not just being able to look at it, etc etc. That necessitates being there on the ground in London. And thats where the other factors come in. You can have some awesome buildings, like Shanghai or Dubai, but would you actually want to live there? That's another issue. Architecture is about public space, and when you start to experience life on the ground in some of these places, sometimes the buildings dont look all that good anymore.

$0.02

[ablarc]

http://www.willfox.com/images/skyscrapers/london2012/28.jpg
^ What an awful mish-mash of uncoordinated exhibitionism. It will ruin London's beauty.

Hope the bad economy prevents these being built.

By comparison, Hong Kong looks splendid.

[Luca]

Why would anyone elect to 'debate' with the Turtle Bay Limey-basher?? :rolleyes:

I do agree with Ablarc (and so do most Londoners I know) that the mish mash of towers looks pretty nasty. Some cities are skyline cities (NYC, Hong Kong, etc.) soem aren't (Rome, Paris, London). I don't think that having skyscrapers is thw end all and be all of a city, sheesh.

It's like one of those penis-extension skyscrapercity debates about whether one tower in some atrocious industrial Asian towen is taller than the other. WHO CARES? :cool:

[ZippyTheChimp]

Some cities are skyline cities (NYC, Hong Kong, etc.) soem aren't (Rome, Paris, London).Point well taken. A (somewhat unintended) drive to make every city on earth look the same.

[Gregory Tenenbaum]

I do agree with Ablarc (and so do most Londoners I know) that the mish mash of towers looks pretty nasty. Some cities are skyline cities (NYC, Hong Kong, etc.) soem aren't (Rome, Paris, London). I don't think that having skyscrapers is thw end all and be all of a city, sheesh.

It's like one of those penis-extension skyscrapercity debates about whether one tower in some atrocious industrial Asian towen is taller than the other. WHO CARES? :cool:

Correct. London has other city envy. Budapest doesnt. Prague doesnt. Moscow doesnt. Rome doesnt. Neither does Paris. But London wants to the be the king swinging d*ck of the English speaking world.

Instead, its become a joke. Manhattan, and especially the building that took place in the 1880s - 1930s (even just in 2 years from 1930-32 (Chrysler, ESB, Beakman like towers), is one in a million.

[zupermaus]

thats a misleading picture...

[zupermaus]

Pto

[zupermaus]

Due to protected viewing corridors, and 40,000 protected buildings, London's skyscrapers are only allowed to cluster in certain areas.


2012:

Canary Wharf:

http://img342.imageshack.us/img342/8756/728canarywharf2008pic16or.jpg

The City

http://i37.tinypic.com/2mxetzo.jpg

http://www.skyscrapernews.com/images/pics/2839TheBishopsgateTower_pic7.jpg

Southwark:

http://www.bdonline.co.uk/Pictures/468xAny/m/w/u/SB_towers_ready.jpg

Croydon

http://img228.imageshack.us/img228/1742/sfdsdvk0.jpg

other 'slated-for-cluster' areas will be Vauxhall, Waterloo, and Elephant & Castle (the kinds of areas bombed out during the war and full of postwar concrete). Victoria was but has been reduced due to a viewing corridor to Buckingham Palace.

[zupermaus]

You can see the clusters starting to form thanks to WjFox, the London plan:

http://www.skyscrapernews.com/images/pics/8822012skyline_pic1.jpg

[zupermaus]

And what it looks like now:

The City
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e6/dllb/Above%20London/PA180045-1.jpg

http://cache.boston.com/universal/site_graphics/blogs/bigpicture/london_08_29/london1.jpg

Canary Wharf
http://cache.daylife.com/imageserve/01cr4Sh4Wi7Fe/610x.jpg

http://img190.imageshack.us/img190/3194/mypix.jpg

looking from one cluster (The City) to another, (Canary Wharf):

http://img200.imageshack.us/img200/3194/mypix.jpg

in between the clusters the rest of the city will stay the same in height and density.
This is the London that is gloriously mixed, with 40,000 buildings protected in every
conceivable style from Gothic to Modernist.

http://img352.imageshack.us/img352/7965/234931888375b209701bes1.jpgx

[zupermaus]

The unsaid thing here is that the authorities value the mix of architecture (Tudor, Georgian, Victorian, art deco, modernist, brutalist, postmodernist often on the same street), which makes for great frisson and vibrancy, but not so much in skyline. Much of the interventions that there are are from mid-rises, rather than overpowering, shadowing skyscrapers.

They don't want a piecemeal skyline but a gradually clustered one. Although purist areas exist of one architectural style the majority of the central city looks like this, mixed, dynamic, yet eminently liveable. There is a great deal of lawmaking about sizes and functions of buildings - all residential developments have to be 30-50% affordable housing, all gated communities banned, and residential areas mixed with retail, business, transport and leisure, big businesses and highrises usually with a public area or retail base. Also taken into consideration are sightlines, impact on neighbours, how they compliment each other through differing styles, and detailed street level interaction. Countless projects are rejected or redrawn due to this:

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/151/335456535_75b07a43d7_b.jpg


http://img233.imageshack.us/img233/4631/lloydsbuildingyoag4.jpg http://photos.vequias.com/d/2012-2/St_+Paul_s+Cathedral-+View+from+Top+10.JPG


http://www.urbanphoto.net/gallerytwo/g2data/albums/London/181.JPG http://www.urbanphoto.net/gallerytwo/g2data/albums/London/180.JPG


http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/25/Plantation_Place_from_Eastcheap%2C_London_-_Sept_2007.jpg/551px-Plantation_Place_from_Eastcheap%2C_London_-_Sept_2007.jpg http://www.urbanphoto.net/gallerytwo/g2data/albums/London/157.JPG


http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y239/atlan_london7/532_City.jpg


Case in point - new building on the right designed in neo-Classical style to make the art deco neighbour 'stand out':

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2053/2470309321_477f47a6b0.jpg?v=1210094180

http://img221.imageshack.us/img221/9559/img2615tb7.jpg


http://i133.photobucket.com/albums/q49/zupermaus/2004_0905_184252.jpg

http://i133.photobucket.com/albums/q49/zupermaus/2004_0819015.jpg

[ZippyTheChimp]

^
Zupermaus:

I sent you a PM yesterday about image width. I assume you haven't read it.
Edit your posts, or I'm going to delete them.

[zupermaus]

New hotel by Will Alsop planned for Blackfriars.
This is an awful stretch of the river, but this will be the one redeeming feature

http://i.thisislondon.co.uk/i/pix/2009/05/spaceship-hotel-415x275.jpg

http://i40.tinypic.com/a2bqqr.jpg

http://i40.tinypic.com/2wq7sl5.jpg

http://i42.tinypic.com/2e3xy89.jpg

[zupermaus]

The tallest, and ugliest hospital in the world now set to get a reclad:

Guy's Hospital, one of the most hated buildings in the city:

Before...ew!
http://www.skyscrapernews.com/images/pics/629IsLondonsUgliestBuildingReallyTheGherkin_pic2.j pg

After... hopefully
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a82/supertek/DSC02016.jpg http://i42.tinypic.com/2448iuo.jpg

base refurbishment

http://i44.tinypic.com/smsw95.jpg

[nick-taylor]

londonlawyer - As you can just make out in that picture, the steel work is related to the demolition of the previous building that sat atop the entrance to London Cannon Street station. The replacement is excellent - a vast improvement.

This was what used to be there:
http://img530.imageshack.us/img530/5421/img1535fh2.jpg

This is what it looked like back in March (pic by jimbo:
http://img230.imageshack.us/img230/2999/img2594.jpg

This is what it will look like - suspended above the entrance the platforms to create a larger column-free space to the trains (thanks the cross bracing on the building)
http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa278/fit3xl/renders/cannonstreet_large.jpg

Unfortunately the station before WW2 looked even nicer...
http://photos.ltmcollection.org/images/max/61/9889861.jpg




Regarding skyscrapers and urban landscape - London has always been a mess. Apart from a few areas of square and avenues, most of the city is a random mish-mash of various towns and villages that have been consumed by in-fill and urban expansion over the course of two millennia.

As long as skyscrapers/high-density developments:
- Don't interfere with St Paul's, and the Palace of Westminster
- Are built around transport nodes
- Only replace concrete carbuncles or other depressing architecture of no merit
- Where the tower meets the urban fabric is excellent

I personally don't see much issue, but I can see the perspective of some people wanting a skyline like New York or Hong Kong. However London's geography is completely different, and it makes more sense from a social, cultural, architectural and economic perspective to have high-density development all across the place.

I'd actually advocate that we ought to create even more clusters to distribute offices, shops, and homes to ease congesion, create more energetic, but comfortable environments. I envision over the long-term, massive developments at;
- Stratford (several towers and developments rising, but with the number of lines - there could be more)
- Bermondsey (major railway junction)
- Clapham Junction (busiest station outside Japan)
- Willesden Junction (potential terminus for a future British HSR line)

Skylines mean nothing, if the interaction at the ground is lazy or poor.




First European Shinkansens Launched[/b]

Today marks the official launch of the class 395 Shinkansen trains built by Hitachi - the first Japanese trains to run in Europe. The public will be able to use the service on the 29th, with a complete timetable available on the 13th December once staff training has been completed.

The trains will operate out of London St Pancras (alongside the Eurostar platforms) running to Stratford (site of the London Olympics) and then on to Kent.

On another note, Hitachi the manufacturer of the class 395 trains, won earlier in the year the contract to build 1,400 carriages for the Inter City Express programme which will see trains connect up several dozen cities across the UK.


http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3651/3638485946_a9bc590cf9_b.jpg

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Dark grey - Open this month
Light grey - Open December 09

http://img168.imageshack.us/img168/4351/southeasternrailnetworkus6.jpg

[ZippyTheChimp]

^
Last warning. Images that are too wide will no longer be corrected. The entire post will be deleted.

It's simple. [url] instead of [img]

[londonlawyer]

For rational people, it is beyond dispute that NY has (and always will have) a far superior skyline to London. Although a few nice buildings have been built in the City recently, it's absurd to compare that tiny handful to the forest of New York's skyscrapers which includes scores of pre-War buildings that will never be replicated anywhere such as the Chrysler, Woolworth, Empire State, Trump Wall Street, etc.

That being said, London, architecturally is better than New York. Also, New Yorkers pride themselves on filth and shabbyness. Most people around the world do not, including Londoners. Therefore, stunning streetscapes like this can be found everywhere in London.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3150/2618384633_2fcac6f55e.jpg

http://www.yourlocalweb.co.uk/images/pictures/18/99/north-audley-street-mayfair-187276.jpg

http://www.holiday-beds-direct.com/images/resorts/Knightsbridge.jpg

London's architecture is so stunning that I regard it as the best in the world. Were it not for Paris' tree-lined boulevards, copious fountains and incomparable landmarks such as the Arch de Triomph and the Eifel Tower, I would regard London as the world's most beautiful city.

A collection of this filth would never last in a prime area of London as it does in NY.
http://i7.tinypic.com/258uv6w.jpg

[Gregory Tenenbaum]

This is exactly the point. It doesnt look as good as the old one.

They rebuilt this one even after it was destroyed, sparing the Old Town a monstrosity. Pity they couldnt do that in London. Development is the new religion over there. Or Phillistinism. But at least the new station does match chavberry baseball caps in its stark "Look at Me" style.http://k41.pbase.com/g3/35/11435/2/54824466.bahnhof.jpg

[Gregory Tenenbaum]

That being said, London, architecturally is better than New York. Also, New Yorkers pride themselves on filth and shabbyness. Most people around the world do not, including Londoners. Therefore, stunning streetscapes like this can be found everywhere in London.

London's architecture is so stunning that I regard it as the best in the world. Were it not for Paris' tree-lined boulevards, copious fountains and incomparable landmarks such as the Arch de Triomph and the Eifel Tower, I would regard London as the world's most beautiful city.

Thats why you are a lawyer and a London one at that, and not an architect.

Seriously however LL, NYers do not pride ourselves on filth and shabbyness.

Here's one building that shows that Londons architecture will never be of the same standard as New York. Shabby enough for you?
http://www.adobe.com/special/america24_7/images/photo1.jpg

[ZippyTheChimp]

For rational people,

The debate belongs here. (http://www.wirednewyork.com/forum/showthread.php?t=19097&page=9)

[Derek2k3]

The debate belongs nowhere. It's silly.
Just accept the cities for what they are.

[Gregory Tenenbaum]

Correct, it is what it is.

What I dont understand is why London is trying to be something that its not. If you dont think theres no NY or Chicago skyscraper envy in London, you're probably wrong, clearly there is something. The use of scales and other interesting materials to clad buildings is something that I do like however, also that hotel with its organic shape. But once you step onto the street from such a nice building, well, thats the problem that London has.

That section of Lex that LL posted may look shabby, but if you look in any other direction/across the road you can see Chrysler, Grand Central, other nice buildings. I want to see more photos of the street level like those posted, and with Londoners walking about, because that gives you a better indication of what it is like to use that architecture, which is a critical consideration.

Looking at the faces of some Londoners, being there looks like being in Mogadishu. It is not for everyone.

[scumonkey]

That section of Lex that LL posted may look shabby
If I'm not mistaken, that's 8th Ave at w 55th- NOT Lex?!

[Gregory Tenenbaum]

If I'm not mistaken, that's 8th Ave at w 55th- NOT Lex?!

I think you are right, I was thinking Lex at around 45th where the 2 fast food chains are. Close but no cigar for me.

[zupermaus]

more London streetscapes, the biggest mix of architecture you'll likely ever see.


It's all about juxtaposition and plurality, a tradition for centuries (especially the Victorians who always mixed working class with upper)
that nowadays is actually meticulously planned and intentionally mixed. Neo classical jars with neo_gothic,
art deco with pastiche, brutalist with Victorian, and postmodern with nouveau. However if you look carefully
none of these buildings overpower, they still respect the scale and the street integration despite the dynamic.
True 'interventions' tend to act as end-of-street impacts.



Even the old streets are never setpieces.


http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3438/3192734082_38476a8679_o.jpg http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3498/3192764598_cfedb9fc5a_o.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3121/3215761967_22c9c7a186_o.jpg

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1156/3167518225_7051535499_o.jpg



http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1120/3167552415_fbb519a3c0_o.jpg http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3312/3275123539_44baa7e728_o.jpg

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http://www.oranga.com/pics1/s200901089210bb.jpg

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http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3321/3275123785_4743801042_o.jpg


http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3403/3275927342_6b69631c4d_o.jpg

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http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3431/3275945076_c591659ff0_o.jpg


http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3408/3275128841_3a5a5cafb9_o.jpg



City Financial District

A highrise district superimposed on the medieval streetplan. The skyscrapers rose from the bombsites of WWII
but beneath them are crammed myriad old streets, with 120 churches (of which 50 of them are over 350 years old),
and protected alleyways hiding ancient taverns, contemporary sculptures and secret gardens. Although known as
the Square Mile, this small area sees in 400,000 workers by day.


http://i227.photobucket.com/albums/dd299/Bedlam1000/100.jpg


http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff121/Goddard1000/29.jpg http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff121/Goddard1000/47.jpg

http://www.oranga.com/pics1/s200901099269bb.jpg

http://www.oranga.com/pics1/s200901099265bb.jpg

http://www.oranga.com/pics1/s200901129471bb.jpg

http://www.oranga.com/pics1/s200901129517bb.jpg

secret spaces:

http://www.oranga.com/pics1/s200901129484bb.jpg


http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/dd213/Jaeger1000/116.jpg

http://i227.photobucket.com/albums/dd299/Bedlam1000/30.jpg

[zupermaus]

Spring/ Summer

The vibrancy that comes off the built environment is brought much more in focus.
Although much of London is still of old architecture, they are never set pieces, due to the
contemporary street, the people, and every now and then the intervention of the new builds.


Architecturally the city is a mix, but that compliments the even more mixed streetscapes:

London will never strive to be like Paris, being libertine -good or bad- is part of the British psyche.




http://i133.photobucket.com/albums/q49/zupermaus/2004_0810137.jpg http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b196/bruab/London%20and%20Oxford/St-Martin-in-the-fields.jpg

http://i133.photobucket.com/albums/q49/zupermaus/2004_0810229-1.jpg

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http://www.urbanphoto.net/gallerytwo/g2data/albums/London/155.JPG http://www.urbanphoto.net/gallerytwo/g2data/albums/London/089.JPG

http://www.urbanphoto.net/gallerytwo/g2data/albums/London/154.JPG http://www.urbanphoto.net/gallerytwo/g2data/albums/London/075.JPG

http://www.urbanphoto.net/gallerytwo/g2data/albums/London/157.JPG http://www.urbanphoto.net/gallerytwo/g2data/albums/London/003.JPG

http://www.urbanphoto.net/gallerytwo/g2data/albums/London/068.JPG http://www.urbanphoto.net/gallerytwo/g2data/albums/London/094.JPG

http://www.urbanphoto.net/gallerytwo/g2data/albums/London/007.JPG http://www.urbanphoto.net/gallerytwo/g2data/albums/London/031.JPG


http://www.urbanphoto.net/gallerytwo/g2data/albums/London/067.JPG http://www.urbanphoto.net/gallerytwo/g2data/albums/London/088.JPG



http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y229/atlan_london3/200_Piccadilly_st.jpg http://i133.photobucket.com/albums/q49/zupermaus/2004_0915_180616.jpg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/09/Londres_249..jpg http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/64/Londres_229..jpg


http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b196/bruab/London%20and%20Oxford/DSC06499.jpg http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b196/bruab/London%20and%20Oxford/DSC06306.jpg

http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff121/Goddard1000/54.jpg http://www.paternosterlondon.co.uk/images/northEast.jpg




http://img230.imageshack.us/img230/6406/primrosehillcitycwqz4.jpg



http://www.oranga.com/pics1/s200407109874bbb.jpg


http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7c/Londres_146..jpg


http://www.oranga.com/pics1/s200510231483bbb.jpg

more Financial District - the Square Mile


http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/dd213/Jaeger1000/501.jpg


http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff121/Goddard1000/14.jpg http://www.jeremai.com/Non-site/100_6274.jpg

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http://i227.photobucket.com/albums/dd299/Bedlam1000/25.jpg

http://i227.photobucket.com/albums/dd299/Bedlam1000/17.jpg

[zupermaus]

In short the mix of architecture and how it interacts with the streets is what makes the city so vibrant, and is part of its tradition and libertine society.
What London has always been is popularly described as a mix of the First World with the Third World, old world with new world.
As coined by Samuel Johnson in 1738: "When a man is tired of London he is tired of life ... for there lies in London all that life can afford."

London will never be like Paris - compartmentalised, preserved, with historic but monotonous streetscapes in a centre surrounded by new build.
Paris has its vistas and radial avenues, while London is still on a medieval streetplan, following the path of a cow to its watering hole.
Paris compartmentalises its buildings, ethnic groups and classes, London mixes them. This in a way has given London an edge over its rival
(though Sarkozy's new Paris Plan is now opening up the city along London's lines - new clusters of highrises, open doors to immigration and mixing developments).

[Minato ku]

I don't understand what you mean about ethnic group, Paris is not more racially segrated than London.
There is no district where specially live white, black, arab or asian... of course there is districts with a higher concentration of some group but it is the same in London.

[Gregory Tenenbaum]

They are nice shots in the snow. But that is a one in 20 year event in London.

The Tired of London quote may have been true then, but it should be, When a Man is Tired of London, He Is Tired of being Ripped Off For Everything From a Bagel to a Place to Rent

Its too expensive and dangerous to live there for the vast majority of people. I could do it and make a lot of money, but I enjoy my leisure time too much. Other cities offer a lot more, NY, HK, Tokyo, Vienna for example.

The old buildings are nice, but no nicer or better than those in old Austrian empire states.

[zupermaus]

I don't understand what you mean about ethnic group, Paris is not more racially segrated than London.
There is no district where specially live white, black, arab or asian... of course there is districts with a higher concentration of some group but it is the same in London.

Yep, I know Paris isn't as bad as the media make out segregation-wise, its just the banlieues have a reputation. London doesn't have districts where one ethnic minority predominates - even though its nearing 40 percent foreign born (50-60% in the centre, 30% in the outer city), it speaks 340 languages and has 85 major communities, and half are non-White British.

The highest percentage of one ethnic group is a small area - Central Slough, in the London metro, which is 63% Pakistani. Many of the famous ethnic districts such as Jamaican Brixton, Bangladeshi Whitechapel, Brazilian Stockwell etc. are actually still minorities in their own communities, much to the surprise of Londoners themselves. These areas act as ethnic foci, with many businesses orientated for the specific community. Thus going on the street you'll see many members of that community in the area - however what you don't realise most of these people are here to shop, maybe to work - but they live elsewhere.

If you actually look at Brixton its actually a pretty even