London Projects [Archive] - Page 9 - Wired New York Forum

nick-taylor

September 17th, 2010, 11:23 AM

St George Tower

Ground work has started on the 181m residential tower in Vauxhall. Photo taken by SSC forum member dg01. Render from skyscrapernews.com

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2012 London Olympics

Photos taken by Andy Wilkes at flickr.com

Aquatics Centre

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Basketball Hall

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Olympic Stadium

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Aquatics Centre, Basketball Hall + Olympic Village Pano

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London Media Centre
At each Olympics, some 25,000 journalists gaina accrediation to comment, write, report and broadcast on events that occur at the Olympics. These journalists will be housed at the International Broadcasting/Media Centre in the Olympic Park.

However there are thousands of other journalists who are not accredited, and as such the host city can arrange for them to be located at another venue. Late last month it was announced that the non-accredited journalists would be housed at One Great George St, which while not in the Olympic Park is next door to the Houses of Parliament.

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Eton Dorney

Pictures taken by diamond geezer at Flickr.com of the rowing centre that is pretty much complete other than event facilities and temporary seating that will be built closer to the time.

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White Water Centre

The canoe centre is coming along nicely. Pics taken by diamond geezer at Flickr.com

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Velodrome

Images and text sourced by DarJoLe at SSC.

New images and webcam show work underway on London 2012 Velodrome track
16 Sep 2010

New images and a new webcam were unveiled by the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) today showing work underway to install the timber cycling track of the London 2012 Velodrome.

The 6,000 seat Velodrome will host the Olympic and Paralympic Track Cycling events in 2012. After the Games, the legacy Velodrome will be used by elite athletes and the local community and will include a café, bike hire and cycle workshop facilities.

With the distinct double-curved roof of the Velodrome covered and the building watertight, work is now underway to install the timber cycling track. The ODA is aiming to create the world’s fastest cycling track by tailoring the track geometry and setting the temperature and environmental conditions within the venue to create record-breaking conditions. The venue has also been being designed with seating all the way round the track to create the best possible crowd atmosphere during events.

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A team of 26 specialist carpenters have now installed 356 vertical timber support trusses that will support the track. With the support trusses now in place, 56km of surface timber will be laid to form the track surface.

The track surface will be built from a sustainably-sourced Siberian pine, specially selected because the trees are known for being straight and tall making them suitable for the lengths of timber required to shape the track. The extreme Siberian climate also means the timber is very stable and will not shrink or contract in the environmental conditions of the Velodrome.

A new webcam showing the progress being made on the Velodrome track is now available on the London 2012 website at http://www.london2012.com/webcams/ve...e-internal.php. New images of work on the Velodrome track can be downloaded from http://mm.gettyimages.com/mm/nicePat...av=pr141229966.

ODA Chief Executive David Higgins said: 'The start of work on the Velodrome track is a significant milestone and takes us another step closer to this becoming the first Olympic Park venue to be completed early next year.

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'Seeing the track beginning to take shape gives us a first look at where we hope world records will be broken in 2012 and where a new generation of cyclists will be able to take to their bikes for many years to come.'

Seb Coe, Chair of the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games said: 'It is exciting to see the progress on the Velodrome track. Cycling is a huge Olympic and Paralympic sport and this world-class venue will be a fantastic setting for spectators - hopefully inspiring many of them to try out the sport long after the Games have finished.'

Hugh Robertson, Minister for Sport and the Olympics, said: 'The Velodrome is one venue where we expect a great medal haul from British athletes on what will be an exceptionally fast track. Post the Games, the venue will be a first-rate facility for elite athletes and community users alike that will help us develop Britain’s cycling stars of the future.'

Shaun Dawson, Chief Executive of Lee Valley Regional Park Authority, which will own and manage the Velodrome in legacy, said: 'It’s incredibly exciting to witness the transformation of the Velodrome into one of the stars of Olympic Park.

'As the owners and managers of the VeloPark in legacy we’ll make sure this venue delivers a world-class programme, welcoming cyclists of all levels and disciplines to train, race or just simply cycle for fun. It will be an integral part of the chain of sporting excellence being created in the 10,000 acre Lee Valley Regional Park.'

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Construction work started on the Velodrome in March 2009 and the venue is on track to be completed early next year, making it the first Olympic Park venue to be completed. After the Games, a road cycle circuit and mountain bike course will be added to the Velodrome and BMX circuit to create a legacy VeloPark that will combine cycling facilities across all disciplines in one cycling ‘hub’.

The legacy VeloPark will be owned and managed by Lee Valley Regional Park Authority. The construction of the VeloPark facilities includes funding from Lee Valley Regional Park Authority (LVRPA), Sport England, Transport for London (TfL), and the London Marathon Charitable Trust (LMCT).

Velodrome facilities:
* 250m UCI (International Cycling Union) approved indoor track and 100m warm-up circuit
* 6,000 seats and 360 degree public poncourse in legacy for viewing all cycling activities
* Legacy café, changing rooms, cycle workshop, and storage for over 300 bikes
* Legacy bike hire outlet for families to hire bikes to use the new cycling facilities
* Venue will be linked into cycle routes across London, linking the new venue with the whole of the capital

Velodrome design:
* Distinct Velodrome roof designed to reflect the geometry of the cycling track
* The 6,000 seats are split into a lower and upper tier, allowing a 360 degrees concourse level in between with a continuous ribbon of full height windows
* The 360-degree glazed concourse level in legacy will offer spectators inside the Velodrome views out onto the rest of the Olympic Park and across the London skyline, while allowing people outside of the Velodrome views into the venue and down onto the cycling track

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Construction:
* Some 48,000 cubic metres of material was excavated to create the bowl for the Velodrome, enough to fill 19 50m swimming pools
* More than 900 piles were driven up to 26m beneath the ground to complete the foundations of the venue
* More than 2,500 sections of steelwork were installed to complete the steel structure of the Velodrome
* The cable-net roof is 12,000sq m in size and uses 16km of cabling
* A team of 26 specialist carpenters have installed 356 vertical timber support trusses that will support the track
* 56km of surface timber will be laid to form the track surface. The track surface will be built from a sustainably-sourced Siberian pine

Sustainability elements:
* The building has been designed to be lightweight and efficient to reflect the efficient design of a bicycle
* The use of abundant daylight through strategically positioned rooflights reduces need for artificial lighting and allows natural ventilation
* Water saving fittings and collection of rainwater for reuse in building are built into design to help reduce water consumption
* Compact design minimises energy consumed to heat the main arena
* Lightweight cable-net roof structure weighs 30kg/m2 compared to 65kg/m2 for the Beijing Velodrome, helping create a highly efficient building

nick-taylor

September 17th, 2010, 11:23 AM

100 Bishopsgate

Something a bit different for the city - a box! Having recently created a partnership with Brookfield, Great Portland St is looking for tenants to fill the 850,000 sq ft office and start work next Spring. The building has a height of 180m and 40 floors. Images from www.skyscrapernews.com

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Vauxhall Cross

These two towers (31 and 41 storeys) in Vauxhall have now gone into planning. The scheme includes 291 apartments, a 179 bed hotel, a skybar, new underground links to the adjacent tube and national rail station and a 20m high timber and glass canopy that will span between both towers to form a winter garden.

They will form part of what will become a new cluster for high-rise towers. Images sources by international-one over at SSC.

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Kidbrooke Redevelopment

The redevelopment of once one of London's largest council estates contines. What was once known as the Ferrier Estate, the estate was built in 1972 and is located south-east of Greenwich. The old estate is being demolished to make way for 4,300+ new homes. Photos taken by SE9 over at SSC.

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Saffron Square

Located in Croydon, Wellesley Square consists of a 134m tower and various smaller mid-rises around a courtyard. The 7505 apartment development was on hold due the economic cliamte, but incessant demand for properties has seen the developer Berkeley Homes push forward. Renders sourced from www.skyscrapernews.com,

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Queen Mary University: Humanities Building

Designed by Wilkinson Eyre, the £12mn building on Mile End Road will expand the Humanities Department. Photos taken in July by Bob @ SSC. The cladding....is different.

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Park House, 451-478 Oxford St

This is now under construction. It replaces a god awful 60's concrete tower (c. 18 storeys) and takes up close to half a hectare along Oxford St. Render and image of the old tower from fitz44 at SSC.

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The construction photos taken by mattomatto illustrate the size of the plot. Selfridges is visible at the lower centre right.

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Milton Court

Foundation work on this 112m tower next-door to the Barbican has begun, of which 45% of apartments have already been sold. Photos taken by mattomatto over at SSC. Render sourced from skyscrapernews.com

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NEO Bankside

Photos taken by mitosan at SSC of Richard Rogers' designed towers next door to Tate Modern.

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nick-taylor

September 17th, 2010, 11:24 AM

Canada Water

Located on the south-bank of the Thames directly opposite Limehouse and Canary Wharf; the Canada Water-Rotherhithe area (or what was then known as the Surrey Commercial Docks) used to be a vast network of docks, locks and canals serving ships from various northern hemisphere countries (hence Canada Dock, Quebec Pond, Norway Dock, Greenland Dock, Russia Dock, etc...). The area had been a port from the 12th century to the later half of last century.

On a random note, a short walk north of Canada Water to Rotherhithe and you come across two historical curiosities;
- The Mayflower that carried the Pilgrim Fathers set sail from here, while the captain of the boat is buried in a local church
- The Thames Tunnel which was the first underwater tunnel to be built (now 167 years old and still in use by the East London Line)

http://www.knowledgerush.com/wiki_image/b/b1/Surreydocks1882.jpg
The above map is from 1882, in 1895 the Greenland Dock was greatly expanded (to its present size) and absorbed the Commercial Basin in the picture.

Unfortunately in what could be seen as criminal short-sightedness the vast majority of the dock warehouses were demolished and 90% of the docks filled in. The only docks remaining are Greenland Dock, Norway Dock, South Dock, a modified Canada Dock (into what is now known as Canada Water) and the modified Surrey Basin (now known as Surrey Water). Small canals/locks connect the various bodies of water to the Thames and the majority of the housing in the area was built in the 80's and is low-density.

Google Aerial: http://maps.google.co.uk/?ie=UTF8&ll=51.498284,-0.0424&spn=0.010286,0.022938&t=h&z=16

Transport links to the area until the last 10 years were pretty poor which restricted large-scale development; the old East London Line ran through the area but was infrequent and had poor interchange and connections to other lines meaning the bus was the main link to the rest of London.

The opening of the Jubilee Line with an interchange at Canada Water set development in motion - the stop was the next station on from Canary Wharf, and three from London Waterloo. The revamped East London Line which re-opened this year then provided a more frequent and expanded service with better defined north-south connections and destinations.

The area currently has two 'key' buildings - the 'drum' of the Canada Water Underground/Overground and Bus station and the new u/c library

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Source: Kake Pugh on Flickr

Canada Water's new library. Picture taken by Ciudad Bristol over at skyscrapercity.com

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The economic climate set the project back, but builders are now on site with the first phase. An interesting note is that a new water link will be built connecting Canada Water to the Greenland Dock.

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http://www.skyscrapernews.com/images/pics/6191CanadaWaterBuildingA4_pic1.jpg
Image from skyscrapernews.com

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Image from skyscrapernews.com

Neptune's Alperton Development

A 3.75 acre site adjacent to the Grand Union Canal will see 441 apartments across several blocks. The design by Square & Partners and received planning permission in March of this year. The site is due west of Wembley Stadium.

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Loampit Lane

Work has started on this large development (788 homes, 30% affordable housing, 4.2 acres, new leisure centre) in close proximity to Lewisham station in south London. Photos taken by SE9 at SSC.

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Closer to Lewisham station is a slightly larger 800 home development (Lewisham Gateway) that will add serious density to what currently consists of small industrial warehouses.

The reason for the high density between both adjacent developments is that the adjacent Lewisham station has 14 trains an hour into Central London, while there are six trains an hour to Canary Wharf. It is also proposed that the Bakerloo be extended towards and beyond Lewisham being that there would be a direct line to Oxford Circus and London's West End.

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King's Cross Student Tower

A 100m student tower has been announced as part of the King's Cross Central development. Various works are on-going across the vast redevelopment site (some including the redevelopment of Victorian train yards, others new build). The accomodation will serve the new Central St Martins College of Arts and Design who are moving from their five currently locations to a single address in King's Cross in 2011

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Alisa Waterside

Large zero-carbon residential development covering 4.5hectares along the River Lea that will see 800 homes in several tower blocks. The site is half-way between Canary Wharf and Stratford (where the Olympics are being hosted). The 02 Arena is visible in the satellite image.

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Athlete's Village Tower

149m - 42 storey 150-bed hotel + 253 residential unit design by SOM for the Olympic Park. According to london lad over at SSC, the plan is to build the hotel section (first few floors) and then build the residential apartments for the remaining 30 storeys after the games - this way there won't be any cranes visible in the Olympic Park. Images sourced by chrissus83 at SSC.

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nick-taylor

September 17th, 2010, 11:25 AM

Barking

Barking, located in the London Borough of Barking & Dagenham, 14.6km east of Charing Cross is an important regional centre for London and currently undergoing a major renovation involving the demolition of former decrepid council blocks and industrial wastelands. The station (Underground, Overground and Commuter) connects London to the City and West End, while the adjacent North Circular is a ring-road around north-London and down to the Thames. South of Barking along the Thames - thousands of new homes are set to be built to help London absorb new residents.

Google Map: http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&ll=51.540703,0.084586&spn=0.020713,0.072098&t=h&z=15

Trocoll House
22 storey tower adjacent to Barking station. According to www.skyscrapernews.com the side profile is meant to resemble a cut pepper. The tower will be built on what is currently a car park. Image sourced from www.skyscrapernews.com.

http://www.skyscrapernews.com/images/pics/2563DexterMorenReviseTrocollHousePlans_pic1.jpg

36-48 Cambridge Road
Directly opposite Trocoll House (above) across the railway tracks lies this development by HLM for a 87m residential tower. Image sourced from www.skyscrapernews.com.

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William Street Quarter
Since the picture for the render was produced, the three tower blocks (red and white) to the top centre have been demolished. As part of the William Street Quarter the site will create a new business centre and 460 homes (previously the site had 256 flats) over 1x20 storey, 1x15 storey and various mid-low rise elements. 35% of residential units will be social-rented, another 35% will be intermediate housing and the rest will be for the private market.

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Fresh Water Wharf
To the west of Barking town centre along the River Roding is a brownfield site of what will become a large mixed-use development. The development of 1,160 residential units will be built over the next five years. T

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Barking Riverside
Part of the wider Thames Gateway project, the Barking Riverside development will connect the Thames to Barking, recycling contaminated former industrial wasteland into a residential district consisting of 10,800 residential units, new parks, 2km of public-access Thames waterfront and built to green-criteria.

The East London Transit route which opened in Feb of this year links the site to the Underground, Overground and Commuter rail at Barking station, while the future Dagenham Dock DLR Extension will run through the heart of the site.

The first homes are due to be complete by the end of this year, but the project won't be complete until 2020.

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South Dagenham
Once home to what was one of Ford's first European car manufacturing plants dating back to the 1920's, the majority of the manufacturing site was closed about 10 years ago. Some of the site is still active producing one in every four Ford engines in the world, however a lot of the site is currently vacant.

Working with the Dutch architecture firm West8 who are behind the Borneo-Sporenburg development in Amsterdam and the planned park on Governors Island in NYC, it is anticipated to turn a grim concrete wasteland into a mini-Amsterdam with canals, lakes and tree-lined boulevards dedicated the cycling.

The west of the site will be focused on retail, while the east side will consist of double houses (one house on top of another). Several thousand housings will be built.

Currently the only transport links are via the A13 into/out of London, various bus routes and a station at Dagenham Dock on the c2c commuter line into London Fenchurch St, however there would be various large improvements:
- A new station at the eastern end of the site on the c2c line would provide increased journey options into Central London
- The DLR Dagenham Dock Extension has approval, but funding is in limbo at the moment
- Terminus of Phase I (opened in February of this year) of the East London Transit - a segregated rapid bus route through East London. Phase II which has funding, will see construction open in 2011 and open in 2013 will also terminate at the development. While still a bus service, the infrastructure could accomodate future expansion to trams if demand was sufficient

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2-12 Stratford High Street

The design for the below tower on Stratford High St (close to the Olympic site) has now had a height increase from 28 to 35 storeys (c. 100m) increasing the apartments from 174 to 191.

Image from www.skyscrapernews.com

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Millwall Sports Village

Millwall FC have plans to redevelop a large area of land surrounding their stadium in south London. The development will incorporate 3,000 aparatments and various sporting facilities for the development and surrounding neighbourhood. The site is interesting because it is divided by no fewer than six railway lines and dependent upon the construction of a station at Surrey Canal Road on the East London Line.

Unfortunately the Department for Transport hasn't been too forth-coming with the funding (£7mn), although recently the property developer mentioned that the development could still go ahead. My personal vision for this location was for a similar station complex to that at Clapham Junction which would converge several rail lines and allow for very-high density development. Image sourced from www.skyscrapernews.com

http://www.skyscrapernews.com/images/pics/2595MillwallSportsVillageUnveiled_pic1.jpg

Wood Wharf (Tower W02-W03), 182m

Part of Canary Wharf's eastern expansion; Wood Wharf is a large new district that will see the construction during this decade of about a dozen new towers ranging in heights from 100m - 200m. The below is the first to have a design generated (by by Pelli Clarke) and will have in the region of 1.6mn sq ft of office space. Render sourced by gothicform over at SSC.

http://www.skyscrapernews.com/images/pics/5601WoodWharfW02_pic1.jpg

http://img36.imageshack.us/img36/1489/466000241w.jpg

nick-taylor

September 17th, 2010, 11:27 AM

Tate Modern

Photos taken by mitosan at SSC. In addition SSC forum member Bob sourced the following article from www.bdonline.co.uk;

Tate Modern extension could be complete in 2012

9 September 2010 | By Will Hurst

Herzog & de Meuron’s £215 million Tate Modern extension could still be completed in time for the Olympics after nearly half the funds needed were raised, bosses claimed today.

Speaking at a press conference Thursday morning, Tate director Nicholas Serota said an additional £25 million had been raised from private benefactors in Britain and abroad over recent months.

Added to the £76 million already raised, this would equal just over £100 million.

The pyramid-like structure, which is due to be clad in perforated brick, began on site in January with lids to the subterranean oil tanks intended for gallery use already removed and piling work now under way to strengthen the existing Turbine Hall foundations and support the new building.

BD broke the news in April that the Tate was facing a shortfall of £140 million for the project, leading many to doubt whether it would be built in time for the 2012 games.

Serota said he was cautiously optimistic that the plans remain on track. “I continue to believe that there are many individuals who have the capacity to help and we are in discussions with them,” he said.

Tate has also secured two-thirds of the £45million required for Caruso St John’s transformation of Tate Britain, which is due to start in the spring in time for completion in 2013. This project is entirely funded by private donations.

Serota, who complained that government cuts could severely affect the programmes of institutions like the Tate, added: “We remain confident in spite of the recession that we will deliver both the new building at Tate Modern and a totally transformed and renovated building here at Tate Britain.”

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British Museum Extension

Times might be tough with the stringent deficit reduction programme, but some cultural projets have had in recent months significant input from private donations. Lord Sainsbury this week donated £25mn towards construction to offset government cuts.

The £135mn Rogers Stirk Harbour designed extension to the British Museum was originally rejected when it first went into the planning system, but prevailed at the second attempt. The five pavillions will create new galleries and move office space away from converted galleries. fitz44 sourced the render images

Demolition work is currently taking place on some old buildings that occupy the site.

http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa278/fit3xl/renders/1zvsi1t.jpg

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http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa278/fit3xl/renders/279699_British_Museum_View_from_Mon.jpg

Crossrail Update

Canary Wharf

Photos taken by uk.de at SSC.

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Bond Street

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Paddington

http://img528.imageshack.us/img528/1456/pad1.jpg (http://img528.imageshack.us/i/pad1.jpg/)
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Tottenham Court Road

http://img824.imageshack.us/img824/4255/tcr1.jpg (http://img824.imageshack.us/i/tcr1.jpg/)
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And a photo taken by Ciudad Bristol at SSC of the construction site at Tottenham Court Road.

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Ed007Toronto

September 17th, 2010, 12:27 PM

I don't know if its the size of the images but this thread takes forever to load. So long that I avoid it even though the info, when I do come, is great. Anyway of fixing this?

Degsy

September 19th, 2010, 06:36 AM

Great update, good to see all the residential estates being redeveloped, slowly but surely, London is undoing the damage done to it by those leftie socialist maniac/lunatic architects and planners from the 1960's and 1970's.....if any of them are still alive, they should be hunted down and shot IMO.....

Also, i think you'll find 100 Bishopgate is 165m and not 180m.........

Dr.T

September 19th, 2010, 02:41 PM

Great stuff again, @nick-taylor ! Thanks for your last update :)

Padfoot

September 19th, 2010, 10:51 PM

I see that 122 Leadenhall back on the agenda. :)

http://www.theleadenhallbuilding.info/index.html

10962

nick-taylor

September 20th, 2010, 03:43 AM

Thanks for the responses all.

Also, i think you'll find 100 Bishopgate is 165m and not 180m.........Thanks for the clarification - the update got a bit long so hopefully that's the only one!

Talking about 100 Bishopsgate, Allies & Morrison had their architecture studios open as part of London Open City (previously known as London Open House), and we managed to get a tour of their entire studio (work space, roof terrace, model-making room), all excellent stuff. The concrete finish in their studios is amazing.

Also managed to get inside:
- Lloyds of London
- The Broadgate Tower
- City Hall
- The Blue Fin Building (another quality Allies & Morrison building which is opposite the architects HQ)
- Portcullis House
- Freemasons' Lodge on St James's Street

I managed to by-pass the queues (especially at Lloyds of London and City Hall) because I had volunteered to be a steward at Marlborough House (HQ of the Commonwealth) on Saturday morning - I 'managed' the Ramillies Staircase with a mate.

While I did take quite a few pictures over the weeked, I wasn't able to get any of Marlborough House, but fortunately they do have some online-360 photos which are pretty jazzy.
Bing Map Aerial: http://www.bing.com/maps/?v=2&cp=skhpcsgznpm0&scene=12487862&lvl=1&sty=b
360 Virtual Tours: http://resources.thecommonwealth.org/mhouse/index.html

Will work on getting the other photos hosted.

Alonzo-ny

September 20th, 2010, 05:02 AM

Nick, I was in Allies and Morrison's office in January and I agree it is a gorgeous office, very well built.

nick-taylor

September 20th, 2010, 08:44 AM

Forgot to add to the list that I also went to the Foreign & Commonwealth Office on Whitehall with its ridiculously oppulent interiors. I unfortunately didn't get a chance to go around St Pancras!

London is exceptionally fortunate to not just have a wealth of old and new architecture, but the leading architects; and all opening their doors to the public.

Nick, I was in Allies and Morrison's office in January and I agree it is a gorgeous office, very well built.I took some pics inside, but not too many as the tour was pretty thorough.

It was quite funny actually because originally I didn't plan to go to the Blue Fin Building either, but I had some spare time after going to City Hall. It was only when on the roof terrace of the Blue Fin, that I saw one of the Open House/City green banners that drew the interest of me and a mate to go and have a look.

I think a few other architecture practices were open, but when there was something like 700 buildings, not to mention the guided (foot/bike/routemaster) tours open over the weekend you are pretty spoilt for choice. Perhaps next year I'll look at some of the less-known/off-the-beaten-track areas.

Of note, the organisers announced at the party (held at the Chartered Accountants Hall - which again is a completely hidden gem down an alley off Moorgate: Chartered Accountants Hall (http://www.icaew.com/index.cfm/route/110398/icaew_ga/en/Home/About_us/Chartered_Accountants_Hall/Chartered_Accountants_Hall)) for volunteers that they were aiming for 2,012 buildings to coincide with the 20th anniversary of the project and the year.

People from Tokyo were also taking notes and elsewhere; looking to start-up a similar architecture programme for the public elsewhere around the London is exceptionally fortunate to not just have a wealth of old and new architecture, but the leading architects; and all opening their doors to the public.

New Yorkers - don't forget that Open House New York (http://www.openhouseworldwide.org/) is on 9th & 10th October! (http://www.openhouseworldwide.org)
http://openhouseworldwide.org/images/Header_NewYork.jpg

nick-taylor

October 22nd, 2010, 09:13 AM

Been busy so short update today;

Shard of London

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Source: Intrepid8 @ SSC

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Source: Intrepid @ SSC

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Source: chest @ SSC

Bishopsgate Tower

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Alonzo-ny

October 23rd, 2010, 03:15 PM

Fabulous news!

City skyscrapers get the greenlight
By Daniel Thomas, Property Correspondent

Published: October 22 2010 22:35 | Last updated: October 22 2010 23:49

London’s skyline is to be transformed after developers revived plans to build two of the most striking skyscrapers planned for the Square Mile since the development of Swiss Re’s Gherkin.

In a move regarded as a renewed vote of confidence in the City as a global financial centre, British Land, one of the country’s largest property companies, has committed to build its 740ft Cheesegrater with backing from one of Canada’s largest pension funds.

The decision to press ahead with the tower in the heart of London’s financial district caps an important week for the capital’s development. Land Securities, the biggest British developer, has also approved the building of a rival skyscraper, known as the Walkie Talkie because of its arresting top-heavy design.

Both towers, which will open by 2014, had been mothballed during the credit crisis when banks and financial service institutions reduced their City teams and froze office moves.

Developers have regained confidence in the growth of the City and predict a rise in demand for quality office space during the next few years. Their long-term bets on the rebound of the City property market have been backed by hundreds of millions of pounds of funding from international capital. The two towers alone have attracted money from Qatar, Canada and China.

Peter Rees, the City’s long-serving head of planning, said: “These towers reflect the City’s strength as a financial capital and its economic success, which is why they were stopped two years ago in the credit crunch but can restart again now. This is investors bringing money into London from outside the UK, money that would have been spent in New York or the Middle East.”

The skyscrapers will further alter the skyline of the City, which is already being reshaped by the emergence of the Heron tower on Bishopsgate and the new Rothschild headquarters next to Bank station.

Construction work is also under way on the Pinnacle tower, also known as the “Helter-Skelter”, as the developers seek to finalise a financing package with a consortium of international banks.

Next week, Land Securities will open One New Change, its shopping centre in the City next to St Paul’s Cathedral.

One New Change, which has become known as the Stealth Bomber because of its angular architecture, will be the first large-scale retail development for the City.

British Land will agree a joint venture to share the costs of development of the Cheesegrater with Oxford Properties, backed by an Ontario pension fund. The costs of the development are expected to be about £350m, with an additional cost to be shared on the value of the site. The deal could be announced as early as next week.

British Land was the first large developer to announce that it had stopped work on its tower in 2008, although it was soon followed by others as the lack of development finance and a fall in demand for new office space made building unworkable.

This development freeze has meant that fewer buildings will be delivered in the next few years, while there is a succession of large lease breaks among the City’s larger occupiers that could lead to new office moves.

British Land and Land Securities are also in talks to let office space in their buildings to Aon, the insurance group.

That would be the latest decision by a big insurance group to move to a landmark City building following the occupation of the Gherkin by Swiss Re and other prime offices by Willis and Lloyd’s of London.

British Land declined to comment on Friday night.
.Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2010. You may share using our article tools. Please don't cut articles from FT.com and redistribute by email or post to the web.

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londonlawyer

October 25th, 2010, 07:17 AM

This is great news. 122 Leadenhall is one of my favorite designs!

nick-taylor

October 28th, 2010, 10:15 AM

^^ 122 Leadenhall is going to be a fine tower - the externals lifts will surely be amongst (if not) the tallest in the world and a definate joy to ride.

Riverside South

It was touch and go, but the Telegraph reported yesterday that JP Morgan have now committed to their £1.5bn ($2.3bn) Richard Rogers-designed European HQ building in Canary Wharf. The complex which consists of a 236m and 189m tower joined by a huge trading floor block will be home to some 20,000 JP Morgan employees once complete. This will allow for JP Morgan to consolidate its London operations which currently litter the London landscape

Currently the foundations have been built and the site is a vast concrete slab awaiting for the above-ground development which should begin in the coming months. Image sourced from skyscrapernews.com.

http://skyscrapernews.com/images/pics/53RiversideSouth1_pic1.jpg

Tottenham Hotspurs Stadium

Spurs have been awarded planning approval for their new 56,250 capacity stadium that will be built while the team play at the current old stadium.

Once complete this will become London's fourth largest stadium (after Wembley, Twickenham, and the Emirates - but not including the Olympic Stadium). Images sourced from www.tottenhamhotspurs.com (http://www.tottenhamhotspurs.com)

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Menta Tower

171m, 53 storey tower adjacent to Croydon station. Images source: skyscrapernews.com

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nick-taylor

October 28th, 2010, 10:19 AM

20 Fenchurch Street

As per an article in the Financial Times over the weekend, Land Securities have signed a contract with Canary Wharf Group to build the 690,000sq ft 'Walkie Talkie'; the cost of construction will be £500mn ($791mn). Deutsche Bank and Aon are rumoured tenants and will be complete at the same time as the Cheesegrater (122 Leadenhall) in 2014 with construction starting this January.

http://www.skyscrapernews.com/images/pics/468320FenchurchStreet_pic1.jpg

Heron Tower

The cranes and access platforms are starting to come down on this - temporarily the tallest tower in the Square Mile. Pics taken by SSC forum member potto

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Heathrow Airtrack

The last stumbling block from stopping the construction of a new line to Heathrow Airport has now been passed. Up until earlier this month Surrey County Council have now agreed to allow for work to proceed; the council would now not pay for any work involved in the project.

Aitrack is a new line approaching Heathrow from the west that will allow for trains from various regional towns and settlements to the west and south of London direct rail access to the airport. Trains will also run into London Waterloo providing a third connection to Central London (the other two being the Heathrow Express into London Paddington and the Piccadilly Line). Image sourced from londonreconnections.blogspot.com.

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Ydo5sNzF1_0/SQGrOXy3jPI/AAAAAAAAAOE/oIgsFlThO9I/s1600/route.jpg

Brighton & Hove Albion Stadium

New 22,000 stadium amongst the rural hills of the south-coast. Pics taken by SSC forum member BHAlad.

I saw this for the first time in person about two months ago and it is boggling how they managed to fit the stadium in within

http://www.northstandchat.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=19397&stc=1&d=1288024911

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1 New Change

As of today this has now officially opened to the public. The Nouvel-designed development should make the area more vibrant, especially at weekends when the City goes a bit quiet and all the action takes place in the West End.

On an interesting note, this development returns Cheapside (the name of the road that the development is located with 'cheap' meaning 'market') back to its 12th centurey roots: a retail destination for London. In previous decades the area became home to various groundscraper office developments. Unfortunately the roof terrace won't be open until next month. Image source: chest at SSC

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nick-taylor

October 28th, 2010, 10:20 AM

Tate Modern

The Chancellor announced last week that the shortfall in funding (from the government) that was due to be met by the government has been guaranteed. Aerial view taken by DarJoLe at SSC.

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Bishopsgate Tower

Another update from chest at SSC.

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St George Tower

Foundation work for the 181m residential tower on the south bank. Update pic taken by dg01 from SSC.

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Crossrail

During the Spending Review, the government fully committed to the Crossrail project. The timetabled opening is now 2018 due to the use of two tunnelling machines (instead of four).

An update of works at the Canary Wharf station site - the concrete platform has been built and work is being undertaken on the level below. Pictures taken by nauticat at SSC.

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Olympic Hockey & Paralympic Football Centre

16,000 capacity arena to the north of the Olympic Stadium. Renders sourced by Mo Rush at SSC.

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Alonzo-ny

October 28th, 2010, 05:35 PM

Riverside South confirmed as well! Great news.

nick-taylor

October 29th, 2010, 11:19 AM

Indeed, October has been a good month for construction news, with confirmation that the following are going ahead;
- 122 Leadenhall
- 20 Fenchurch Street
- Riverside South
- Tate Modern Extension
- Crossrail

London 2012 Volleyball Arena

Plans have been unveiled for the 15,000 capacity temporary arena to be errected in Horse Guards Parade. For those not in the know - Horse Guards Parade is a ceremonial parade ground that is located inbetween Whitehall and St James's Park and equidistant between Trafalgar Square and the Palace of Westminster. Expect lots of aerial shots during the games.

108 matches will be played over the course of 14 days and once the games are over the entire structure will be taken down.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/spl/hi/uk/10/horse_guards/img/horseguards_parade_976.jpg

Degsy

October 30th, 2010, 06:03 AM

Riverside South confirmed as well! Great news.

Source??

All i've seen are rumours in the Daily Telegraph....

nick-taylor

November 23rd, 2010, 04:19 PM

Degsy - Actually misread something, but I suspect it's pretty much guaranteed to go ahead now as otherwise they would have stated so.

Crossrail

Further renders have been released of stations on the Crossrail route. This is by far the most important project in London. Sites have or are been cleared at Tottenham Court Road, Bond Street and Farringdon, while the 'trench' inside the dock at Canary Wharf is well on its way. Work on the western tunnel portal at Royal Oak is also well underway. Work is also progressing at other stations along the 118km route.

Paddington

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http://img201.imageshack.us/img201/1776/padog.jpg (http://img201.imageshack.us/i/padog.jpg/)

Bond Street

http://img209.imageshack.us/img209/3530/bondstreet1.jpg

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http://img403.imageshack.us/img403/1289/bonfb.jpg (http://img403.imageshack.us/i/bonfb.jpg/)

Tottenham Court Road

http://img253.imageshack.us/img253/3778/tottenhamctrd1.jpg

http://img59.imageshack.us/img59/6555/tottenhamctrd2.jpg

http://img638.imageshack.us/img638/4255/tcr1.jpg (http://img638.imageshack.us/i/tcr1.jpg/)

http://img25.imageshack.us/img25/253/tcr2.jpg (http://img25.imageshack.us/i/tcr2.jpg/)

http://img87.imageshack.us/img87/153/tcr3.jpg (http://img87.imageshack.us/i/tcr3.jpg/)

http://img683.imageshack.us/img683/2136/tcr4.jpg (http://img683.imageshack.us/i/tcr4.jpg/)

Farringdon

http://img529.imageshack.us/img529/7293/farringdon3.jpg

http://img442.imageshack.us/img442/4425/farringdon4.jpg

http://img261.imageshack.us/img261/1372/farringdon6.jpg

http://img703.imageshack.us/img703/6663/farringdon1.jpg

http://img3.imageshack.us/img3/702/farringdon2.jpg

http://img225.imageshack.us/img225/6061/farringdon.jpg (http://img225.imageshack.us/i/farringdon.jpg/)

nick-taylor

November 23rd, 2010, 04:21 PM

Crossrail - continued

Liverpool Street

http://img43.imageshack.us/img43/7785/liverpoolstreet6.jpg

http://img832.imageshack.us/img832/4669/liverpoolstreet1.jpg

http://img337.imageshack.us/img337/2776/liverpoolstreet2.jpg

http://img209.imageshack.us/img209/5236/liverpoolstreet3.jpg

http://img264.imageshack.us/img264/9660/liverpoolstreet4.jpg

http://img525.imageshack.us/img525/9042/liverpoolstreet5.jpg

Whitechapel

http://img526.imageshack.us/img526/3825/whitechapel1.jpg

http://img686.imageshack.us/img686/9623/whitechapel2k.jpg

http://img153.imageshack.us/img153/5963/whitechapel3.jpg

http://img593.imageshack.us/img593/1121/whitechapel4.jpg

http://img526.imageshack.us/img526/130/whitechapel5.jpg

http://img201.imageshack.us/img201/6938/whitechapel6.jpg

Canary Wharf

http://img266.imageshack.us/img266/3222/canarywharfimage03.jpg (http://img266.imageshack.us/i/canarywharfimage03.jpg/)

http://img191.imageshack.us/img191/9393/canarywharf3.jpg

http://img638.imageshack.us/img638/7495/canarywharf4.jpg

http://img192.imageshack.us/img192/1619/canarywharf2.jpg

http://img502.imageshack.us/img502/1126/canarywharf1.jpg

http://img404.imageshack.us/img404/6880/canarywharf5.jpg

Customs House

http://img716.imageshack.us/img716/4621/customhouse2.jpg

http://img593.imageshack.us/img593/1962/customhouse4.jpg

http://img821.imageshack.us/img821/9440/customhouse5.jpg

http://img715.imageshack.us/img715/9594/customhouse6.jpg

nick-taylor

November 23rd, 2010, 04:24 PM

Shard

1-8: chest at SSC.com
9: GazKinz at SSC.com

1
http://web.me.com/benveasey/IMG_0712.jpg

2
http://web.me.com/benveasey/IMG_0760.JPG

3
http://web.me.com/benveasey/IMG_0786.jpg

4
http://web.me.com/benveasey/IMG_0809.jpg

5
http://web.me.com/benveasey/IMG_0834.JPG

6
http://web.me.com/benveasey/IMG_0856.jpg

7
http://web.me.com/benveasey/lights.JPG

8
http://web.me.com/benveasey/IMG_0926.jpg

9
http://i527.photobucket.com/albums/cc360/londonfire/Picture15225971.jpg

New London Buses

Some pictures of London's new Routemaster being spearheaded by Boris Johnson the mayor. The bus technically called the 'New Bus for London' is a 11.2m long bus with three sets of doors and two staircases to access the upper deck.

In peak-hour operation the rear doors will be open to allow for people to hop-on and hop-off just like the original Routemaster. This is an interesting feature compared to other buses because if there is heavy traffic, the bus occupants can vacate at any point. Pictures sourced from londonreconnections.blogspot.

http://img695.imageshack.us/img695/2121/bus1u.jpg (http://img695.imageshack.us/i/bus1u.jpg/)

http://img213.imageshack.us/img213/9250/bus2u.jpg (http://img213.imageshack.us/i/bus2u.jpg/)

http://img829.imageshack.us/img829/7484/bus3.jpg (http://img829.imageshack.us/i/bus3.jpg/)

http://img38.imageshack.us/img38/7776/bus4c.jpg (http://img38.imageshack.us/i/bus4c.jpg/)

Bishopsgate Tower

Photo update from SSC forum member nrm the 2nd

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1417/5164600987_5c7ce1e1ae_b.jpg

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1343/5165239228_12f3382a55_b.jpg

Thameslink

Work continues on London's second most important transport project(after Crossrail). The following are pics of the controversal Borough Market viaduct that was built to allow for grade-seperate of various viaducts on the tracks between Blackfriars Bridge and London Bridge. The controversy with the below new viaduct is that it meant the demolition of several historical buildings and the temporary displacement of stall holders. For those not aware, Borough Market is one of London's oldest market and dates back to the Roman times. Pictures sourced from londonreconnections.blogspot.

http://img220.imageshack.us/img220/8241/bor1m.jpg (http://img220.imageshack.us/i/bor1m.jpg/)

http://img143.imageshack.us/img143/1771/bor2s.jpg (http://img143.imageshack.us/i/bor2s.jpg/)

http://img832.imageshack.us/img832/7979/bor3.jpg (http://img832.imageshack.us/i/bor3.jpg/)

http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/5282/bor4.jpg (http://img98.imageshack.us/i/bor4.jpg/)

nick-taylor

November 23rd, 2010, 04:25 PM

London 2012 Update

The International Olympic Committee visited the Olympic site this month to monitor how developments were progressing. The situation is good - around 75% of the venues and facilities are in place and London is ahead of any city that has hosted the event to date (even ahead of Beijing). Photos sources by DarJoLe from SSC (pics taken from london2012.com), unless where detailed.

Aerials

Super big aerials:

- http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4127/5183735817_551c8a80cc_o.jpg
- http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1271/5183735907_b2c44d4823_o.jpg

Olympic Stadium

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4107/5184333642_efbc5fb14a_b.jpg

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1426/5183736063_26874cbcbe_b.jpg

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4133/5183736775_9e687c91bb_b.jpg

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4088/5184334572_3964fd2f87_b.jpg

Folllowing stadium pics from David Anthony Fearn on Flickr

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1287/5187431226_5e723fd831_b.jpg

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4111/5187271282_56276ddcd0_b.jpg

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1024/5186836217_41841490f8_b.jpg

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1286/5186836077_c0c1aea426_b.jpg

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1290/5187434654_a14cab7e26_b.jpg

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1273/5186834817_7f66f964a9_b.jpg

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1296/5186833799_785c356a0c_b.jpg

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4130/5187269946_b80a329962_b.jpg

And one aerial from Frans Zwart on Flickr

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4083/5190775026_ecf89b57d7_b.jpg

Aquatics Centre

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4147/5184334140_0617a4801d_b.jpg

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4145/5183736961_953039263d_b.jpg

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1409/5184334780_91b2528e34_b.jpg

Velodrome

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4147/5183737729_b569292d16_b.jpg

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4133/5183737631_594818fed7_b.jpg

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1040/5183737449_ee4892f2b4_b.jpg

nick-taylor

November 23rd, 2010, 04:28 PM

London 2012 Update - continued

Handball Arena

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4133/5184333808_b270bbbe2e_b.jpg

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1254/5164229004_134a64fd5c_b.jpg

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1339/5164229138_e0ac980607_b.jpg

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1319/5164229352_f8e8ac4d8f_b.jpg

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1383/5163624017_0bd14a04a3_b.jpg

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4063/5164229708_89fc295881_b.jpg

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1210/5164230020_e4896cbab8_b.jpg

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4128/5163624927_8bd3589509_b.jpg

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4153/5163625267_8a2c131887_b.jpg

Media Centre

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4149/5184334042_b6ed046460_b.jpg

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4128/5184334306_c4abf94ae2_b.jpg

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4128/5183736685_5638c672c0_b.jpg

Eton Manor - Aquatic Training + Paralympic Tennis Centre

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1013/5183737545_cb6801873b_b.jpg

Basketball Arena

http://img820.imageshack.us/img820/8560/basketballarenacolors0.jpg

http://img130.imageshack.us/img130/7567/basketballarenacolors1.jpg

http://img696.imageshack.us/img696/6176/basketballarenacolors2.jpg

http://img826.imageshack.us/img826/708/basketballarenacolors3.jpg

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1015/5183737825_e845e2cbf3_b.jpg

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1297/5183736233_ff5500de24_b.jpg

Olympic Village

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4113/5183737985_c58dcae5b0_b.jpg

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1302/5184334912_8ebbc75293_b.jpg

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4125/5184335074_3b839705e8_b.jpg

nick-taylor

November 23rd, 2010, 04:30 PM

East London Line Phase II

While the first phase of the ELLE opened back in March, work on the second phase to further extend the line for a 2012 opening

Pictures sourced from londonreconnections.blogspot.com

http://img522.imageshack.us/img522/6424/ell1u.jpg (http://img522.imageshack.us/i/ell1u.jpg/)

http://img40.imageshack.us/img40/9977/ell2s.jpg (http://img40.imageshack.us/i/ell2s.jpg/)

http://img232.imageshack.us/img232/6210/ell3.jpg (http://img232.imageshack.us/i/ell3.jpg/)

http://img21.imageshack.us/img21/6779/ell4.jpg (http://img21.imageshack.us/i/ell4.jpg/)

http://img840.imageshack.us/img840/5410/ell5.jpg (http://img840.imageshack.us/i/ell5.jpg/)

King's Cross Western Concourse

hoodedvillain from SSC has managed to take photos of the new Western Concourse at King's Cross station.

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1331/5170050452_a2235c6e86_b.jpg

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4088/5169447009_497cab13f6_b.jpg

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1369/5170047136_b53070b31b_b.jpg

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4130/5169441915_bb2da99243_b.jpg

London Wall Place

Groundscraper and tower designed by MAKE to replace a 50's built tower and low-rise podium. Photos sourced by gegloma01 at SSC.

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4124/5148876481_0634406264_o.jpg

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1050/5148876311_5dec5725d4_o.jpg

wallbrook Square

Demolition work has begun on Bucklesbury House - the 60's development that occupies the future site of Bloomberg's new office development.

SSC forum member nrm the 2nd took the following photos;

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1254/5164527177_a11d6a8777_b.jpg

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1183/5165169876_f090423143_b.jpg

Siemens Centre

Prep work has begun on Siemen's Exhibition Hall adjacent to the Royal Victoria Dock. Renders sourced by chrissus83.

http://i53.tinypic.com/rcsl10.jpg

http://i52.tinypic.com/157emx5.jpg

http://i56.tinypic.com/2qst9c0.jpg

http://i53.tinypic.com/23r8ff4.jpg

nick-taylor

November 23rd, 2010, 04:31 PM

1 Park Place

Demolition work on the current low-storey building at Canary Wharf. The replacement will be 197m.

- Photos taken by Clayduck from SSC
- Renders sourced from skyscrapernews.com

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1004/5179611944_6581357a03_b.jpg

http://www.skyscrapernews.com/images/pics/54751ParkPlace_pic2.jpg

Merchant Square Tower

This is the latest design that replaces a previous box design of a similiar height. Render sourced from skyscrapernews.com.

http://skyscrapernews.com/images/pics/64691MerchantSquare_pic1.jpg

http://img38.imageshack.us/img38/4875/merchantsquareplan.jpg

Milton Court

Rare to see, but in the confines of old Londinium, work on a residential tower is in full swing. This is to the north of the Barbican. Photos taken by SSC forum member nrm the 2nd.

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1242/5164692749_cf917bbea5_b.jpg

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4124/5165290282_6f9b9d2790_b.jpg

Battersea Power Station

The following Rafael Viñoly plans for the art-deco Battersea Power Station and surrounding areas have been approved. However the current owner of the site REO an Irish property developer got hit hard in the recession and is currently seeking a partner to work on the large development in the new year.

The 10.1mn sqft development will create thousands of apartments, a ballroom, lots of offices, two hotels, a new shopping centre, and a conference centre. The power station which is built in the art deco style, was designed by the same architect behind the former power station that is now the Tate Modern so you get an idea of roughly what the end result will be.

The developer will also fund an extension to the Northern Line from Kennington with two new stations, a new bus route and a new river pier for Thames clipper services. Images sourced by woodgnome

http://img600.imageshack.us/img600/369/bpsriverfront2.jpg

http://www.plataformaarquitectura.cl/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/1267155853-battersea1.jpg

http://www.plataformaarquitectura.cl/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/1267156812-battersea6-999x502.jpg

http://www.plataformaarquitectura.cl/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/1267156832-battersea8-1000x505.jpg

http://www.plataformaarquitectura.cl/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/1267156823-battersea7-999x504.jpg

The entire Battersea-Nine Elms area is set to be redeveloped in the next 10 year as former industrial lands sandwiched in and around various railway lines make way for offices and residential. The new US embassy will also locate in the area.

http://i31.tinypic.com/2vtr62q.jpg
Image sourced by london lad at SSC.

London Gateway Container Port

3.5TEU terminal and associated logistics park east of London on the Thames. Images sourced by woodgnome on SSC.

http://www.geotechnics.co.uk/case_studies/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/reclamation-22.jpg

http://www.pla.co.uk/siteimages/web%20admin/LG2%28Full%29.jpg

Blackwall Reach Regeneration

Located to the north of Canary Wharf, the Robin Hood Gardens estate is a pretty grim place. Consisting of 214 flats arranged in 'horizontal slabs', a winning architect is set to be awarded next week which will see the site completly redeveloped into 1,700 homes. Two bidders reman, and work could begin early next year.

Images sourced by DarJoLe.

http://www.bdonline.co.uk/pictures/636x441fitpad%5B237%5D/5/5/7/1680557_Robin_TelfordHomes_masterp.jpg

http://www.bdonline.co.uk/pictures/636x441fitpad%5B237%5D/5/5/6/1680556_Swan_RHG_parkview.jpg

http://www.bdonline.co.uk/pictures/636x441fitpad%5B237%5D/5/5/8/1680558_Swan_RHG_web.jpg

http://www.bdonline.co.uk/pictures/636x441fitpad%5B237%5D/5/5/9/1680559_RHG_Telford_Homes_1ready.jpg

nick-taylor

November 23rd, 2010, 04:55 PM

Olympic 2012

Aforementioned aerials - might want to drag and drop these to see them in their glory.

scroll>>>>>>>>>

Looking southwards towards the Greenwich Peninsula and Canary Wharf
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4127/5183735817_551c8a80cc_o.jpg

Looking northwards up the Lea Valley
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1271/5183735907_b2c44d4823_o.jpg

nick-taylor

December 1st, 2010, 07:09 AM

Photo taken by Will Pearson (www.willpearson.co.uk) over at SSC.com

http://www.willpearson.co.uk/images/shard-28-11-10-willpearson.jpg

RandySavage

December 8th, 2010, 07:45 PM

^It's already beautiful. What a great photo.

lofter1

December 8th, 2010, 08:16 PM

How many square feet will the Shard have?

nick-taylor

December 21st, 2010, 06:45 AM

How many square feet will the Shard have?Around 1mn sq ft if I recall correctly, split over: lobby (1-3), offices (4-28), restaurants & viewing gallery (31-33), ShagriLa hotel (34-50), spa (52), apartments (53-65), viewing gallery (68-72), plant (75-87).

Some recent pics taken by chest over at skyscrapercity.com/skyscraperpage.com. Interesting christmas celebtration - it will be interesting to see once the tower is topped out whether they can top the Gherkin at christmas (every floor lit in green and blue lighting with lasers and other crazy lighting).

http://web.me.com/benveasey/DSC00054.jpg

http://web.me.com/benveasey/DSC00102.jpg

http://web.me.com/benveasey/DSC00496.jpg

http://web.me.com/benveasey/DSC00471.jpg

http://web.me.com/benveasey/DSC00485.jpg

http://web.me.com/benveasey/DSC00551.jpg

http://web.me.com/benveasey/DSC00515.jpg

http://web.me.com/benveasey/DSC00523.jpg

http://web.me.com/benveasey/DSC00548.jpg

nick-taylor

January 7th, 2011, 10:43 AM

Happy New Year all!

New photo of the Shard taken by skyscrapercity forum member international-one

http://www.castrocorp.com/ssn/shard.jpg

nick-taylor

February 2nd, 2011, 07:11 AM

London 2012 Olympic Update

London 2012 Interactive Panorama

Definately worth checking out - with this panoramaic view you can see all the major venues, the Olympic Village, permanent and temporary bridges, the Westfield Stratford shopping mall and the crazy rail infrastructure.
http://toursfromabove.com/aerial-photography/uk/london/london-olympics-2012-under-construction/

Lea Valley White Water Centre

This is now pretty much complete as of December 2010 - the Olympic and Intermediate courses are now operational. All that remains is the creation of a viewing hill to be created on the large plot of bare land and planting of trees and other greenery. Located due north of the Olympic Park, the White Water Centre is built adjacent to the River Lea which eventually flows through the Olympic Park on its way to the Thames. Pictures taken by flickr member canoeslalomnews.com

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VmP1JY-XPo0

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5244/5262874131_7b4d0b29cf_b.jpg

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5042/5263483780_6c8fa8ba36_b.jpg

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5046/5263480080_3b62b00933_b.jpg

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5202/5263474902_37c1b62c19_b.jpg

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5163/5262868677_cb2d168d54_b.jpg

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5041/5262856377_d507f08bbc_b.jpg

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5248/5262865881_22eb180478_b.jpg

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http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5088/5263489330_91e16e9006_b.jpg

Basketball Arena

The seating for the 12,000 arena is starting to go in now. Webcam pic sourced by RobH at SSC from london2012.com

http://www.london2012.com/transform/3478052/m700x/basketball-interior.jpg

Volleyball Venue

Approval has now been given for the construction of a temporary venue on the grounds of Horse Guards Parade.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/spl/hi/uk/10/horse_guards/img/horseguards_parade_976.jpg

Handball Arena

This should be completed in the next 14 weeks - the multi-coloured seating is now being installed as is the flooring. Pics sourced from skyscrapercity.com member RMB2007.

http://img593.imageshack.us/img593/9644/110118odamdadp028hi.jpg

http://img141.imageshack.us/img141/8049/110118odamdadp069hi.jpg

Aquatics Centre

The temporary stands are now almost complete, while work continues on tiling the pool.

Internal pictures sourced from the Daily Mail. External pics taken by skyscrapercity.com member wawd

http://i52.tinypic.com/fw63x4.jpg

http://i51.tinypic.com/2czwryv.jpg

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5137/5404600823_a9559bd6c4_b.jpg

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5254/5405154408_ce8113a91f_b.jpg

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5217/5404577183_be26da2f87_b.jpg

Olympic Stadium

Pics taken by SSC.com member wawd

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5297/5405159174_a5b0beef49_b.jpg

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5175/5405166622_9ecaee7271_b.jpg

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5255/5404599259_0ed3818f96_b.jpg

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5217/5405196376_6a90168c96_b.jpg

The Orbit

Located inbetween the Olympic Stadium and Aquatic Centre is the 115m viewing platform being funded by the Indian-born London-resident steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal and designed by Anish Kapoor. Pics taken by wawd over at SSC.

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5257/5404546047_f9b2834d93_b.jpg

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5019/5405152582_f0639e853d_b.jpg

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5052/5405155908_d578fff905_b.jpg

nick-taylor

February 8th, 2011, 08:23 AM

Some aerial photos of London's termini (unfortunately no photos of Marylebone, Liverpool St, or Fenchurch St). The photos were taken by Network Rail, the company responsible for the tracks, signalling and major train stations across the UK. Images sourced from londonreconnections.blogspot.com

London Waterloo
Opened back in 1848, London Waterloo is London's largest station covering some 24.5 acres, and one of Europe's busiest with 19 Network Rail platforms and 8 London Underground platforms.

Currently the station and main concourse are built atop a giant viaduct and plans are underway to lower the concourse to street-level so that the platforms can be extended across the current concourse. This will mean that the main concourse would be on the same level as the London Underground concourse. The station is also planned as a terminus for the planned Heathrow Airtrack line which would be Heathrow's third heavy rail connection to Central London.

The five former 400m Waterloo International platforms (the worm shaped structure) are currently unused since Eurostar migrated to London St Pancras in 2007, but talks are ongoing to see them used by extra-long commuter trains once a new fly-over is built south-west of the station.

http://img28.imageshack.us/img28/7341/waterloo4.jpg (http://img28.imageshack.us/i/waterloo4.jpg/)

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London Paddington
Located north of Hyde Park, Paddington is one of London's medium-sized terminals, but one of it's nicest looking mostly due to the vast and excellently preserved Brunel triple barrel roof (a fourth which is currently under renovation was built at a later date). The station is currently home to various commuter and intercity services as well as the terminus for the Heathrow Express.

The station has 20 platforms, 6 of which are London Underground, including two which formed the terminus for the world's first underground line back in 1863.

Current works include the reconstruction of the Hammersmith & City line platforms and an adjacent new taxi rank which will replace the current rank that currently runs alongside the western flank of the station. Once complete, the old rank will make way for a pedestrian area that will be the primary entrance to the Paddington Crossrail station.

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London King's Cross & St Pancras
Two seperate termini built opposite each other and in completely different architectural styles, both are linked by a mammoth underground warren of tunnels and platforms.

King's Cross which is the older of the two (1852) has 12 platforms and is currently being renovated with the roof spans repaired, and a new western concourse under construction which will eventually replace the 70's concourse that is at the front of the station. Once the new concourse is complete, the old concourse will be demolished to create a new piazza.

St Pancras, while not as old as King's Cross (1868) is definately the most impressive station in London (if not in the world) incorporating a vast neo-gothic frontage and a vast barrel vault roof. With the transfer of Eurostar services from Waterloo in 2007, the station was completely renovated to it's original glory, with a new concourse built in the old beer vaults to allow the 400m Eurostar trains to take centre stage. An extension was built to cater for intercity and Shinkansen commuter trains to the rear of the station, while a new low-level station was built for the Thameslink line.

The tube station that lies underneath both termini is the biggest interchange on the London Underground network (six lines), and is anticipated to become a major interchange for the planned Crossrail 2 line. In total there are 35 platforms across the transport hub.

http://img718.imageshack.us/img718/2650/kingscrossstpancras2.jpg (http://img718.imageshack.us/i/kingscrossstpancras2.jpg/)

http://img267.imageshack.us/img267/9315/kingscrossstpancras1.jpg (http://img267.imageshack.us/i/kingscrossstpancras1.jpg/)

London Bridge
London Bridge is the world's oldest train terminal (175 years old this year), and home to London's tallest building (the 310m Shard). Built atop a vast viaduct, the 19 platform (of which 4 are London Underground) complex is technically two stations, with terminating and through platforms (that carry on to London Charing Cross and London Cannon Street). Current plans will see the station significantly overhauled with new concourses, and more through platforms to serve the Thameslink route and generate higher capacity for interchange. Work will begin once the Olympics have finished in 2012.

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London Victoria
Another of London's odd historical curiosities, the 23 platform station which is now one, was previously two seperate but connected termini which is clearly illustrated with the architectural differences of the facade and roof of both sections. The station is predominantly a commuter station, but is also the terminus for the Gatwick Express and Venice-Simplon Orient Express.

Currently the roof on the Chatham side is being renovated, while the four platform London Underground complex that serves Victoria (the busiest station on the network) is being extensively expanded with new entrances, a new ticket hall and the current ticket hall expanded. Victoria would also be served by the planned Crossrail 2 line and would become the terminus for a proposed western extension to the DLR.

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London Charing Cross
Opened in 1864, the station once had a large barrel roof similar to that of St Pancras, but this has since been replaced by an above-platform office development. Fortunately the concourse and station frontage was retained. Despite having only six Network Rail platforms and four tube platforms, the station is one of the busiest in London due to its close proximity to the West End business and entertainment district.

http://img694.imageshack.us/img694/3373/charingcross.jpg (http://img694.imageshack.us/i/charingcross.jpg/)

London Euston
Once one of London's grandest stations, Euston was a casualty of 1960's planning that saw the original station flattened to make way for a non-too appealing concrete block with overhead developments crowding out natural light. Fortunately Euston also acted as the catalyst for the preservation movement and subsequent grade listing of buildings of importance and saved St Pancras from a similar fate.

Current plans for the current 18 platform show the station being completely demolished and replaced by a modern light-filled station that will serve as the London terminus for the planned High Speed 2 rail line. Further details in the following post.

http://img211.imageshack.us/img211/4444/euston.jpg (http://img211.imageshack.us/i/euston.jpg/)

London Cannon Street
London Cannon Street originally opened in 1866 as a more direct commuter route into the Square Mile for commuters from Kent and the south coast. The station once had a grand roof and ornate station frontage, unfortunately although the station roof was taken down prior to WW2 to preserve it, the warehouse where it was stored was hit and destroyed and now all that remains are the two western and eastern retaining walls and river-side towers. A 60's office development that was built above the concourse is now in the process of being replaced by a modern building that will open up the concourse.

http://img810.imageshack.us/img810/6346/cannonstreet.jpg (http://img810.imageshack.us/i/cannonstreet.jpg/)

Blackfriars
Originally opened in 1886 as a station on the northbank of the Thames, the station is currently undergoing extensive construction work that will see the station shifted southwards across the Thames with station concourses on both the north and southbanks. Blackfriars is one of the key parts of the Thameslink line which will see 12 carriage trains every 2.5mins in each direction; creating a very high capacity route through London on a north-south axis. A brand new roof will built to shield passengers from the elements.

Two platforms will also be built for services terminating from Wimbledon, while the two platform London Underground station that serves Blackfriars is currently closed and encased in a giant shield (visible as the black and yellow box in the bottom left corner) to protect trains while construction work continues above.

http://img411.imageshack.us/img411/1706/blackfriars.jpg (http://img411.imageshack.us/i/blackfriars.jpg/)

Farringdon
Probably the most imporant interchange being built in London, Farringdon is currently a four platform interchange between Thameslink and London Underground services. Current works involve the construction a vast new ticket hall (opposite the original station structure that opened in 1865) that will allow for the current Thameslink platforms to be extended, as well provide the main link to the new Crossrail platforms. In addition a new ticket hall will be constructed by Smithfield Market (primarily for the eastern end of the Crossrail platforms).

Once complete, Heathrow, Gatwick and Luton airports will be directly accessible from Farringdon making it a potentially important aviation transfer hub.

http://img267.imageshack.us/img267/6061/farringdon.jpg (http://img267.imageshack.us/i/farringdon.jpg/)

Stratford
Stratford is at the centre of a vast number of lines that converge from five directions. The current station serves two London Underground lines, two DLR lines (one of which is due to open later this year), the North London line, as well as metro, commuter and intercity services along the Great Eastern Main Line and Lea Valley Lines. The station was last upgraded back in 1999 (when the Jubilee line opened) with a vast glass concourse and currently has 19 platforms.

As the main station for visitors to the Olympic Park, the station is currently in the process of being significantly expanded to cope with the anticipated arrival of a train every 13 seconds or the equivalent of 277 trains an hour. Platforms for the DLR Stratford International line are due to open later this year, while a new ticket hall will open to the north for more convenient access to the Olympic park and the new Stratford City development. Platform access to the Network Rail platforms is currently made via two subways that run on a north-south axis, these are being widened and extended up to the u/c northern ticket hall, while a third parallel subway is under construction that will ensure the station can cope when Crossrail services start in 2017-18. Lastly a new large pedestrian bridge is close to completion which will provide a direct connection between Old Stratford and Stratford City and the Olympic Park.

Just to the north of Stratford station is the now open Stratford International that provides Shinkansen services between London St Pancras and Kent. During the Olympics, Olympic Javeling train services will operate high-speed express services between London St Pancras and the Olympic Park.

http://img638.imageshack.us/img638/2645/stratford.jpg (http://img638.imageshack.us/i/stratford.jpg/)

nick-taylor

February 8th, 2011, 08:56 AM

Euston Station Redevelopment
Currently the London terminus of the West Coast Main Line - the busiest trunk route outside of Japan, the station was extensively redeveloped in the 60's (essentially London's equivalent of New York Penn) with poor results. Fortuantely that is set to change with the planned High Speed 2 line which will use Euston as its' terminus. Upon completion, an anticipated 18 trains (each 400m long) an hour, capable of travelling at 250mph/400kph will arrive at a completely rebuilt Euston. No final render has yet been provided, but the following is an artistic impression of what the final station should look like.

http://img28.imageshack.us/img28/6024/90161755.jpg (http://img28.imageshack.us/i/90161755.jpg/)

The final station will be 2m lower than the current station, with platforms all on one level. The concourse will be at street level, and span above the platforms, but not completely covering, allowing for natural light to filter down to the platforms.

The current Euston has 18 platforms of a mixture of lengths, but the new Euston will have 24 platforms - required to service the expected 18 HSR trains per hour that will use the station;
- 12 platforms long enough to accomodate 400m HSR trains,
- 6 platforms long enough to accomodate 300m 'classic' (current West Coast Main Line Pendolino services),
- 6 platforms that are 250m in length for commuter/other services (although there is a strong possibility that these will be diverted on to Crossrail at Willesden/Old Oak Common thus creating more capacity for the slower 140mph Pendolino intercity services).

The new station will subsequently have a larger footprint than the current station (refer to pic in previous post showing an aerial of Euston).

http://img190.imageshack.us/img190/848/46810835.jpg (http://img190.imageshack.us/i/46810835.jpg/)

http://img214.imageshack.us/img214/4256/54325129.jpg (http://img214.imageshack.us/i/54325129.jpg/)

Due to the complexity of keeping the already overcrowded Euston (and Underground station) open during the construction period, the construction schedule will span 6.5 years and cost £1bn (includes a rebuild of the six platform tube station).

Stage 1: Months 1-18 - Buildings along the west side of the station cleared and the new high speed station structure in that area constructed including any provision to permit development above it.
Stage 2: Months 6-30 - Reconstruct the eastern half of the classic station.
Stage 3: Months 30-54 - Reconstruct the western half of the classic station.
Stage 4: Months 54-78 - Construct the remainder of the high speed station.

In addition to the redeveloped London Underground station at Euston, other schemes will be brought forward to assist with the dispersal of passengers across and beyond London;
- The planned Crossrail 2 line would be diverted to serve Euston (the current safeguarded route bypasses Euston),
- The Northern line may finally be split into two lines (there are four Northern line platforms at Euston) which would greatly increase capacity on the City and West End 'lines',
- A proper underground link would be built to connect Euston tube station (Northern & Victoria) to Euston Square tube station (Circle, Hammersmith & City and Metropolitan).

Once complete, Euston would be served by seven tube lines and one of the highest capacity high speed lines in the world.

Old Oak Common
On the route leaving westwards out of Euston a brand new 14 platform transport hub is planned to be built at Old Oak Common in west London to allow for interchange with;
- Crossrail 1 - Heathrow Airport, and the three primary business districts: City, West End & Canary Wharf,
- Great Western Main Line - services into London Paddington, as well as onward services to the West of England, Wales and Cardiff,
- High Speed 1 - during the construction of HS1 into London St Pancras, a spur was built for an eventual HS2 that would allow direct services between Birmingham/Manchester/Leeds and Paris/Amsterdam/Brussels; continent-bound services would spur off from Old Oak Common.

http://img684.imageshack.us/img684/592/89749466.jpg (http://img684.imageshack.us/i/89749466.jpg/)

Images sourced from the Department for Transport report into High Speed Two (http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/rail/pi/highspeedrail/hs2ltd/hs2report/)

nick-taylor

February 17th, 2011, 07:24 AM

Shard

Latest batch of shots taken by cybertect over at skyscrapercity.com

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122 Leadenhall

Work has now started on constructing Richard Rogers' 225m 122 Leadenhall. Construction pics taken by skyscrapercity member Frankus Maximus, render sourced from www.skyscrapernews.com.

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Westminster Place

Another concrete relic from the 60's is making way for this 18 storey tower designed by Sheppard Robson. Images sourced by Langur over at SSC.

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Heron Plaza

Planned to be built across from the now externally complete Heron Tower, this 148m mixed-use tower has now been granted planning permission. According to skyscrapernews.com the tower will be clad in patinated copper claddin to give it a distinctive red metalic look while protecting it from weathering.

First two renders from skyscrapernews.com, second render sourced by SSC member Stairz.

http://www.skyscrapernews.com/images/pics/2743CityofLondonApprovesHeronPlaza_pic1.jpg

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20 Fenchurch Street

Work has started on the 160m Walkie Talkie. Pics taken by chest over at skyscrapercity.com

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nick-taylor

February 17th, 2011, 07:28 AM

Walbrook Square

Work continues to demolish the former 60's mid rise concrete blocks that occupied this site in close proximity to the Bank of England. Once complete, the new development will span several buildings (Bloomberg will relocate their main London office to here) with the highest coming in at 107m. A new public square will be built around the site of the former Temple of Mithras, while a new entrance to Bank tube station wil be built. Pics taken by skyscrapercity.com member nrm the 2nd.

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100 Bishopsgate

Work has begun to demolish the 80's built building that occupies the site of the future 100 Bishopsgate tower. The tower isn't of much architectural merit, but the replacement buildings will create new pedestrian routes between Bishopsgate, Camomile St and St Mary Axe. Interestingly the new public spaces will open up the northern flank of St Ethelburga-the-Virgin within Bishopsgate which the current building dates back to 1411, athough heavily modified as it took the brunt of an IRA lorry and it's one tonne fertiliser bomb load back in 1993.

Render and street plan sourced by SSC member Sesquip, current building pic taken by leytonstonia at SSC.

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1 Park Place

Picture taken by SSC member Core Rising of demolition work at Canary Wharf. A 197m 45 floor tower is planned for the site.

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Milton Court

Work continues on this 112m residential tower in the Square Mile. Photos taken by leystonstonia over at SSC.

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Broadcasting House

The renovation and extension to Boadcasting House - the art-deco headquarters of the BBC is now complete. Pics taken by chest over at SSC.

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Regent's Place: North East Quadrant

Lend Lease have won a contract to build the next stage of British Land's Regents Place development. The scheme consists of various buildings and is in close proximity to Euston. Images sourced from www.skyscrapernew.com (http://www.skyscrapernew.com).

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nick-taylor

February 17th, 2011, 07:30 AM

Aylesbury Regeneration

As part of the ongoing £2.5bn regeneration effort to demolish dated 60's housing and associated infrastructure, a new station has now opened designed by Will Alsop. Pictures sourced by SSC member SE9.

http://static.worldarchitecturenews.com/news_images/15760_2_1293-main-image-1000px.jpg

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On a side note; after the failure to build satisfactory and youth-engaging education buildings in the post-war period, all new schools planned/under construction are being designed by architects. One recently opened south London school was designed by Zaha Hadid, while two schools were nominated for the 2010 Stirling architecutre prize.

451-478 Oxford Street

Large groundscraper on Oxford St that replaces a mid-rise 60's tower. The building will resemble a blob of dough.

http://www.siteeyelive.com/monitor/oxfordstreet/camputer52.jpg

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Crossrail

Various pics of by-far London's most important project

All pictures sourced by skyscrapercity.com members

First pic taken by nrm the 2nd showing work at Farringdon which will create an interchange with Crossrail, Thameslink and London Underground lines.

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Following pics taken by Light Parade showing work in and around the Bond Street ticket hall

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Tottenham Court Road

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Canary Wharf station pic taken by flickr member Finkangle

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NEO Bankside

Located opposite the Tate Modern, work continues on Richard Rogers' three residential towers. First two pics taken by chest, last two by GazKinz, both members of Skyscrapercity.com

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Tate Modern Extension

Work is speeding ahead on the 76m tall extension to the world's largest modern art museum. The three oil 'drums' that fed the power station are being retained as exhibition spaces and will be the foundations for the new extension. Pic taken by ssc member mitosan.

http://www.timporter.net/4skyscrapercity/28012011-tatecrane1.jpg

London Gateway Container Port

Dubai Ports' are investing in a new container port for London which is being built on the north bank of the Thames estuary. The former refinery site will initially be able to handle 3.5mn TEU's once up and running. Pic sourced by Ciudad Bristol at SSC.

http://www.londongateway.com/upload/London-Gateway-under-construction-20-01-2011.jpg

nick-taylor

February 17th, 2011, 07:33 AM

Post-London 2012 Olympic Stadium

During the Olympics, the stadium will have a capacity of 80,000, with the original plan to see it reduced to 25,000 after the Olympics to leave a sustainable legacy for London (ie no repeat of Beijing's white elephant). In recent weeks however, plans have been afoot to potentially see the stadium converted into a mixed-use stadium with the key tenants being either West Ham or Tottenham Hotspurs (two of London's major football sides).

Tottenham's plan would have seen the Olympic Stadium completely demolished for a purpose-built football stadium; athletics would be relocated to a modernised Crystal Palace stadium (located in south London) with a capacity of up to 45,000. West Ham's bid would involve the retention of the track and a 60,000 capacity; the later plan was viewed as keeping in-line with London's committments to the International Olympic Committee when London was awarded the games.

There was much debate about completely demolishing the Olympic Stadium, and various polls indicated that most Londoners (even non-football fans) were in favour of the West Ham bid and retention of the athletics track at Stratford. Fans from both teams were unsettled by making the move despite Spurs' current home of White Hart Lane being only 9km to the north and West Ham's current home at Upton Park 3km to the east of the Stratford site..

It was then announced last week by the company that has been tasked with the post-Olympics legacy that the West Ham bid be recommended to take over the stadium. The official decision should be announced by the government & London mayor in a few weeks, but it is highly doubtful that they will opt for the Spurs bid.

Come 2014, London will have another 60,000 capacity stadium, making it the joint-third largest stadium in London (Wembley: 90,000, Twickenham: 82,500, Emirates: 60,000).

http://insidethegames.biz/images/stories/Olympic_Stadium_in_West_Ham_mode.jpg

Media Centre Conversion: Ski Slope

Article and pics sourced by SSC.com forum member DarJoLe.

http://www.bdonline.co.uk/news/gensler-draws-up-ski-slope-for-olympic-media-site/5013415.article
Gensler has drawn up plans for a radical indoor snow resort which could be built on the site of the Olympic media centre in Stratford.

The 28,500sq m snow sports and leisure complex - called Snow in the City - is being built by artificial ski slope creator Acer Snowmec.

The company, which is behind a giant indoor ski slope at a Dubai shopping mall, said it had submitted an expression of interest to the Olympic Park Legacy Company for the scheme.

Plans include provision for downhill skiing, cross country skiing, bobsleigh, ice skating and curling. The scheme will also include a sports academy, office and media centre.

The design has been conceived to minimise the shadowing effect of the 89m-high structure by creating an open undercroft area so that natural light can pierce the building.

The media centre was intended to be transformed into a new home for hi-tech businesses, but no major broadcaster or media group has yet been signed up to be an anchor tenant.

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Heron Tower

Various pics highlighting two of the three lighting schemes being tested. The south-facing face of the tower which contains the lift shafts (with photovoltaic cells embedded into the glass) will be dotted by blue LED's. On the west-facing side there is a recess which will contain a rainbow of LED's running up the tower. The north-facing side which is the side with the cross-bracing will be illuminated by bottom-up lights but these have yet to be tested.

First pics taken by ssc member chest.

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Following set of pics taken by ssc member potto. Distance shots taken from the Shoreditch-Old Street area.

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ablarc

February 17th, 2011, 11:56 AM

New is new and old is old,

and never the twain shall meet.

(At least coherently.)

lofter1

February 17th, 2011, 05:40 PM

The basket weave facade seen at Regent's Place: North East Quadrant is cool looking.

brianac

February 22nd, 2011, 06:35 PM

London 2012: new aerial pictures show Olympic Park transformation

http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/01831/Velodrome-and-bask_1831422i.jpgSLIDE SHOW (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/othersports/olympics/picturegalleries/8338703/London-2012-new-aerial-pictures-show-Olympic-Park-transformation.html)
Picture: An overview of the site

The Olympic Delivery Authority have released new aerial images showing the transformation of the Olympic Park for the London 2012 Games and legacy, with the construction of the permanent venues nearing completion and parklands taking shape

SLIDE SHOW (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/othersports/olympics/picturegalleries/8338703/London-2012-new-aerial-pictures-show-Olympic-Park-transformation.html)

© Copyright of Telegraph Media Group Limited 2011 (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/termsandconditions)

nick-taylor

February 23rd, 2011, 04:17 AM

Aquatics Centre

The roof covering the western section of the temporary seating is close to completion. After the Olympics, all the temporary seating will be taken out. Images sources by DarJoLe at skyscrapercity.com from london2012.com.

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5292/5468174968_e636906570_b.jpg

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5057/5467576423_e0743783ab_b.jpg

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5056/5467576333_18fbf08176_b.jpg

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5098/5468172856_5540f99d0d_b.jpg

Velo Park

This is now complete and was teased to the media yesterday with various cyclists testing the track. Images sources by DarJoLe at skyscrapercity.com from london2012.com.

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5139/5467577227_180fe41739_b.jpg

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5175/5468174142_52d7b97799_b.jpg

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5259/5468174496_3084641b2d_b.jpg

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5300/5467578637_bbda43768c_b.jpg

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5131/5468174358_0bcec5b1b9_b.jpg

Internal pics sourced by Mo Rush from skyscrapercity.com

http://cache.daylife.com/imageserve/0dMratydsGcLT/900x.jpg

http://cache.daylife.com/imageserve/069Q7Js4fYagf/900x.jpg

Olympic Stadium

The outline of the track and field are now clearly visible. Images sources by DarJoLe at skyscrapercity.com from london2012.com.

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5299/5467576969_aca05b56e8_b.jpg

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5058/5468173458_010f3a0c3c_b.jpg

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5214/5468173376_080dcd764d_b.jpg

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5018/5467576575_c89b945621_b.jpg

Olympic Park

Covering up to 800 acres, landscaping for the Olympic Park is gradually taking shape. Images sources by DarJoLe at skyscrapercity.com from london2012.com.

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5251/5468174258_194b3dbc89_b.jpg

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5058/5467577321_d58120373d_b.jpg

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5098/5468174808_c05025547e_b.jpg

International Media & Broadcasting Centre

Only downside to hosting the Olympics - you need somewhere to host the thousands of journalists, radio, TV and internet crews from around the world at a single site. It was originally hoped that the site would become a home for a media organisation, but a current plan doing the rounds is for the construction of a ski slope. Images sources by DarJoLe at skyscrapercity.com from london2012.com.

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5097/5468174046_d8e569db65_b.jpg

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5296/5467577095_4220f32e8e_b.jpg

Olympic Village

The first phase of one of London's new urban districts: Stratford City will be home to the athletes during the games and is built adjacent to the Stratford Westfield mall and Stratford International station. Images sources by DarJoLe at skyscrapercity.com from london2012.com.

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5052/5467575877_1452a81de3_b.jpg

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5019/5468172656_26abe491b1_b.jpg

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5179/5467575745_382da1f767_b.jpg

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5216/5468172738_31f9c7a05f_b.jpg

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5260/5468175084_c5ca944d94_b.jpg

Basketball

Completely temporary, the 12,000 basketball arena looks a bit like a giant concertinaed tent during the day. The arena has been built to cater to the geographic support for the game (ie US) whom would probably be watching when it is night-time in London, much like how the Water Cube was lit up for the Olympics in Beijing. Images sources by DarJoLe at skyscrapercity.com from london2012.com.

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5091/5467578733_d5ca4c3a22_b.jpg

Lighting scheme images sources by Mo Rush over at skyscrapercity.com

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5260/5433146491_444d8fe840_b.jpg

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5260/5433146495_6c57127796_b.jpg

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5060/5433788374_0d7d29dfc1_b.jpg

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5260/5433788370_6360d80323_b.jpg

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4137/5433788366_7334f57c11_b.jpg

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5251/5433791386_25fcc50075_b.jpg

lofter1

February 23rd, 2011, 12:28 PM

The Velo Park is stunning. That new parkland will be a huge plus. And the basketball building is a real eyecatcher.

All the designs are so much better than what I fear we would have built if NYC had gotten these games. The thought of NYC trying to get this done now, in the middle of this economic situation, is scary.

futurecity

February 23rd, 2011, 11:13 PM

nick-taylor

February 24th, 2011, 06:01 AM

There isn't the land available in NYC to have this kind of a setup unless Staten Island was the location. To have the olympics in the US again, they will have to look into this London model I think. You need something special to win these days, like a new park, interesting architecture, etc.. I think NY's time will come some day though... too great a city to never have the olympics. When you are competing with the Tokyo's, Dubai's, etc of the world, you can't expect to pull another Atlanta or even Chicago's effort (which was lame as hell). The Olympics today is all about legacy and glitz...and of course politcs (which will turn back in the favor of the US sooner or later). NY should have proposed the olympic site on the brownfields or landfills of staten island, using it to redevelop that blighted area and bulding transport to/from manhattan. Much better than the fragmented proposal they had.What is currently developing into the Olympic Park in London was once an industrial wasteland consisting of scrap yards, depots, warehouses and rail yards with soil contaminated by arsenic, asbestos and other nasties.

Location wise, Stratford is the confluence of multiple rail lines (tube, DLR, overground, commuter, intercity and international) and was of sufficient distance that the cost of land wasn't stratospheric but still accessible from Central London.

When I think of an area in New York of a similar background, the area that comes straight to mind is that of the Sunnyside yard. You have lots of underutilised land, either in the form of rail yards and warehousing. There are also numerous Subway and LIRR lines that run through the area so connections to the wider New York area wouldn't be a problem. In fact, it could provide an opportunity to tidy the area up transport-wise;
- A proper Subway and commuter train interchange based around Queens Plaza station, relieving pressure on the subway lines radiating out of New York Penn, while the Long Island City station site could be redeveloped,
- The Q/N extended to La Guardia

nick-taylor

February 24th, 2011, 09:09 AM

Following on from my previous message (#2087), it would appear that Google have updated their satellite images for London. This morning it dated back to around the middle of last decade, now it's probably about 6 months out. You get a good idea of the scale of the entire project: http://maps.google.co.uk/?ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Liverpool+St,+Greater+London,+United+Kingdom&ll=51.54396,-0.013475&spn=0.020711,0.072098&t=h&z=15

lofter1

February 24th, 2011, 10:34 AM

nick-taylor

February 24th, 2011, 04:21 PM

What is the name of the little river that runs through the Olympic site (and continues north past a sequence of reservoirs (http://maps.google.co.uk/?ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Liverpool+St,+Greater+London,+United+Kingdom&t=h&ll=51.5664,-0.035019&spn=0.073841,0.123596&z=13) and south to the Thames, meeting up there opposite the O2 (http://maps.google.co.uk/?ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Liverpool+St,+Greater+London,+United+Kingdom&t=h&ll=51.508716,0.003605&spn=0.018484,0.030899&z=15))?That's the River Lee (although confusingly it is also called the River Lea) and the Lee Navigation. Where the river seperates into several channels, this area is referrred to as the Bow Back Rivers, before they converge again to enter the Thames at Leamouth. The current situation is both a relic from when the area was a marsh and human-managemenet of water levels in the early era of the Industrial Revolution with the focus of moving goods by navigable river.

Pre-Olympics, the area north of the Olympic Park was part of the 26 mile long Lea Valley Regional Park which was already in a good condition with wide paths and controlled water levels for various recreational uses such as rowing clubs and barge homes. Southwards was a different matter; unpleasant and filled with grim grey warehouses. With the Olympics and other non-Olympic residential developments this remaining section of the river is being rehabilitated.

lofter1

February 24th, 2011, 07:35 PM

Thanks. This popped up ...

London's Second River - The River Lea (or Lee)

PHOTOS by Peter Marshall (http://river-lea.co.uk/): 1981-date - including the London 2012 Olympic site

Wikipedia has some good color shots and historical info:

The River Lea or Lee in England (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/River_Lea)

nick-taylor

February 25th, 2011, 04:36 AM

I work in what was once maltings (dating back to the 1600's, now converted into offices) that overlook a quaint canal that spurs off the River Lee. Technically if I was in possession of a barge I could commute from my home, to the office and on into London for meetings, although the train is a lot quicker!

In addition to my previous response, while I may have been a bit bleak of the river south of the Olympic Park, you do get the odd curiosity, such as Three Mill Island (now used as a film studio and similar in appearance to what my offices look like).

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4129/5012078915_d025f5a068_b.jpg
Source: Curry15 on Flickr

Rational Plan

February 27th, 2011, 08:45 PM

I slogged my way round a rain soaked South East London. Apart from a few shots of the Shard all these projects are either high and Mid rise in the Isle of Dogs or low to mid rise in Canada Water or Deptford Creek or Greenwich (about 2 miles south of Canary Wharf or 5 miles from the West End.

Shard

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s233/Maryside/London%20Photos/IMAG0450-Copy2.jpg

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s233/Maryside/London%20Photos/IMAG0449-Copy.jpg

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s233/Maryside/London%20Photos/IMAG0446.jpg

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s233/Maryside/London%20Photos/IMAG0442.jpg

Isle of Dogs

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s233/Maryside/London%20Photos/IMAG0514-1.jpg

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s233/Maryside/London%20Photos/IMAG0506-Copy.jpg

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s233/Maryside/London%20Photos/IMAG0505-Copy.jpg

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s233/Maryside/London%20Photos/IMAG0503-Copy.jpg

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s233/Maryside/London%20Photos/IMAG0501-Copy.jpg

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s233/Maryside/London%20Photos/IMAG0500-Copy.jpg

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s233/Maryside/London%20Photos/IMAG0549.jpg

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s233/Maryside/London%20Photos/IMAG0539.jpg

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s233/Maryside/London%20Photos/IMAG0537.jpg

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s233/Maryside/London%20Photos/IMAG0538.jpg

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s233/Maryside/London%20Photos/IMAG0544.jpg

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s233/Maryside/London%20Photos/IMAG0547.jpg

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s233/Maryside/London%20Photos/IMAG0536.jpg

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s233/Maryside/London%20Photos/IMAG0512-Copy.jpg

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s233/Maryside/London%20Photos/IMAG0527.jpg

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s233/Maryside/London%20Photos/IMAG0519.jpg

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s233/Maryside/London%20Photos/IMAG0511-Copy.jpg

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s233/Maryside/London%20Photos/IMAG0525.jpg

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s233/Maryside/London%20Photos/IMAG0530.jpg

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s233/Maryside/London%20Photos/IMAG0528.jpg

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s233/Maryside/London%20Photos/IMAG0518-1.jpg

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s233/Maryside/London%20Photos/IMAG0531.jpg

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s233/Maryside/London%20Photos/IMAG0532.jpg

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s233/Maryside/London%20Photos/IMAG0524.jpg

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s233/Maryside/London%20Photos/IMAG0517-1.jpg

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s233/Maryside/London%20Photos/IMAG0522.jpg
Deptford, Greenwich etc.

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s233/Maryside/London%20Photos/IMAG0453.jpg

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s233/Maryside/London%20Photos/IMAG0459-Copy2.jpg

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s233/Maryside/London%20Photos/IMAG0494.jpg

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s233/Maryside/London%20Photos/IMAG0490-Copy.jpg

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s233/Maryside/London%20Photos/IMAG0480-Copy.jpg

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s233/Maryside/London%20Photos/IMAG0479-Copy.jpg

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s233/Maryside/London%20Photos/IMAG0498-Copy.jpg

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s233/Maryside/London%20Photos/IMAG0471-Copy.jpg

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s233/Maryside/London%20Photos/IMAG0475.jpg

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s233/Maryside/London%20Photos/IMAG0467.jpg

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s233/Maryside/London%20Photos/IMAG0460-Copy.jpg

Rational Plan

March 1st, 2011, 04:45 PM

More consultation documents launched for High Speed 2

http://highspeedrail.dft.gov.uk/sites/highspeedrail.dft.gov.uk/files/hsr-consultation.pdf

Distribution of Passengers in London

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s233/Maryside/highspeedraildftgovuk-sites-highspeedraildftgovuk-files-hs2-economic-casepdfLondoncrossrail2.png

Proposed network

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s233/Maryside/highspeedraildftgovuk-sites-highspeedraildftgovuk-files-hs2-economic-casepdfynet.png

Journey times

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s233/Maryside/highspeedraildftgovuk-sites-highspeedraildftgovuk-files-hs2-economic-casepdfJourneytimes2.png

Service pattern once Y network complete.

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s233/Maryside/highspeedraildftgovuk-sites-highspeedraildftgovuk-files-hs2-economic-casepdfservicepattern.png

nick-taylor

March 3rd, 2011, 08:08 AM

^^ Excellent news, one step closer to construction; 18tph or the equivalent of a 400m long train arriving into London Euston every 3 minutes will be a sight to behold. London to Birmingham in under 50mins, Manchester in 73mins, and Leeds in 80mins.

It's been eight years since the introduction of the Oystercard across London transport, now the next steps are being taken to making travel around London that bit more easier and convenient.

TfL to upgrade travel card readers
Guardian, Thursday 24 February 2011
http://www.guardian.co.uk/government-computing-network/2011/feb/24/tfl-to-upgrade-travel-card-readers

Transport for London has said it will upgrade its travel card readers so passengers can swipe debit or credit cards from 2012

The capital's transport authority said that work to adapt card readers on buses, trams, and at tube, London Overground and Docklands Light Railway stations will start this year.

All of London's 8,000 bus fleet are scheduled to be fitted with the new technology in time for the 2012 Olympics. TfL said this will enable quick and easy access to buses for the millions of visitors expected during the Games.

The system will then be rolled out onto the tube, Docklands Light Railway, tram and London Overground network before the end of 2012. TfL is also in discussions with the train operating companies that serve London about whether contactless payment cards could be used on national rail services where Oyster is currently accepted.

To make the new system possible, TfL said it is upgrading software in the Oyster smart card system to recognise contactless credit and debit cards issued by Visa, MasterCard and American Express as well as Oyster cards.

Most visitors to the capital arrive without a public transport ticket and have to buy one. The change will mean they can use a contactless credit or debit card to pay for public transport, in the same way that they can now make low value purchases in many coffee shops and other retail outlets, said TfL.

Will Judge, TfL's head of future ticketing, said that people will also use bank cards as an alternative to the Oyster contactless smart card, or when they have left their Oyster card at home.

"As more people use their bank-issued cards to pay for their travel directly, TfL's costs will reduce, delivering better value for money for London's fare and taxpayers," said Judge.

A TfL spokeswoman told GGC that, while the fares when using swipe cards will ultimately be the same as when using the Oyster card, which is much cheaper than paying cash, it is not yet known if this will apply in the scheme's early days.

"Once it is fully rolled out, fares will be the same as the pay-as-you-go fares," she said. "We are working through the prices for the initial roll out on buses only."

Boris Johnson, the mayor of London, said: "It is tip top news that from next year a simple tap of a contactless bank card will be enough to whizz you from A to B in this great city.

"London leads the way in so many different fields and we will be the first in the world to allow the millions using our tube, trams, buses and trains to benefit from the ease of using this technology."

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/133/318656457_cbac00220f_b.jpg
Source: tompagenet at Flickr.com

Shard

Photo update from skyscrapercity.com member wjfox

http://www.willfox.com/photos/skyscrapers/shard/60.jpg

http://www.willfox.com/photos/skyscrapers/shard/62.jpg

http://www.willfox.com/photos/skyscrapers/shard/65.jpg

nick-taylor

March 11th, 2011, 04:09 PM

Latest rail maps for London and the wider metro area.

The first is for services inside London where Oyster can be used.

The later covers rail services that serve the commuter settlements that radiate out from London.

http://img707.imageshack.us/img707/6118/31254782.png (http://img707.imageshack.us/i/31254782.png/)
Uploaded with ImageShack.us (http://imageshack.us)

http://img848.imageshack.us/img848/6567/76140408.png (http://img848.imageshack.us/i/76140408.png/)
Uploaded with ImageShack.us (http://imageshack.us)

Dr.T

March 15th, 2011, 04:29 AM

^^^ Final count down: only 500 day to go until London 2012

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ejSCkfJa2Rk

Rational Plan

March 17th, 2011, 11:31 AM

Here are some pictures from a mock up built of the Crossrail platforms, notice how the lights and signs have been integrated into the Platform doors. For London, these Platforms are huge.

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s233/Maryside/crossrailmockupinside12.jpg

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s233/Maryside/crossrailmockupinside10.jpg

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s233/Maryside/crossrailmockupinside1.jpg

Plus a charming little time lapse trip around London.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zr7qGRh-OdU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JozMWMH1Y4I

nick-taylor

March 24th, 2011, 09:06 AM

Large photo of the Shard taken by skyscrapercity.com forum member cybertect.

http://i1085.photobucket.com/albums/j427/cybertects/Shard/20110323_0042-vpan.jpg

nick-taylor

March 25th, 2011, 07:16 PM

Another excellent photo of the Shard taken by skyscrapercity.com forum member cybertect. The red metal structure in the foreground is the remains of the old London Bridge station bus stop, which is being taken down as part of a wider redevelopment of the London Bridge station (now in its 175th year of operation) that won't fully start until the Shard is complete.

http://i1085.photobucket.com/albums/j427/cybertects/Shard/20110324_0023-vpan.jpg

Derek2k3

March 28th, 2011, 06:21 PM

Another nice shot:

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5054/5569193978_e1b7bf0459_b.jpg
newnumenor (http://www.flickr.com/photos/newnumenor/5569193978/sizes/l/in/photostream/)

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5265/5559404135_0f5d1648e5_b.jpg
newnumenor (http://www.flickr.com/photos/newnumenor/5559404135/sizes/l/in/photostream/)

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5022/5559981866_3607548a84_b.jpg
newnumenor (http://www.flickr.com/photos/newnumenor/5559981866/sizes/l/in/photostream/)

nick-taylor

April 5th, 2011, 03:40 AM

London 2012 Olympic Update

All images sourced by woodgnome at SSC (unless otherwise stated); taken by www.london2012.com. Some images are quite large, so to view them in all their beauty you ought to drag and drop them into a new tab if using firefox or something similar.

Olympic Stadium

This is now pretty much complete; and for a bonus it came in ahead of budget and three months ahead of schedule. The only remaining activities concerning the stadium are the 'wrap' (a portion is visible in the first photo) and the track which will be laid after all the rigging for the opening ceremony is complete.

http://img36.imageshack.us/img36/2404/110324odamdaac069hi.jpg

http://img25.imageshack.us/img25/5567/110324odamdaac101hi.jpg

http://img846.imageshack.us/img846/1986/110324odamdaac103hi.jpg

http://img577.imageshack.us/img577/9268/110324odamdaac106hi.jpg

Some futher interior photos sourced by Parisian Girl at SSC.

http://static.worldarchitecturenews.com/news_images/16228_1_olympic1.jpg

http://static.worldarchitecturenews.com/news_images/16228_2_olympic2.jpg

http://static.worldarchitecturenews.com/news_images/16228_3_ODA1.jpg

Media Centre

http://img852.imageshack.us/img852/8049/110324odamdaac107hi.jpg

http://img145.imageshack.us/img145/6365/110324odamdaac095hi.jpg

Olympic Village

http://img231.imageshack.us/img231/2439/110324odamdaac014hi.jpg

http://img11.imageshack.us/img11/1906/110324odamdaac049hi.jpg

http://img29.imageshack.us/img29/5456/110324odamdaac055hi.jpg

http://img834.imageshack.us/img834/6136/110324odamdaac114hi.jpg

Handball Arena

The western Energy Centre consists of the buildings to the right of the arena.

http://img716.imageshack.us/img716/8203/110324odamdaac021hi.jpg

Aquatics Centre

http://img839.imageshack.us/img839/2832/110324odamdaac071hi.jpg

http://img228.imageshack.us/img228/2137/110324odamdaac089hi.jpg

http://img508.imageshack.us/img508/2249/110324odamdaac120hi.jpg

http://img839.imageshack.us/img839/8313/110324odamdaac121hi.jpg

Velopark

http://img842.imageshack.us/img842/7897/110324odamdaac038hi.jpg

http://img850.imageshack.us/img850/9840/110324odamdaac063hi.jpg

Basketball Arena

Random fact - this is apparently the world's largest temporary venue

http://img710.imageshack.us/img710/7397/110324odamdaac015hi.jpg

http://img857.imageshack.us/img857/4619/110324odamdaac019hi.jpg

Eton Manor

Site for the aquatic training centre, and wheelchair tennis. Random: rare shot as well of a Shikansen nestled between two Eurostars.

http://img263.imageshack.us/img263/8408/110324odamdaac037hi.jpg

http://img689.imageshack.us/img689/5253/110324odamdaac110hi.jpg

Olympic Park

http://img848.imageshack.us/img848/6515/110324odamdaac043hi.jpg

http://img813.imageshack.us/img813/42/110324odamdaac059hi.jpg

http://img687.imageshack.us/img687/3389/110324odamdaac108hi.jpg

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Olympic Cauldron

On another matter, Thomas Heatherwick has been appointed as designer for the Olympic Caulderon. For those not aware of the name, he was the individual behind the Seed Cathedral at the Shanghai Expo held last year, the Scorpion Bridge at Paddington and the new bus for London (aka New Routemaster). So it will be interesting to see what the result will be. Images sourced from www.heatherwick.com

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nick-taylor

April 11th, 2011, 11:54 AM

Shard (London bridge Tower)

More photos of London's future tallest tower. Photos taken by skyscrapercity.com forum member cybertect.

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Heathrow East Development

Work is gradually progressing on the Heathrow East development which replaces the oldest continually used terminal at Heathrow: T2 (60+ years operation). Due to the complications of building the terminal between two of the world's busiest runway - most of the airport is constructed offsite. Images taken by Tony 90 over at skyscrapercity.com

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122 Leadenhall

The lobby for Richard Rogers' now u/c 122 Leadenhall has been slightly revised to accomodate two lobbies. Revised render sourced by SSC.com member LiamF1

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East London Line Extension

While the majority of the extended orbital East London Line began operation in May of last year, an additional north-western extension to Highbury & Islington was still in the process of being built. In late February, this two station extension was finally completed.

The extension to Highbury & Islington is important for two reasons - it provides efficient access to the North London Line (which runs parallel on seperate tracks between Richmond and Stratford), and interchange with the Victoria and Northern City lines thus creating allowing journeys to various regional centres in London while avoiding Central London.

Photos taken by Colin.P.Brooks Railway Photography & Frinton at flickr.com

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Wallbrook Square

Work continues on the demolition of one of London's worst 60's blights. The large site will eventually be home to Bloomberg in London. Pics taken by skyscrapercity.com member nrm the 2nd

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nick-taylor

April 11th, 2011, 11:55 AM

Milton Court

112m residential tower in the Square Mile u/c. Pics taken by skyscrapercity.com forum member chest

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Ferrier Estate Redevelopment

London's old dilapidated council estates are gradually being rebuilt. One such estate is the Ferrier Estate (built in the 60's and 70's) located due south of Greenwich which is in the process of being demolished. With the concrete mess gone, construction on the low-rise phase started in 2009, but the entire project (of around 4,000 private and affordable homes) will take some 15 years to complete. Photos taken by SE9 at skyscrapercity.com

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The old estate is visible in this aerial - to the right with the various now demolished blocks.

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Barrier Park East & Silvertown Quays

Located on the Thames directly overlooking the Thames Barrier, Barrier Park East is part of a much wider jigsaw puzzle that is the Royal Docks area - a vast area of former port authority buildings and industrial units. Redevelopment has been slow, despite the opening of the DLR Extension to Woolwich Arsenal in recent, with most developments either concentrated around the ExCeL exhibition centre to the north or resembling 'urban fingers' stretching from the main road that runs parallel to the Thames.

What remains is a mix of abandoned land and industrial units, including one of the tallest structures in the area: Tate & Lyle's sugar refinery. The recession didn't help things either but things are starting to change and the Crossrail station due to open in 2018 at Custom House should dramatically boost the immediate area.

The first development of Barrier Park East is being built adjacent to Barrier Park and the Thames (at exactly where the Thames Barrier meets the north bank). Images sourced from skyscrapernews.comp

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The second is Silvertown Quays - this 24 acre site would see the creation of thousands of homes, a hotel, a beach, a surfing zone and a new home for London's Aquarium. The site would also convert various old mills and warehouses including the large Millennium Mills Building. This development had hit a bit of a stumbling block as the London Development Agency had dropped their development partner, but the LDA is now seeking a new partner to take the current scheme forward. Images sourced from www.worldarchitecturenews.com

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While these are only two developments, there are lots of other plots of land ripe for development which I suspect will come to fruit in the lead-up to the opening of the Crossrail station as you could be at Canary Wharf in around two minutes, the City in nine minutes, the West End in 17 minutes and Heathrow in around 45mins.

Thameslink

Work continues apace on the second cross-London rail route: Thameslink. Costing £5.5bn ($9bn), it involves various platform extensions, fly-overs and upgrades to allow for a 24tph (each direction) train route north-south through Central London. At Farringdon the line will interchange with the also u/c west-east Crossrail line.

The following pictures taken by unravelled over at flickr.com illustrate one of the biggest headaches - constructing a grade-seperated route amongst some of London's most historic areas. The area in question is Borough Market in Southwark, which along with the cathedral date back hundreds of years (the current cathedral dates back to the 13th century) and was a major planning headache. Finally however the route is now progressing.

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Due to the restriction in space to construct the new viaduct, the bridge which will cross Borough High Street is being built atop the viaduct, before being slid across.

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nick-taylor

April 11th, 2011, 11:56 AM

20 Fenchurch Street

Work continues on site - photos taken by chest @ skyscrapercity.com.

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Victoria & Albert Museum Extension

Amanda Levete Architects have won the commission for the new V&A Extension on Exhibition Road which will create a new entrance and exhibition areas. The current museum covers 12.5 acres and is a treasure trove of several million arts and design objects from across the globe.

Images sourced by ssc member woodgnome.

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Quill

Following talks with Southwark Council about affordable housing contributions, the developer has negotiated a bit of a bargain which was the barrier to constructing this 31-storey tower aimed at student accomodation. Source: www.spparcstudio.com

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Bishop's Place

Located right on the border between the Square Mile and Shoreditch, Bishops' Place was originally planned to consist of a cantilevered office block and blocky residential tower. This plan has now been dropped in favour of a redesigned 50 floor residential tower and groundscraper. With the absence of the cantilevered block, the front of the site can be opened up into a small park, although the groundscraper looks ridiculously big. Images sourced by skyscrapercity member steppenwolf

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nick-taylor

April 11th, 2011, 11:56 AM

St Pancras Renaissance Hotel

This year marks the opening of the St Pancras Renaissance London Hotel which occupies what was once the original Midland Grand Hotel. The station and hotel frontage were designed by George Gilbert Scott and date back to 1865 and considered one of the grandest stations on the planet, having recently been renovated in 2007 prior to the arrival of Eurostar and the Shinkansen services.

While the hotel opened on the 21st March, the formal opening will be on the 5th May to mark 138 years after the opening of the original Midland Hotel back in 1873.

Photos taken by businesstraveller over at Flickr.com. Photos marked with a * taken by Jamie Lumley The Photographer at Flickr.com

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Leamouth Peninsula Development

Located at the convergence of the Lee/Lea River and Thames is this massive development on what is now cleared land. I was out this way at the weekend and a development office was already nearly complete. Text and images sourced by woodgnome at SSC: http://www.docklands24.co.uk/news/ballymore_gets_ok_to_build_river_city_in_london_do cklands_1_829247

Ballymore has been granted permission to start work on a 10-acre site at the Leamouth Peninsula, opposite The O2. The proposal is to build in stages, but it is expected there be 1,700 new homes, offices and ‘creative workplaces’ in place within five years. It will be contained in 13 buildings ranging from three to 27 storeys in height.

There are also plans for new education, leisure and sports facilities, a public park and crucially a bridge link to nearby Canning Town station.

“Now we have got the green light, we will be cracking on immediately and expect to be marketing this site in the autumn,” said Ballymore owner Sean Mulryan. “I guarantee it will be a really exciting place to live and work.”

Permission to start building work was granted last week by the London Thames Gateway Development Corporation after its officers praised it for opening up a “unique waterside location”.

Tower Hamlets Council called for it to be rejected after doubts over the financing of the project and lack of infrastructure. The site was formerly occupied by the Pura Foods oil processing plant, which relocated to a new facility in Essex in 2005. The previous buildings have now been demolished and the site cleared.

As the nearest neighbours, Trinity Buoy Wharf has plenty of interest in the decision to grant approval. The arts centre and home to London’s only lighthouse is already thriving, but having hundreds of people move next door can’t hurt.

“We’re very positive about it as it will bring more life to this part of London,” said site project manager John Burton. “Improvements like the Canning Town bridge and 24-hour bus will be vital and this is definitely a good thing.”

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Heron Tower

The finishing touches to the current tallest tower in the Square Mile are being applied. In an article I read over the weekend, the lobby will incorporate the second largest aquarium in Europe, and employ two full-time fish attendants and part-time divers to clean the tannk which will hold some 1,200 fish of 67 different species.

Tenants have already started to move in to their 'villages' (the tower is comprised of three storey blocks with their own atrium), with US law firm McDermott, Will & Emery moving in March. A ground floor restaurant and bar is set to open in June, while the autumn will see the opening of the Sushisamba (some New Yorkers may be familiar with the name) restaurant which will span the top three floors and the external roof terraces. Excellent pics taken by skyscrapercity.com regular; chest.

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New Covent Garden Market

Dating back to the medieval era, Covent Garden Market moved from it's central London Indigo Jones designed address (now the major tourist attraction that we all know) in the 70's to the current site in the Battersea-Nine Elms-Vauxhall area. Covering some 57 acres, the original buildings are now showing their age and unable to cope with the modern day requirements of London.

The plan will see the entire site redeveloped to cope with London's produce demand, while also opening up to the public in the form of a new open space, college, hotel, street market and connections to the surrounding neighbourhoods which are all either in the process of being developed or will be in the near future. A green ribbon will run the course of the site with a width of between 40-60m open to the local community.

The following aerial gives an idea also of the surrounding redevelopments, with Battersea Power Station to the left, and to the top the highrise developments around Vauxhall station, with the new US Embassy (the large cube shape) and surrounding residential sites inbetween. For those interested, the lines heading on the left go to London Victoria, while the line running the length of the site goes to London Waterloo, while the top end of the site could be the site of a new Northern line station. Images sourced by woodgnome at skyscrapercity.com.

A Google Aerial view of the area as of June last year gives you an idea of just how big this entire area is going to be redeveloped in the coming years: http://maps.google.co.uk/?ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Liverpool+St,+London+EC2M,+United+Kingdom&t=h&ll=51.480782,-0.134904&spn=0.009956,0.024784&z=16

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nick-taylor

April 11th, 2011, 11:57 AM

Crossrail

Work continues apace along the route of the future Crossrail line; by far the most important project under construction in London. The following pictures sourced from londonreconnections.blogspot.com illustrate the frenzy of construction at Tottenham Court Road which is one of the central core stations.

The current Central and Northern line tub station is being re-built so that the future interchange can cope with the anticipated passenger movements anticipated with Crossrail's 24 12-carriage trains moving in each direction each hour. The scale of the works are so vast that Charing Cross Road has had to be diverted, while Oxford Street has had to be remodelled.

In addition, unlike the majority of heavy rail stations which may have one ticket hall and numerous exits branching off, the length of the Crossrail platforms (in excess of 200m) is requiring the construction of two seperate ticket halls to easily accomodate the dispersal of passenger loads onto the surrounding streets. The eastern ticket hall is being built below the crossing of Oxford Street/Tottenham Court Road and Charing Cross Road, while the western ticket hall is being built at Dean Street. In total the station will have around 8 seperate exits.

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In addition contracts for the remaining tunnelling contracts have been awarded. The tunnel work is budgeted to cost £1.5bn which illustrates that constructing the 21km of twin-bore tunnels isn't that expensive - it's the stations and the interchanges with other lines that are the costly matter.

In addition the expected economic benefits to London and the south-east have been revised upward; from £36bn to £42bn - a good investment for a £15bn project. Following images sourced from www.crossrail.co.uk.

The 5 planned tunnelling drives under London:
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Drive X: Royal Oak - Farringdon (6.16km). Q2 2012 - Q3 of 2013.
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Drive Y: Limmo Peninsula - Farringdon (8.30km). Q3 2012 - Q3 2014.
Drive Z: Stepney Green - Pudding Mill Lane (2.72km). Q4 2013 - Q3 2014.
Drive G: Limmo Peninsula - Victoria Dock (0.93km). Q2 2014 - Q3 2014.
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Drive H: Plumstead - North Woolwich (2.6km). Q4 2012 - Q2 - 2014
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Also found some further images of the Paddington Crossrail station.

Paddington

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Lanterns Court

Another complete Miami-esque mid-rise residential development on the Isle of Dogs, due south of Canary Wharf. Photos taken by ssc.com member chest

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Quebec Tower

Approved back in 2008, this 136m tower to the east of Canary Wharf had stalled, but work is set to start-up again

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The Rocket Tower

Odd 24 floor tower proposed in Southwark. Images and text sourced by Yorkshire Boy at SSC.

Fast becoming the playpen for architectural experimentation in London (think the Shard and the Quill amongst others), Southwark could welcome this rocket-shaped tower, which is proposed as an extension to the Russian-owned Menier Chocolate Factory, a theatrical space on Southwark Street.

The 24-storey building, which resembles a solid booster rocket and access tower, contains residential and office space, and is part of a development that would include an extended theatre for the Menier, an art school, restaurant, and a museum dedicated to tea and vodka (the national drinks of Blighty and Russia, naturally). In an unusual twist, the complex would incorporate a new raised public plaza, named for the first man in space, Yuri Gagarin.

Gagarin, whose orbital voyage took place fifty years ago this April, may seem the unlikely recipient of such an honour. Yet when Yuri-fever raced across the world in the summer of ’61, London wasn’t exempt. The Times reported on the “cheering crowds” that greeted him at London Airport, from whence he was borne in a hammer-and-sickle embossed Rolls Royce to the Russian embassy, and later to lunch with the Queen at Buckingham Palace. As the anniversary approaches, Gagarin’s star is on the rise again (sorry); a street in Houston, Texas is to be re-named in his honour.

Is it right for London to honour the first man in space in such a fashion? Can we expect Muscovites to be enjoying a stroll in Dame Ellen MacArthur Park in years to come? And, perhaps most importantly, when are we going to get a statue of Laika?

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Oakmayne Plaza

Once considered the Piccadilly of South London, Elephant & Castle became a bit of a dump post WW2, thanks to the Luftwaffe and 60's planners. Some of the worst estates are in the process of being demolished and the entire area is being done up to correct the mistakes of the past (notably dodgy construction and scary walkways).

One of the new projects consists of various residential blocks directly opposite Elephant & Castle station. Due to the recession it was delayed, but work is starting up again with construction to be complete sometime in 2014.

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Tesco Town Woolwich

Tesco, who are the UK's largest supermarket/retailer are going to extreme lengths to construct new stores. This development includes development an entire new block. Image sourced by Ciudad Bristol at SSC.

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NEO Bankside

Work continues on the triumvirate of Richard Rogers designed towers adjacent to Tate Modern. Photos taken by GazKinz over at skyscrapercity.com

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GordonGecko

April 11th, 2011, 12:06 PM

Dizzying

nick-taylor

April 21st, 2011, 07:21 AM

London Bridge Station

Images have been released showing the design for the new London Bridge Station. Originally opened back in 1836, it is the oldest railway terminus in the world and has undergone numerous redevelopments in its long history.

This year the station is celebrating its 175th year of passenger operation and to reflect the changing requirements of the station, these new plans will see the station reorganised.

The current station is serviced by around 90 London-bound trains each peak hour (excluding outward bound or London Underground services), and this is anticipated to increase in coming years to support the growing demands of train services. It is currently London's 4th busiest terminus (behind London Liverpool Street, London Victoria and London Waterloo).

There are several key developments:
- The platforms will be re-arranged from the current 9 terminating and 6 through platforms to 6 terminating and 9 through platforms. This will assist with bottlenecks onwards to the u/c Thameslink line and the two further termini at London Cannon Street and London Charing Cross, allowing for higher train frequencies.
- A new street-level concourse to greatly increase capacity, as well as provide step-free access to all platforms.
- The historic viaduct which is composed of millions of bricks will be integrated into the redevelopment, opening up the disused vaults under the station complex.

Construction will start in 2013 (so as to not cause inconvenience during the Olympics) and be complete in 2018 to coincide with the opening of the 24tph Thameslink line.

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Rational Plan

May 14th, 2011, 08:10 AM

Just some updates.

The Northern Line consultation has launched. This is a two station extension of the Northern line from Kennington along the river to Battersea. Currently all the West End branches trains terminate here so there is scope for extension. The land along the river is mostly industrial and thinner stretches upstream have mostly been converted to luxury apartments. This area of land requires much more infrastructure to support the level of development required and to attract buyers to an area that is not currently desirable. The earlier schemes have mostly been near existing residential areas, most of them pretty expensive. If it goes ahead it will be the first use of TIF in the UK.

A new plan has been drawn up and 16,000 new homes are expected to be built here along with space for 27,000 new jobs.

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s233/Maryside/London%20Photos/northenline.jpg

With so many schemes coming through I thought I would try and summarise some the schemes in the area.

The biggest is the Battersea Power station project. This scheme has been knocking around now for 30 years, has caused the bankruptcy of one company and has been bought and sold by various others each with new plans drawn up.

These are the latest, the realisation that this is never getting off the ground without a tube link, is what has changed recently, so it might have a chance. Currently it is proposed as 10 million sq ft of space, of which 3700 will be apartments, 500,000 sq ft retail and leisure, several hotels and the rest offices.

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s233/Maryside/1211_battersea.jpg

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s233/Maryside/London%20Photos/imagesbattersea4.jpg

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http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s233/Maryside/London%20Photos/imagesbattersea2.jpg

To transform this industrial area to a high density residential area with a new tube line extension to Battersea also calling a Nine Elms

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s233/Maryside/VauxhallNEBatt.jpg

This shows the various schemes.

Tideway Wharf, Richard Rogers scheme, clear influence of Neo Bankside showing. 753 units

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s233/Maryside/Tidewaywharf2.jpg

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s233/Maryside/Tidewaywharf3.jpg

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s233/Maryside/Tidewaywharf4.jpg

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s233/Maryside/Tidewaywharf5.jpg

Marco Polo building

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s233/Maryside/London%20Photos/marcopolohouse.jpg

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s233/Maryside/London%20Photos/marcopolohouse2.jpg

Nine Elms Parkside 2000 units

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s233/Maryside/London%20Photos/NineElmsParksideneighbourhood.jpg

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s233/Maryside/London%20Photos/NineElmsParksidemasterplan.jpg

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s233/Maryside/London%20Photos/NineElmsParkside.jpg

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s233/Maryside/London%20Photos/nineelmsparksideimage1.jpg

Us Embassy district

New Billion dollar embassy building to be surrounded by new offices and residential

2,600,000 sq ft mixed use development of apartments, office space, retail and leisure, and community space
2,000 new homes
Potential for up to 600,000 sq ft of office space
In excess of 100,000 sq ft of retail and leisure space
100 bed hotel
New Embassy plaza
New linear park linking Vauxhall with Battersea Park
Architects: Terry Farrell and Partners (Masterplan), Allford Hall Monaghan Morris, Fielden Clegg Bradley, and FLACQ (individual buildings)

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s233/Maryside/London%20Photos/usembassynineelms1.jpg

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s233/Maryside/London%20Photos/USEmbassyPlans2_415.jpg

Rational Plan

May 14th, 2011, 08:19 AM

Managed to dig through Hillingdon's planning portal to find some details on the Terminal 2 being built currently at Heathrow.

I'll post the original plans first.

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s233/Maryside/London%20Photos/HeathrowEastdesign1.jpg

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If you look at the plans yea a nice open plaza, but where is the car park?

Well the revised plans are in.

Like Terminal 5 we now have a huge car park in front of the Terminal. Like T5 there is a still a big long plaza with bridges crossing between the Terminal and the car park. Arrival will be on the ground floor and Departures on the top. A new multi level road system will reduce conflicts towards Terminal 3 and reduce the number of traffic lights for people leaving the CTA.

This space has been created by demolishing the old Control Tower.

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s233/Maryside/London%20Photos/HeathrowEastrevisedmscp2.jpg

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http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s233/Maryside/London%20Photos/HeathrowEastrevisedmscp7.jpg

The new plaza will be built in phases like the Terminal.

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s233/Maryside/London%20Photos/HeathrowEastrevisedmscpphase1.jpg

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s233/Maryside/London%20Photos/heathroweastplazarevise1.jpg

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s233/Maryside/London%20Photos/HeathrowEastrevisedmscp5.jpg

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s233/Maryside/London%20Photos/HeathrowEastrevisedmscp3.jpg

Once stage One is complete, then Terminal One will close and be demolished. Then the terminal will be extended North and the old Terminal One piers demolished and new ones built to match terminal 2.

That will leave Terminal 3 as the only old terminal left. after the forecourt rebuild and new car park it's quite nice airside, the onyl problem is the endless piers and the fact they are not separated vertically. At the very lest the piers need to be knocked down and started again. Once Terminal 2 is fully open they will have a window of opportunity while it is not to busy. I wonder though if BA will pressure it into a complete rebuild as Terminal 5 is to small for it. Once the interminal train system is built Terminal 3 will act as part of Terminal 5 any way.

Rational Plan

May 14th, 2011, 08:37 AM

The Movement, Greenwich.

Next to Greenwich Station, behind existing buildings covering the old industrial estate.

358 student rooms, 120 room hotel 30 room boutique hotel, 121 private flats and 60 affordable flats. Extension to community centre, health club, small supermarket, bike cafe and start up business units.

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s233/Maryside/themovementgreenwich2.png

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http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s233/Maryside/themovementgreenwich4.png

A new DLR extension map is up at London Reconnections.

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s233/Maryside/London%20Photos/dlrextensions.jpg

Of the Central London options I think I prefer Euston and St Pancras.

The Dagenham Dock extension is purely dependent on developers moving forward.

The lewisham extension to Catford and Forest Hill, requires major works in Lewisham and abandonment of the existing station, I thought the 2020 analysis had left this as too difficult. It would be interesting how they would justify tunnel from Catford to Forest Hill.

http://developments.dlr.co.uk/future/planning-for-the-future-of-dlr/
Plans are in for the Saatchi redevelopment. The plans are, to strip most of the buildings on the block. back to their concrete shell, and add a couple of floors. The interior back yards will now be occupied with a new large lift core and stairs plus new atria. One corner of the block will be residential with a neighbouring building also being converted to residential.

Ground floors will be either retail, restaurant, or financial.

I really like this, it looks nicely detailed with good quality materials. Certainly shows what you can do be recycling existing structures.

Such a shame such ingenuity can't be brought to bear further down Tottenham court road, at their Crossrail site.

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s233/Maryside/London%20Photos/derwentcharl11.jpg

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Rational Plan

May 16th, 2011, 08:25 PM

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/e0a6ab7e-7d7b-11e0-b418-00144feabdc0.html#ixzz1MZ0aCKON

London buyers find streets paved with gold

By Tanya Powley
Published: May 13 2011 17:29 | Last updated: May 13 2011 17:29
Properties in the London districts of West Hampstead, Paddington and Chiswick have seen the biggest growth in rental yields in the capital over the past six months, offering promising returns for buy-to-let investors looking for a growing income stream.

Strong tenant demand from young professionals has seen an increase in returns for investors with properties in these letting “hot spots”, as rents have risen faster than capital values, according to research from property consultants Jones Lang LaSalle.

While average yields in the capital rose by 20 basis points over the past six months, properties in Paddington saw the biggest increase, with yields rising by 71.6 basis points. The next biggest risers were Acton and West Hampstead, which saw a growth in yields of 64.3 basis points and 53.7 basis points, respectively.

This comes as rental prices across London have continued to surge, driven by a shortage of good quality rental stock and growing demand from first-time buyers who are unable to get on to the property ladder because of stricter mortgage lending criteria.

According to Jones Lang LaSalle’s quarterly review of London’s residential housing market, the average rental price across the capital has moved from £37.87 per square foot per year to £40.20 – an increase of 6.1 per cent in the six months to the end of this year’s first quarter.

In comparison, the average sale price across London has risen from £718 per square foot to £734 – a pick- up of just 2.2 per cent.

“The very interesting story we’re seeing right now is that rental growth is escalating much faster than capital growth,” says Rob Bruce of Jones Lang LaSalle.

This surge in rental growth has seen average gross yields in London increase from 5.27 per cent to 5.47 per cent. The highest yields in the capital can be found in the south-east: 7.68 per cent in Forest Hill, followed by 7.38 per cent in Upper Norwood.

However, experts say investors need to carefully consider the locations of their investments and not be led by high yields alone. The risk of void periods is likely to be greater in certain locations, therefore the strength of tenant demand is crucial when selecting an area to invest in a buy-to-let property.

James Moss of Curzon Investment Property points out that Paddington, West Hampstead and Chiswick have always been good quality rental areas. Gross yields in West Hampstead are currently around 4.86 per cent, while areas around Chiswick can achieve a 5.01 per cent yield.

Dominic Agace, chief executive officer of Winkworth, the estate agents, says it has seen a big increase in tenant demand for areas such as Kensal Rise, Islington, Chiswick and Shepherds Bush from young professionals looking for locations with good transport links.

He says Kensal Rise has seen the largest rental growth, with rents rising 20 per cent over the past six months, followed by Islington with a 15 per cent increase.

In some locations around London, the competition for good quality rental homes has led to a rise in tenants looking to secure longer lets of up to three years. According to LudlowThompson, the London-based estate agent, 71 per cent of lets it has agreed so far this year have been for two years or more, while 44 per cent have been for three years or more.

“The most sought-after properties, typically attractive two-bedroom properties with good commuter links, are being snapped up for periods of two or more years at an unprecedented pace,” says Stephen Ludlow, director at the estate agency.

He explains that these types of deal can often help secure a tenancy as landlords like the security of a long let because they reduce void periods and alleviate the uncertainty of changing tenants.

The locations where this is happening the most include Clapham, Notting Hill, “Little Portugal” in Vauxhall, Canary Wharf and Greenwich.

However, not all these areas are seeing a growth in yields for property investors. Jones Lang LaSalle’s research found that the greatest yield compression in London occurred in Greenwich – a fall of 49.0 basis points – Hammersmith, Vauxhall and Clapham. The average yield in Greenwich is now 4.43 per cent and 4.18 per cent in Hammersmith.

However, Moss admits that although rents are going up in these locations, capital values are going up even faster.

“What is now happening is that these areas are being recognised as the good locations that they are and in many cases full ‘gentrification’ is underway,” he explains.

He points out that Greenwich now has excellent transport links to Canary Wharf and the City, leading more young professionals to buy there.

Moss says wealthy property investors and international buyers are still focusing on prime central London locations such as Knightsbridge and the best parts of Kensington and Chelsea.

Prime locations such as these provide investors with lower yields – around 3 to 4 per cent – but have the potential for bigger capital growth.

“With these investment buyers, the emphasis is not on income, it is on having a safe asset base with the emphasis on long-term capital appreciation,” Moss explains.

However, Moss says he would not be surprised to see a gradual divergence by some clients into areas such as Vauxhall, Stockwell and Kennington, where unit costs are lower and the potential for faster capital appreciation can be found.

“While rents continue to increase, this also creates a further hedge in these ‘newer’ locations. In essence, what we are seeing here is a classic ripple effect, just like in Notting Hill 15 years ago,” says Moss.

According to Lucy Morton, head of lettings at WA Ellis, a prime central London estate agency, Knightsbridge and Belgravia remain the foremost “hot spots” for tenant demand among the wealthy, along with Kensington, Notting Hill and Chelsea.

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s233/Maryside/London%20Photos/londonaveragepricepersqft.jpg

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s233/Maryside/London%20Photos/londonaveragepricepersqftrental.jpg

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s233/Maryside/London%20Photos/londonaveragepricepersqftrentalyields.jpg

nick-taylor

May 17th, 2011, 08:18 AM

Milton Court

Work continues on this 112m residential tower adjacent to the Barbican. Pictures taken by chest at skyscrapercity.com

http://web.me.com/benveasey/_MG_05.jpg

http://web.me.com/benveasey/_MG_0566.jpg

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St Helen's Tower

Constructed in the 60's, this international-styled tower was sold earlier this month for £288mn (US$466mn) to Malaysia's richest family headed by Robert Kuok (62nd richest person according to Forbes in the world).

The 23 storey tower which is surrounded by 30 St Mary Axe (the Gherkin), Lloyds of London and the construction sites for 122 Leadenhall (the cheese grater) and the Pinnacle, barely survived the IRA Baltic Exchange bomb, the site of that building later became home to the Gherkin. The current exterior of the tower dates from the early 90's due to the aforementioned terrorist attack.

However it has been suggested that the key reason for the acquisition of the tower is to replace the current structure with a whopping 80 storey tower which could be anywhere between 300-400m in height. There are however three key problems:
- The tower is one of the few 60's towers in London that isn't too bad, and with other similiar international-styled towers elsewhere in the city being demolished there is the possibility that this could be listed.
- Aviva (and it's previous forms) have been based at the site since the tower was built in the 60's and may be unwilling to migrate elsewhere.
- The design will have to be sympathetic to the St Paul's sightlines (hence the reason 122 Leadenhall is triangular in shape - the gain height, but not conflict with historical views), so will probably incorporate a large crown/spire of some sort.

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4133/5015476717_48ba6a449f_b.jpg
Source: EZTD at flickr.com

Crossrail

Development continues on the Crossrail station at Canary Wharf (pics taken by skyscrapercity.com member woodgnome)

http://img215.imageshack.us/img215/138/1004924o.jpg

http://img856.imageshack.us/img856/7091/1004916z.jpg

To save costs and avoid duplication, the now abandoned Connaught Tunnels under the Royal Docks are to be reused as part of Crossrail. Dating back some 130+ years the tunnels are in a bit of a poor state, and will require waterproofing and other upgrades to ensure that Crossrail trains can operate along the route. Images taken by IanVisits over at flickr.com

1st pic: View looking westwards, ExCeL and DLR to the left. A Crossrail/DLR station will be built further along (by the brown building - the lift shaft for the Custom House DLR platforms are visible in red)
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5270/5664305755_850532ec45_b.jpg

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nick-taylor

May 17th, 2011, 09:48 AM

Vauxhall Square & Wider Nine Elms Regeneration

Following on from Rational Plan's post, the following are various images of additional developments that are due north-east of Battersea Power Station and concentrated around the Vauxhall tube/train and bus station. Images sourced from southeasteleven.blogspot.com/

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http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qmAbGFFpSlQ/TVsHgsyKA5I/AAAAAAAAB5E/aPfkkAKQeJ4/s1600/P1020637.JPG

St George's Tower

The core for the 181m corkscrew residential tower in Vauxhall is progressing along well. Photos taken by skyscrapercity.com forum member RedArkady

http://i974.photobucket.com/albums/ae221/Redarkady/11%20May%202011%20St%20George%20and%20View/DSC00265.jpg

http://i974.photobucket.com/albums/ae221/Redarkady/11%20May%202011%20St%20George%20and%20View/DSC00270.jpg

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http://i974.photobucket.com/albums/ae221/Redarkady/11%20May%202011%20St%20George%20and%20View/DSC00268.jpg

nick-taylor

May 17th, 2011, 09:49 AM

Floating River Park

While the southbank of the Thames in London offers an excellent waterfront pedestrian route, the same can't be said of the Thames on a large section of the northbank, particularly the area between Blackfriars and the Tower of London.

Recent plans however have just been unveiled which will create a kilometer long floating park created that will run parallel to the northbank, linking up the Victoria Embankment in the west (towards Westminster) and eastwards to the Tower of London. Eight pavillions will be built along the promenade to host various events during and after the games.

The promenade is planned to be complete in time for the Olympics.

http://static.worldarchitecturenews.com/news_images/16677_6_londonpark6.jpg

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The Shard

cybertect

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2012 London Olympics Update

Aquatics Centre
Images sourced by woodgnome at skyscrapercity.com showing the timber roof of the Zaha Hadid Aquatics Centre.

http://img339.imageshack.us/img339/8572/aquaticscentre2x1800.jpg

http://img220.imageshack.us/img220/3153/aquaticscentre1x1800.jpg

Also for diving and concrete fans - details of the 'sculptured' diving boards:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=5NQqPzZbWP0

Handball Arena

The third venue at the Olympic Park is now complete, the Handball Arena came in on time and on budget. The arena has a capacity of 6,500 and is clad in copper. Images sourced by woodgnome at skyscrapercity.com.

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Shooting Venue

Designs have been unveiled for the temporary Shooting Venue, which will be held at the Royal Artillery Barracks in Woolwich. The modern structure contrasts with the historic barracks which date back to 1776 (random fact: longest continuous building facade in the UK). After the Olympics, the venue will be dismanteled and reassambled elsewhere in the UK. Renders sourced by woodgnome at skyscrapercity.com.

http://img19.imageshack.us/img19/8593/london2012srb.jpg

http://img20.imageshack.us/img20/9480/london2012sra.jpg

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1124/4592566345_ec65147f9b_b.jpg
Source: Didimendum1 at flickr.com

Hockey Arena
Latest renders of the temporary hockey arena have been published. Images sourced by Mo Rush at skyscrapercity.com

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5221/5670421161_6cce36b8db_b.jpg

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5064/5670990038_e7fa3def0d_b.jpg

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http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5230/5670990902_aba78d3809_b.jpg

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5186/5670423243_3759823aaa_b.jpg

Orbit
The Olympic Park's giant sculpture continues to rise. Pictures takedn by skyscrapercity.com forum member wawd.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2706/5721799205_6ac378354b_b.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2644/5721798845_cd5514d2df_b.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3556/5722362636_ec660a1e2e_b.jpg

nick-taylor

May 17th, 2011, 09:55 AM

London Fire Brigate Redevelopment, aka Florian Place

The old HQ of the LFB (close to Vauxhall) and surrounding industial lands are to be redeveloped as part continued regeneration of the area. Random comment: in the first picture, the gatehouse to Lambeth Palace is visible at the top of the image. Images sourced from southeasteleven.blogspot.com

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4pW_75YrwW0/TVam-YNKYKI/AAAAAAAAB2Q/52R-jXxqL4w/s1600/P1020600.JPG

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zPvH6dOisxA/TVanF4gl6_I/AAAAAAAAB2U/PsqvzV0lNRc/s1600/P1020601.JPG

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http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lHww6ih8OSg/TVanPjZ3whI/AAAAAAAAB2c/82k6ErIqi1w/s1600/P1020606.JPG

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http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4qcjpqrhwrY/TVan69BbmjI/AAAAAAAAB3A/CZsnOrK09rQ/s1600/P1020615.JPG

Walbrook Square

Demolition work continues on the old 60's concrete tumours close to the heart of the City of London. The new constructions will be a vast improvement for both the urban and pedestrian realm. Images taken by GazKinz at skyscrapercity.com

http://i527.photobucket.com/albums/cc360/londonfire/Picture15231414_ShiftN-2.jpg

http://i527.photobucket.com/albums/cc360/londonfire/Picture15231413_ShiftN-2.jpg

20 Fenchurch Street

Work continues on the foundations for 20 Fenchurch Street. Pics taken by cybertect at skyscrapercity.com.

http://i1085.photobucket.com/albums/j427/cybertects/architecture/20110510_0053.jpg

http://i1085.photobucket.com/albums/j427/cybertects/architecture/20110510_0070.jpg

King's Cross Developments

Photos taken by skyscrapercity.com forum member RedArkady showing the various developments around the 67 acre King's Cross Central site which consists of the redevelopment of former railway goods yards as well as the new construction of a vast new concourse for King's Cross station. Central St Martins College of Art and Design will relocate from its four campuses around London to the old Grade II listed Granary Complex (pic #4 below) which dominates the site.

Other various Victorian railway yards are being retained and adapted for residential and commercial uses, including former Victorian gas holders.

http://www.kingscrosscentral.com/media/maps/illustration.jpg

http://i974.photobucket.com/albums/ae221/Redarkady/11%20May%202011%20-%20KX/DSC00276.jpg

http://i974.photobucket.com/albums/ae221/Redarkady/11%20May%202011%20-%20KX/DSC00278.jpg

http://i974.photobucket.com/albums/ae221/Redarkady/11%20May%202011%20-%20KX/DSC00279.jpg

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http://i974.photobucket.com/albums/ae221/Redarkady/11%20May%202011%20-%20KX/DSC00293.jpg

Hindhead Tunnel

Prior to the soon-to-open Hindhead Tunnel, the road connecting London to Portsmouth (home to the Royal Navy) would narrow and follow the historic route through a beauty spot called the Devil's Punch Bowl. Unfortunately due to the nature of the land as a site of special scientific interest, a fully modernised road couldn't be constructed.

The solution was a £370mn 1.9km (dual bore) tunnel under the area, making it the longest non-estuarial road tunnel in the UK. Prior to opening, locals were allowed access to walk the tunnel on foot. Iamges sourced by pompey77 at ssc from a3tunnel.blogspot.com

http://www.highways.gov.uk/roads/projects/images/61_n030428_a3_hindhead.gif

http://www.highways.gov.uk/roads/projects/images/A3_scheme_map.gif

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TY3NgInbRHA/Tc7bx_skt7I/AAAAAAAABxY/PYvkdf_qeFA/s1600/Tunnel%2BVision%2B2011%2B775.JPG

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OojwbKBi150/Tc7faS2tJ6I/AAAAAAAAB0g/9qCwNMZiuJc/s1600/3.JPG

nick-taylor

May 17th, 2011, 10:03 AM

Trinity House

The former home of the Port of London Authority is set to be converted into a luxury hotel in the coming years. The building which is grade II listed and is opposite the Tower of London dates back to 1922 will be home to a hotel and private residences

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4044/4464130101_0a1ae08005_b.jpg
Source: Ambernectar13 at flickr.com

Heron Tower

Pictures taken by cybertect at skyscrapercity.com.

http://i1085.photobucket.com/albums/j427/cybertects/architecture/20110512_0008.jpg

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Angel Court

Another of London's 100m towers (prior to Tower 42 - the height limit in London due to St Pauls) is to be remodelled. Built in the 80's it has a unique indented diamond shape which will be changed to allow for larger floorplates (the concrete floors taken out for steel floors), higher ceilings and a new cladding system.

The podium will be opened up to allow for new pedestrian routes (going someway to repairing the medieval routes lost when the tower and podium went up). Images sourced by Sesquip at skyscrapercity.com

http://www.willfox.com/images/skyscrapers/angelcourt/1.jpg

http://img855.imageshack.us/img855/9554/angelcourt.jpg

http://img818.imageshack.us/img818/6403/angelcourttowerfloors.png

http://img856.imageshack.us/img856/5011/angelcourtexternalgroun.jpg

1 Park Place

Originally planned as a low-rise building in Canary Wharf, the currently vacant site saw plans unveilled sometime ago for a 197m tower. However with the original planning approval for the low-rise building close to expiring, Canary Wharf Group have lodged a new planning application for the low-rise option.

While this could mean that the low-rise option is built, speculation is that Canary Wharf Group are keeping their options open on both buildings. The reason being that if permission expired and CWG sought 'brand new' approval, CWG would have to pay a Crossrail levy which cuts into any potential profits. Images sourced from skyscrapernews.com

Low-rise application:
http://www.skyscrapernews.com/images/pics/54771ParkPlace_pic1.jpg

High-rise application:
http://www.skyscrapernews.com/images/pics/54751ParkPlace_pic2.jpg

Shoreditch Tower

As the City encroaches into the 'hip' areas of Shoreditch and Hoxton, and the recently opened East London Line gentrify the area, more and more schemes are coming to light. This latest 25 storey tower is opposite Shoreditch High Street station and close to Brick Lane. In the future, the land above and surrounding the station will also be redeveloped into various high-rises, however residents have kicked off a fuss about the tower and the identity of the area. The design is by Amanda Levete. Images sourced by Rational Plan at skyscrapercity.com

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s233/Maryside/London%20Photos/1692867_Levete_Huntingdon_ready.jpg

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s233/Maryside/London%20Photos/1692869_451_Huntingdon_general_view_jpg_1000000000 00000x420_q85.jpg

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s233/Maryside/London%20Photos/1692870_451_Huntingdon___looking_south_towards_the _city_jpg_100000000000000x420_q85.jpg

nick-taylor

May 17th, 2011, 10:04 AM

Lewisham Regeneration

Project update photos of this large scheme in south-east London by ssc.com member SE9

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http://i53.tinypic.com/241p1l0.jpg

http://i56.tinypic.com/s0zyab.jpg

Cambridge Guided Busway

To the north of London in the historic city of Cambridge, the world's longest busway (25km long) is set to open. There has been outcry in recent years as costs spiralled and delays set in, however once open it should connect various science parks, commuter stations, hospitals and villages along the route. In the historic Cambridge city centre, buses will run on normal roads. Some pics by Gerbil over at Skyscrapercity.com

http://i594.photobucket.com/albums/tt26/The_Gerbil_of_SSC/Cambridgeshire%20Guided%20Busway/img_2855.jpg

http://i594.photobucket.com/albums/tt26/The_Gerbil_of_SSC/Cambridgeshire%20Guided%20Busway/img_2889.jpg

Sea Containers House

One of the South Bank's ugliest properties is set to be given a make-over; a hulking mass Sea Containers House (not exactly the most romantic address) it dominates the waterfront, yet bizarrely lacks any waterfront restaurants. This plan while retaining the groundscraper will incorporate a hotel and new river-side restaurants and cafes. A new extension will be constructed to the rear.

http://www.seacontainershouseconsultation.co.uk/images%20new/day3.jpg

http://www.seacontainershouseconsultation.co.uk/images%20new/Upperground2.jpg

http://www.seacontainershouseconsultation.co.uk/proposals/site%20plan.jpg

NEO Bankside

Another project update provided by cybertect at skyscrapercity.com

http://i1085.photobucket.com/albums/j427/cybertects/architecture/20110506_0069.jpg

http://i1085.photobucket.com/albums/j427/cybertects/architecture/20110506_0065.jpg

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Thameslink

Another key jigsaw piece was slotted into place earlier this month as part of the Thameslink programme (quick recap - a north-south rail link providing 24tph from Bedford to Brighton). To avoid conflicts with other lines and services, a new viaduct and bridge has been built in historic Southwark. Due to the historic surroundings and confined environment, the bridge had to built atop the viaduct and then slid across the road. This new viaduct will connect to new through platforms at London Bridge which as per my previous post is to be rebuilt. Images sourced from cybertect at flickr.com

In March:
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5056/5534542596_8f1b6f40f7_b.jpg

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5023/5685352208_55e731cf89_b.jpg

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5223/5684786579_632eb7c2de_b.jpg

Two timelapse video showing the adjacent historic Borough Market and Southwark Cathedral

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7SAoV-4FKns

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xk2g8RIBr1U

nick-taylor

May 23rd, 2011, 04:59 AM

Project Pinewood
One of the more bizzare projects, Project Pinewood is an unorthodox expansion of the famous Pinewood Studios which is located on the outskirts of west London. The project is quite controversial because the proposed development adjacent to the current film studios is on green belt land.

For those not aware, the green belt is a large buffer of protected land that surrounds major UK urban areas to stop potential US-style sprawl. In total 13% of England is designated under green belt, while the Metropolitan Green Belt surrounding London covers a whopping 5,150km2.

A public inquiry into the development closed on the 13th May, and a decision will be forthcoming.

The 46 hectare site will be transformed into a variety of global film locations including:
NORTH AMERICA
- Boston
- Brooklyn Brownstones
- Chicago Suburban Street
- New Orleans Colonial
- New York Tribeca
- San Francisco

EUROPE
- Amsterdam Canal Street
- Berlin
- Classic European Townhouses & Square
- Paris
- Prague Mala Stranna
- Tudor Village & Marketplace
- Venice Canal Street & Piazza
- Vienna

Production crews could film a Parisian shoot in the morning, before moving to San Francisco in the afternoon, all within 15 minutes walking distance.

Yet the interesting dynamic of this development is that the 'filming locales' will also be fully integrated homes for up to 3,000 people across 1,400 units.

All housing units will have dual entrances; a film set entrance and a mews/rear street entrance. Significant detail is being put into the development to ensure that the environments look true to life.

Aerial
http://www.projectpinewood.com/images/cg_projectpinewood.jpg

http://www.projectpinewood.com/images/cg_projectpinewood1.jpg

http://www.projectpinewood.com/images/siteplan.jpg

Old Site
http://www.projectpinewood.com/images/thesite2.jpg

Paris
http://www.projectpinewood.com/images/cg_projectpinewood2.jpg

Venice Example
http://www.projectpinewood.com/images/cg_projectpinewood3.jpg

http://www.projectpinewood.com/images/livingatpp1.jpg

http://www.projectpinewood.com/images/livingatpp2.jpg

http://www.projectpinewood.com/images/venice.jpg

The sets and residential blocks
http://www.projectpinewood.com/images/locations.jpg

Transport
http://www.projectpinewood.com/images/transportbus.jpg

Rational Plan

May 30th, 2011, 05:51 PM

Application submitted to redevelop Minoco Wharf in the Royal Docks. 2 miles east of Canary Wharf, 5 miles from the City and 7 from the West End.

The design and access statement discusses a proposed plan for neighbouring sites to the west, suggesting how other land users could develop. Considering the amount of discussion that goes on before a plan is formally submitted I imagine the local authority and other land owners are on board for the plan.

It then goes into much more detail for the land they own

The propose about 3.3 million sq ft if residential, primary school and 200,000 sq ft of space for retail, restaurants and financial services.

The initial part of the plan discusses how the whole area can be planned out including sites that are owned by others as far west as Peruvian wharf.

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s233/Maryside/London%20Photos/minoco7.jpg

The plan is for a high street to stretch in a diagonal from one DLR station to the middle of the site then parallel the river and road and then back out to the next DLR station.

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s233/Maryside/London%20Photos/minoco12.jpg

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s233/Maryside/London%20Photos/minoco3.jpg

The whole site is cut up into a grid streets, on top of which a mixture of terraces and flats have been fitted with ground floor uses along the high street.

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s233/Maryside/London%20Photos/minoco1.jpg

There will also be a variety of squares.

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s233/Maryside/London%20Photos/minoco11.jpg

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s233/Maryside/London%20Photos/minoco4.jpg

The terraces will be 3/4 storeys. The flats will be 4/8 storeys. There will be few taller towers acting as focus points (less than 20 floors).

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s233/Maryside/London%20Photos/minoco16.jpg

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s233/Maryside/London%20Photos/minoco17.jpg

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s233/Maryside/London%20Photos/minoco15.jpg

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s233/Maryside/London%20Photos/minoco14.jpg

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s233/Maryside/London%20Photos/minoco13.jpg

This is the section they currently own and will develop themselves

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s233/Maryside/London%20Photos/minoco9.jpg

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s233/Maryside/London%20Photos/minoco10.jpg

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s233/Maryside/London%20Photos/minoco5.jpg

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s233/Maryside/London%20Photos/minoco6.jpg

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s233/Maryside/London%20Photos/minoco2.jpg

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s233/Maryside/London%20Photos/minoco8.jpg

nick-taylor

June 9th, 2011, 03:47 PM

Stratford International DLR Extension

The latest extension to the DLR network (from Canning Town to Stratford International) recently underwent a test-run with various dignatories and transport-folk; the new route should open to the general public in the coming months. The biggest benefit from this line will be orbital journies from Woolwich and City Airport up to Stratford and the Olympic Park.

For those not aware of what the DLR is - it's a hybrid diverless metro that spans the London Docklands area (for New Yorkers - think of the JFK Airtrain). Pictures sourced from londonreconnections.blogspot.com

http://img13.imageshack.us/img13/5872/stratfordinternationalm.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/13/stratfordinternationalm.jpg/)

http://img692.imageshack.us/img692/3514/47019487.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/692/47019487.jpg/)

http://img543.imageshack.us/img543/9139/20803055.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/543/20803055.jpg/)

http://img803.imageshack.us/img803/2435/43064257.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/803/43064257.jpg/)

http://img52.imageshack.us/img52/3333/35550651.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/52/35550651.jpg/)

Stratford Regional Station

Various pictures sourced from london2012.com showing the final works to complete the expansion of Stratford Regional Station. Already a major transport hub, the station will be key to ensuring that visitors to the adjacent Olympic Park can move around London quickly and efficiently. Recent upgrades and expansion developments will mean that come Olympic time, a train will depart the area every 13 seconds (or the equivalent of 276 trains an hour).

Two new ticket halls have been constructed, and three subways will be operational to allow for easier interchange and movement around the station. Stratford Regional Station ought not to be confused with Stratford International station which is slightly to the north and used by Eurostar and Shinkansen trains.

http://img855.imageshack.us/img855/5879/110308odamdadt026hi.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/855/110308odamdadt026hi.jpg/)

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http://img843.imageshack.us/img843/4765/110517odamdadp067hi.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/843/110517odamdadp067hi.jpg/)

http://img269.imageshack.us/img269/2645/stratford.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/269/stratford.jpg/)

Crossrail

Pictures taken by IanVisits on Flickr of a tour of the Canary Wharf Crossrail station. Located in what was once a dock, the station will occupy several floors, with a public park on top.

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5270/5761727515_a203341025_b.jpg

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5027/5761720589_92984818aa_b.jpg

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5264/5761713171_84a5d85476_b.jpg

Ticket Concourse

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2296/5762281024_6500de213b_b.jpg

Platform Level

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2499/5762298642_29b0e40e55_b.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3018/5761751465_54b46a976b_b.jpg

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5267/5761760717_31e1a9a9f8_b.jpg

Renders
http://img42.imageshack.us/img42/6684/canarywharfstationlg.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/42/canarywharfstationlg.jpg/)

http://img36.imageshack.us/img36/7546/canarywharfstation3lg.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/36/canarywharfstation3lg.jpg/)

depechemoroder

June 10th, 2011, 04:51 AM

nick-taylor

June 10th, 2011, 06:38 AM

Quick question on the Pinnacle/Bishopsgate Tower. I work in the City and notice that construction seems to be at a standstill. There have been no personnel on site for about 2 moths now. I recall reading in March that there was some foreign investment that came in to fund the rest of the project. Perhaps I misread? Any idea when construction might resume?

PS - I will have the luxury of moving to the Cheesegrater in 4 years!The Pinnacle is currently on-hold while the last portion of financing is agreed. Currently around 200,000sqft has been pre-let, but if 300,000sqft can be pre-let, HSBC would cough up £600mn ($1bn) to get the tower going.

Personally I think we'll see progress in the next six-twelve months, simply because of the lack of supply in recent years, the lack of current developments (even factoring in the Shard, 122 Leadenhall, 20 Fenchurch St and other towers), and ridiculous rents.

I presume you work for Aon - if so you're a lucky sod!

nick-taylor

June 21st, 2011, 04:29 PM

Pic of the Shard taken by Flickr member murphz: http://www.flickr.com/photos/murphyzmike/ http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5148/5851932345_5d9a972a60_b.jpg

nick-taylor

June 28th, 2011, 07:14 AM

The Pinnacle is currently on-hold while the last portion of financing is agreed. Currently around 200,000sqft has been pre-let, but if 300,000sqft can be pre-let, HSBC would cough up £600mn ($1bn) to get the tower going.

Personally I think we'll see progress in the next six-twelve months, simply because of the lack of supply in recent years, the lack of current developments (even factoring in the Shard, 122 Leadenhall, 20 Fenchurch St and other towers), and ridiculous rents.!Looks like my estimate was off, as it would appear that The Pinnacle is no longer on-hold!

Work will resume on the tallest skyscraper in the City of London this month after the project managers moved to meet an expected shortage of office supply.

The 64-storey Pinnacle in Bishopsgate, known as the Helter-Skelter for its corkscrew design, was built only to ground level while its owners brought together a financing package for its development.

Arab Investments, the asset manager for the building, owned mainly by investors from Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, has this week instructed Brookfield, the global property group, to begin construction. Development is expected to take more than three years to complete.

Khalid Affara, managing director of Arab Investments, said: “The Pinnacle has agreed with Brookfield to commence the final phase of construction works at the end of June to enable delivery of the City’s tallest building by 2014.

Source: Financial Times, June 27, 2011 http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/d180f8a2-a0df-11e0-adae-00144feabdc0.html#axzz1QW1SjlhQ

http://www.futureglasgow.co.uk/extra/pinnacle3.jpg

http://skyscrapernews.com/images/pics/2839ThePinnacle_pic2.jpg

Source: www.skyscrapernews.com (http://www.skyscrapernews.com)

depechemoroder

June 28th, 2011, 06:23 PM

Looks like my estimate was off, as it would appear that The Pinnacle is no longer on-hold!

Work will resume on the tallest skyscraper in the City of London this month after the project managers moved to meet an expected shortage of office supply.

The 64-storey Pinnacle in Bishopsgate, known as the Helter-Skelter for its corkscrew design, was built only to ground level while its owners brought together a financing package for its development.

Arab Investments, the asset manager for the building, owned mainly by investors from Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, has this week instructed Brookfield, the global property group, to begin construction. Development is expected to take more than three years to complete.

Khalid Affara, managing director of Arab Investments, said: “The Pinnacle has agreed with Brookfield to commence the final phase of construction works at the end of June to enable delivery of the City’s tallest building by 2014.

Source: Financial Times, June 27, 2011 http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/d180f8a2-a0df-11e0-adae-00144feabdc0.html#axzz1QW1SjlhQ

http://www.futureglasgow.co.uk/extra/pinnacle3.jpg

http://skyscrapernews.com/images/pics/2839ThePinnacle_pic2.jpg

Source: www.skyscrapernews.com (http://www.skyscrapernews.com)

Great news! And yes I do work for Aon. I knew the Cheesegrater deal was on the table for sometime but had to keep my lips sealed.

nick-taylor

July 13th, 2011, 09:41 AM

Apologies for the absence, I have been busy recently. Time for another mega-update.

Shard

Another excellent photo update from skyscrapercity.com forum member cybertect.

http://i1085.photobucket.com/albums/j427/cybertects/Shard/20110704_0016.jpg

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London 2012: Equestrian Test Event

All Olympic Equestrian events (dressage, cross country) are due to be hosted in the grounds of the UESCO World Heritage site: Greenwich Park; however to ensure that the park isn't altered too significantly and is open to the public, the stands and other Olympic-related amenities are completely temporary.

To ensure that everything will go smoothly in a years time, and ensure that the public aren't too restricted in accessing the park, it was required to host a test event, this was subsequently held the other day.

Dressage overlooking Indigo Jones' 1614-1617 Queens House and beyond that Sir Christopher Wren's Old Royal Naval College
http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6007/5900209855_6494b3835b_b.jpg
Source: Uretopia on Flickr

The Royal Observatory at Greenwich - origin of the prime meridian
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5120/5905424602_037a35037c_b.jpg
Source: Uretopia on Flickr

Canary Wharf in the background
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5275/5905958853_5cdce556ee_b.jpg
Source: Uretopia on Flickr

The Venue Map
http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6028/5905336831_6c41f9e06b_b.jpg
Source: Greenwich Park on Flickr

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5276/5906145857_9182c12d1e_b.jpg
Source: i n a r t i c u l a t e on Flickr

Cuba Street Towers

Two towers of 38 and 50 floors proposed south of Canary Wharf, by a Turkish billionaire known for his highrise developments in Turkey. First two pictures sourced from www.skyscrapernews.com, additional images sourced by skyscrapercity.com forum member Rational Plan from the planning application.

http://www.skyscrapernews.com/images/pics/2878ALookAtCubaStreetTowers_pic1.jpg

http://www.skyscrapernews.com/images/pics/2878ALookAtCubaStreetTowers_pic2.jpg

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s233/Maryside/London%20Photos/cubastreettowers5.jpg

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http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s233/Maryside/London%20Photos/cubastreettowers10.jpg

St George's Tower

Photo update of the 181m St George's Tower which is part of the wider Vauxhall regeneration.. Photo taken by chest over at skyscrapercity.com.

http://web.me.com/benveasey/_MG_2454.jpg

http://web.me.com/benveasey/_MG_2413.JPG

The finished article:
http://www.skyscrapernews.com/images/pics/119StGeorgeWharfTower_pic2.jpg
source: skyscrapernews.com

nick-taylor

July 13th, 2011, 09:42 AM

20 Fenchurch Street

Photo update of the Walkie Talkie from ssc.com member chest

http://web.me.com/benveasey/_MG_3139.JPG

http://web.me.com/benveasey/_MG_3153.JPG

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Elizabeth House Redevelopment

Details have been released about an absolutely shocking development planned for London's south bank. The current post-war buildings are poor themselves, but the new plans involve the construction of 25 storey monolithic slab and a smaller building that would flank the western (Thames) side of London Waterloo station.

There have been previous schemes for this site, including a 33 floor building resembling a Sandcrawler from Star Wars, and then a collection of three towers of around 150m in height. The current scheme by Chipperfield Studios furthers the tradition of ridiculous schemes for the site. So appalled was I that I submitted my comments to the developers, and combined with the public consultation exercise it should hopefully be stopped.

http://elizabethhousewaterloo.co.uk/images/new_waterloo1.jpg

http://elizabethhousewaterloo.co.uk/images/design_evolution6.jpg

http://elizabethhousewaterloo.co.uk/images/design_proposal1.jpg

http://elizabethhousewaterloo.co.uk/images/design_proposal3.jpg

http://elizabethhousewaterloo.co.uk/images/public_realm1.jpg

London Wall Place

Hammerson have been granted planning permission for the Make-designed London Wall Place development which consists of a highrise tower and groundscraper along London Wall. The development replaces a hideous 50's built-tower and large concrete podium.

http://img143.imageshack.us/img143/5475/lwp1.jpg

The Pinnacle

New hoarding and work picking up pace on site. Pics taken by chest over at skyscrapercity.com

http://web.me.com/benveasey/_MG_3542%203.jpg

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Ram Brewery

Minerva have put forward their latest plans for the redevelopment of the former Rams Brewery site in Wandsworth in south-west London. The large site was dominated by a historic brewery that dates back to 1831, and many of the buildings will be incorporated into the development.

The 6.5 acre site will see 558 residential apartments constructed, new office space, the opening of heritage buildings, and an extension to the retail core of Wandsworth towards the Thames and railway station

http://www.therambrewery.com/wp-content/uploads/Aerialviewofsite2.jpg

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http://www.therambrewery.com/wp-content/uploads/Artists-sketch-of-an-aerial-view-of-the-proposed-scheme.jpg

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http://www.therambrewery.com/wp-content/uploads/Energy-strategy-for-the-site.jpg

nick-taylor

July 13th, 2011, 09:45 AM

Cromwell Road Development

Benson & Forsyth has submitted a planning application for a major mixed-use development fronting onto London’s Cromwell Road.

The project proposes the expansion of an existing Tesco supermarket and the augmentation of that programme with 24,398sq m of residential development and a range of community facilities.

The scheme is distributed around three publicly accessible courts, set at successively higher levels and linked by wide external staircases. All of the courts are defined by linear, Portland-stone terraces and are densely planted with trees to echo the gardens that characterise the 19th century fabric that lies to the immediate south. The courts have been configured so as to frame views of landmarks in the area, including St Cuthbert’s on the far side of Cromwell Road and the Royal Albert Hall to
the east.

The scheme’s most prominent feature is a cylindrical residential tower, located at a point where Cromwell Road cranks and widens into a motorway.

The tower seeks to register that condition, in a manner that the architect likens to the way that Nash’s All Souls, Langham Place marks the transition from Oxford Street to Portland Place.

The height of the tower has been set so as to relate it to a series of 19th century towers to the east, completing a set that consists of the Brompton Oratory, and the Victoria & Albert and Natural History museums.

The project, which the practice won in competition in 2008, replaces an earlier scheme for the site designed by Bolles & Wilson.

http://www.bdonline.co.uk/buildings/first-look/benson-and-forsyth-provides-west-london-with-urban-punctuation/5020810.article

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s233/Maryside/tescocromwellrd3.jpg

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http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s233/Maryside/tescocromwellrd1.jpg

Images and article sourced by Rational Plan over at skyscrapercity.com.

Tate Modern Extension

Progress update from skyscrapercity.com member mitosan. Pictures show the three old subterranean oil tanks that will be converted into atmospheric galleries as well as form the foundations for the tower above.

http://www.timporter.net/4skyscrapercity/tate/IMG_3176.jpg

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And a reminder of what the finished project should look like (pic of the exterior extension and connection from the current Turbine Hall):

http://www.tate.org.uk/modern/transformingtm/images/263_south-dusk_large.jpg

http://www.tate.org.uk/modern/transformingtm/images/6_263_ci_1004_001_l5-bridge_turbine_hall_bridge_herzog_de_meuron_large. jpg

11-19 Monument Street

A previous scheme by MAKE was proposed for this site, however after the collapse of Lehman Brothers, the site was acquired by Hatfield Philips. One issue with the previous MAKE scheme was that it would have required significant amounts of rights-of-light compensation. The new scheme below by John Robertson Architects is a ten storey tower with terraces to reduce the impact on the area but still increase the floor space of the plot. The roof will be landscaped.

For those not aware, the Monument (to the Great Fire of London) is the tallest isolated stone column in the world. It's 202 foot height indicates the distance from the Monuments' location to the original source of the fire in Pudding Lane that ravaged London in 1666. You can clim to the top if you're able enough.

http://www.bdonline.co.uk/pictures/700xAny/7/8/3/1697783_JRA007%20Monument%20Place%20view01%20progr ess04.jpg

http://www.bdonline.co.uk/pictures/800x400fitpad%5B238%5D/5/9/8/1697598_1744_Redevelopment_Monument%20view02%20FIN AL3.jpg

Background of development and images sourced from www.bdonline.co.uk sourced by woodgnome over at skyscrapercity.com

Westfield White City Development

Opening in 2008, Westfield London is a major £1.6bn shopping mall in West London that was built above the Central Line's depot at White City. Due to the success of the Westfield London development, Westfield are seeking to expand northwards and convert the present industrial units into a £1bn mixed-use development.

The site is bounded by three railway lines (Central Line, Hammersmith & City Line and West London Line) and the present Westfield London development.

Plans are at an early stage, but the development will generate 2,500 new jobs, a retail extension to the present Westfield London and lead to 1,700 new homes. In addition the viaduct which dates back to the 1860's (still used by the Circle and Hammersmith & City Lines) and runs through the site will be opened up to allow access to a new green park. New pedestrian routes will create another link between White City and the Latimer Road area.

On a random note - the White City site was originally the site of the Franco-British Exhibition (http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9e/Franco-British_Exhibition.jpg/800px-Franco-British_Exhibition.jpg) of 1908, as well as host to the 1908 Summer Olympics and the 93,000 White City stadium.

http://www.westfieldlondondevelopment.co.uk/img/stratfordArtistImpression.jpg

http://www.westfieldlondondevelopment.co.uk/img/silverStreetDrawing.jpg

http://www.westfieldlondondevelopment.co.uk/img/archRelaySquare.jpg

http://www.westfieldlondondevelopment.co.uk/img/sitePlan.jpg

1 - Residential accommodation and garden square
2 - Access/exit route to parking for customers and residential properties
3 - Existing viaduct
4 - New public open space - White City Green
5 - New pedestrian street
6 - New department store with residential accommodation above
7 - Extension to existing shopping centre with residential accommodation above
8 - Existing Westfield London shopping centre
9 - New civic square
10 - Leisure facilities with residential accommodation above
11 - DIMCO building and bus interchange
12 - Residential accommodation

http://www.westfieldlondondevelopment.co.uk/img/arielWayArtistsImpression.jpg

nick-taylor

July 13th, 2011, 09:47 AM

Princpal Place

This is the latest incarnation of a scheme that originally involved a cantilevered tower. The present Foster-designed Hammerson-led scheme which is seeking planning permission is for a large 16 storey 600,000sqft office groundscraper, a 299 161m apartment tower and two smaller blocks.

Despite the development yet to receive planning approval, Hammerson have signed a pre-let with legal firm CMS Cameron-McKenna for 40% of the office space (source: skyscrapernews.com), which shows the growing confidence not only in City office space, but that firms are receptive to developments outside the traditional core.

The Light Bar Building (233 Shoreditch High Street, a historic site that was originally due to be demolished) will be retained and a new square will be created. The current site consists of a temporary putting range and football pitches.

While the scheme will clearly be filler, it indicates the ever-growing encroachment of the Square Mile into the Shoreditch area and provide a visual high-rise link to the future developments at the Bishopsgate Goodsyard which is 100m to the north-east of this plot.

For those interested in the development and the context of the area, a good breakdown of the project can be found in the following pdf:
http://www.principalplace.co.uk/downloads/Design%20and%20Access%20Statement/Design%20and%20Access%20Statement.pdf

I'm not sure if the US' has similar design statements, but they are a wealth of information for the majority of large UK projects; illustrating everything from what the site was back in the 16th century, nearby conservation areas and listed buildings, to future tall building opportunity areas and pedestrian flows.

Another interesting titbit - the planning application shows that the foundation works have incorporated the proposed additional approach tracks into Liverpool Street station. Currently 58 trains an hour enter Liverpool St (0800-0859) and the station only has six approach tracks. The currently u/c Crossrail line will alleviate the situation slightly by taking an initial 12 services (with potential to increase to 16), however with future planned developments in the East Anglia region, and the 4-tracking of the West Anglia Main Line to Broxbourne proposed, it is expected an additional approach tunnel will be required. This will ensure that there are eight tracks running into Liverpool Street, but it also means that developments above ground will have to work around. In this instance a 'square' is being created above the future tunnel route.

http://www.principalplace.co.uk/img/Home-page.gif

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http://www.principalplace.co.uk/img/The-Scheme_Location.jpg

http://www.skyscrapernews.com/images/pics/6555PrincipalPlaceBuilding2_pic1.jpg

Images sourced from www.principalplace.co.uk, last render sourced from www.skyscrapernews.com

Battersea Gasometers Redevelopment

It was recently announced that National Grid are planning to decommission gasometers on a site adjacent to the Battersea Power Station. The giant gasometers which date from the 1930's were not given listed status (despite their distinctive appearance on the local skyline) and will instead pave the way for a 800 home development by MAKE architects.

The site which will eventually be home to several towers, one of which will be 30 storeys in height is hemmed in by several railway lines and will be adjacent to the future Northern Line extension station at Battersea Power Station.

http://www.architectsjournal.co.uk/pictures/576x432fitpad%5B0%5D/9/8/8/1260988_Makebattersea__2_.jpg

http://www.architectsjournal.co.uk/pictures/576x432fitpad%5B0%5D/9/9/0/1260990_MAke_Battersea.jpg

122 Leadenhall

Laing O'Rourke has been appointed as the contractor to build Richard Rogers' 122 Leadenhall (aka the Cheesegrater).

Laing O’Rourke wins Cheesegrater

Laing O’Rourke has won the contract to build the £290m Cheesegrater tower in the City of London.

The Enquirer understands that O’Rourke has been told privately it has won the job ahead of an official contract announcement by client British Land and Oxford Properties.

O’Rourke was in a straight head-to-head with Skanska for the contract.

Sources close to the negotiations said O’Rourke won out because it proposed a shorter construction programme.

The source told the Enquirer: “It was a hard fought contest but O’Rourke was chosen because it came up with a shorter timetable for the job.

“It’s a great one to win and will put O’Rourke firmly back on the map in the London commercial tower market.”

Groundworks have already started on the cleared site and construction work is scheduled to last until late 2014 at least.

http://www.constructionenquirer.com/2011/07/07/laing-orourke-wins-cheesegrater/

Article sourced by scalatrava89 at skyscrapercity.com. Render sourced from skyscrapernews.com

http://www.skyscrapernews.com/images/pics/49TheLeadenhallBuilding_pic1.jpg

nick-taylor

July 13th, 2011, 09:49 AM

London 2012 Olympic Stadium

Photos taken by RM BRIGHT (1 + 2) and Last Rounds (3) on Flickr. Images sourced by skyscrapercity member Mossy22.

1 - Olympic Stadium and Energy Centre in the foreground, 02 Arena and Canary Wharf in the background
http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6056/5908859881_d30ab96999_b.jpg

2 - Olympic Stadium, with the Aquatics Centre, Orbit observation tower and Water Polo arena
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5156/5909412908_186f934774_b.jpg

3
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5307/5597585524_5cc4ba59e7_b.jpg

London River Park

woodgnome over at skyscrapercity sourced this image of the proposed River Park that will run along the north bank of the Thames between Blackfriars and the Tower of London.

http://img191.imageshack.us/img191/2123/lrpmap.jpg

Lewisham Redevelopment

Work continues on Barratt's Renaissance Lewisham (aka Loampit Vale) development which will be home to 788 residential units and a new leisure centre for the area in the first phase, while an additional 400 residential units will be built on an adjacent site that is currently home to industrial units. Photo taken by skyscrapercity forum member SE9.

http://i55.tinypic.com/29puibs.jpg

http://www.loampitvale.co.uk/media/context2.jpg

As the following image from the London Borough of Lewisham website illustrates - there are various current and future development opportunities in the area immediately surrounding the rail and DLR station.

http://www.lewisham.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/93C5088F-D35F-4FC1-83A4-244D3E6CF404/0/lewishamdevmap.jpg

Regent Palace Hotel Redevelopment

A rather controversial redevelopment project by the Crown Estate which historically was the monarch's property portfolio, but now an independent organisation accountable to Parliament, with all profits paid to HM Treasury (in 2010 this was £210.7mn - so quite a lucrative business).

The Regents Palace Hotel which upon its opening in 1915 was Europe's largest hotel, is located immediately to the north of Piccadilly Circus. Unfortunately the hotel wasn't faring well in recent decades and it was decided to redevelop the site. As a result, the internal areas were gutted and sections replaced, although fortunately the corner areas were retained.

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New Roman House

Large development on East Road which will consist of 680 student apartments, a 250 room hotel and space for offices and retail. Pics taken by LondonerN1 over at skyscrapercity.com.

http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l95/hollo_and_gonch/Construction/east_road_04.jpg

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http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l95/hollo_and_gonch/Construction/10eastroad_july2011_j.jpg

nick-taylor

July 13th, 2011, 09:56 AM

Nine Elms Embassy Development

New render of Ballymore's planned development around the new American Embassy (the cube structure), the materplan is being drawn up by Terry Farrel and will consist of 2,000 homes an Embassy plaza, 600,000sqft of office space and hotel.

http://ballymoregroup.com/Content/images/nine-elms.jpg

King's Cross Station: King of King's

Article and images sourced from www.building.co.uk, it's free to sign up (although restricted in only accessing three articles every month). Article source: http://www.building.co.uk/buildings/project-stage/kings-cross-stations-%C2%A3500m-redevelopment-king-of-kings/5019041.article

King’s Cross station was long ago toppled from its architectural throne by neighbouring St Pancras. But a £500m refurbishment is about to make it a terminus worthy of the people

When the Midland Railway built St Pancras station in 1868 the plan was to trounce the Great Northern Railway’s King’s Cross terminus over the road. When it opened, St Pancras featured the largest single-span roof train shed in the world, fronted by an extravagant Gothic hotel. King’s Cross station was elegantly simple, and modest by comparison with just two platforms fronted by a yellow brick facade.

http://www.building.co.uk/pictures/800x400fitpad%5B150%5D/5/3/4/1695534_20110608KingsCrossBUIL11.jpg

Today, with St Pancras reinvented as an international station with a beautifully refurbished hotel, the contrast between the two stations is even more marked.

King’s Cross station struggled to cope with passenger volumes from the beginning. A ramshackle collection of sheds grew in front of the station soon after it was completed and was replaced in 1972 by a large canopy housing the ticket office, shops and waiting space. Known as the southern concourse, this is still there today.

“King’s Cross has an awful lot of shortcomings and doesn’t represent UK rail very well in what should be a flagship station,” says Ian Fry, Network Rail’s programme director for King’s Cross station. “The southern concourse was built with temporary planning permission and has insufficient capacity now and for the future; retail areas are cramped and disjointed and the building needs a lot of structural repair.”

But Network Rail is addressing the issues. Fry is overseeing a £500m refurbishment of King’s Cross which, when complete, will mean it will once again rival St Pancras as a landmark station and a key London terminus.

http://www.building.co.uk/pictures/800x400fitpad%5B150%5D/5/3/7/1695537_20110608KingsCrossBUIL08.jpg

The ugly southern concourse will be swept away and replaced by a public square so that passengers can fully appreciate the station’s original facade. The station will include a new concourse on the west side, shops and restaurants.

Old railway company rivalries are feeding through into this project. “St Pancras is a source of national pride and is a hard act to follow,” says Fry. “It was designed to be better than King’s Cross and I can’t change history as St Pancras is a fantastic piece of architecture.” The refurbishment of St Pancras was always going to look good, he says, but adds that the new additions, including the extension needed to house long Eurostar trains, are less successful.

“We are going to do better,” he says. “The new interventions here will be the best in 20th-century architecture.”

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The problems with King’s Cross
The team has faced significant challenges realising this ambition. Creating sufficient space for waiting passengers took years of planning and negotiations with English Heritage and Camden council as King’s Cross is grade I-listed. The original station is smaller than its much grander neighbour so ways had to be found to manage passenger flows through what is the UK’s busiest transport interchange.

In addition to the planning challenges, parts of the building were in very poor condition. Leaking roofs on the eastern side of the station had been fixed crudely by securing three sheets of polythene to the roof with six-inch nails driven through the slates to the rafters below. Finally, all the work has had to be carried out with the station remaining

The southern concourse was needed because the trains stop only a few metres from the main facade, leaving no room for passenger facilities. Architect John McAslan says a range of options for new facilities were explored. The most obvious, extending the platforms north of the main building to create more space at the southern end, was out of the question because the lines converge into tunnels as they leave the station leaving no space between the tracks.

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The solution
Eventually, the team settled on the construction of a new concourse on the western side of the station. There was plenty of space, plus it linked the suburban train platforms on the western side of the main station with the rest of the building and the new underground northern ticket hall. “What everyone really liked was that it connected really well with the underground, the suburban train platforms and it was in a direct relationship with St Pancras,” explains McAslan. “It allows the southern concourse to be demolished and the station to return to its original character.”

McAslan has designed a striking semi- circular concourse. Its shape echoes the curved form of the Great Northern Hotel that sits on the southern side of the new concourse. The concourse is 5.5m high at the entrance and rises to 19m, the full height of the station, where it abuts the western side. The roof is made up of a combination of aluminium and glass triangular panels supported by 16 tree-type columns. Inside, a mezzanine will have food and drink outlets for passengers and at ground level there will be shops and three times as much space for waiting passengers.

Passengers will enter the station at ground level and pass in front of the end of the platforms to catch trains. The platforms nearest the entrance have been slightly shortened to give more room. The station can also be accessed directly from the mezzanine via a new footbridge that links the west side of the building to the east. Escalators and lifts will take passengers from the footbridge down onto the platforms. All passengers will exit the station via the south facade onto the new square.

“The key driver was how to keep King’s Cross running without cancelling any train services or taking away any facilities,” explains Fry. “This was a major challenge.”

The solution was to divide the project into seven phases, which have been tackled by several different contractors.

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The eastern range
The first package was the refurbishment of the eastern range, a terrace of two-storey buildings. “This was critical to the overall project as the station was run from offices
on the western side, which is the nerve centre of the station,” says Fry. Once the eastern range was refurbished, the office workers could move over from the west range, freeing it up for refurbishment.

The eastern range was tackled by a Laing O’Rourke/Costain joint venture and completed in mid-2009. The job was more involved than Fry envisaged because it was in very bad condition and English Heritage was very particular about the conservation work.

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Refurbishing the platforms
Refurbishing the existing platforms meant taking them out of service. Extra capacity has been created by building a new platform under the eastern range in a space once used as a cab rank. Called platform 0, the job was carried out by Carillion and involved extensive track configuration to keep the same amount of space in the sidings. The work was finished in May 2010, allowing work on the platform refurbishment to start.

The central platforms have been refurbished in pairs by contractor Vinci.

The work involved new drainage under the platforms, the addition of tactile strips on the platform edges, and resurfacing. The lift and escalator links for the new footbridge have been put in at the same time. Three sections joining these together were installed over Easter when the station was closed. The last section will go in over the August bank holiday. The bridge elements are very slender to minimise the visual impact on the station with glass balustrading that is being installed at night.

An integrated approach to CCTV, fire extinguishers and signage means these elements feature a common design by John McAslan and are attached to poles on the platforms. “It means a massive reduction in clutter around the station,” says Simon Goode, John McAslan + Partners’ project director. Platforms two to seven are finished and work is just starting on platform eight.

The most invisible part of the project is the creation of an underground service yard to the north of the station on land owned by Argent. A tunnel links this to the station and will be used for deliveries to retail outlets and food and drink for on-board train services. It will eliminate the need for trolleys trundling along the platforms, leaving more space for passengers.

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Roof refurbishment
Back in the main station work is progressing on the refurbishment of two barrel-shaped roofs over the tracks. “Everything has to be stripped off the roof, the structure stripped back to bare metal and rebuilt without cancelling a single train,” says Fry.

On the platforms the only evidence of roofing work visible to passengers is a scaffolding rig that fits neatly under part of each roof of the main station. This provides a safe working platform for workers on the roof and protects passengers from weather and any falling objects.

On the roof 32 layers of paint are sand-blasted off the wrought iron roof structure once the old translucent corrugated plastic sheets and roofing felt has been stripped off. The structure is painted a blue-grey colour and the purlins and glazing bars reinstated. New Welsh slates are being used for the lower roof sections and five overlapping layers of glass clad the upper side of each roof and are topped by a lantern with integrated PV cells that add up to half a football pitch in area. New leadwork links the roof to the south facade and keeps the joint watertight.

Everything has to be taken on and off the roof via a deck at the northern end of the station, but Fry has an appropriate solution: “I’ve got my own railway down each side of the roof and in the middle,” he beams. Workers can roll skips with materials and waste along tracks mounted between the two roof barrels and at the sides.

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The western concourse
Vinci’s biggest package at King’s Cross is the £180m western concourse and western range refurbishment works. “The biggest challenge is logistics and managing the work with limited access,” says Fred Garner, contracts director of Vinci’s civil engineering division. “We’ve got the entrance to London Underground’s northern ticket hall and the route through to platform eight. We’ve had to work around that and maintain the taxi pick up and drop off outside the station, plus maintain deliveries to the station.”

The western concourse is being built above the new London Underground northern ticket hall. Arup was the engineer for this as well as the concourse so the piles for the roof were put in when the ticket hall was built. Vinci has had to create the pile caps supporting the 16 tree columns needed to keep the roof up.

The western concourse roof structure is formed from radial beams linked by diagonal members running from the edge of the concourse back to the west side of the station. The beams were supplied in sections as “ladders” built offsite. These were delivered at night and welded together during the day. “As there is no storage here it’s been done on a just-in-time basis,” says Garner. Crash decks protect the pedestrian routes threading through the site, but all heavy lifting has to be done at night as the crash decks only provide limited protection.

The whole roof has been supported by an incredibly dense forest of scaffolding as it is not self-supporting until finished. Tunnels provide access to the western range through the scaffolding. The cladding consists of glass at the perimeter of the concourse and at the roof apex, and aluminium was used elsewhere to stop the concourse turning into a giant greenhouse. Now the structure is up and the cladding finished the roof is being gradually de-propped ready for fitout.

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The western range
Vinci is also refurbishing the western range. Part of this work including reinstating buildings in the so-called “bomb gap”, which were destroyed by bombing in the Second World War. “When I first joined the project I thought it was an anti-terrorism measure,” laughs Fry.

A concrete frame has been built around an underground vent shaft and new brick facades to the front and rear. The old parcels office is being converted to a pub with an attractive wooden panelled atrium at its heart. In a nice historical touch, the original ticket hall is being reinstated. This will be a lofty space extending almost to the full height of the building. The entrance to the station from the concourse has been inserted at the southern end of the western range. This has four columns supporting the portal frames needed to support the building above.

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The southern concourse
The western concourse will open in March 2012 and will transform the passenger experience (not before time). But the station facade won’t be fully revealed until after the Olympics because the southern concourse is being retained due to increased passenger numbers. According to Fry, getting rid of the southern concourse is more involved than meets the eye because of the underground below. “Taking it out is a substantial piece of work,” he says. “The slab needs repairing and strengthening and waterproofing and we have to maintain passenger flows out of the station.” Because of this the work will be done in sections.

Once complete the space will be landscaped to a design by architect Stanton Williams and by the end of 2013 this massive, complex project will finally be at an end. King’s Cross station is unlikely to ever trounce the architectural glory of St Pancras, but this work means it will become a very civilised neighbour and a worthy equal.

Milton Court

Another photo update of a residential tower under construction in the Square Mile. Photos taken by chest over at skyscrapercity.com.

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nick-taylor

July 13th, 2011, 09:57 AM

Nine Elms Parkside

Another massive development plan for the Vauxhall Nine Elms Battersea Opportunity Area, this time for the redevelopment of Royal Mail's 5.2 hectare sorting office which is sandwiched between redevelopments at Covent Garden, the new American Embassy, Battersea Power Station and Tideway.

Royal Mail who are seeking to maximise the land use will still retain operations on the site, however the site will principally be residential, with some 2,400 units and 2.5 acres of open public space. The masterplan is being drawn up by Allies & Morrison.

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Images sourced from www.nineelmsparkside.com

Royal Mail in London

With the decline in postal services and intense competition for the remaining delivery services, Royal Mail is rationalising its business operations to adapt to the trends in postage. As such, prime London sites which have excellent transport connection and are significant in size are looking increasingly likely to be redeveloped.

Following on from the above redevelopment of Royal Mail's Nine Elms site (the Nine Elms Parkside development), Architects Journal (http://www.architectsjournal.co.uk/news/daily-news/brace-of-nine-elms-projects-revealed/8608283.article) have indicated that three other sorting office sites are up for potential development at Bromley-by-Bow, Mount Pleasant and Rathbone Place.
- Bromley-by-Bow, this sorting office is set to close in 2012 and occupies a significant site in East London in-between Stratford and Canary Wharf and is part of a wider plan along the Lea River to essentially convert the entire industrial area into residential/mixed usage.
- Mount Pleasant, Royal Mail's largest site in Central London, located in-between King's Cross and Farringdon and would undoubtedly be appropriate for a substantial high-density development.
- Rathbone Place, very large and probably Royal Mail's most lucrative plot of land that is at their disposal, the sorting office site is located to the north of Oxford Street, and in close proximity to Tottenham Court Road station - ripe for potentially massive mixed use high-density redevelopment, although don't expect any skyscrapers due to the sensitive location.

Architects Journal note that Foreign Office Architects, Rogers Stirk Harbour & Partners, KPF, Wilkinson Eyre Make, Terry Farrell & Partners are amongst architects drawing up plans for the sites which could lead to several thousand additional homes in London.

Sainsbury's Nine Elms Development

Sainsbury's is one of the UK's leading grocery retailers, however much like their competitor Tescos', they are always seeking to maximise revenues and utilise existing store space.

In this instance, Sainsburys who own a triangular plot of land (consisting of a superstore and car park), have brought in architects Rolfe Judd to design a scheme that consists of the supermarket occupying the ground floor of the site, with 800 residential apartments built atop the retail area in several towers.

Although designs are still at an early stage, the design would tend to indicate two tall coloured residential towers and several smaller midrise developments along with a roof garden. In addition the south-western end of the development is also the planned site for a potential Nine Elms station on the proposed Northern Line Extension. They grey area in the following picture will be developed in the coming years into residential use.

Sainsbury's have also critically acknowledged that the site will integrate into the adjacent New Covent Garden Market redevelopment, which is sometimes the flaw of these big schemes (ie there is a lack of joined-up thinking).

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Pedestrian movement through the site
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Proposed location of Northern Line Extension station
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Images sourced from www.sainsburys-nineelms.co.uk

nick-taylor

July 27th, 2011, 11:55 AM

King's Cross Station Square

Stanton Williams has been chosen by Network Rail to redevelop the current concourse to London King's Cross station. The current concourse was built in the 1970's in front of the original 160 year old station frontage and was meant to be temporary and was not designed for the current daily use.

The new western concourse is due to be complete in time for next years' Olympics, after which the current southern concourse will be demolished. The new public space will be 50% larger than Leicester Square.

I am in two minds about this plan. The first is that it looks a bit bland, even with the retention of the ventilation shafts for the underground complex beneath; there needs to be more trees. The second is that this is going to be exciting once the old concourse is torn down to unveil the historic facade as it was originally intended to be viewed.

Images and renders from Network Rail, http://www.networkrailmediacentre.co.uk/Press-Releases/REVEALED-DESIGNS-FOR-LONDON-S-NEWEST-PUBLIC-SQUARE-AT-KING-S-CROSS-1812/SearchCategoryID-8.aspx

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Clapham Junction

Clapham Junction is Europe's busiest station (well over 100 an hour outside of the peak) and a vital convergence of multiple London rail lines and services. However in recent years the station has been struggling to cope with the 40mn who use the station each year and the growing demand. In the last year alone, an additional 4mn additional interchanges were made at the station.

To ease congestion, provide new routes and provide step-free access across the station, the old Brighton Yard entrance was recently opened up (originally closed in the 1940's) to provide a new access point to the platforms.

Images taken by Network Rail, http://www.networkrailmediacentre.co.uk/Press-Releases/STATION-UPGRADE-GIVES-CLAPHAM-JUNCTION-A-BIG-LIFT-176d/SearchCategoryID-8.aspx

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Shard & The Place

Photo update of London's tallest development by skyscrapercity.com forum member chest

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In addition, Magnog at skyscrapercity was able to source these un-seen renders of the Shard, the rebuilt London Bridge station and adjacent 'The Place' development.

The Place is being built by the same developer behind the Shard, and involved the demolition of a 100m tower that would have impacted views of the Shard from some areas of London. The core is currently at the third floor. Image source: EG Focus on Flickr.

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Cherry Orchard Road Towers

Planning permission has been granted for the MAKE designed development adjacent to East Croydon station in south London.

The main residential tower has been increased in height to 172m, while there are three smaller adjacent towers. Render sourced by skyscrapercity.com forum member SE9

http://insidecroydon.files.wordpress.com/2011/04/menta-e1303561748181.jpg

nick-taylor

July 27th, 2011, 11:56 AM

Ruskin Square

At the same planning meeting that saw the Cherry Orchard Road scheme approved, Croydon Council also approved the Foster & Partners designed Ruskin Square development. The mixed-use scheme had been stalled for some years due to disagreement between various developers and the council (who wanted an arena to be a key part of the development). Work is expected to start in 2013.

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TfL's Recommendations relating to the National Rail Network (2014-19)

While Transport for London is the main body for public transport in London (trams buses, Underground, Overground, DLR, river, roads, etc..), TfL doesn't own the National Rail lines or the train services that operate on the routes that operate in, out and around London. While improvements have been made over the years to fully integrate services, e.g. interchanges, the ability to use Oyster, etc... there is still a significant amount of work required to ensure that the system is run super efficiently, with little capacity wastage and delays for passengers. Crossrail is an example where TfL and Network Rail (the owner of the National Rail network) are partnering together towards the same common goals.

That said, TfL and Network Rail remain separate entities, so TfL published draft documents detailing out recommendations for work relating to the National Rail lines. The subsequent images are from the report and provide various bits of information, ranging from population projections to areas of deprivation and areas of growth. The document covers 2014-19 and doesn't cover every development that is already progressing, e.g. Crossrail or Thameslink. Transport for London; http://www.tfl.gov.uk/assets/downloads/corporate/Item05-RUP-12-July-2011-HLOS2-recommendations.pdf

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East London Line Expansion

Work continues on the Clapham Junction extension to the East London Line. This is the final piece of the ELLE project, and will fulfil the original plan for an orbital route. Images sourced from London Reconnections; http://londonreconnections.blogspot.com/2011/07/ell-and-nll-overground-roundup.html

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St George Tower

Images taken by sksycrapercity.com forum member chest

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nick-taylor

July 27th, 2011, 11:57 AM

122 Leadenhall

Amazing unseen render created by preconstruct.com of Richard Rogers' 225m 'Cheese Grater' on Leadenhall. Image sourced by dutchsnookerfan over at skyscrapercity.com.

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20 Fenchurch St

Images taken by sksycrapercity.com forum member chest

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The Corniche (Royal Docks Floating Village)

Images sourced by jack jones over at skyscrapercity.com of a plan for a floating village consisting of restaurants, swimming pool, bars, and gardens on the Royal Victoria Dock. To fund the development, a

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Westel House

75m residential-hotel tower for Ealing and smaller surrounding buildings. Render source: www.skyscrapernews.com (http://www.skyscrapernews.com)

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London 2012 Media Centre

5th Olympic related structure to be completed. Images sourced from Getty Images: http://mm.gettyimages.com/mm/nicePath/locog?nav=pr153887728

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nick-taylor

July 27th, 2011, 11:58 AM

Colville Estate Redevelopment

Another post-war residential development that is making way for a new high-density friendly residential development. The north London site is currently home to 438 homes, with Karakusevic Carson Architects being commissioned by Hackney council to double that to 900. A major border to the site is the Regent's Canal, which is being gentrified along its length. Images sourced from www.www.karakusevic-carson.com (http://www.www.karakusevic-carson.com)

http://www.karakusevic-carson.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Colville-Aerial-View.jpg

http://www.karakusevic-carson.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/colville_1.jpg

http://www.karakusevic-carson.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/colville_2.jpg

Twickenham Station Redevelopment

Twickenham station is the principal mode of transport for visitors to the 82,500 capacity Twickenham Rugby Stadium and the surrounding Twickenham area. At rush-hour, there are 16 trains an hour heading into London Waterloo, however an extra two million journeys have been made from the station in the last five years and the present station facilities are cramped and in a state of disrepair.

Furthermore, with England hosting the Rugby World Cup in 2015, and Twickenham acting as the centre-piece, it is imperative that the station be drastically overhauled. Network Rail are currently seeking permission for revised plans (that have seen building heights reduced) to redevelop the station, build over the tracks and surrounding area. Image sourced from www.solumregeneration.co.uk (http://www.solumregeneration.co.uk)

http://www.solumregeneration.co.uk/images/projects/imgs-twickenham.jpg

Epsom Station Redevelopment

Located south-west of London, Epsom station is a commuter station on the periphery of urban London, with up to 12 trains each hour heading into London. The present station building is a small affair, and inadequate for current use and future demand. To facilitate the development of a larger station, Solum Regeneration (a partnership between Kier and Network Rail) are constructing a mixed use development around the station. Work should be completed by December 2012. Image sourced from www.solumregeneration.co.uk (http://www.solumregeneration.co.uk).

http://www.solumregeneration.co.uk/images/projects/imgs-epsom.jpg

240 Blackfriars Road

Planning permission for AHMM's tower at 240 Blackfriars Road was granted back in March of this year, with construction starting soon. Sourced these new renders from www.ahmm.co.uk (http://www.ahmm.co.uk).

http://www.ahmm.co.uk/resources/res.aspx?p=/FCF175F18A83EC9F832D303E3393C083C234259939195E306D 1D75E65C179D5A/04_240_BLACKFRIARS_05_%20Marketing%20View.jpg

http://www.ahmm.co.uk/resources/res.aspx?p=/FCF175F18A83EC9F832D303E3393C083C234259939195E3027 F931CB25F3D418/05_A646_N144.jpg

http://www.ahmm.co.uk/resources/res.aspx?p=/FCF175F18A83EC9F832D303E3393C083C234259939195E30CF 15883BFA17B5B3/06_240_BLACKFRIARS_05_Facade%20Study.jpg

http://www.ahmm.co.uk/resources/res.aspx?p=/FCF175F18A83EC9F832D303E3393C083C234259939195E30DC C76DFA53EB28B4/08_240_BLACKFRIARS_05_Top_Floor_01.jpg

http://www.ahmm.co.uk/resources/res.aspx?p=/FCF175F18A83EC9F832D303E3393C083C234259939195E3057 5DC0D3854AB8A8/09_240_BLACKFRIARS_05_Top_Floor_02.jpg

Anne Mews

Anne Mews is the first phase completed of the redevelopment of the former Linton Housing Estate, and part of a much-wider regeneration of the Barking urban core. The first phase invokes memories of the traditional British terrace house and streets where kids could freely play on the street without the hazard of vehicles. Later phases will involve (as per the first render below) higher density residential buildings constructed. Images sourced from www.ahmm.co.uk (http://www.ahmm.co.uk).

http://www.ahmm.co.uk/resources/res.aspx?p=/FCF175F18A83EC9F832D303E3393C083C234259939195E3016 BF2CF9C1402DA8/A%2008093_2b_B02.jpg

http://www.ahmm.co.uk/resources/res.aspx?p=/FCF175F18A83EC9F832D303E3393C083C234259939195E309E F2006BB54A30CC/AHMM_WSQ-037.jpg

http://www.ahmm.co.uk/resources/res.aspx?p=/FCF175F18A83EC9F832D303E3393C083C234259939195E30D9 E37974178FFB67/AHMM_WSQ-021.jpg

http://www.ahmm.co.uk/resources/res.aspx?p=/FCF175F18A83EC9F832D303E3393C083C234259939195E3079 981C60B15014D2/08093_N115_standard.jpg

http://www.ahmm.co.uk/resources/res.aspx?p=/FCF175F18A83EC9F832D303E3393C083C234259939195E30A7 CB21DEE4129049/08093_N111_standard.jpg

The Ladderswood Estate

Regeneration of another 60's failed housing estate, this time in Barnet. The plan will consist of 640 housing units and is aimed to reintegrate the residents with the surrounding area. Images sourced from www.www.karakusevic-carson.com (http://www.www.karakusevic-carson.com)

http://www.karakusevic-carson.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/ladderswood_1.jpg

http://www.karakusevic-carson.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/ladderswood_1a.jpg

http://www.karakusevic-carson.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/ladderswood_2.jpg

nick-taylor

July 27th, 2011, 11:59 AM

West Ham Station Olympic Development

As one of the key interchange stations serving the Olympic Park (c2c commuter, London Underground District, Hammersmith & City and Jubilee and DLR), a new footbridge is being constructed at West Ham station to allow for more efficient movement of passengers heading for the Olympic Park.

Images sourced from: London Reconnections; http://londonreconnections.blogspot.com/2011/07/west-ham-with-side-order-of-pstead.html

http://img233.imageshack.us/img233/1383/westham3.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/233/westham3.jpg/)

http://img163.imageshack.us/img163/5822/westhamd.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/163/westhamd.jpg/)

Earls Court Redevelopment

Major 77 acre redevelopment in West London focusing on the old Earls Court exhibition centre, a council estate, industrial and commercial sites and a depot for the Underground.

Due to the significant size of the development, it is being developed over several phases in the next 20 years with phases I + II starting next year, phases III + IV in 2015, phases V + VI in 2018 and lastly phase VII in 2023.
- Phase I (Gold): Seagrave Road
- Phase II (Red): Earls Court Village
- Phase III (Blue): North End Village
- Phase IV (Grey): West Brompton Village
- Phase V (Brown): Lost River Park
- Phase VI (Purple): North End Village North Side
- Phase VII (Green): West Kensington Village

35% (23.7 acres) of the site will be publicly-accessible open space, so the equivalent of Battery Park in New York.

Images sourced from www.myearlscourt.com (http://www.myearlscourt.com)

http://www.myearlscourt.com/userfiles/uploads/main/PHASING.png

Seagrave Road
http://www.myearlscourt.com/userfiles/uploads/main/Building_F_and_the_Garden_Square.jpg

http://www.myearlscourt.com/userfiles/uploads/main/View_from_Building_F_woman.jpg

http://www.myearlscourt.com/userfiles/uploads/main/Building_B_and_Building_F.jpg

Earls Court Village
http://www.myearlscourt.com/userfiles/uploads/main/ECM2_Earls_Court_Village.jpg

http://www.myearlscourt.com/userfiles/uploads/main/EARLS_COURT_V1.png

http://www.myearlscourt.com/userfiles/uploads/main/EARLS_COURT_V_MAP.png

North End Village
http://www.myearlscourt.com/userfiles/uploads/main/ECM2_North_End_Village.jpg

http://www.myearlscourt.com/userfiles/uploads/main/NORTH_END_3.png

http://www.myearlscourt.com/userfiles/uploads/main/North_End_Village_Drawing.jpg

West Brompton Village

http://www.myearlscourt.com/userfiles/uploads/main/ECM2_West_Brompton_Village.jpg

http://www.myearlscourt.com/userfiles/uploads/main/WEST_BROMPTON_MAP.png

http://www.myearlscourt.com/userfiles/uploads/main/WEST_BROMPTON_5.png

West Kensington Village
http://www.myearlscourt.com/userfiles/uploads/main/ECM2_West_Kensington_Village.jpg

http://www.myearlscourt.com/userfiles/uploads/main/WEST_KEN_MAP3.png

http://www.myearlscourt.com/userfiles/uploads/main/WEST_KEN_1.png

New High Street
http://www.myearlscourt.com/userfiles/uploads/main/HIGH_STREET_1001.jpg

The Broadway
http://www.myearlscourt.com/userfiles/uploads/main/BROADWAY_copy.jpg

Open Spaces & Lost River Park
http://www.myearlscourt.com/userfiles/uploads/main/OPENSPACEMAP.jpg

http://www.myearlscourt.com/userfiles/uploads/main/Lost_River_Park.jpg

http://www.myearlscourt.com/userfiles/uploads/main/TRANSPORT_MAP.png

http://www.myearlscourt.com/userfiles/uploads/main/Screen_shot_2011-06-22_at_13.06_.38_.png

http://www.myearlscourt.com/userfiles/uploads/main/Screen_shot_2011-06-22_at_13.08_.32_.png

Saffron Square

It was originally presumed that the low-rise elements of the Saffron Square development in Croydon would be built first, it would appear that work has now started on the 135m tower. As the images taken by csk over at skyscrapercity.com show, the columns for the main tower are under construction. Render sourced from www.skyscrapernews.com (http://www.skyscrapernews.com).

http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk99/csk1000/IMG_0003.jpg

http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk99/csk1000/IMG_0004.jpg

http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk99/csk1000/IMG_0007.jpg

http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk99/csk1000/IMG_0008.jpg

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

West Hampstead Station Thameslink Development

As part of the ongoing developments related to the Thameslink line (located in north London), construction work continues at various stations to extend platforms, modernise facilities and provide step-free access. At West Hampstead, a key interchange station in north London, new step-free access is being created to link to a new ticket office to allow for the higher passenger loads expected in the coming years. Images sourced from: London Reconnections; http://londonreconnections.blogspot.com/2011/07/west-ham-with-side-order-of-pstead.html

http://img839.imageshack.us/img839/1403/westhampstead.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/839/westhampstead.jpg/)

http://img263.imageshack.us/img263/6379/westhampsted1.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/263/westhampsted1.jpg/)

Pudding Mill Lane Station Development

Plans for the replacement Pudding Mill Lane station have been approved by Newham Borough. Despite the station only opening in 1996, the current station lies adjacent to the Great Eastern Main Line, and directly at tunnel portal for the u/c Stratford branch of Crossrail.

The new station will be built to the south of the present station and enlarged to facilitate developments that will be built in the surrounding area in coming years. Render source: www.crossrail.co.uk (http://www.crossrail.co.uk)

http://www.crossrail.co.uk/assets/library/image/p/medium/pml_dlr_station_image_2.jpg

nick-taylor

July 28th, 2011, 09:40 AM

One Year To Go: London 2012 Olympics

Less than a year to go now until London hosts the 2012 Olympics and Paralympics Games, fortunately there won't be any delays or rush-jobs as the authorities have ensured that London gets all the venues built well in advance. The Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) also announced that the Aquatics Centre (the sixth and final primary venue in the Olympic Park) was also complete. Importantly the entire build project which will act as a catalyst for East London for decades to come, has been delivered on time and within budget.

The Zaha Hadid-designed Aquatics Centre will have a capacity of 17,500 during the Games (reducing to 2,500 after the Olympics in legacy mode) and houses the primary swimming pool, a training pool and the diving pool.

All that is left now is to tidy the area up, undertake a few test events, finish a few temporary structures and plant trees.

The ODA have also published a two-part document looking at what has been achieved over the past six years:
Part I: http://www.london2012.com/documents/oda-publications/oda-transform-web-pt1.pdf
Part II: http://www.london2012.com/documents/oda-publications/oda-transform-web-pt2.pdf

- All day-time aerial pictures are sourced from Getty Images, http://mm.gettyimages.com/mm/nicePath/locog?nav=pr154295876
- All night-time aerial pictures are sourced from Getty Images, http://mm.gettyimages.com/mm/actions/grid/publicendusergrid.do?nav=pr154433464&redirect=simplified_view
- All interior shots of the Aquatic Centre are source from Getty Images, http://mm.gettyimages.com/mm/nicePath/locog?nav=pr154436719

http://img810.imageshack.us/img810/9710/110722odamdaac005.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/810/110722odamdaac005.jpg/)

One Year To Go: The Story So Far

http://youtu.be/JpWgSLHcOBA

BBC News Report on London 2012

http://youtu.be/JVjEL07EB4U

Olympic Park Panorama: http://img143.imageshack.us/img143/5875/110714odamdaac147hicopy.jpg

http://img543.imageshack.us/img543/5287/110714odamdaac147hi.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/543/110714odamdaac147hi.jpg/)

BBC Interactive Panorama: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/in-pictures-14298797

Olympic Stadium

http://img846.imageshack.us/img846/1166/110714odamdaac047hi.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/846/110714odamdaac047hi.jpg/)

http://img651.imageshack.us/img651/4858/110714odamdaac128hi.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/651/110714odamdaac128hi.jpg/)

http://img804.imageshack.us/img804/2999/110714odamdaac132hi.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/804/110714odamdaac132hi.jpg/)

Aquatic Centre

http://img808.imageshack.us/img808/5029/110714odamdaac046hi.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/808/110714odamdaac046hi.jpg/)

http://img705.imageshack.us/img705/4784/110714odamdaac103hi.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/705/110714odamdaac103hi.jpg/)

http://img28.imageshack.us/img28/4496/110726odamdadp004.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/28/110726odamdadp004.jpg/)

http://img96.imageshack.us/img96/8343/110726odamdadp005.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/96/110726odamdadp005.jpg/)

http://img823.imageshack.us/img823/6367/110726odamdadp006.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/823/110726odamdadp006.jpg/)

http://img51.imageshack.us/img51/2690/110726odamdadp007.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/51/110726odamdadp007.jpg/)

Velodrome & BMX Track

http://img718.imageshack.us/img718/3193/110714odamdaac052hi.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/718/110714odamdaac052hi.jpg/)

http://img846.imageshack.us/img846/5126/110714odamdaac064hi.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/846/110714odamdaac064hi.jpg/)

http://img714.imageshack.us/img714/1885/110714odamdaac065hi.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/714/110714odamdaac065hi.jpg/)

Basketball Arena

http://img543.imageshack.us/img543/4250/110714odamdaac017hi.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/543/110714odamdaac017hi.jpg/)

Handball Arena

http://img847.imageshack.us/img847/4431/110714odamdaac049hi.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/847/110714odamdaac049hi.jpg/)

Media Centre

http://img692.imageshack.us/img692/1936/110714odamdaac056hi.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/692/110714odamdaac056hi.jpg/)

http://img708.imageshack.us/img708/8691/110714odamdaac136hi.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/708/110714odamdaac136hi.jpg/)

Water Polo Arena

http://img405.imageshack.us/img405/6418/110714odamdaac048hi.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/405/110714odamdaac048hi.jpg/)

Orbit Tower

http://img94.imageshack.us/img94/8386/110714odamdaac031hi.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/94/110714odamdaac031hi.jpg/)

Olympic Village

http://img703.imageshack.us/img703/9104/110714odamdaac062hi.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/703/110714odamdaac062hi.jpg/)

http://img807.imageshack.us/img807/2774/110714odamdaac089hi.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/807/110714odamdaac089hi.jpg/)

http://img838.imageshack.us/img838/3084/110714odamdaac115hi.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/838/110714odamdaac115hi.jpg/)

Around The Olympic Park

http://img535.imageshack.us/img535/7126/110714odamdaac140hi.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/535/110714odamdaac140hi.jpg/)

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http://img51.imageshack.us/img51/3153/110714odamdaac096hi.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/51/110714odamdaac096hi.jpg/)

http://img28.imageshack.us/img28/1163/110714odamdaac068hi.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/28/110714odamdaac068hi.jpg/)

lofter1

July 28th, 2011, 12:03 PM

London is Looking GOOD!

That Zaha Hadid Aquatic Center is PLUSH and BEAUTIFUL!

nick-taylor

August 6th, 2011, 05:48 AM

King's Cross Station

Text and images all sourced from: World Architecture News; http://www.worldarchitecturenews.com/index.php?fuseaction=wanappln.projectview&upload_id=17244

As these incredible images detail, constructions works are picking up pace at King’s Cross Station in the heart of London’s Borough of Camden. Designed by experienced architects John McAslan + Partners, the multi-phase scheme takes a three-pronged approach: re-use, restore, and new build. The various train sheds and buildings across the Western Range are being re-used, the Station’s original Grade I listed facade from 1852 is being uncovered and restored to its former splendour, and an extensive new Western Concourse will be inserted above the London Underground Ticketing Hall.

http://static.worldarchitecturenews.com/news_images/17244_1_JMP%20Kings%20X%20005%20Credit%20Hufton%20 +%20Crow.jpg

Arguably the most arresting of the scheme’s attributes is a towering steel funnel which welcomes travellers to the Station through its metal tendrils. Rising 20m from the station floor, the white fluted structure spans the entire 150m width of the Grade I listed Western Range drawing attention to the beautiful heritage architecture beneath which has been uncovered for the first time since 1972.

http://static.worldarchitecturenews.com/news_images/17244_3_JMP%20Kings%20X%20005%20Credit%20Hufton%20 +%20Crow%20%282%29.jpg

Chairman of John McAslan + Partners, John McAslan comments: “It’s incredible to watch the reinvention of the station taking shape into a compelling piece of place-making for London. You can already see how the Western Concourse – Europe’s largest single span station structure and the heart of the development – reconnects this much-loved Victorian terminus to its context. It’s immensely satisfying to see the project move forward at such pace and we look forward to celebrating the project’s completion in 2012 for the London Olympics.”

http://static.worldarchitecturenews.com/news_images/17244_4_JMP%20Kings%20X%20005%20Credit%20Hufton%20 +%20Crow%20%283%29.jpg

With the official opening date of the station only seven months away, work is really pressing on to hit the deadline. The images to the left show just how much of the funnel structure is now in place, with restoration procedures well underway and large sections of rebuffed brickwork gleaming through the steel columns. The five buildings that form the Western Range are being fully renewed, with the Northern Wing rebuilt to its original design after it was destroyed many years ago during WWII, and the Main Train Shed and adjacent Suburban Train Shed are also being restored and exposed to the public view.

http://static.worldarchitecturenews.com/news_images/17244_2_JMP%20Kings%20X%20005%20Credit%20Hufton%20 +%20Crow%20%281%29.jpg

nick-taylor

August 12th, 2011, 04:35 AM

London Open House 2011, 17th & 18th September

London Open House is just around the corner (weekend of 17th & 18th September); now in its 21st year, 760 sites are open to the public, with 1,600 tours being provided.

Last year I volunteered at Sir Christopher Wrens' Marlborough House; a ridiculously house now occupied by the Commonwealth Office (http://resources.thecommonwealth.org/mhouse/index.html). After my volunteering duty, I managed to visit the Broadgate Tower, Lloyds of London, City Hall, The Blue Fin Building, Allies & Morrison Architects, the Foreign & Commonwealth Office and some freemasons pad in St James's.

This year I'm volunteering at the Stoke Newington School which was a RIBA (Royal Institute of British Architects) London Award Winner 2011. The building is a tad crazy; 1960's brutalist construction recently renovated and expanded with 00's red CorTen steel panels.

http://www.hackney.gov.uk/Assets/Images/8_Stoke_Newington_School.jpg
Source: www.hackney.gov.uk

Also a reminder for our New York friends - the 9th Open House New York is on the weekend of October 15th & 16th.

nick-taylor

August 23rd, 2011, 10:27 AM

Shard

Photos taken by chest over at skyscrapercity.com

http://web.me.com/benveasey/_MG_5426.jpg

http://web.me.com/benveasey/_MG_5429.jpg

http://web.me.com/benveasey/_MG_5409.jpg

http://web.me.com/benveasey/_MG_5435.jpg

Also an interesting juxtaposition of Southwark Cathedral (1220) and the Shard (2012) picture taken by potto over at skyscrapercity.com.

http://img40.imageshack.us/img40/2821/20110820img7323.jpg

nick-taylor

September 5th, 2011, 02:15 AM

London Route Utilisation Strategy

Network Rail, who manage the UK's rail infrastructure (but not the actual train services), as well as managing the major UK train stations recently released a Route Utilisation Strategy RUS) for rail services into London. The RUS goes into extensive detail about the current and future position of commuter rail services and covers a wide variety of figures and stats. A copy can be sourced from here: http://www.networkrail.co.uk/browse%20documents/rus%20documents/route%20utilisation%20strategies/rus%20generation%202/london%20and%20south%20east/london%20and%20south%20east%20route%20utilisation% 20strategy.pdf

Demand for commuter rail services into the Central London termini is significant. Between 0800-0859, 355 trains terminate at twelve termini, the equivalent of a train terminating every ten seconds. Of the twelve termini, eight handle in excess of 25 terminating trains each hour.

The Crossrail route will take a partial burden off Paddington, Liverpool Street, while extensively upgraded Thameslink line will assist King's Cross and Cannon Street. Yet even with planned extension of significant quantities of rolling stock (in some instances possibly up to 16 carriages in length), it is anticipated that the available terminating capacity will be absorbed by additional trains to service the 40% growth in train use. For instance, based on the current forecasts and committed schemes, there will be a capacity shortfall of 35,700 between 0800-0859.

Subsequently with consultation work being undertaken on the High Speed 2 line, there has been a growing interest in developing Crossrail 2 which would potentially alleviate Liverpool Street and Waterloo, as well as relieve tube lines serving Euston which would be the terminus for HS2. If (as is usually the case), rail demand continues to increase above estimated levels, it will become necessary for additional Crossrail routes across London.

http://img269.imageshack.us/img269/6012/93267173.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/269/93267173.jpg/)

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London Southend Airport

Located due east of London, lies London Southend Airport, which from next year will be an important base for the low-cost carrier Easyjet for destinations.

The airport has subsequently attempted to brand itself as London's 6th international airport, although passenger numbers are only expected to be modest 2mppa, small compared to the far larger competitor airports servicing London. To facilitate access to the airport, a station has been built on the Shenfield to Southend Line which is a major commuter line branching off the Great Eastern Main Line into Liverpool Street.

The station which opened in July will be serviced by up to 7 trains an hour in each direction at peak hours. Southend Airport becomes the ninth airport to be served by a heavy rail link into London (the others being Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, Birmingham, Luton, East Midlands and Southampton).

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6010/6001061023_59926a5c81_b.jpg
Source: IanVisits http://www.flickr.com/photos/ianvisits/6001061023/sizes/l/in/photostream/

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6024/6001608230_45ea885481_b.jpg
Source: IanVisits http://www.flickr.com/photos/ianvisits/6001608230/sizes/l/in/photostream/

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Source: IanVisits http://www.flickr.com/photos/ianvisits/6001606862/sizes/l/in/photostream/

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Source: IanVisits http://www.flickr.com/photos/ianvisits/6001605746/sizes/l/in/photostream/

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Source: IanVisits http://www.flickr.com/photos/ianvisits/6001603738/sizes/l/in/photostream/

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Source: IanVisits http://www.flickr.com/photos/ianvisits/6001054467/sizes/l/in/photostream/

Cotswold Line

Network Rail have completed 21miles of redoubling track work along the rural Cotswold Line which spurs off the Cherwell Valley Line north of Oxford heading westward towards Worcester and Hereford.

Many sections of the route were reduced to a single track in the 1970's, at a time when many country routes were axed altogether, however the reinstated second track will allow for higher frequencies and greater efficiency along the route which is one of several routes in the West of England that eventually terminate at London Paddington.

As part of the works, platforms were rebuilt at several stations and the signalling was upgraded.

Honeybourne Station
http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6204/6069447507_46d076c604_b.jpg
Source: willc2009 http://www.flickr.com/photos/willc2009/6069447507/sizes/l/in/photostream/

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Source: willc2009 http://www.flickr.com/photos/willc2009/6064672576/sizes/l/in/photostream/

Evesham Station
http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6191/6064127087_57d6d4eccf_b.jpg
Source: willc2009 http://www.flickr.com/photos/willc2009/6064127087/sizes/l/in/photostream/

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Source: willc2009 http://www.flickr.com/photos/willc2009/6064127431/sizes/l/in/photostream/

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6078/6064675236_ab636350d9_b.jpg
Source: willc2009 http://www.flickr.com/photos/willc2009/6064675236/sizes/l/in/photostream/

London Midland

From next Monday, London Midland which operates local stopping services out of London Euston is increasing the number of services between London and Birmingham. Previously London Midland provided an hourly service along the West Coast Main Line to Birmingham New Street, but going forward this will increase to a train every twenty minutes.

The present service has seen an 80% increase in customers in the last year, as travellers look for an alternative to the faster, but more expensive Virgin Trains Pendolino service which runs on parallel fast tracks.

Subsequently, the frequency of services between London Euston and Birmingham New Street will increase to six trains an hour off-peak.

London Midland are also undertaking trials on their class 350 rolling stock to evaluate whether they can increase the speed from the present 100mph to 110mph, which would reduce journey times on the slow services between London and Birmingham.

Source behind text: http://www.rail.co/2011/09/02/london-midland-to-run-every-20-minutes-from-birmingham-to-london-euston/

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5279/5885579114_a6040f16e5_b.jpg
Source: Andy Riley http://www.flickr.com/photos/a_griffin_park_boy/5885579114/sizes/l/in/photostream/

Slough Bus & Railway Station

Located on the Great Western Main Line, 29.7km west of London Paddington, Slough station is a reasonably busy commuter station with 4.9mn journeys each year. At the present moment, six services an hour run into London Paddington. The station is also the terminus for the Windsor Branch line and in 2017 be a station on the western stretch of Crossrail.

The station which is over 170 years old and has six platforms, currently lacks step-free access. To resolve this in time for the Olympics next year (Slough will be the main station for access to Eton Dorney for rowing events) the station is being renovated. Improvements include:
- A new footbridge with step-free access to all platforms
- Improved waiting areas
- Regeneration of the station forecourt including a new taxi waiting area

Article: http://www.rail.co/2011/07/27/major-improvement-works-at-slough-station-set-to-begin/

http://www.rail.co/wp-content/uploads/SloughStationNetworkRail.jpg
Source: Rail.co http://www.rail.co/2011/07/27/major-improvement-works-at-slough-station-set-to-begin/

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Source: R~P~M http://www.flickr.com/photos/rpmarks/3050052563/sizes/l/in/photostream/

The adjacent bus station has also been rebuilt.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3369/5767646548_a578a93d8c_b.jpg
Source: Kapture-IT http://www.flickr.com/photos/kapture-it/5767646548/sizes/l/in/set-72157626808643182/

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Source: Kapture-IT http://www.flickr.com/photos/kapture-it/5767103153/sizes/l/in/set-72157626808643182/

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Source: Kapture-IT http://www.flickr.com/photos/kapture-it/5761145764/sizes/l/in/set-72157626808643182/

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Source: Kapture-IT http://www.flickr.com/photos/kapture-it/5760605503/sizes/l/in/set-72157626808643182/

East West Rail

A project that has been a long-time in the making; the East West Rail line would bring back a formerly disused line known as the Varsity Line.

The Varsity Line ran between the two university cities of Oxford and Cambridge, but was axed in the 60's. With the exception of stretches between Bedford and Bletchley, and Bicester Town and Oxford, the route is either in an advanced state of disrepair or utilised only by freight trains.

Since the line has closed, the region has drastically changed, Milton Keynes which would be a central node along the line was non-existent in the 60's, yet is now home to 200,000 people. Oxford and Cambridge have also developed significant knowledge economy clusters.

Areas covered along the route are currently well-served by London-bound rail services, but lack sufficient cross-country orbital routes, which is where the East West rail idea comes into play.

While the western alignment wouldn't require too much extra work (ie clearing of debris, new tracks, signalling, platforms, etc...), the central section between Bedford and Cambridge would require a new route due to significant obstructions such as very large telescopes.

Oxford Economics (http://eastwestrail.org.uk/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/OE-Report.pdf) have produced a report appraising the western section.

The preferred scheme would cost £211mn, with GDP uplift across the Greater South East (inc London) of £38.1mn per annum, with an additional £17.4mn in tax receipts. The scheme would repay itself within 5 and half years remove 1.47mn car trips each year and be used by 7,000 each day (based on 2.58mn additional trips).

Overall the Benefit to Cost Ratio is an impressive 6.30 and the line would be profitable in its first year of operation.

Work on the central section would come at a later stage, however the possibility of reconnecting two of the world's greatest universities and their respective knowledge clusters by rail would most likely have significant economic benefits.

There would also be an opportunity for an eastern connection running from Cambridge to Norwich and Ipswich which would have significant logistic benefits. Fortunately these routes are already in place, however it would open up the possibility of passenger services running from Norwich to Bedford or Ipswich to Milton Keynes, further increasing regional rail links.

http://img855.imageshack.us/img855/1876/westerns.png (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/855/westerns.png/)
Source: East West Rail http://eastwestrail.org.uk/route/western-section/

http://img24.imageshack.us/img24/7664/centralq.png (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/24/centralq.png/)
Source: East West Rail http://eastwestrail.org.uk/route/central-section/

London Paddington - Fourth Span

Built in 1854 by the legendary engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel, the three-span immaculately detailed London Paddington was the London terminus for what is known today as the Great Western Main Line, one of the ten major Main Lines out of London. The station is presently composed of 14 National Rail and 6 London Underground platforms (Bakerloo, Circle and Hammersmith & City) and used by 71mn people each year.

The station is now approaching its 160th year of operation, and is constantly changing to reflect the modern transport requirements of London. Current works include the re-building of the Hammersmith & City Line platforms, northern ticket hall, a new taxi rank and the construction of the Crossrail platforms and concourse where the present taxi rank resides.

Yet it's amazing to think that only a couple of years ago, there were plans to demolish what is known as the fourth span at London Paddington. Constructed in 1906-15, sixty years after the original three spans, there were questions on whether it was worthy enough to preserve. Fortunately it was decided that there was merit in its preservation, and over the last few weeks, the results of that work have been unveiled:

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Source: macabrephotographer http://www.flickr.com/photos/macabrephotographer/6007338985/sizes/l/in/photostream/

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Source: St.Crev http://www.flickr.com/photos/54889014@N05/6062130054/sizes/l/in/photostream/

The original 1854 Brunel-built spans:
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Source: kaszeta: http://www.flickr.com/photos/kaszeta/2643577098/sizes/l/in/photostream/

Aerial images from last year illustrate the relation of the fourth span to the rest of the station:
http://img706.imageshack.us/img706/7236/paddington1.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/706/paddington1.jpg/)
Source: Network Rail via londonreconnections.blogspot.com

http://img88.imageshack.us/img88/6893/paddington2.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/88/paddington2.jpg/)
Source: Network Rail via londonreconnections.blogspot.com

Images illustrating the development of the present taxi rank for the Crossrail platforms and concourse due to be completed in 2018:
http://img525.imageshack.us/img525/7236/paddington1.jpg
Source: Crossrail

http://img715.imageshack.us/img715/6893/paddington2.jpg
Source: Crossrail

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Source: Crossrail

Last five images sourced from earlier in the thread.

DLR Stratford International Extension

The 31st August 2011 marks the opening for passenger service of a new DLR extension linking Canning Town to Stratford International. Operating on what was once the old alignment of the North London Line, the seven station Stratford International DLR extension provides as an important link from east and south-east London to Stratford International and the Olympic Park.

The service which runs parallel to the Jubilee Line between Canning Town and Stratford interchanges with multiple rail lines including Underground (Central, District, Hammersmith & City and Jubilee), Overground (North London Line), Commuter Rail (c2c lines, National Express East Anglia lines and South Eastern High Speed line), and other DLR lines (to Bank, Lewisham and Tower Gateway).

Present operations from Stratford International will be a train every 10mins (6tph) in each direction, which will originate from Woolwich Arsenal in the peak, and Beckton in the off-peak.

The DLR which is now in its 25th year of operation is a fully automated metro system running multiple routes around East London and the Docklands area. The system has proven to be exceptionally popular and been expanded and heavily upgraded since its inception. Current ridership on the DLR network stands at 82.1mn per annum, however this is set to grow to in excess of 103mn in under three years time, comparable to the ridership of the Bakerloo Line.

Future extensions to the DLR being considered include:
- A five station eastern extension to Dagenham Dock from Beckton.
- A four station extension southwards from Lewisham to Forest Hill.
- Two potential western extensions to London Victoria (four stations) and London Euston/St Pancras (four stations).

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Map of extension and destinations to Woolwich Arsenal and Beckton.
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Source: diamond geezer http://www.flickr.com/photos/dgeezer/6100600434/sizes/l/in/photostream/

Canning Town
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Source: diamond geezer http://www.flickr.com/photos/dgeezer/6100212835/sizes/l/in/photostream/

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Source: diamond geezer http://www.flickr.com/photos/dgeezer/6100760024/sizes/l/in/photostream/

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Source: diamond geezer http://www.flickr.com/photos/dgeezer/6100212111/sizes/l/in/photostream/

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Source: IanVisits http://www.flickr.com/photos/ianvisits/6100097938/sizes/l/in/photostream/

Star Lane
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Source: diamond geezer http://www.flickr.com/photos/dgeezer/6100738520/sizes/l/in/photostream/

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Source: diamond geezer http://www.flickr.com/photos/dgeezer/6100192473/sizes/l/in/photostream/

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Source: diamond geezer http://www.flickr.com/photos/dgeezer/6100191901/sizes/l/in/photostream/

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Source: diamond geezerhttp://www.flickr.com/photos/dgeezer/6100735792/sizes/l/in/photostream/

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Source: IanVisits http://www.flickr.com/photos/ianvisits/6100092042/sizes/l/in/photostream/

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Source: IanVisits http://www.flickr.com/photos/ianvisits/6100081500/sizes/l/in/photostream/

West Ham
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Source: diamond geezer http://www.flickr.com/photos/dgeezer/6100181283/sizes/l/in/photostream/

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Source: diamond geezer http://www.flickr.com/photos/dgeezer/6100727198/sizes/l/in/photostream/

Abbey Road
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Source: diamond geezer http://www.flickr.com/photos/dgeezer/6100164907/sizes/l/in/photostream/

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Source: diamond geezer http://www.flickr.com/photos/dgeezer/6100712540/sizes/l/in/photostream/

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Source: IanVisits http://www.flickr.com/photos/ianvisits/6099532747/sizes/l/in/photostream/

Stratford High Street
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Source: diamond geezer http://www.flickr.com/photos/dgeezer/6100693594/sizes/l/in/photostream/

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Source: diamond geezer http://www.flickr.com/photos/dgeezer/6100692854/sizes/l/in/photostream/

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Source: diamond geezer http://www.flickr.com/photos/dgeezer/6100146753/sizes/l/in/photostream/

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Source: IanVisits http://www.flickr.com/photos/ianvisits/6099536691/sizes/l/in/photostream/

Stratford Regional
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Source: diamond geezer http://www.flickr.com/photos/dgeezer/6100678750/sizes/l/in/photostream/

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Source: diamond geezer http://www.flickr.com/photos/dgeezer/6100132607/sizes/l/in/photostream/

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Source: diamond geezer http://www.flickr.com/photos/dgeezer/6100131767/sizes/l/in/photostream/

Stratford International
http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6077/6100601024_636a1cf057_b.jpg
Source: diamond geezer http://www.flickr.com/photos/dgeezer/6100601024/sizes/l/in/photostream/

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Source: IanVisits http://www.flickr.com/photos/ianvisits/6100086860/sizes/l/in/photostream/

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Source: IanVisits http://www.flickr.com/photos/ianvisits/6099543489/sizes/l/in/photostream/

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Source: IanVisits http://www.flickr.com/photos/ianvisits/6099534695/sizes/l/in/photostream/

Stansted Express

Serving London's third largest international airport: London Stansted, the Stansted Express is a heavy rail service that operates from London Liverpool Street in Central London. Trains operate every 15 minutes along the West Anglia Main Line (WAML) for 53km , before running on a dedicated branch line to a terminus station built under the airport terminal. The journey time is around 45mins.

All trains stop at London Liverpool Street, Tottenham Hale (for interchange to the Victoria Line onwards to the West End) and Stansted Airport, however services alternate stops at two major towns in close proximity to the airport: Harlow and Bishop's Stortford. Subsequently the service allows employees at the airport who live in the two nearby towns to access to airport, but also provides an additional express service into London on the WAML.

Now in its 20th year of operation, the old class 317 trains are being replaced by new Class 379 sets built by Bombardier. Thirty train sets (each composed of 4 cars) have been delivered in recent months, and can operate at up to 100mph (160kph). Typically the trains will operate in pairs (8 cars) during the week and single units (4 cars) at weekends. However with strong growth for rail services along the London-Stansted-Cambridge corridor it is expected that these services will be extended to 12 carriages in the not too distant future.

The old class 317 trains will be cascaded to other services, increasing capacity along the WAML and GEML.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3173/5696618550_f5257562b8_b.jpg
Source: Always Santa Fe http://www.flickr.com/photos/tunnel_one/5696618550/sizes/l/in/photostream/

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Source: peter_skuce http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5224/5644876606_5d1a588574_b.jpg

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Source: peter_skuce http://www.flickr.com/photos/55223176@N03/5644310969/sizes/l/in/photostream/

nick-taylor

September 24th, 2011, 03:17 AM

Been a tad busy in recent weeks, so a small update today!

The Shard

http://web.me.com/benveasey/_MG_3303.jpg

Source: chest http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=84073831&postcount=20374

nick-taylor

September 27th, 2011, 09:29 AM

Open House 2011

Last weekend saw the return of the annual London Open House event. For those not aware Open House allows the general public access to buildings and urban environments that they would typically either not have access too (e.g. office buildings such as the Lloyd’s Building), didn’t know existed (e.g. Kensington Roof Gardens) or aren’t drawn too (e.g. religious buildings, freemason buildings, etc…). The majority of buildings are open on a first come first served basis, however select buildings require pre-booking or are based on a lottery system.

Hundreds of buildings were open across every borough in London, while tours were conducted both on land and on the river. Buildings open to the public ranged from people’s private eco-homes to grand institutions such as the Foreign & Commonwealth Office. The diversity of architectural styles to sample is simply unmatched.

In addition 16 architectural practices were open to the public, including Fosters and Rogers offices.

Last year I volunteered at Marlborough House and managed to enjoy the architectural delights of City Hall, the Foreign & Commonwealth Office, the Broadgate Tower, Lloyds of London, Allies & Morrison’s offices and The Blue Fin Building.

This year I volunteered at Stoke Newington School in Hackney; a school originally built in the 1960's concrete Brutalist style, but entirely refurbished and expanded last year by Jestico + Whiles. The extension was clad in CorTen steel, while the internal reworking won significant praise, subsequently being awarded a RIBA Award earlier this year. Rather bizarrely, the school was being used as a wedding venue on the same day as Open House.

Unfortunately my camera which has travelled from urban Tokyo to the depths of South East Asian jungle may be on its last legs. Dropping it a couple of times ranging from the Great Wall of China and Angkor Wat probably didn’t help! So not too many pictures of good quality unfortunately:

Stoke Newington School, Hackney
http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6161/6180668628_c429ef24d6_b.jpg

Lloyd’s Building
Richard Rogers’ industrial styled office tower, built for Lloyds of London the insurance market and opened in 1986, the building evokes a love or hate it attachment. Instead of the traditional method of placing the utilities under the floor and above the ceiling of an office building, Rogers took the radical approach to putting the service elements on the outside. That includes staircases, lifts, toilets and the entire utility infrastructure.

The subsequent result is vast open expanses for the underwriters and other personnel and higher than usual (for a modern office building) floor to ceiling heights. As well as the amazing atrium, there is a real treat on the 11th floor: the original Committee Room built in 1763 by Robert Adam which was hoisted up to its present position.

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6158/6180664882_4682818969_b.jpg

St Ethelburga's-the-Virgin within Bishopsgate, City of London
Located on the busy thoroughfare of Bishopsgate in the City of London, St Ethelburga’s is a medieval church that predates 1250 and somehow managed to survive the Great Fire of London in 1666.

Unfortunately the church was significantly damaged in 1993 when the IRA parked a one tonne fertiliser bomb seven meters away. The resulting damage cost £1bn to local office buildings and nearly led to the remainder of the church to be sold. Fortunately that never happened and the church was rebuilt to become a centre for reconciliation and peace.

Of interest for skyscraper enthusiasts, is that immediately adjacent to the church is the demolition site for the future home of 100 Bishopsgate (a 170m tower designed by Allies & Morrison).

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6156/6180665838_2bb3ee9d69_b.jpg

St Laurence Jewry, City of London
Located directly opposite to the Guildhall is St Laurence Jewry, and dates back to the 1100’s. The present church was rebuilt by Sir Christopher Wren after the Great Fire of London of 1666. In 1950 the church was granted Grade I listed status.

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Guildhall, City of London
The Guildhall is the administrative headquarters for the City of London Corporation – the body that controls the Square Mile (or what was once the original Londinium), it is also used for events and acts as an art gallery.

A hall of some kind has existed on the site for well over two thousand years. When the Roman’s popped over to Britain for a visit, they turned it into the largest amphitheatre in Britannia (remains still visible to the public). The present hall dates from 1411 and holds the honour of being the only stone building outside the control of the Church to have survived a certain fire in 1666.

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Angel Building, Islington
Originally an office building built in the 1980's, the Angel Building (located at an important crossroad in Islington) was gutted and rebuilt (original building at centre of the photo here: http://www.ahmm.co.uk/XIImages/angel/designd/2_D2254_3k.jpg), with the concrete frame recycled and an energy efficient cladding installed.

Additional concrete used in the construction was sourced from power station fuel ash, while extensive roof terraces were created providing nice views of the Square Mile. The building has been shortlisted for this years' RIBA Stirling Prize.

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Kings Place, Islington
Located due north from London King's Cross station and adjacent to the Regent's Canal, King's Place is a multi-use building that opened in 2008.

The building has two uses; firstly as a performance venue with two halls, practice facilities and galleries for art (at the time there was a graphic war photo exhibition on). Secondly, the building offers several floors of office accommodation and is the headquarters for the Guardian and Observer newspapers.

Due to height restrictions in the area, and concerns over the commercial viability of the building (the exhibition spaces were not getting public funding), the performance areas were sunk underground. To cancel out vibrations and noise from the Piccadilly Line which runs under the road adjacent to the site, giant shock absorbers were built into the foundations.

A rather crazy fact was that the oak for the roof, walls, floor, doors, chairs and stage in hall one (pictured) was all sourced from the same German tree.

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St Pancras International, Camden
One of the world's grandest stations, St Pancras station originally opened in 1868, as a rival to the adjacent King's Cross station.

For many years the station fell into disrepair and was on the verge of being demolished had it not been for the services of Sir John Betjeman in halting the action. In the last decade, the entire station was renovated and modernised, including using the original slate and paint when the station was opened. The station which houses various mainline and commuter services subsequently became home to the Eurostar and then Shinkansen commuter train services.

The former gothic-styled St Pancras Chambers at the front of the station re-opened as a Renaissance Hotel earlier this year, while the apartments in the attic-space are amongst the most desirable (http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/gallery/2010/may/03/st-pancras-chambers-flats) due to the diversity in transport connections across London, the UK and onto Europe.

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Kensington Roof Gardens, Kensington & Chelsea
Many people wouldn't know it, but along Kensington High Street atop a former department store resides Europe's largest roof garden. Entry to the gardens is via a door-way down a side street.

Covering 1.5 acres, the gardens span three areas; Moorish, Tudor and English woodland, the latter of which includes a stream, bridges and in excess of 100 species of trees. The gardens are also home to four flamingos.

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JCMAN320

September 27th, 2011, 09:56 AM

Beautiful photo tour Nick. Thanks!

Rational Plan

October 10th, 2011, 03:04 PM

Excerpts from the outline application for the Post Games redevelopment.

Here is the map predicting where the heaviest pedestrian flows will be. The heaviest spots are where they have placed the shops and cafes.

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The plan outlines the character of each area. It basically boils down to 8 storey urban blocks near the Stadium and Station. The are near the Station will also have towers.

As you get further from these spots the blocks get smaller. At the Northern and Western ends you are looking at three and four storey blocks and terraces, with 2 storey mews house in interior lanes.

The masterplan is clear on a hierarchy of streets and goes into great detail of width and relation to building height. Streets will be in blocks and will meet each other at right angles. Streets will match up so that clear vistas to the park will be maintained.

It proscribes maximum depths of blocks and the distances between buildings, how balconies should be placed and air gaps into courtyards.

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If you want to delve through the outline planning app there are dozens of nicely illustrated plans and files, The design and access statement is the place to start.

Application number 11/90621

Rational Plan

October 10th, 2011, 03:06 PM

Lots of resubmissions to planning for minor tweaks to existing permissions

55 St James

Before

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After

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155 Regents Street, deathmask rebuild.

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17 Wimpole Street, rebuild

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1-7 Howick place, Victoria former department store head office.

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Rational Plan

October 10th, 2011, 03:10 PM

Wigmore Street and corner of Duke Street already under construction.

60's office blocks replaced by a new consolidated block.

Old block

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New Block

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Regent Street Blocks

Facadism on the main street with new bigger block behind.

155 Regent Street

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295 Regent Street

Before

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New

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64 Wigmore street, new offices behind row of historic building behind Marleybone Lane

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Merry

October 21st, 2011, 09:17 PM

Ikea to Build a Massive, World-Dominating Suburb in London

by Sarah Firshein

http://curbed.com/article-2051906-0E79494300000578-813_468x612.jpg

According to a piece in today's Daily Mail, Inter Ikea Systems, the intellectual-property owner and franchisor of the Swedish furnishings chain, has plans to build a roughly 25-acre suburb, of sorts, next to London's Olympic Park. On the site: 1,200 homes, 480,000 square feet of office space, a 350-room hotel, and other urban necessities such as restaurants.

Welcome to Ikeaville: Flatpack furniture giant to build 26-acre suburb at London's Olympic Park (let's just hope they don't lose the manual) (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2051906/Ikea-unveils-plans-26-acre-London-district-near-Olympic-Park.html?ITO=1490) [Daily Mail]

http://curbed.com/archives/2011/10/21/ikea-to-build-worlddominating-26acre-suburb-in-the-uk.php

lofter1

October 21st, 2011, 10:18 PM

Londoners might want to check out this article from a recent edition of the New Yorker (http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2011/10/03/111003fa_fact_collins):

House Perfect

Is the IKEA ethos comfy or creepy?

nick-taylor

October 27th, 2011, 11:23 AM

Three Spires

This has been mentioned in less detail previously, but details have been sketchy on their appearance. The following rendering from skyscrapernews.com illustrates two of the three towers that are being developed by Irvine Sellar (the same developer behind the Shard, 100 meters due west).

The tallest of the three towers (designed by Herzog & deMeuron) will be in the region of 260m (so similar in height to the Trump World Tower), with the second tower coming in at 210m and the smallest in the region of 150m.

A few thoughts:
- The floor plates are apparently going to be triangular in shape (presumably to fit the present site).
- The towers have crowns, and taper off to avoid appearing blocky on the rapidly evolving Bermondsey skyline.
- There are randomly placed double-height apartments that break up the potential monotonous facade.

http://skyscrapernews.com/images/pics/2949FirstLookAtThreeSpires_pic1.jpg

Thames Hub

Halcrow and Foster & Partners have put together a significant plan covering a vision for the Thames Gateway region.

The principle components of the plan include:
- A giant £50bn (US$80bn) passenger airport to replace London Heathrow and capable of handling 150mn upon opening (the equivalent of Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta and O'Hare combined).
- A tidal energy barrage to provide significant volumes of renewable energy production.
- A new flood protection barrier across the Thames Estuary that would replace the present Thames Barrier.
- New rail links would be created, including an extension to Crossrail and a new major junction allowing for High Speed trains to run towards the Continent and London
- A new orbital rail route would be constructed (via a new crossing over the Thames), allowing trains to by-pass London and continue on either to the continent or the airport from the northern cities of England.

Naturally it is only a vision, and plans for a major airport in the Thames Gateway have been proposed over the last three decades. However there is a critical situation developing within London's aviation infrastructure.

The key problem is that there simply aren't enough runways and terminals. Heathrow is the world's third busiest airport, and operates with only two runways. Gatwick is the world's busiest single runway airport. Compounding the problem further is that London is home to five international airports catering to an annual passenger flow of 127mn passengers per annum.

Government (both on a local and national level) has restricted development at all of London's airports in an attempt to win votes. Unfortunately that doesn't reduce congestion or provide capacity for the inevitable future growth in global aviation (specifically from the likes of India and China).

With businesses now venting at the lack of destination options from Heathrow relative to other major European aviation hubs such as Charles de Gaulle, Schnipol and Frankfurt, the government has realised that something has to be done.

The problem with these sort of scenarios is that they take an obscene amount of time not just to plan in significant detail, but go through appraisal and allocation of funds before a spade is even in the ground.

Images sourced from www.halcrow.com (http://www.halcrow.com) (http://www.halcrow.com/News/latest-news/FosterPartners-and-Halcrow-to-publish-Thames-Hub-vision/) (http://www.halcrow.com/News/latest-news/FosterPartners-and-Halcrow-to-publish-Thames-Hub-vision/)http://www.halcrow.com/Global/Images/news/2011/august/Thames_Hub_vision_1.jpghttp://www.halcrow.com/Global/Images/news/2011/august/Thames_Hub_vision_2.jpghttp://www.halcrow.com/Global/Images/news/2011/august/Thames_Hub_vision_3.jpg[/img)

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Heathwick - Virtual Aviation Hub

Linking into the above realisation by government that something needs to be done about the aviation capacity shortfall, the government recently put forward an idea for the creation of the world's first virtual aviation hub.

Essentially the plan would see the creation of a 50km 180mph high speed rail line that would link both Heathrow and Gatwick. The high-speed service would allow for an estimated 15minute journey time which is comparable with intra-terminal transit at most airports around the world.

The rail-link would be air-side only, so for instance a traveller from New York arriving at Gatwick would be able to board a train to Heathrow and fly on to Shanghai. The result would be not too dissimilar from passengers transferring between terminals at most international airports and avoid the annoyance of exiting and entering via security and immigration and the subsequent convoluted journey between both airports as would be the case now.

Gatwick would become a virtual terminal of Heathrow and vice-versa. There could be the potential to check-in at Heathrow, but fly-out of Gatwick. Correspondingly this would allow for greater management of destinations, avoid duplication of services and allow for low-cost carriers currently operating out of Gatwick to migrate to Stansted airport.

The idea doesn't come without its own problems however. For a start the gain from capacity would be not as significant as a brand new airport; however it would be provide cover during the construction of such an airport. The line would also need to get through planning and be constructed, which won't be too easy considering the line would navigate some of the most exclusive residential land in the UK, i.e. there could be substantial volume of tunnelling involved. An additional problem is that Gatwick and Heathrow and owned by two separate private enterprises, so the government would have to become involved in managing both airports to allow the scheme to become viable.

Image sourced (but hosted on Flickr) from the Financial Times (article link containing further new and source of following image): http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/f4949292-f10a-11e0-b56f-00144feab49a.html (http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/f4949292-f10a-11e0-b56f-00144feab49a.htmlhttp://farm7.static.flickr.com/6031/6279714976_1a9a094d2f_b.jpg[/img)

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The Shard

Photo update from skyscrapercity forum member Potto (Source: http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=84989878&postcount=20862) (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=84989878&postcount=20862)http://img35.imageshack.us/img35/634/img8012r.jpghttp://img148.imageshack.us/img148/364/img8055f.jpghttp://img822.imageshack.us/img822/2479/img8062h.jpghttp://img87.imageshack.us/img87/1400/img8066.jpg[/img)

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nick-taylor

October 27th, 2011, 11:29 AM

NEO Bankside

Photo update from skyscrapercity forum member Potto (Source: http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=84990136&postcount=608)

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London Bridge Station Redevelopment

I managed to source from Network Rail's website a large image of the new street level concourse that will be created during the rebuilding of London Bridge station. As part of the Thameslink Programme, London Bridge will see its platforms re-aligned from the present six through and nine terminating to nine through and six terminating. This will ensure that onward services to Charing Cross and Cannon Street don't conflict with Thameslink high-frequency services.

(Source: http://www.networkrailmediacentre.co.uk/Press-Releases/OPTIONS-FOR-GROWTH-RAIL-INDUSTRY-UNVEILS-PLANS-FOR-THE-FUTURE-OF-THE-RAILWAY-18bc/SearchCategoryID-2.aspx) (http://www.networkrailmediacentre.co.uk/Press-Releases/OPTIONS-FOR-GROWTH-RAIL-INDUSTRY-UNVEILS-PLANS-FOR-THE-FUTURE-OF-THE-RAILWAY-18bc/SearchCategoryID-2.aspx)http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6059/6275981493_2e87468675_b.jpg[/img)

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Westfield Stratford City

Westfield opened its newest shopping centre in Stratford last month. Located in-between the Olympic Park and Stratford Regional & International Stations, it is a major flagship development for the regeneration of East London. It is claimed that the centre is Europe's latest urban shopping centre.

Apparently 4mn people passed through the shopping centre in the first month of business which is impressive considering the subdued economic conditions. Images taken by omnikreations at flickr. (Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/omnikreations/)

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London 2012

Most of the stadiums and arenas have now been completed. All that remains is the finishing touches to a few of the temporary arenas.

Archery at the Royal Artillery Barracks

Images sourced by RMB2007 at skyscrapercity.com. (Source: http://mm.gettyimages.com/mm/nicePath/locog?nav=pr157952371)

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Aquatics and Wheelchair Tennis at Eton Manor

Images sourced by RMB2007 at skyscrapercity.com. (Source: http://mm.gettyimages.com/mm/nicePath/locog?nav=pr156994005)

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London 2012: Paralympic Ticket Figures Revealed
BBC, 28th September,
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-15068061 (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-15068061A)

A total of 116,000 people have applied for 1.14 million tickets to see next year's Paralympic Games, London 2012 organisers Locog have revealed.
Ballots will take place in some price categories in 126 of the 300 ticketed sessions across 16 of the 20 sports and for the opening and closing ceremonies.

International Paralympic Committee President Sir Philip Craven said: "The response from the public for Paralympic Games tickets has been phenomenal."

The Games start on 29 August next year.

A total of 1.5 million tickets in total were on sale for the Paralympics, which will feature more than 4,200 athletes, with a variety of disabilities, from 150 nations will take part.

It is the first time in history that sessions at the Paralympics have been oversubscribed and Sir Philip continued: "To have over a million tickets applied for 11 months out from the Games is unprecedented.

http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/55626000/jpg/_55626088_davidweirpa464261.jpg
Source: [B]BBC http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-15068061

nick-taylor

October 27th, 2011, 11:31 AM

St George's Tower

180m 'corkscrew' tower in Vauxhall is rapidly rising. Picture taken by Light Parade at skyscrapercity.com. (Source: http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=85000211&postcount=1402)

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Thameslink

A ten month programme to re-signal the core section on the Thameslink route has been completed, this will allow for 24 trains per hour in each direction. Article: http://www.rail.co/2011/09/27/thameslink-resignalling-programme-hits-milestone/ (http://www.rail.co/2011/09/27/thameslink-resignalling-programme-hits-milestone/http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2368/2097982927_e76b08d785_b.jpg[/img)

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Source: IanVisits http://www.flickr.com/photos/ianvisits/2097982927/sizes/l/in/photostream/

World's Largest Solar Bridge

Blackfriars station was previously a station based on the north bank of the Thames, however with the arrival of 24tph in each direction and 12 carriage trains, the station is being shifted southwards to span the Thames. The result will mean that the station will be accessible from both banks of the Thames.

However having a station exposed to the elements of the Thames isn't an exciting thought for many, so the station will be fully enclosed. This resulting blank canvas provides Network Rail with an opportunity to cover the bridge in 4,400 solar photovoltaic panels. Apparently this will result in the station/bridge becoming the world's largest solar bridge.

Images sourced from Network Rail (hosted on Flickr). Source: http://www.networkrailmediacentre.co.uk/Press-Releases/WORK-BEGINS-TO-CREATE-WORLD-S-LARGEST-SOLAR-BRIDGE-AT-BLACKFRIARS-18c0/SearchCategoryID-8.aspx (http://www.networkrailmediacentre.co.uk/Press-Releases/WORK-BEGINS-TO-CREATE-WORLD-S-LARGEST-SOLAR-BRIDGE-AT-BLACKFRIARS-18c0/SearchCategoryID-8.aspxhttp://farm7.static.flickr.com/6060/6279742778_73e1826883_b.jpghttp://farm7.static.flickr.com/6043/6279742780_6c412329d8_b.jpghttp://farm7.static.flickr.com/6116/6279742786_d967d2ddf6_b.jpg[img]http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6235/6279742784_3b3659b6e6_b.jpg[/img)

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One Nine Elms

Two new towers of 170m and 155m have been announced for the Vauxhall area. The mixed use towers will replace two dated 'slab' office buildings and contain 450 apartments, a 180 room hotel, 100,000sq ft of office space, a new public square and a gym located mid-way up the tower on a link between the two towers. All images sourced from www.onenineelms.com

The present towers
http://www.onenineelms.com/wp-content/uploads/markettowers.jpg

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The future towers
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And finally an indication of where the towers (in blue) are in relation to all the other redevelopment sites between Battersea Power Station, Nine Elms and Vauxhall. As you can see, this area is going to be a major residential quarter in the coming years.
http://www.onenineelms.com/wp-content/uploads/AreaModel.jpg

Goodmans Fields

Redevelopment of a former RBS site on the eastern border of the City of London.

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All images sourced from chest http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=83667689&postcount=68

nick-taylor

October 27th, 2011, 11:33 AM

20 Fenchurch Street

Photo update of the Walkie Talkie from skyscrapercity.com forum member Core Rising. (Source: http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=84787172&postcount=4790) (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=84787172&postcount=4790)http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6102/6253283513_bf4206647e_b.jpghttp://farm7.static.flickr.com/6227/6253827068_3749824dbc_b.jpghttp://farm7.static.flickr.com/6118/6253823484_bdab88de27_b.jpg[/img)

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Oyster Expansion

Abellio (the Dutch transport company) was recently awarded the franchise to operate what is currently known as the National Express East Anglia routes out of London Liverpool Street and various East Anglian rural lines.

As part of this, Abellio will extend Oyster contactless card acceptance outside of London to ten stations:
- Theobolds Grove on the Lea Valley Lines
- Waltham Cross, Cheshunt and Broxbourne on the West Anglia Main Line
- Rye House, St Margarets, Ware and Hertford East on the Hertford East Branch Line
- Brentwood and Shenfield on the Great Eastern Main Line

According to Transport for London, in 2010 there were 2.5mn journeys a week by passengers using Oyster on National Rail lines (ie non-Underground, Overground and DLR heavy rail lines), so the gradual expansion towards Oyster on other commuter lines will ensure that paper tickets are a thing of the past. Work will begin in February of next year.

King's Cross Central

RedArkady (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=84129258&postcount=1082 + http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=84758837&postcount=1097) at skyscrapercity.com managed to go on a tour of the King's Cross Central site. The vast site which used to be a major goods yard sandwiched to the north of St Pancras and King's Cross stations had been derelict for many years.

Due to the size of the site, the present core developments have focused on the eastern residential blocks, the new home to the Central St Martins College of Art & Design (the old goods yard buildings) and the groundwork for St Pancras Square (office buildings) which is the development area closest to King's Cross St Pancras stations. Granary Square will also become a major focal point for the regeneration of the area

A render for reminder (north is to the right):

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/59/221925673_1989b05205_b.jpg
Source: brucieweb http://www.flickr.com/photos/brucieweb/221925673/sizes/l/in/set-72157594246923429/ (http://www.flickr.com/photos/brucieweb/221925673/sizes/l/in/set-72157594246923429/http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6157/6181767249_dfa58f6ab2_b.jpghttp://farm7.static.flickr.com/6167/6249357525_e527670619_b.jpghttp://farm7.static.flickr.com/6175/6182239446_9ab685f384_b.jpghttp://farm7.static.flickr.com/6166/6182245884_3d7fd5945b_b.jpghttp://farm7.static.flickr.com/6180/6182259808_26d25f6a88_b.jpghttp://farm7.static.flickr.com/6168/6181942131_44766bf2f2_b.jpghttp://farm7.static.flickr.com/6161/6181823719_76c47f6138_b.jpghttp://farm7.static.flickr.com/6163/6181872033_11261cb60f_b.jpghttp://farm7.static.flickr.com/6155/6181895039_f2ca30d316_b.jpghttp://farm7.static.flickr.com/6160/6181911343_abd6b80c6d_b.jpghttp://farm7.static.flickr.com/6171/6181936253_f072b83575_b.jpghttp://farm7.static.flickr.com/6043/6249893642_61ceff68a2_b.jpghttp://farm7.static.flickr.com/6236/6249285125_7420cc8fa8_b.jpghttp://farm7.static.flickr.com/6177/6249816648_ff4bdb396c_b.jpghttp://farm7.static.flickr.com/6229/6249297499_7ec8e08110_b.jpghttp://farm7.static.flickr.com/6049/6249836626_90bdaf58e8_b.jpghttp://farm7.static.flickr.com/6047/6249827232_9fa848bb07_b.jpghttp://farm7.static.flickr.com/6212/6249302633_bdb90d2841_b.jpghttp://farm7.static.flickr.com/6161/6249832412_f676779767_b.jpghttp://farm7.static.flickr.com/6224/6249840992_ba3aa1f7f3_b.jpghttp://farm7.static.flickr.com/6153/6249845698_a3a93f4cfb_b.jpghttp://farm7.static.flickr.com/6044/6249850406_38bae340cf_b.jpghttp://farm7.static.flickr.com/6164/6249860872_3a50c231e8_b.jpg[img]http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6045/6249339629_48fb8e1d43_b.jpg[/img)

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nick-taylor

October 27th, 2011, 11:36 AM

Heron Tower

With the first tenants due to start moving in, the owners of the Heron Tower have been testing the lighting scheme which is pretty crazy. Image taken by I_AM_SAM on flickr. (Source: http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6171/6190085389_2a57cb35f0_z.jpg) (http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6171/6190085389_2a57cb35f0_z.jpg)http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6171/6190085389_2a57cb35f0_b.jpg[/img)

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6171/6190085389_2a57cb35f0_b.jpg

London River Park

Some new images have been released of the planned floating River Park that will run parallel along the northern bank of the Thames between Blackfriars and London Bridge.. All images sourced from www.londonriverpark.org/gallery (http://www.londonriverpark.org/gallery)

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100 Bishopsate

Recently given permission to increase in height to 172m, the demolition of the old buildings has progressed to the ground floor. A render of the tower can be sourced from here: http://www.skyscrapernews.com/images/pics/2069100Bishopsgate_pic5.jpg (http://www.skyscrapernews.com/images/pics/2069100Bishopsgate_pic5.jpghttp://farm7.static.flickr.com/6131/6194567285_5059ed35d4_b.jpgSource)

[IMG]http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6131/6194567285_5059ed35d4_b.jpg

[I]Source:Lumberjack London http://www.flickr.com/people/47769294@N03/

150 Stratford High Street

This was stalled during the downturn, but has seen significant progress in recent months. Picture taken by chest over at skyscrapercity (Source: http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=84958980&postcount=118) (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=84958980&postcount=118)http://web.me.com/benveasey/_MG_7053.jpg[/img)

[IMG]http://web.me.com/benveasey/_MG_7053.jpg

Crossrail

IanVisits (who maintains a London-orientated website: http://www.ianvisits.co.uk/) was fortunate enough to go on a tour of the Royal Oak tunnel portal site for Crossrail.

This tunnel portal marks the western entrance/exit to the Crossrail tunnels under Central London, of which 42km will be created to link up various routes and destinations and increase London's transport capacity by a significant amount.

The tube line running alongside the Crossrail portal is the Hammersmith & City line, while the parallel heavy rail lines is the Great Western Main Line which runs from London Paddington to Heathrow, Reading, Cardiff, Bath, Bristol and Oxford.

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nick-taylor

October 27th, 2011, 11:37 AM

The Orbit

Anish Kapoor's crazy observation platform-sculpture is developing. Pictures taken by chest over at skyscrapercity (Source: http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=84957039&postcount=1422) (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=84957039&postcount=1422)http://web.me.com/benveasey/_MG_7042.jpghttp://web.me.com/benveasey/_MG_7066.jpghttp://web.me.com/benveasey/_MG_7061.jpghttp://web.me.com/benveasey/_MG_7114.jpg[/img)

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Wimbledon No 1 Court

Work is beginning on what is being referred to as the Wimbledon 2020 project, following on from the previous long-term initiative established back in 1993.
Originally opened in 1997, No 1 Court has a capacity of 11,429 and is the second largest court at Wimbledon after Centre Court. Following the success of the £100mn roof over Centre Court, it is being looked at whether a roof could be constructed over No 1 Court. More detailed plans should be announced next May.

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6005/5901202553_d9eec633ac_b.jpg
Source: Jon.Perry http://www.flickr.com/photos/jonpenny/5901202553/sizes/l/in/photostream/

Tube Train Automation

With work now finished on automating the Jubilee line (following in the path of the Central and Victoria line), work has now begun on automating the Northern line which is hoped to be completed by next year. In addition with the new S Stock trains being rolled out across the Sub-Surface lines (Circle, District, Hammersmith & City and Metropolitan), the signalling infrastructure is being upgraded to cope with a highly automated train service that will increase services, operating performance and decrease journey times and delays.

Yet despite the automation of trains on the Central and Jubilee, the trains still employ the services of train 'drivers' to open and close doors while at a platform.

Not exactly exciting, yet there is a clear financial incentive to become a driver. Recently it became apparent that tube drivers will not only receive a £1,800 'bonus' for working normal hours during next year’s Olympics, but that they were seeking above inflation increases to their salary which would see them earn in excess of £50,000 (US$80,000)! In my view, with more trains set to run in the coming years (requiring 'drivers') and increased salary demands, the wage bill is being inflated to un-necessary levels. Subsequently the drivers ought to be ditched altogether.

It thus comes as no surprise that yesterday one of the unions representing Tube staff has unearthed a document that would cull 1,500 jobs. The document stated that by 2017, only 20% of trains will be manually operated, and that after 2020 of all lines will be fully automated.

Dollar Bay Tower

The latest design for Dollar Bay in the Docklands area has been unveiled. It supersedes a previous and slightly taller scheme, which in my opinion was more unique (http://skyscrapernews.com/picturedisplay.php?ref=6162&idi=Dollar+Bay&self=nse&selfidi=6162DollarBay_pic1.jpg&no=1). (http://skyscrapernews.com/picturedisplay.php?ref=6162&idi=Dollar+Bay&self=nse&selfidi=6162DollarBay_pic1.jpg&no=1).The)

Thetower will house 121 apartments and possesses a facade that is broken into several slabs that get larger as you progress up the tower. The overall shape evokes a polished precious stone due to the multi-facets to the form. Render sourced from www.skyscrapernews.com (http://www.skyscrapernews.com).
http://skyscrapernews.com/images/pics/2952NewPlansSurfaceForDollarBay_pic1.jpg

122 Leadenhall
Cranes have been rising in October at the 122 Leadenhall site - full steam ahead! Pictures taken by chest over at skyscrapercity.com. (Source: http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=84762463&postcount=5065) (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=84762463&postcount=5065)http://web.me.com/benveasey/_MG_3789.jpghttp://web.me.com/benveasey/_MG_6909.jpghttp://web.me.com/benveasey/_MG_6876.jpg[/img)

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nick-taylor

October 27th, 2011, 11:42 AM

King's Cross Station

It has taken a few years, but finally the scaffolding is being taken away to reveal the new glazing and roof at King's Cross Station. Opened in 1852, next year will mark its 160th year of passenger operation.

As illustrated in previous posts, work is still progressing on the new semi-circular western concourse that will replace the present concourse that is far too small for the present and future use of the station. After the Olympics, the old concourse will be demolished to create a new piazza.

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Source: stavioni http://www.flickr.com/photos/stephenpoole/5695288485/sizes/l/in/photostream/ (http://www.flickr.com/photos/stephenpoole/5695288485/sizes/l/in/photostream/http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3190/5695863184_8df905b3c4_b.jpg[/img)[/I]

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Source: stavioni http://www.flickr.com/photos/stephenpoole/5695863184/sizes/l/in/photostream/ (http://www.flickr.com/photos/stephenpoole/5695863184/sizes/l/in/photostream/The)

The present station concourse, and in the background London St Pancras International
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Source: IanVisits http://www.flickr.com/photos/ianvisits/6194361377/sizes/l/in/photostream/ (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ianvisits/6194361377/sizes/l/in/photostream/The)[/I]

The new passenger overbridge and lifts to reduce overcrowding
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Source: IanVisits http://www.flickr.com/photos/ianvisits/6194367219/sizes/l/in/set-72157627779188920/ (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ianvisits/6194367219/sizes/l/in/set-72157627779188920/http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6164/6194897954_00f50d63ca_b.jpg[/img)[/I]

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Source: IanVisits http://www.flickr.com/photos/ianvisits/6194897954/sizes/l/in/photostream/ (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ianvisits/6194897954/sizes/l/in/photostream/http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6172/6159417549_8c6781bba4_b.jpg[/img)

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Source: avail http://www.flickr.com/photos/avail/6159422783/sizes/l/in/photostream/

Green Park Station

Green Park located on Piccadilly in London's West End is a major interchange station for the Jubilee, Piccadilly and Victoria lines. The station is used by 29.37mn people each year, but due to the depth and history of the platforms, they have lacked step-free access. There was also a problem of congestion at the Ritz Hotel entrance.

To resolve this, Transport for London has created new lift shafts to provide step-free access from street-level to all platforms, as well as interchange. In addition the ticket area has been expanded to cope with future growth and the new entrance onto Green Park itself.

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Source: JesarArts http://www.flickr.com/photos/jesararts/6154311278/sizes/l/in/photostream/ (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jesararts/6154311278/sizes/l/in/photostream/http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6169/6175962487_31f1c86ba7_b.jpg[/img)

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Source: tompagenet http://www.flickr.com/photos/tompagenet/6175958203/sizes/l/in/photostream/

151-159 City Road

Work has started on this 24 development due north of the City.

Render sourced from skyscrapercity.com member Spank

http://i459.photobucket.com/albums/qq318/spank1985/CityRoad.jpg

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Source: LondonerN1 http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=84156815&postcount=254

Allies & Morrison Towers

Two towers planned to be built adjacent to Stratford Station

http://www.skyscrapernews.com/images/pics/1845AlliesandMorrisonOlympicTowersRevealed_pic3.jp g

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1 Blackfriars

Berkeley Group have acquired the site for what was once the 52 storey Beetham Tower for £85mn. The recession pretty much buggered up the finances of the previous developer, however the new owner of the site is looking to press ahead with the current approved plans. The total gross development value of the project is £700mn!

According to the following article on www.bdonline.co.uk (http://www.bdonline.co.uk) (http://www.bdonline.co.uk/5026803.article?origin=BDdaily), construction is to start immediately. Render sourced from www.skyscrapernews.com (http://www.skyscrapernews.com).

http://skyscrapernews.com/images/pics/1524BeethamLondon_pic2.jpg

nick-taylor

November 3rd, 2011, 07:58 AM

Thames Hub I briefly talked about this in my previous photo-laden post, but Foster & Partners, Halcrow and Volterra have finally unveiled their vision for a massive overhaul of aviation in and around London. The £50bn project would include a 150mppa 4-runway airport that would have flight paths avoiding London, a new four-track HSR orbital line by-passing London, a new river crossing under the Thames, a tidal energy array and new Thames Barrier. All of the major ports would be connected to the cargo hub attached to the main airport. Naturally this is just a vision, but unlike previous studies, this incorporates multiple features to boost the productivity gains and business case. http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6034/6308799170_5c415dcf52_b.jpg http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6046/6308799178_7c741d06f1_b.jpg http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6235/6308799180_e035745112_b.jpg http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6224/6308799186_4634ae40d3_b.jpg http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6094/6308799194_c706e375fd_b.jpg http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6102/6308799198_a734d5d9fe_b.jpg http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6036/6308282687_7504970ca6_b.jpg http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6218/6308282689_a51b18f9a0_b.jpg http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6052/6308282695_f3cc62ef9f_b.jpg http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6103/6308282697_66e2b992ef_b.jpg http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6060/6308282699_e8fc0ff01d_b.jpg http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6054/6308282701_ff51bc561e_b.jpg http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6113/6308894480_94b7c6b425_b.jpg http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6229/6308894482_8be0cd1679_b.jpg http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6093/6308894484_49cefe8579_b.jpg http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6091/6308894488_f9e9c3a072_b.jpg http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6103/6308894490_74e9287c35_b.jpg http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6214/6308894496_3243c36248_b.jpg http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6053/6308898962_9197329802_b.jpg http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6104/6308898968_e07550602f_b.jpg http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6091/6308898966_00c31019db_b.jpg On a side note does anyone know why formatting is messed up on the forum? Everything 'merges'??

Ed007Toronto

November 7th, 2011, 02:36 PM

Quite the plan.

nick-taylor

November 29th, 2011, 05:29 PM

The Shard

http://web.me.com/benveasey/_MG_4075.jpg
Source: chest at skyscrapercity: http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=86092607&postcount=21501

http://img254.imageshack.us/img254/3785/shard3of9.jpg

http://img7.imageshack.us/img7/429/shard4of9.jpg

http://img651.imageshack.us/img651/1743/shard6of9.jpg

http://img249.imageshack.us/img249/4559/shard9of9.jpg

Source: potto at skyscrapercity: http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?p=85873903#post85873903

20 Fenchurch Street

http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6096/6371169705_00075c4c18_o.jpg
Source: insightful light at Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/insightful-light/6371169705/in/photostream

King's Cross Central

The new western concourse at King's Cross is gradually being opened up. Photos taken by potto at skyscrapercity: http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=85846548&postcount=1148 + http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=85878269&postcount=1152

http://img17.imageshack.us/img17/948/kingsx1of1.jpg

http://img27.imageshack.us/img27/6329/kingsx1of12.jpg

http://img843.imageshack.us/img843/4008/kingsx1of13.jpg

The new Central St Martins College and other King's Cross Central developments

http://img819.imageshack.us/img819/6236/kingsx14of19.jpg

http://img17.imageshack.us/img17/6189/kingsx11of19.jpg

http://img408.imageshack.us/img408/7386/kingsx12of19.jpg

http://img42.imageshack.us/img42/2963/kingsx13of19.jpg

http://img59.imageshack.us/img59/8130/kingsx9of19.jpg

http://img507.imageshack.us/img507/7459/kingsx10of19.jpg

http://img140.imageshack.us/img140/3882/kingsx18of19.jpg

http://img88.imageshack.us/img88/3246/kingsx1of19.jpg

http://img638.imageshack.us/img638/2512/kingsx5of19.jpg

122 Leadenhall

http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6107/6378363033_28cfa20ba4_b.jpg
Source: wilecat67 at Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/wildecat67/6378363033/in/photostream

One St George Wharf

Photo update by at skyscrapercity: http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=86039741&postcount=1438

http://web.me.com/benveasey/_MG_4002.jpg

http://web.me.com/benveasey/_MG_0482.jpg

http://web.me.com/benveasey/_MG_0502.jpg

harsaphes

December 5th, 2011, 06:38 AM

Hey guys, long time. Was visiting one of my favorite Tech sites this AM and came across this article which I'm sure you will enjoy. Thanks

http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/news/2011/12/the-shards-bleeding-edge-anatomy-of-a-21st-century-skyscraper.ars

Rational Plan

December 8th, 2011, 01:01 PM

Well that did not take long, looks like TFL are pushing ahead with lobbying for Crossrail 2 now that Crossrail 1 is under construction and they have just got through the parliamentary committee stage for High Speed line 2.

Two images of TFL's preferred options for Crossrail 2.

http://www.transportxtra.com/magazines/local_transport_today/news/?id=28776

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s233/Maryside/London%20Photos/crossrail2autometro.jpg

The first is for an automated metro line, which is pretty much just the core Chelsea Hackney route between Kings Road and Hackneys Downs, with an extension to Seven Sisters in the North and Clapham Junction to the South.

Then there is their regional metro option.

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s233/Maryside/London%20Photos/crossrail2regional.jpg

This is much more interesting. Again we have a core route but with fewer stations in the core because of their size. The tunnel would start at Wimbledon and then divert to Tooting Broadway, where it could intercept traffic from the Southern end of the Northern Line, before going back to Clapham Junction.

At the Northern end it is even more creative and reminds me of the two eastern branches of Crossrail 1. The line diverges into two tunnels at Angel, where one goesto Hackney and then Tottenham Hale before surfacing and taking over the West Anglia line to Hertford East. The other line goes to Dalston, Seven Sisters, Wood Green and then Alexander Palace. This line would intercept traffic on the other branch of the West Anglia, Northern Piccadilly and the Great Northern lines.

It seems to me this is TFL's attempt preempts Network Rails concerns particularly in the South West, while sneakily squeezing a few more suburban stations. Only one Northern Line takes over Suburban rail services, the other intercepts suburban traffic at interchange station, coincidently acting as a new suburban line for TFL.

nick-taylor

December 13th, 2011, 09:48 AM

Shard

Excellent pics taken by chest over at skyscrapercity (Source: http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=86518769&postcount=21695 + http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=86520627&postcount=21698).

http://web.me.com/benveasey/_MG_4254.jpg

http://web.me.com/benveasey/_MG_4280.jpg

http://web.me.com/benveasey/_MG_4310.jpg

http://web.me.com/benveasey/_MG_4335.jpg

http://web.me.com/benveasey/_MG_4293.jpg

New Covent Garden Market Towers

Some images sourced by Rational Plan at skycrapercity illustrate plans for two towers of 53 storeys (approx 170m each) and six other buildings of high-density in the Vauxhall-Nine Elms-Battersea regeneration area.

The plan by Allies & Morrison is on a plot of land held by the New Covent Garden Market who are keen to raise funds to assist in regenerating the nearby market

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s233/Maryside/London%20Photos/vauxhall3.jpg

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s233/Maryside/London%20Photos/vauxhall2.jpg

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s233/Maryside/London%20Photos/vauxhallsquare4.jpg

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s233/Maryside/London%20Photos/vauxhallsquare.jpg

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s233/Maryside/London%20Photos/vauxhallsquare3.jpg

Directly opposite across the railway tracks, Downing Developments has submitted an application for a 32 storey tower which would be occupied by 572 en-suite student rooms, a gym and swimming pool.

http://www.downing.com/mainimage2.asp?image=london_pic1.jpg

http://www.downing.com/gallery3.asp?image=london_pic2.jpg

http://www.downing.com/gallery3.asp?image=london_pic3.jpg

The Pinnacle

Gradually progressing upwards. Shots taken by chest from skyscrapercity (Source: http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=86579394&postcount=9639).

http://web.me.com/benveasey/_MG_0642.jpg

http://web.me.com/benveasey/_MG_0648.jpg

122 Leadenhall

Richard Rogers' tower is progressing well (the adjacent construction site is that of the Pinnacle). Pics taken by Wildecat at skyscrapercity (Source: http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=86579548&postcount=5311).

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7153/6501156183_97dc7993d1_b.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7152/6501146053_119edf3328_b.jpg

20 Fenchurch Street

Once again more pics from chest at skyscrapercity of the Walkie Talkie (Source: http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=86490137&postcount=5128).

http://web.me.com/benveasey/IMG_0396.jpg

http://web.me.com/benveasey/_MG_4180.jpg

http://web.me.com/benveasey/_MG_4212.jpg

Milton Court

112m residential going up in the Square Mile beside the Barbican. Pics taken by chest at skyscrapercity.com (Source: http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=86579080&postcount=698).

http://web.me.com/benveasey/_MG_0606.jpg

http://web.me.com/benveasey/_MG_0597.jpg

http://web.me.com/benveasey/_MG_4366.jpg

Craven Cottage Expansion

Home to Fulham Football Club in West London for 115 years, Craven Cottage is a compact and historic stadium with a capacity of 25,700.

Yet despite being in close proximity to fellow Premier League rivals (Chelsea's Stamford Bridge stadium is a mere 2.2km away and QPR's Loftus Road 3.81km), the stadium is at full capacity.

Failure to add capacity, will undoubtedly lead to Fulham struggling to generate the additional revenue to compete with not just other Premier League clubs, but London clubs in general.

Yet despite being backed by wealthy Egyptian Mohamed Al-Fayed, the present stadium site is constricted...

http://www.fulhamfcstadium.com/wp-content/plugins/sugar-slider/includes/timthumb.php?src=/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Banner_01.jpg&w=954&h=340&zc=1

The above aerial illustrates the situation facing the club's present home:
- To the north lies an apartment complex,
- To the south lies a public park,
- To the east lies the expensive homes of Fulham and the Grade II listed Johnny Haynes Stand,
- To the west lies the slight hurdle of the Thames.

In the past, Fulham have looked at potentially moving to another site in West London, however fan pressure and the lack of potential sites has deterred such development.

Instead Fulham will expand the present Riverside Stand which backs onto the Thames to expand the capacity to 30,000. This would make Craven Cottage the 8th largest stadium in London (overtaking Selhurst Park and The Valley, of Crystal Palace and Charlton Athletic respectively).

As part of the design a new pedestrian path along the Thames riverbank will be created (currently you have to detour around the stadium).

http://www.fulhamfcstadium.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Stadium_history_01.jpg

http://www.fulhamfcstadium.com/wp-content/plugins/sugar-slider/includes/timthumb.php?src=/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Stadium_future_01.jpg&w=729&h=340&zc=1

http://www.fulhamfcstadium.com/wp-content/plugins/sugar-slider/includes/timthumb.php?src=/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Riverside_walk_01.jpg&w=729&h=340&zc=1

http://www.fulhamfcstadium.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Architecture_01.jpg

http://www.fulhamfcstadium.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Construction_phase_01.jpg

http://www.fulhamfcstadium.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Respecting_our_neighbours_011.jpg

http://www.fulhamfcstadium.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Have_your_say_011.jpg

The aforementioned Grade II listed Johnny Haynes stand
http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5086/5372826934_60c43e6ca7_b.jpg
Source: fliefy on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/29423584@N08/5372826934/

New Chelsea FC Stadium

Chelsea's Russian owner Roman Abramovich has recently held discussions with the owners of the Battersea Power Station site in south-west London, about the possibility of constructing a new 60,000 seat stadium.

The site is located 3km due east of Chelsea's present home in Stamford Bridge and has been idle for several years ever since power generation seized.

Several developers over the years have struggled to get construction off the ground which would have seen the site become home to several thousand homes.

The Power Station itself is a giant art deco landmark, and is classified as being the largest brick-building in Europe. In recent years the vast canvass has been utilised for various extreme sports events, obscure parties and locations for films. Fans of The Dark Knight may recall it being used in some scenes.

Chelsea have desperately been seeking ways to expand match-day revenue for several years, as the present 42,500 capacity Stamford Bridge is constrained by surrounding developments. There is also pressure to maximise attendances that a larger stadium could provide to offset against the incoming UEFA Financial Fair Play rules restricting callous uncontrollable expenditure.

Previously, the Earls Court site was viewed as a potential opportunity, however going by recent developments this would appear unlikely as that vast site is set to become a large residential development. Earls Court would have been ideal for the club as the site is adjacent to the Earls Court tube station (a major transport hub) and only 700m from their present home.

There are a few hurdles to Chelsea's potential move however, despite the $bn's available to the club courteously of Mr Abramovich:
- The pitch and naming rights to the club are owned by the Chelsea Pitch Owners (around 15,000 individuals), without their permission, the club would be unable to sell the present site or use the 'Chelsea FC' name.
- Even with a stadium, the site would still need extensive development (potential for several thousand housing units).
- The club would have to contribute towards the planned Northern Line Extension to Battersea.

Almacantar has been appointed as development partner, while KPF have been instructed to draw up plans.

My view - this entire area up to Vauxhall is due to be redeveloped in the coming years, so this could be a good catalyst for other developments. I suspect the stadium would struggle to be incorporated into the power station however.

Stamford Bridge
http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4003/4378545156_706e8b62c1_o.jpg
Source: Gkriniaris on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/gkriniaris/4378545156/

Battersea Power Station
http://farm2.staticflickr.com/1155/1016319631_246a62ce19_o.jpg
Source: John Linwood on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/27045884@N05/4043398145/sizes/l/in/photostream/

Thameslink

*Nurse* over at skyscrapercity.com took some pictures of the new southern ticket hall at Farringdon and the new northern and southern ticket halls at Blackfriars.

Source: http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=86575761&postcount=589 + http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=86576086&postcount=590

Farringdon
By 2018 there will be four ticket halls to access Farringdon station. The original ticket hall which dates back to 1866 is being renovated and is visible across the pedestrian road in the first picture. The first picture also shows the second recently opened ticket hall which will also be the main western entrance to the Crossrail platforms.

http://i1107.photobucket.com/albums/h382/nurse_B/111212_120400.jpg

http://i1107.photobucket.com/albums/h382/nurse_B/111212_120432.jpg

http://i1107.photobucket.com/albums/h382/nurse_B/111212_120348.jpg

http://i1107.photobucket.com/albums/h382/nurse_B/111212_120605.jpg

A general indication showing the layout of the new ticket hall and future connection to Crossrail platforms
http://www.networkrail.co.uk/assets/0/72/4294967297/30064771426/30064771910/30064771913/20fa5afb-f4c1-4c5f-a20c-92e8eec67312.jpg
Source: Network Rail: http://www.networkrail.co.uk/aspx/6282.aspx

Blackfriars
The station has been extended to cross the Thames, with two new ticket halls on the north and south bank. A solar roof which is still under construction will span the length of the station.

http://i1107.photobucket.com/albums/h382/nurse_B/111212_113552.jpg

http://i1107.photobucket.com/albums/h382/nurse_B/111212_113635.jpg

http://i1107.photobucket.com/albums/h382/nurse_B/111212_113707.jpg

http://i1107.photobucket.com/albums/h382/nurse_B/111212_113801.jpg

http://i1107.photobucket.com/albums/h382/nurse_B/111212_114142.jpg

http://i1107.photobucket.com/albums/h382/nurse_B/bfsouth1.jpg

http://i1107.photobucket.com/albums/h382/nurse_B/bfsouth2.jpg

http://i1107.photobucket.com/albums/h382/nurse_B/bfsouth3.jpg

http://i1107.photobucket.com/albums/h382/nurse_B/bfsouth4.jpg

http://i1107.photobucket.com/albums/h382/nurse_B/bfsouth5.jpg

http://i1107.photobucket.com/albums/h382/nurse_B/bfsouth6.jpg

http://i1107.photobucket.com/albums/h382/nurse_B/bfsouth7.jpg

The finished appearance in summer 2012
http://www.networkrail.co.uk/assets/0/72/4294967297/30064771426/30064771807/30064771817/e12c5a9c-39bd-4f04-a13f-b6fc80c7e848.jpg
Source: Network Rail: http://www.networkrail.co.uk/aspx/6264.aspx

West Hampstead
In addition, a new entrance has opened for the Thameslink West Hampstead station in north London.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7143/6406667583_b8b976b8ee_b.jpg
Source: Green, Cream & Tangerine livery[/b] on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/45801463@N05/6406667583/sizes/l/in/photostream/

High Speed 2

After various protests from locals and green groups (rather ironic), the decision on whether HS2 will be given the green light has been postponed until mid-January. This delay also combines with a new proposal to put an additional 1.5 miles underground to preserve some picturesque countryside.

Crossrail 2

Some bigger maps sourced from the TfL report as per Rational Plan's images.

Option A: Automated Metro Scheme
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7028/6504770125_5b0e817108_b.jpg

Option B: Regional Scheme
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7005/6504770119_fefa155c61_b.jpg

RandySavage

December 13th, 2011, 10:23 PM

^Thanks for the update. London has some superlative things going on. Shard is looking great and Pinnacle is finally on its way.

nick-taylor

January 9th, 2012, 09:32 AM

Happy New Year all! 200 days till the Olympic party begins.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J--WBdwnyvI

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5241/5323815403_23be46fa23_b.jpg
Image taken by Richard Barnes London: http://www.flickr.com/photos/richardbarneslondon/5323815403/sizes/l/in/photostream/

Olympic Park

Update from December of the Olympic Park and venues. Photos sourced from London 2012: http://www.london2012.com/press/media-releases/2011/12/new-aerial-images-show-olympic-park-transformation-on-ev.php

Velodrome & BMX Track

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7174/6565907685_0dd841ee26_b.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7009/6565896431_759eca932e_b.jpg

Handball Arena

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7157/6565905889_e6a25cbeb7_b.jpg

Olympic Park

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7147/6565904655_8cfe8a7f29_b.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7029/6565900941_8859afd960_b.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7013/6565894189_f1301ee5e6_b.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7146/6565892197_c3745cbcd1_b.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7171/6565888309_9d3c48c837_b.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7165/6565886533_567fa8db79_b.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7174/6565884675_a6e06b3d2e_b.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7145/6565869663_3eb49b6a5f_b.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7174/6565875075_72dfa22e06_b.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7034/6565856681_c7bc15a513_b.jpg

Water Polo Arena

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7009/6565903163_e9f3822b81_b.jpg

Olympic Village

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7152/6565899051_2735e1685b_b.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7157/6565890423_d66e51ac9a_b.jpg

International Broadcasting Centre

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7011/6565882497_0116b5927d_b.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7170/6565873449_a904b0c138_b.jpg

Eton Manor

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7153/6565877677_714beceb3d_b.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7150/6565880335_3c7c1d4586_b.jpg

Olympic Stadium

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7148/6565862673_1c617bf22c_b.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7144/6565859727_b02d3461e5_b.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7004/6565866365_3e21d5c75d_b.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7028/6565864239_d309674faf_b.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7147/6565871329_c559e43211_b.jpg

Aquatic Centre

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7014/6565854857_4b55f7737a_b.jpg

lofter1

January 9th, 2012, 11:44 AM

The gardeners and landscapers are going to be very busy over the next few months.

londonlawyer

January 9th, 2012, 10:33 PM

Great update!

nick-taylor

January 10th, 2012, 07:15 AM

The gardeners and landscapers are going to be very busy over the next few months.Fortunately work is pretty much done on that front, with the exception of some tidying up and the erection of temporary buildings (security, sponsors, etc...). There won't be any incidents of spraying green paint on the ground ala-Beijing '08!

The two year planting programme consisting of 4,000 semi-mature trees, 300,000 wetland plants, 10 football field’s worth of perennial meadows and 120,000 other plants was completed in November (http://www.london2012.com/press/media-releases/2011/11/olympic-park-planting-complete-as-blue-peter-gardener-jo.php).

However it should be noted that this is for the park in Olympic-mode, where vast areas of tarmac are an IOC requirement for security and handling the large volumes of people circulating around the venues. In legacy-mode, the park will be landscaped further to reflect the lower 'peak' usage.

For instance temporary bridges will be removed along the waterways (identifiable in the above images), while the security areas and vast pavements that meander through the site will be cut up to make way for more parkland or other developments. What is currently known as London Way (the wide pedestrian route parallel to the river running north to south) won’t exist in twelve months time.

While a rough outline of the legacy-mode is known, specific details are still being released. Today the Handball Arena has been given the official title of the Copper Box. Last month the Olympic Park Legacy Company submitted plans for the VeloPark which includes a one mile road cycle circuit and eight kilometres of mountain bike trails. Images below and sourced from Inside The Games: http://www.insidethegames.biz/sports/summer/cycling/15199-oplc-submits-plans-to-complete-world-class-velopark

http://www.insidethegames.biz/images/2011/12/london_velopark_15-12-111.jpg

http://www.insidethegames.biz/images/2011/12/london_velopark_15-12-1111.jpg

http://www.insidethegames.biz/images/2011/12/london_velopark_15-12-11.jpg

Also worth watching is a 5 minute flythrough in and over the entire Olympic Park and venues: http://www.london2012.com/videos/2012/olympic-park-flythrough-january-2012.php

nick-taylor

January 10th, 2012, 09:14 AM

High Speed 2 - Approved

After various consultations, the Transport Secretary Justine Greening has given the green light to High Speed Two. The initial £17bn stretch will run between London and Birmingham.

Following consultation with tens of thousands of interested parties, various amendments have been made to the current route:
- The line will be in tunnel for around 22.5miles of its length (up 50%).
- An additional 56.5miles will be partially or totally hidden in cuttings, with a substantial reduction in the number of viaducts and embankments.
- Only five properties across the length of the line would experience high levels of noise.
- A commitment has been made to plant two million trees along the route.

Aerial video from between Aylesbury and Birmingham: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-16478954
An Ordnance Survey map of the route: http://assets.dft.gov.uk/publications/hs2-maps-20120110/hs2arp00drrw05000issue3.pdf

http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/57792000/gif/_57792582_uk_rail_highspeed2_304.gif
Source: BBC: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-16478954

Some other notes:
- Upon completion of work of phase I (London - Birmingham) in 2026, there will be 11 trains per peak hour in each direction, with 10 trains per hour off-peak with a maximum capacity of 14 trains per hour.
- Once phase II is built, peak-hour capacity in each direction will increase to 18 trains per hour.
- Upon the completion of phase II, it is expected that 270,000 passengers a day would use HS2 to Central London.
- The line is being built to international gauge and will include a connection to HS1 for journeys onwards to the continent.
- Planned operating speed is 225mph; however the line will be built for 250mph operations.
- The line would operate between 0500-2359 Monday-Saturday and 0800-2359 on Sundays.
- Trains will be 400m in length with seating capacity for 1,100.
- 27 sites were suggested for a London terminus; however the present West Coast Main Line terminus of London Euston will be rebuilt to cater to the 400m train sets.
- The pace of growth on the railways has been outstripping growth forecasts despite the economic climate meaning the present rail capacity limits will be reached sooner than predicted.

Proposals for the £15bn phase two branches to Manchester and Leeds are also being put forward, with recommendations to the government being announced later this year. Phase II would also incorporate a spur to Heathrow Airport, however with the potential development of a Thames Gateway Airport and a London-bypass HSR line this may not be needed.

The first phase will open in 2026, cutting journey times from London to Birmingham to 45 minutes. Journey times to Manchester and Leeds would be cut respectively by 68 and 88 minutes by 2032.

A Southeastern Shinkansen operating on High Speed 1
http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6073/6055988943_646eec4c72_b.jpg
Image taken by UK-JPN on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/uk-jpn/6055988943/sizes/l/in/set-72157627906625277/

HS2: Crossrail and London Overground Integration at Old Oak Common

jon10 over at skyscrapercity sourced these slides from parkroyaltown.blogspot.com which illustrate Transport for London's (TfL) plans for the High Speed 2 station that would be built at Old Oak Common in west London.

With the proposed HS2 station at Old Oak Common, it is planned that an adjacent station would be built to serve the Great Western Main Line and Crossrail line, providing easy access from HS2 onto London Heathrow Airport.

Slide 1 illustrates the present plans for HS2 and Crossrail in the area. Presently the two London Overground lines (the North London Line and West London Line) skirt around the planned interchange but do not run via the planned site.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7004/6673049075_22ae3667a2_b.jpg

TfL have taken the view that the two London Overground lines could be diverted to create a new 18 platform interchange station that would drastically boost interchange and connectivity across and beyond London.

A subsequent development would be the West London Line being diverted away from its current terminus at Willesden Junction (just off the map to the north), and onto what is presently the freight-only Dudding Hill Line to terminate at Brent Cross, to create a brand new orbital rail route.

The North London Line would still call at Willesden Junction, but its course would be amended to create the Old Oak Common interchange, before rejoining the present route onto Richmond in south-west London.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7160/6673049089_c4411c440c_b.jpg

The newly extended West London Line would create six new stations, four of which would interchange with other London Underground and National Rail lines, maximising the connectivity to HS2 and north-west London.

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The second potential option is to re-route various West Coast Main Line commuter services onto Crossrail via Old Oak Common. This would:
- Significant relieve London Euston (the present WCML terminus) and the approach tracks, allowing for potentially more HS2 terminating platforms.
- Drastically reduce journey times for WCML commuters to the City and Canary Wharf.
- Maximise the track usage on the western section of Crossrail.
- Provide extensive connections to HS2 from a region which is growing fast.

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Crossrail

Some photos of the construction work for the Canary Wharf station which is sunk into a dock. All images taken by IanVisits at Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ianvisits/sets/72157628428454321/with/6515449619/

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Croxley Rail Link

Funding has been secured to construct the long-awaited Metropolitan Line extension to Watford Junction.

The present Watford Branch terminates at Watford station; however this will be sacrificed to allow for the line to be diverted eastwards on a disused alignment, before merging with the Watford DC London Overground Line at Watford High Street, before terminating at Watford Junction.

Two new stations will be constructed at Ascot Road and Watford General Hospital. Line frequency to Central London would be a train every 10 minutes, greatly expanding the journey options from Watford Junction.

There is also potential to re-utilise a south-western chord which would allow for Chiltern Railways to run non-Central London bound trains to Watford Junction, thus increasing regional connections to Watford.

http://cdn.londonreconnections.com/assets/croxleymap.jpg
Source: http://www.londonreconnections.com/

New Bus For London

The controversial 21st century Routemaster replacement for London's bendy-bus fleet was recently unveiled. The buses are part of Boris Johnsons' election pledge to bring back a Routemaster-equivalent bus which allowed passengers to literally hop-on or off the back of the bus.

This allowed for short dwell times at bus stops as people could easily access the bus without needing the bus to stop at a designated bus stop. Naturally however there was a cost; firstly the buses required conductors (in addition to the driver) who would check tickets, secondly people jumping off the bus at speed led to injuries and accidents. They are also proving to be quite costly (both in terms of being manufactured and the requirement to employ a conductor) and questionable in terms of passenger benefit.

Due to health & safety legislation, the rear platform will only be able to be used during the peak hours when a conductor is present. During off-peak hours, only the front and middle doors will open.

The buses incorporate two staircases to provide ease of access to the upper deck, and the 38 bus route from Victoria to Clapton will begin to receive its first vehicles sometime this year. Images taken by DaveAFlett over at Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/9003948@N05/

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nick-taylor

January 10th, 2012, 09:15 AM

New London Crossings

Various proposals for new crossings over the Thames have been made in the last few years, but with the exception of tube, train and DLR construction work, nothing much has taken off.

A major problem for East London is that road traffic is limited past Tower Bridge and the Rotherhithe Tunnel to the permanently congested Blackwall Tunnel and Queen Elizabeth Bridge (southbound) and Tunnels (northbound).

Recently the Mayor has sought to increase support for new crossings which is ironic considering it was he who originally put a hold on the Thames Gateway Bridge at the beginning of his term.

There are three crossings:
- The Thames Gateway Bridge which would link the missing link of the North (and to a partial extent the South) Circular roads.
- The Silvertown Crossing which would come in the form of a tunnel running from Silvertown to the Greenwich Peninsula to relieve the Blackwall Tunnels. This would be roughly on the same alignment as the presently under construction Cable Car.
- A Third Dartford Crossing, however this may not be sited adjacent to the present QE2 bridge and tunnel and may be sited further to the east and be incorporated as part of a tidal barrier in the previously mentioned Fosters’ Thames Hub airport project.

http://i.thisislondon.co.uk/i/pix/2011/11/1Thames_bridges-415.jpg
Sourced from The Evening Standard: http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/politics/article-24015603-better-roads-rail-travel-and-new-river-crossings-in-spending-boost-for-london.do

The Tube

According to figures released by Transport for London, Friday 9th December marked the highest number of passengers carried on the London Underground network in its 148 year history.

4.17mn passengers were carried across the network, which despite the mixed economic climate is up 7% year-on-year. The network also experienced its busiest every week (ending Sat 10th December) with 24.9mn journeys made.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7015/6455273917_0dee8e82d8_b.jpg
Image taken by UK-JPN on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/uk-jpn/6455273917/sizes/l/in/photostream/

Information source: TfL http://www.tfl.gov.uk/corporate/media/newscentre/22218.aspx

London Cable Car

Construction is well underway on the Emirates Airline sponsored Cable Car that will link the ExCeL centre and 02 Arena. The rather pointless scheme is one of Boris Johnson’s pet projects to somehow appease his previous postponement of the Thames Gateway Bridge.

The first tower was recently completed. Image source from Londonist.com: http://londonist.com/2011/12/first-cable-car-tower-completed.php

http://d4k7s9ho8qact.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/1912_cablecar.jpg

And how the sponsored route will appear on the tube map.

http://d4k7s9ho8qact.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/2012_tubemap.jpg?9d7bd4

Bank-Monument Tube Station Expansion

Bank-Monument is London’s 4th busiest tube station; consisting of an underground labyrinth located at the heart of the Square Mile consisting of the Central, Circle, District, Northern, Waterloo & City lines and DLR handling in excess of 43.5mn passengers each year.

The station is experiencing significant annual growth of 2mn passengers per annum, with the number of interchanges also substantially increasing by 42% in the past six years.

While Crossrail and Thameslink will assist in relieving some strain by 2018, an additional ticket hall will be constructed on King William Street which would enable for 4 x 40 person lifts to be installed allowing for step-free access to the Northern Line platforms.

A new southbound Northern Line tunnel will be constructed, while the present southbound platform tunnel will be converted into an additional passageway. New connecting tunnels would then feed into the Central Line and DLR platforms to increase interchange capacity. Construction would start in 2015 and last until 2021.

All images taken by IanVisits at Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ianvisits/sets/72157628091145404/with/6328793981/

Black = Current Northern Line
Green = DLR
Red = Central Line
White = Existing Underground Ticket Hall, Stairs & Escalators
Magenta = New Northern Line platform, connecting tunnels and King William Street ticket hall

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The site for the future King William Street ticket hall
http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6101/6329563086_0b1c1f640d_b.jpg

In addition, to the above plans, it is planned that as part of Bloomberg’s new office development at Wallbrook, an additional ticket hall will be built to allow for additional access to the Waterloo & City platforms.

Thameslink

Work on London’s north-south rail link continues.

London Bridge

Plans for the redevelopment of London Bridge station have been approved by Southwark Council. The works will see the number of terminating platforms (presently nine, in future six) sacrificed for more through platforms (presently six, in future nine); this will allow for greater segregation of services and increase frequencies along all lines into London Bridge, London Cannon Street, London Charing Cross and the Thameslink route via London Blackfriars.

In addition a new street-level concourse will be built to greatly expand the station's capacity during peak hours. Construction work will not commence until after the Olympics, and is set to be completed in 2018.

Images and walkthrough video sourced from Network Rail (http://www.networkrail.co.uk/aspx/12179.aspx) and other images from Grimshaw Architects http://grimshaw-architects.com/project/london-bridge

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1EzLerT1sdE

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http://www.networkrail.co.uk/uploadedImages/networkrail.co.uk/Contents/Improvements/Stafford_%E2%80%93_Norton_Bridge(1)/Images/BirdseyeCGI(1).jpg

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http://www.networkrail.co.uk/uploadedImages/networkrail.co.uk/Contents/Improvements/Stafford_%E2%80%93_Norton_Bridge(1)/Images/StThomasStEntrance.jpg

http://www.networkrail.co.uk/uploadedImages/networkrail.co.uk/Contents/Improvements/Stafford_%E2%80%93_Norton_Bridge(1)/Images/RefurbishedArches.jpg

http://www.networkrail.co.uk/uploadedImages/networkrail.co.uk/Contents/Improvements/Stafford_%E2%80%93_Norton_Bridge(1)/Images/viewfromplatform.jpg

http://www.networkrail.co.uk/uploadedImages/networkrail.co.uk/Contents/Improvements/Stafford_%E2%80%93_Norton_Bridge(1)/Images/TooleyStEntrance.jpg

Farringdon

Two aerial images of Farringdon station which illustrate a few of the recent developments at Farringdon:
- The recently opened new southern ticket hall (green roof).
- The original Farringdon station building (immediately across the road from the above); this will be regenerated in the coming months.
- The new Turnmill Street ticket hall (running to the right of the old station canopy).
- The nearly completed roof canopy extension to cover the northernmost platform section.
- The large plot immediately adjacent to the recently opened southern ticket hall will be the primary western entrance to the Crossrail platforms.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7145/6646850587_a5d1833ac3_b.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7024/6646850619_fc8484551e_b.jpg

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

Video and images sourced from Network Rail: http://www.networkrailmediacentre.co.uk/Press-Releases/NETWORK-RAIL-SETS-OUT-TIMETABLE-FOR-THAMESLINK-COMPLETION-195d/SearchCategoryID-8.aspx

West Hampstead

A before and after image of developments at West Hampstead Thameslink; the original station entrance is being retained and expanded, while a far larger station hall has been constructed to provide step-free access and greater cover for passengers using the station.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7028/6646850639_b9108323ed_b.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7145/6646850665_3bbe732bf9_b.jpg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J9Mlx8gx_mM

Video and images sourced from Network Rail: http://www.networkrailmediacentre.co.uk/Press-Releases/PASSENGERS-BENEFIT-AS-NEW-WEST-HAMPSTEAD-THAMESLINK-STATION-OPENS-1963/SearchCategoryID-8.aspx

Peterborough

Located on the East Coast Main Line, Peterborough is an important north-south London & intercity commuter and east-west freight junction that is 120km north of London.

Despite its distance from London, the fast straights on the ECML allow for journey times of under an hour. In addition the station also offers a London bound train every five minutes at the peak which makes the area an attractive commuter destination with 4mn passengers using the station. (passenger journeys are up 30% in the last decade).

Passenger journeys are up 30% in the last decade and with Peterborough becoming a northern terminus for Thameslink, Network Rail expect London-bound passenger volumes to significantly increase; doubling within the next twenty years. Subsequently to cope with this, work has started on extensive redevelopment to allow for higher train frequencies and longer trains.

At present the station has five platforms, this will increase to seven, with present platforms widened and extended to cope with the longer Thameslink train sets and future Intercity Express trains. The concourse will also be significantly enlarged and modernised, while a new step-free footbridge to all platforms will be constructed.

In addition due to the station's national importance from the eastern ports to the Midlands, a new goods loop will also be built to increase cross-country freight movements.

http://www.rail.co/wp-content/uploads/PeterboroughStation-460x200.jpg

http://www.baqus.co.uk/images/uploads/case_studies/Peterborough_V_02_Interior_Cam_02.jpg

http://www.networkrail.co.uk/assets/0/72/4294967297/30064771362/30064771376/30064771388/30064773442/85f437bc-1b44-4082-8fb5-1684ecd1d826.jpg

Images sourced from Network Rail.

nick-taylor

January 10th, 2012, 09:16 AM

Cambridge Station Expansion

Opened in 1845 to service the famous university city, the station is a major rail junction and terminus for various commuter and rural services handling 7.6mn passengers per annum.

While a destination in its own right due to the various university-related education & business activities and tourist attractions, the station is also a major London commuter station, with ten London bound services each peak hour into two London termini (London King's Cross and London Liverpool Street).

Prior to December, the station had a complex configuration of six platforms (two north and two London-facing bay platforms), of which two platforms were a single 'joined' platform just shy of 500m in length. This peculiar layout meant that there was only one platform for trains running north beyond Cambridge from London and vice versa for trains in the other direction, constricting train movements.

The station also lacked sufficient London-bound platform capacity for terminating services.

Furthermore, with stations along the West Anglia Main Line into London Liverpool Street in the process of being extended (e.g. Broxbourne, Cheshunt and Sawbridgeworth) to handle 12 carriage class 379 services, a brand new island platform has been built to support terminating services.

Image and information sourced from Network Rail: http://www.networkrail.co.uk/Longer-trains-and-more-seats-at-Cambridge-station.aspx

http://www.networkrail.co.uk/assets/0/72/4294967297/30064771362/30064771376/30064771388/30064773442/48a562fa-c5f0-42dd-a77c-cb0d5ee42c9f.jpg

Croydon Tramlink

The successfull south London tram network has received the first of several new trams from Stadler to cope with increased demand on the 28km network. The new trams are 2.5m than the present Bombardier fleet.

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Picture taken by Andrew Grantham: http://www.flickr.com/photos/andrewgrantham/6666439029/sizes/l/in/photostream/

Carriage Capacity Upgrades

Southern
It was recently announced (http://www.rail.co/2012/01/03/southern-awards-bombardier-train-building-contract/) that Southern have placed a £190mn order with Bombardier for 13 new class 377 sets (formed of 2x5 carriages, 130 carriages in total) which will assist with congestion relief on metro routes into London Victoria with delivery due in the latter half of 2012.

Various platforms at stations such as Balham are being extended to cope with the extended trains. In addition, these new carriages will support Southern's already sizable 700 carriage fleet of class 377's.

http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6025/5993950656_485f5b2df9_b.jpg
Source: UK-JPN on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/uk-jpn/5993950656/sizes/l/in/photostream/

South Western Trains
South West Trains have announced that they are seeking an additional 60 carriages to increase train lengths on Windsor Line trains by two carriages to 10 carriages. The present line is exceptionally busy with 54mn passengers per annum (up 4.4% year-on-year).

An additional three London Waterloo bound services will also be introduced (two from Reading and another from Hounslow) to boost line frequencies. The former Waterloo International platform 20 (which was mothballed following the move of Eurostar services to London St Pancras) will be utilised for the additional services come 2014, relieving platform congestion at London Waterloo.

Source: http://www.rail.co/2011/12/23/london-commuters-to-benefit-from-longer-peak-time-trains/

Colchester Station Upgrade

Located to the east of London on the Great Eastern Main Line, Colchester station which handles 4.3mn passengers a year is the primary transport hub for what was once the capital of Roman Britain.

Historically, the southern entrance was the primary access point due to the geographical proximity to the town, however a modern northern entrance was created to accommodate a car park.

Subsequent changes in transport use and growth in passenger flows has meant that the old entrance has now been brought back into use. Further information: http://www.rail.co/2011/12/23/official-opening-of-upgraded-colchester-station/

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7029/6484097317_874ef60156_b.jpg
Taken by Always Santa Fe over at Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/tunnel_one/6484097317/sizes/l/in/photostream/

Bromley South Expansion

Work has begun on expanding the capacity of the south-east London station including two new lifts and an expanded ticket concourse.

The station which handles 20 London bound trains per hour at rush hour is a major commuter station.

http://www.networkrail.co.uk/assets/0/72/4294967297/30064771362/30064771376/30064771388/30064773442/313f128a-4553-437b-81c2-c679085e4c8b.jpg
Source: Network Rail, http://www.networkrail.co.uk/Bromley-South-station.aspx

Heathrow Terminal 2

Work on the superstructure of Heathrow’s newest terminal is nearing completion.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7028/6447073031_83bced1a72_b.jpg
Image taken by Mic V. on Flickr (Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/micsworld/6447073031/in/photostream/)

East London Line Extension

Work continues on the second phase of the ELLE which will see the creation of a branch between Surrey Quays to Clapham Junction, completing the London Overground orbital route around Central London.

Clapham Junction bound services will branch off the present ELL south of Surrey Quays onto a brand new 2.5km alignment. The new rail link will also see the opening of a new station: Surrey Canal Road which is being funded by a developer who plans to build a £850mn 2,400 home development adjacent to the line.

The line then connects up to the present Inner South London Line, boosting frequencies and improving orbital interchanges at Queen’s Road Peckham, Peckham Rye, Denmark Hill, Clapham High Street, Wandsworth Road and Clapham Junction.

On approach to Clapham Junction, London Overground trains will run under the London Victoria & Waterloo approach tracks to terminate at platform two and same-platform interchange with the West London Line.

Unfortunately due to the geography of the line, interchange stations at Brixton and Loughborough Junction would be expensive, however in the future stations could be built if there was a sufficient business case.

Once the line is opened in the latter half of this year, frequencies via the central route of the ELL will increase to a train every 3 minutes.

All images sourced from London Reconnections: http://www.londonreconnections.com/

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The 4 southern branches of the ELL that maximise rail interchanges across the south London rail network
http://cdn.londonreconnections.com/assets/overgroundsignageclapham.jpg

ShaMegro

January 26th, 2012, 10:40 PM

WOW! Lots of stuff going on here, looks good. Thanks for posting!

nick-taylor

January 27th, 2012, 07:00 AM

Thanks. Been a tad busy so only a small update, although it does have some relevance to New York and is rather unusual.

Digital Bins

A rather cool project has been unveiled in London which incorporates a digital information board with a bomb-proof bin.

There is however a few key differences to your standard bin, firstly it can withstand and contain a bomb blast (a principle reason for the absence of bins in tube stations and London’s busy public spaces).

Secondly it is a public information display showing everything from news, weather and London Stock Exchange movements to transport service updates. In the event of an emergency, the screens can also relay information to the public.

Lastly the bins will also be content tailored according to the location and time of day, so a bin on Fenchurch Street at lunchtime may cater towards insurance news, while a bin in Soho would concentrate on media updates, etc...

Twenty five units have been installed in London, with another 75 due before the start of the Olympics in six months time. The firm behind the project is also installing a test pod outside the NYSE in Lower Manhattan to gauge whether there is an American demand for the product.

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/01/26/article-0-117895A1000005DC-469_468x566.jpg

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Image source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2092367/London-broadcasts-news-City-workers-recycling-bins.html

nick-taylor

February 3rd, 2012, 09:15 AM

Shard

http://constructionchest.smugmug.com/Architecture/skyscrapers-under-construction/shard-update/i-hgzs8K4/0/X3/MG1274-X3.jpg
Source: chest at Skyscrapercity; http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=88172967&postcount=22243

Merry

February 6th, 2012, 04:25 AM

No kerbs, pavements or nanny-state signs: Britain's longest clutter-free street is unveiled to make things SAFER

By Ray Massey

Britain’s longest ‘clutter-free’ street was opened today with the aim of making cars and people co-exist harmoniously – without the need for hectoring signs and protective steel barriers.

Indeed, the newly revamped Exhibition Road in the heart of London’s museum quarter in Kensington, visited by millions of people from around Britain and the world, doesn’t even have kerbs or pavements.

The idea underlining the project is that when nannying rules and orders - in the form of countless signs, traffic signals and barriers - are removed, motorists take more personal responsibility for their own actions and drive more attentively, making more eye contact with pedestrians.

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Before and after: Exhibition Road in January 2010 (top) and November 2011 (bottom), after the refurbishment. Now the half-mile road, decorated by a criss-cross pattern, is a continuous shared space for cars and people

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/02/01/article-2094939-118D15ED000005DC-534_964x553.jpg
Ground level: Pedestrians use the zig-zag of walkways on Exhibition Road, Kensington, with more than one million bricks made of Chinese granite used in the project

It may sound counter-intuitive. But experts swear that the idea pioneered in Holland really does work better for everyone and improves safety.
And supporters say it is a blueprint for the 21st century high street in towns and cities across the country.

The entire half-mile long (820 metres) of road and pavement is now one continuous and wide expanse of flat ‘shared space’ surface decorated with a criss-cross chequered pattern created from a jigsaw of a million bricks of Chinese granite.

The new-look Exhibition Road project which began as an idea more than a decade ago, cost nearly £30million to complete, and has taken three years’ work.

It features a kerb-free single surface with no barriers or ‘street clutter’ – all of which have been removed.

Instead, a stunning chequered granite design runs from South Kensington Station to Hyde Park along the full width of the road from building to building in a newly created ‘shared space’.

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/02/01/article-2094939-118D8BD3000005DC-96_964x849.jpg
Pedestrian areas are distinguished from those to be used by vehicles by black iron drainage channel covers and raised and ribbed ‘corduroy-effect’ tactile strips.

These also help warn blind and partially sighted people underfoot that they are moving into or out of vehicle-free areas. The markings run along each side of Exhibition Road, about four yards out from buildings helping to delineate the areas for pedestrians, and those for vehicles.

Cars are slowed by a 20mph speed limit and planners expect traffic to reduce by nearly a third.

Tall, sleek street lighting masts have been designed to complement the grand buildings of Exhibition Road.

The continuously flat surface also improves access, particularly for those using wheelchairs, push chairs and motorised buggies.

Sir Jeremy Dixon of leading architectural practice Dixon Jones which led the project said: ’It’s not a complete free for all.

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/02/01/article-2094939-118C5139000005DC-960_964x678.jpg
By night: the new-look refurbishment was thought up 10 years ago and cost some £30million to complete

‘But when the rules by which traffic normally operates are removed -signs, barriers and kerb markings - drivers become more observant.

'They make more eye-contact with pedestrians which produces greater watchfulness. They use the road more like pedestrians. They take more responsibility for their actions.’

In a similar vein, studies have shown that when traffic lights are removed from crossings, traffic flows more freely and efficiently because drivers take more care, he said.
Even before the road was officially opened today by London Mayor Boris Johnson, Sir Jeremy noted people’s behaviour had changed:

‘You see people promenading down the street, sometimes ten abreast. It’s marvellous.’

A spokesman for the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea council said: ‘We have introduced a 20 mph speed limit on the road, and we expect the scheme to reduce traffic by approximately 30 per cent to the south of Prince Consort Road.

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/02/01/article-2094939-118D167D000005DC-561_964x563.jpg
Relaxing: A couple sit on one of the benches in the refurbished street.

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/02/01/article-2094939-118C5145000005DC-883_964x858.jpg
By day: The new design is intended to make drivers more observant

‘The removal of street clutter, such as conventional traffic signals, barriers, signs and road markings, will encourage motorists to slow down when they enter the road and engage with their surroundings.’

He added: ‘Traffic is restricted to the east side of Exhibition Road, away from the busiest pedestrian flow between South Kensington Station and the Science Museum.

'We have improved the pedestrian crossings by making them wider, to accommodate larger numbers of pedestrians.’

The scheme has been developed and delivered by a partnership of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, which contributed £14.6millon, the Mayor of London whose office added £13.4million and the City of Westminster which spent £1million.

Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said: ‘This clever approach to rearranging the streetscape at the heart of one of the most important cultural and academic corners on the planet will heighten the whole experience for visitors.

'In particular it will make it much easier and even more pleasurable for families visiting these unique attractions with space to wander unhindered in an area that puts people first.’

Councillor Sir Merrick Cockell, leader of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, said: ‘It has taken us the best part of ten years to get here but South Kensington and Exhibition Road finally have the setting they deserve.

'We now have a unique streetscape that will delight our many millions of visitors and which sets a new standard for urban design.’

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/02/01/article-2094939-118C5141000005DC-252_964x582.jpg
The speed limit will be 20 mph and traffic is expected to decline 30 per cent

Councillor Daniel Moylan, deputy chairman of Transport for London (TfL), said: ‘The reimagining of the space has transformed Exhibition Road, improving the quality of life for people living and working in, and for those visiting, the area. In addition, the uplift in local retail has helped nearby business and dramatically improved the pedestrian experience.’

He continued:’The psychology of this scheme is fascinating. Experience seems to show that when you dedicate space to traffic and control it with signs and green traffic lights, motorists develop a claim on it. It becomes ‘my space.’ Drivers become annoyed if people move into it.

'They get angry if a mother pushing a buggy moves across the crossing just as the lights are about to change.’

‘This new scheme is more like the behaviour in a supermarket car park. Drivers know there are people around pushing shopping trolleys and so drive more cautiously. They are looking out.

They don’t feel that pedestrians are invading their space. They don’t therefore get annoyed.’

Planners have also planted more trees to improve the ambiance and help delineate the pedestrian and traffic zones.

Traffic will flow in both directions.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2094939/Britains-longest-clutter-free-street-unveiled-make-things-SAFER.html#ixzz1lalHZ8kI

Merry

February 26th, 2012, 10:34 AM

This poor man's Shard will cast a blight on our homes

by Simon Freeman

http://i.thisislondon.co.uk/i/pix/2012/02/23shard28_415.jpg
Gateway: how the tower could look next to Westway

A new 35-storey skyscraper will loom over west London like a "weak rip-off of the Shard" claim neighbours who today vowed to fight the plan.

They point out that the 360ft tower, proposed for the site of the old BBC Worldwide offices next to Westway, will stand almost as tall as St Paul's Cathedral, overshadowing hundreds of homes by day in North Kensington - where Prime Minister David Cameron rents out his former family home - and causing light pollution at night.

The plans, submitted to Hammersmith & Fulham council by Imperial College, which paid £28 million for the site two years ago, include a new
campus, offices, flats and a hotel.

But locals say winter sunlight to surrounding houses will be halved and extra traffic will choke roads already hit by Westfield shopping centre jams.

The tower is the first of three of similar size proposed for the regeneration of White City and backed by Mayor Boris Johnson to generate 10,000 jobs, 4,500 homes and create a western "gateway" to the capital.

But Henry Peterson, chairman of the St Helen's residents' association, which wants the towers halved in height, said: "There's nothing anywhere near as high for miles around. It will have as big an impact on west London as the Shard has had in the south, except the architecture is a weak rip-off."

Imperial College said the tower locations were chosen to limit the impact of overshadowing, and new local homes and jobs are much needed.

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-24037813-this-poor-mans-shard-will-cast-a-blight-on-our-homes.do

nick-taylor

March 10th, 2012, 06:04 PM

Crossrail

Bond Street Station
Pictures taken by Light Parade at skyscrapercity: http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=89208140&postcount=1055

http://i701.photobucket.com/albums/ww14/lightparade1960/IMG-20120306-00117.jpg

http://i701.photobucket.com/albums/ww14/lightparade1960/Westminster-20120306-00120.jpg

http://i701.photobucket.com/albums/ww14/lightparade1960/Westminster-20120306-00121.jpg

http://i701.photobucket.com/albums/ww14/lightparade1960/Westminster-20120306-00122.jpg

Canary Wharf Station
Pictures taken by Core Rising at skyscrapercity: http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=89247971&postcount=1056

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7176/6816708616_ddaed6e284_b.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7190/6962841009_5f4b759c3c_b.jpg

Pictures by i like concrete of one of the tunnel TBM's at Royal Oak in west London (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=88454466&postcount=1039)

http://i179.photobucket.com/albums/w314/concretelover/AA003.jpg

Heathrow Terminal 2

Construction of the superstructure has now topped out for Heathrow's new terminal.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7050/6941507103_270e046474_b.jpg
businesstraveller on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/businesstraveller/6941507103/sizes/l/in/photostream/

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7049/6795396786_39bd3819a7_b.jpg
businesstraveller on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/businesstraveller/6795396786/sizes/l/in/photostream/

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7201/6941495015_d0b7540d9f_b.jpg
businesstraveller on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/businesstraveller/6941495015/sizes/l/in/photostream/

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7044/6795395086_cc84705cf0_b.jpg
businesstraveller on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/businesstraveller/6795395086/sizes/l/in/photostream/

East London Line Extension

Where the Clapham Junction Extension spurs off from the ELL.
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7065/6816833810_a602f63712_b.jpg
unravelled on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/unravelled/6816833810/sizes/l/in/photostream/

(Bottom Left) New Clapham Junction ELL terminating platform.
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7062/6816831820_ff666b1a85_b.jpg
unravelled on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/unravelled/6816831820/sizes/l/in/photostream/

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7191/6962899685_6b6ebcce8f_b.jpg
unravelled on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/unravelled/6962899685/sizes/l/in/photostream/

London King's Cross

Pictures by hoodedvillain of the new concourse at King's Cross which is due to open at the end of March.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7061/6934928935_a7a055af8c_b.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7177/6934931479_02dc1d3597_b.jpg

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http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7050/6934940469_b5303113dc_b.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7208/6785003370_f5bc540417_b.jpg
tompagenet on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/tompagenet/6785003370/sizes/l/in/photostream/

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7042/6785015340_d24cbbc5fc_b.jpg
tompagenet on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/tompagenet/6785015340/sizes/l/in/photostream/

http://www.networkrail.co.uk/assets/0/72/4294967297/30064771426/30064771915/30064771918/00debbaa-048e-4eba-9b2a-adcbb1541a8d.jpg
Network Rail: http://www.networkrail.co.uk/New_Kings_Cross.aspx

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7193/6824273276_8a24185bb9_b.jpg
Network Rail: http://www.networkrail.co.uk/New_Kings_Cross.aspx

Blackfriars

The new northern entrance to Blackfriars station was recently opened to the public, which follows the opening of the southern entrance (on the opposite side of the Thames).

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7066/6914934177_81b537a26c_b.jpg
tompagenet on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/tompagenet/6914934177/sizes/l/in/photostream/

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7177/6914925941_585b38967c_b.jpg
tompagenet on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/tompagenet/6914925941/sizes/l/in/photostream/

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7202/6914929505_79fbcb549a_b.jpg
tompagenet on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/tompagenet/6914929505/sizes/l/in/photostream/

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7050/6911926607_e8a9f86632_b.jpg
Kate E H on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/kateeh/6911926607/sizes/l/in/photostream/

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7197/6916492427_224b53dd82_b.jpg
Balfour Beatty Major Civil Engineering on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/bbmce/6916492427/sizes/l/in/photostream/

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7011/6716369995_9e4cc6d059_b.jpg
IanVisits on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ianvisits/6716369995/sizes/l/in/photostream/

The London Underground platforms have now been reopened to the public

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7048/6909831079_1e613b640e_b.jpg
IanVisits on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ianvisits/6909831079/sizes/l/in/photostream/

London Bridge

A new entrance to London Bridge station has opened which is located at the base of the Shard.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7069/6928714471_8f0ff7a65f_b.jpg
cybertect on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/cybertect/6928714471/sizes/l/in/photostream/

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7177/6816784728_b155d87260_b.jpg
unravelled on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/unravelled/6816784728/sizes/l/in/photostream/

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7070/6783567566_f50650cdbe_b.jpg
unravelled on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/unravelled/6783567566/sizes/l/in/photostream/

Southend Airport

London Southend (London's sixth airport) is in the process of a £100mn investment programme to expand the airport to new international destinations. Last year a station for the airport providing one-seat rides to Central London opened and the airport owners are keen to expand the operations of the airport to 20mppa.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7052/6955918649_eb331a6361_b.jpg
businesstraveller on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/businesstraveller/6955918649/sizes/l/in/photostream/

nick-taylor

March 14th, 2012, 08:39 AM

King's Cross Western Concourse

Some further pictures by IanVists on flickr of the new western concourse at London King's Cross. Due to open soon.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7045/6980165793_878ebe1e63_b.jpg
Photo taken by IanVisits at Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ianvisits/6980165793/sizes/l/in/photostream/

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7182/6834042006_4543dbf3fa_b.jpg
Photo taken by IanVisits at Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ianvisits/6834042006/sizes/l/in/photostream/

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7062/6980174065_ba18c4bb7f_b.jpg
Photo taken by IanVisits at Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ianvisits/6980174065/sizes/l/in/photostream/

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7185/6834047630_af877f3fe3_b.jpg
Photo taken by IanVisits at Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ianvisits/6834047630/sizes/l/in/photostream/

The original ticket hall brought back into use
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7196/6980160917_efd55e4839_b.jpg
Photo taken by IanVisits at Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ianvisits/6980160917/sizes/l/in/photostream/

Ticket gateline with mobile phone readers
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7210/6980162703_c5a0b9b533_b.jpg
Photo taken by IanVisits at Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ianvisits/6980162703/sizes/l/in/photostream/

Peak direction escalator to the Tube station
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7040/6834048158_c9f6414ee3_b.jpg
Photo taken by IanVisits at Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ianvisits/6834048158/sizes/l/in/photostream/

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7202/6980176861_bc7a78d5b7_b.jpg
Photo taken by IanVisits at Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ianvisits/6980176861/sizes/l/in/photostream/

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7184/6980167827_2ec917b01f_b.jpg
Photo taken by IanVisits at Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ianvisits/6980167827/sizes/l/in/photostream/

London Cycle Hire

Phase II of London's cycle hire project has recently been completed. The project was focused on expanding cycle hire into Tower Hamlets (where Canary Wharf is located) and into other zone 2 areas such as Hackney, Camden, Hammersmith & Fulham, Kensington & Chelsea and Lambeth.

There are now 15,000 docking stations across London with plans to expand the scheme across other zone 2 areas in coming months.

BBC News article: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-17296565
Map showing all docking stations: https://web.barclayscyclehire.tfl.gov.uk/maps

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7187/6818803588_f073b07765_b.jpg
Photo taken by worldoflard at Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/worldoflard/6818803588/sizes/l/in/photostream/

Dr.T

March 14th, 2012, 10:10 AM

^^ Thanks @nick !
It's really a great stuff again !
Congrats for this amazing pics collection...
It seems that London is now almost ready to celebrate a fantastic Olympic Games.
GO LONDON 2012 ! :)

nick-taylor

April 2nd, 2012, 07:29 AM

Shard

First batch of photos taken by chest

http://constructionchest.smugmug.com/Architecture/skyscrapers-under-construction/shard-update/i-dQtRHhg/0/X2/MG5835sm-X2.jpg
Image taken by chest at skyscrapercity: http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=89800283&postcount=23314

http://constructionchest.smugmug.com/Architecture/skyscrapers-under-construction/shard-update/i-g6k9HML/0/X2/MG5855sm-X2.jpg
Image taken by chest at skyscrapercity: http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=89800283&postcount=23314

http://constructionchest.smugmug.com/Architecture/skyscrapers-under-construction/shard-update/i-MBC68ZF/0/X2/MG5907sm-X2.jpg
Image taken by chest at skyscrapercity: http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=89800283&postcount=23314

http://constructionchest.smugmug.com/Architecture/skyscrapers-under-construction/shard-update/i-dzbbM5m/0/X3/MG5778-X3.jpg
Image taken by chest at skyscrapercity: http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=89679379&postcount=23182

http://constructionchest.smugmug.com/Architecture/skyscrapers-under-construction/shard-update/i-cKFRq6G/0/X3/MG5771-X3.jpg
Image taken by chest at skyscrapercity: http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=89679379&postcount=23182

Second batch of photos taken by cybertect

http://i1085.photobucket.com/albums/j427/cybertects/Shard/20120326_0043.jpg
Image taken by cybertect at : http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=89842092&postcount=23371

http://i1085.photobucket.com/albums/j427/cybertects/Shard/20120326_0057.jpg
Image taken by cybertect at : http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=89842092&postcount=23371

http://i1085.photobucket.com/albums/j427/cybertects/Shard/20120326_0059.jpg
Image taken by cybertect at : http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=89842092&postcount=23371

http://i1085.photobucket.com/albums/j427/cybertects/Shard/20120326_0129.jpg
Image taken by cybertect at : http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=89842092&postcount=23371

http://i1085.photobucket.com/albums/j427/cybertects/Shard/20120326_0132.jpg
Image taken by cybertect at : http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=89842092&postcount=23371

122 Leadenhall

AON's future world headquarters. The yellow steel is the external elevator shaft (see here: http://www.willfox.com/images/skyscrapers/122leadenhall/3.jpg) which if memory recalls is actually detached from the main tower

http://img571.imageshack.us/img571/5906/kw0c0182.jpg
Image taken by potto at skyscrapercity: http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=89906201&postcount=6045

http://img805.imageshack.us/img805/9161/kw0c01792.jpg
Image taken by potto at skyscrapercity: http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=89906201&postcount=6045

http://img607.imageshack.us/img607/6672/kw0c0177.jpg
Image taken by potto at skyscrapercity: http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=89906201&postcount=6045

http://img263.imageshack.us/img263/8813/kw0c0185.jpg
Image taken by potto at skyscrapercity: http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=89906201&postcount=6045

nick-taylor

April 2nd, 2012, 07:30 AM

25 Churchill Place

Work has started on a new 130m tower for Canary Wharf which should mix the area up a bit as the 'skyline' is a bit flat due to multiple similiar height office blocks.

http://constructionchest.smugmug.com/Architecture/skyscraper-construction/miscellaneous/i-PtK9FrX/0/X2/MG5729-X2.jpg
Image taken by chest at skyscrapercity: http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=89686626&postcount=69

http://constructionchest.smugmug.com/Architecture/skyscraper-construction/miscellaneous/i-kjFPfVJ/0/X2/MG5718-X2.jpg
Image taken by chest at skyscrapercity: http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=89686626&postcount=69

http://constructionchest.smugmug.com/Architecture/skyscraper-construction/miscellaneous/i-x22r5Ht/0/X2/MG5731-X2.jpg
Image taken by chest at skyscrapercity: http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=89686626&postcount=69

Rathbone Market

Midrise tower in the Canning Town area (due east of Canary Wharf).

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7053/6803193766_743bbce8ee_b.jpg
Image taken by wawd at skyscrapercity: http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=89104550&postcount=25

20 Fenchurch Street

The Walkie Talkie.

http://img580.imageshack.us/img580/8848/kw0c0210.jpg
Image taken by potto at skyscrapercity: http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=89906982&postcount=6137

http://img21.imageshack.us/img21/6513/kw0c0222.jpg
Image taken by potto at skyscrapercity: http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=89906982&postcount=6137

http://img62.imageshack.us/img62/4145/kw0c0220.jpg
Image taken by potto at skyscrapercity: http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=89906982&postcount=6137

http://img853.imageshack.us/img853/5240/kw0c0227.jpg
Image taken by potto at skyscrapercity: http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=89906982&postcount=6137

nick-taylor

April 2nd, 2012, 07:30 AM

Crossrail

Construction continues on London's most important project. BBC article here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-17365934

http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/59087000/gif/_59087370_crossrail_tunnel_976route.gif
Image sourced from BBC: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-17365934

http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/59069000/gif/_59069853_crossrail_tunnel_976profile.gif
Image sourced from BBC: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-17365934

http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/59075000/gif/_59075268_crossrail_tunnel_976-02.gif
Image sourced from BBC: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-17365934

http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/59087000/jpg/_59087367_boring_machine_976.jpg
Image sourced from BBC: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-17365934

The first two TBM's are due to begin from the western Royal Oak tunnel portal in a short while. Also a look at a station layout.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7066/6982808523_0d4faf8c5d_b.jpg
Image taken by neilio84 at skyscrapercity: http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=89458502&postcount=1064

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7065/6982805451_817261b1b8_b.jpg
Image taken by neilio84 at skyscrapercity: http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=89458502&postcount=1064

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7063/6836673770_1e881941a8_b.jpg
Image taken by neilio84 at skyscrapercity: http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=89458502&postcount=1064

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7049/6836671022_ba52565075_b.jpg
Image taken by neilio84 at skyscrapercity: http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=89458502&postcount=1064

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5204/5231240684_24abf51107_b.jpg
Image taken by neilio84 at skyscrapercity: http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=89458502&postcount=1064

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5243/5231241324_1b5f0a4feb_b.jpg
Image taken by neilio84 at skyscrapercity: http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=89458502&postcount=1064

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5044/5231239190_b08dfaeee8_b.jpg
Image taken by neilio84 at skyscrapercity: http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=89458502&postcount=1064

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5250/5230647029_eb1530e789_b.jpg
Image taken by neilio84 at skyscrapercity: http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=89458502&postcount=1064

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5165/5230646239_33416609c3_b.jpg
Image taken by neilio84 at skyscrapercity: http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=89458502&postcount=1064

Ongoing work at the Tottenham Court Road station site

http://i701.photobucket.com/albums/ww14/lightparade1960/Westminster-20120322-00155.jpg
Image taken by Light Parade at skyscrapercity: http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=89765597&postcount=1122

http://i701.photobucket.com/albums/ww14/lightparade1960/Westminster-20120322-00154.jpg
Image taken by Light Parade at skyscrapercity: http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=89765597&postcount=1122

Work has been completed five months ahead of schedule on the super-structure for the Isle of Dogs (Canary Wharf) Crossrail station (refer to: http://static.worldarchitecturenews.com/project/uploaded_files/13396_canary%20wharf%20crossrail3main.JPG).

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7225/7008538049_eac8304c9c_b.jpg
Image taken by ianvisits at Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ianvisits/7008538049/sizes/l/in/photostream/

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7039/6862423054_2cd65432f1_b.jpg
Image taken by ianvisits at Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ianvisits/6862423054/sizes/l/in/photostream/

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7252/6862198084_a31905f188_b.jpg
Image taken by ianvisits at Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ianvisits/6862198084/sizes/l/in/photostream/

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7236/6862419940_d66c96cff2_b.jpg
Image taken by ianvisits at Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ianvisits/6862419940/sizes/l/in/photostream/

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7132/7008544143_f0abccd6e7_b.jpg
Image taken by ianvisits at Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ianvisits/7008544143/sizes/l/in/photostream/

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7053/7008542481_eb68f5acae_b.jpg
Image taken by ianvisits at Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ianvisits/7008542481/sizes/l/in/photostream/

Regents Place

Mid-rise under construction close to Euston station.

http://i42.tinypic.com/21pj60.jpg
Image taken by Marquinho01 at skyscrapercity: http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=89779306&postcount=159

nick-taylor

April 2nd, 2012, 07:32 AM

The Heron

Residential tower in the Square Mile, not to be confused with the recently finished nearby Heron (office) Tower.

http://constructionchest.smugmug.com/Architecture/skyscraper-construction/miscellaneous/i-MJtKbjB/0/X3/MG8107-X3.jpg
Image taken by chest at skyscrapercity: http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=89460088&postcount=788

http://constructionchest.smugmug.com/Architecture/skyscraper-construction/miscellaneous/i-ZTP8925/0/X3/MG8093-X3.jpg
Image taken by chest at skyscrapercity: http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=89460088&postcount=788

http://constructionchest.smugmug.com/Architecture/skyscraper-construction/miscellaneous/i-hB5VBZT/0/X3/MG8130-X3.jpg
Image taken by chest at skyscrapercity: http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=89460088&postcount=788

http://constructionchest.smugmug.com/Architecture/skyscraper-construction/miscellaneous/i-gqTLZ32/0/X3/MG8104-X3.jpg
Image taken by chest at skyscrapercity: http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=89460088&postcount=788

http://constructionchest.smugmug.com/Architecture/skyscraper-construction/miscellaneous/i-xjw2bLj/0/X3/MG8128-X3.jpg
Image taken by chest at skyscrapercity: http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=89460088&postcount=788

King's Cross Western Concourse

Now that this is now open to the public, this has been receiving

http://img819.imageshack.us/img819/1557/kgxpano.jpg
Image taken by eddyK at skyscrapercity: http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=89778361&postcount=1404

The old Parcels Yard has been brought back into use as a pub

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7062/6993491357_ec6cab7591_b.jpg
Image taken by RedArkady on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/67014684@N05/6993491357/sizes/l/in/photostream/

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7195/6993488811_ee55586f00_b.jpg
Image taken by RedArkady on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/67014684@N05/6993488811/sizes/l/in/photostream/

100 Bishopsgate

Piling work nearly completed on a new 172m tower opposite 110 Bishopsgate (see here: http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7182/6923764665_e08e850e64_b.jpg).

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7116/6877334328_736473c844_b.jpg
Image taken by lumberjack at skyscrapercity: http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=89889805&postcount=1155

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7277/6877334704_d32bb59fd9_b.jpg
Image taken by lumberjack at skyscrapercity: http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=89889805&postcount=1155

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7181/6877335136_9203563642_b.jpg
Image taken by lumberjack at skyscrapercity: http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=89889805&postcount=1155

nick-taylor

April 2nd, 2012, 07:33 AM

St George Tower

181m Residential tower in Vauxhall; the first of many.

http://constructionchest.smugmug.com/Architecture/skyscrapers-under-construction/St-George-Tower/i-3CZgZBk/0/X3/MG5527-X3.jpg
Image taken by chest at skyscrapercity: http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=89204842&postcount=1715

Lewisham Regeneration

Ongoing works to revitalise this area of South East London which is an important junction for various commuter lines and the DLR.

http://www.imgplace.com/img580/8613/42new6.jpg
Image taken by SE9 at skyscrapercity: http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=88702973&postcount=91

http://www.imgplace.com/img855/1857/73new5.jpg
Image taken by SE9 at skyscrapercity: http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=88702973&postcount=91

http://www.imgplace.com/img862/8379/35new8.jpg
Image taken by SE9 at skyscrapercity: http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=88702973&postcount=91

1 Commercial Street

Previously stalled, this multi-use midrise has since resumed works.

http://constructionchest.smugmug.com/Architecture/skyscrapers-under-construction/Holes-in-the-ground/i-Vqt2TQr/0/XL/IMG0451-XL.jpg
Image taken by chest at skyscrapercity: http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=88751175&postcount=145

http://constructionchest.smugmug.com/Architecture/skyscrapers-under-construction/Holes-in-the-ground/i-W7WG4FR/0/XL/IMG0448-XL.jpg
Image taken by chest at skyscrapercity: http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=88751175&postcount=145

http://www.skyscrapernews.com/images/pics/3047WorkRestartsOnCommercialStreetTower_pic1.jpg
Source: skyscrapernews: http://www.skyscrapernews.com/imagesall.php?ref=3047&idi=Work+Restarts+On+Commercial+Street+Tower&self=nse&no=1&selfidi=3047WorkRestartsOnCommercialStreetTower_pi c1.jpg

New London Place

Adjacent to the Shard.

http://i1085.photobucket.com/albums/j427/cybertects/thePlace/20120322_0002.jpg
Image taken by cybertect at skyscrapercity: http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=89719426&postcount=1092

http://i1085.photobucket.com/albums/j427/cybertects/20120322_0009.jpg
Image taken by cybertect at skyscrapercity: http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=89719426&postcount=1092

lofter1

April 2nd, 2012, 04:36 PM

The underground stations are magnificent.

nick-taylor

April 16th, 2012, 08:07 AM

The Shard

http://img585.imageshack.us/img585/947/kw0c0936.jpg
Image taken by potto at skyscrapercity: http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=90466675&postcount=24143

http://img811.imageshack.us/img811/8025/kw0c0940.jpg
Image taken by potto at skyscrapercity: http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=90466675&postcount=24143

http://img845.imageshack.us/img845/1966/kw0c0952.jpg
Image taken by potto at skyscrapercity: http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=90466675&postcount=24143

http://img137.imageshack.us/img137/8043/kw0c0974.jpg
Image taken by potto at skyscrapercity: http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=90466675&postcount=24143

stache

April 16th, 2012, 08:40 AM

This is so much better than the Transamerica pyramid.

nick-taylor

April 23rd, 2012, 08:08 AM

London 2012

Not long to go now!

100 days to go
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7111/6959580008_ef68fde3f3_b.jpg
Source London 2012: http://www.london2012.com/press/media-releases/2012/04/millions-of-people-around-the-uk-get-ready-to-welcome-the-world-to-london-in.php

Aquatics Centre
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7190/7103588641_d947c1f64f_b.jpg
Source London 2012: http://www.london2012.com/press/media-releases/2012/04/millions-of-people-around-the-uk-get-ready-to-welcome-the-world-to-london-in.php

Basketball Arena
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7197/7103595059_04058e94c9_b.jpg
Source London 2012: http://www.london2012.com/press/media-releases/2012/04/millions-of-people-around-the-uk-get-ready-to-welcome-the-world-to-london-in.php

Chobham Academy (new school)
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7079/7103582827_591cd3efce_b.jpg
Source London 2012: http://www.london2012.com/press/media-releases/2012/04/millions-of-people-around-the-uk-get-ready-to-welcome-the-world-to-london-in.php

Eton Manor
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7129/7103618239_1c99d69e90_b.jpg
Source London 2012: http://www.london2012.com/press/media-releases/2012/04/millions-of-people-around-the-uk-get-ready-to-welcome-the-world-to-london-in.php

Handball Arena
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8003/7103599323_780a5fb333_b.jpg
Source London 2012: http://www.london2012.com/press/media-releases/2012/04/millions-of-people-around-the-uk-get-ready-to-welcome-the-world-to-london-in.php

Hockey Arena
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7078/6957541654_62b536f973_b.jpg
Source London 2012: http://www.london2012.com/press/media-releases/2012/04/millions-of-people-around-the-uk-get-ready-to-welcome-the-world-to-london-in.php

Olympic Park
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7242/6957537672_53d32fed1d_b.jpg
Source London 2012: http://www.london2012.com/press/media-releases/2012/04/millions-of-people-around-the-uk-get-ready-to-welcome-the-world-to-london-in.php

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8150/6957521290_c0f1152d42_b.jpg
Source London 2012: http://www.london2012.com/press/media-releases/2012/04/millions-of-people-around-the-uk-get-ready-to-welcome-the-world-to-london-in.php

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7229/6957550674_9013969381_b.jpg
Source London 2012: http://www.london2012.com/press/media-releases/2012/04/millions-of-people-around-the-uk-get-ready-to-welcome-the-world-to-london-in.php

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8166/7103600439_0d549682ea_b.jpg
Source London 2012: http://www.london2012.com/press/media-releases/2012/04/millions-of-people-around-the-uk-get-ready-to-welcome-the-world-to-london-in.php

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7063/6957536110_3912b2cea8_b.jpg
Source London 2012: http://www.london2012.com/press/media-releases/2012/04/millions-of-people-around-the-uk-get-ready-to-welcome-the-world-to-london-in.php

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7202/7103610821_b24e2a66f6_b.jpg
Source London 2012: http://www.london2012.com/press/media-releases/2012/04/millions-of-people-around-the-uk-get-ready-to-welcome-the-world-to-london-in.php

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8018/7103584055_8f8cc4effb_b.jpg
Source London 2012: http://www.london2012.com/press/media-releases/2012/04/millions-of-people-around-the-uk-get-ready-to-welcome-the-world-to-london-in.php

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7130/7103622955_a52e77ae53_b.jpg
Source London 2012: http://www.london2012.com/press/media-releases/2012/04/millions-of-people-around-the-uk-get-ready-to-welcome-the-world-to-london-in.php

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8010/6957525412_a3713767a0_b.jpg
Source London 2012: http://www.london2012.com/press/media-releases/2012/04/millions-of-people-around-the-uk-get-ready-to-welcome-the-world-to-london-in.php

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7195/6957527010_00170dae8c_b.jpg
Source London 2012: http://www.london2012.com/press/media-releases/2012/04/millions-of-people-around-the-uk-get-ready-to-welcome-the-world-to-london-in.php

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8163/7103601895_88277358db_b.jpg
Source London 2012: http://www.london2012.com/press/media-releases/2012/04/millions-of-people-around-the-uk-get-ready-to-welcome-the-world-to-london-in.php

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7246/7103602913_7c17ec5aec_b.jpg
Source London 2012: http://www.london2012.com/press/media-releases/2012/04/millions-of-people-around-the-uk-get-ready-to-welcome-the-world-to-london-in.php

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8002/6957569568_89478db460_b.jpg
Source London 2012: http://www.london2012.com/press/media-releases/2012/03/golden-daffodils-put-spring-in-step-for-olympic-park-as-.php

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7084/7103642935_9127c6b5b1_b.jpg
Source London 2012: http://www.london2012.com/press/media-releases/2012/03/golden-daffodils-put-spring-in-step-for-olympic-park-as-.php

Olympic Stadium
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7256/6957514328_ee6fbded29_b.jpg
Source London 2012: http://www.london2012.com/press/media-releases/2012/04/millions-of-people-around-the-uk-get-ready-to-welcome-the-world-to-london-in.php

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7126/7103604357_eca5497f70_b.jpg
Source London 2012: http://www.london2012.com/press/media-releases/2012/04/millions-of-people-around-the-uk-get-ready-to-welcome-the-world-to-london-in.php

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7273/7103587289_233751ae3a_b.jpg
Source London 2012: http://www.london2012.com/press/media-releases/2012/04/millions-of-people-around-the-uk-get-ready-to-welcome-the-world-to-london-in.php

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7140/7103579551_801516ddfa_b.jpg
Source London 2012: http://www.london2012.com/press/media-releases/2012/04/millions-of-people-around-the-uk-get-ready-to-welcome-the-world-to-london-in.php

Olympic Village
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7122/7103590547_1859c0d887_b.jpg
Source London 2012: http://www.london2012.com/press/media-releases/2012/04/millions-of-people-around-the-uk-get-ready-to-welcome-the-world-to-london-in.php

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8012/7103593991_d6edbf40ff_b.jpg
Source London 2012: http://www.london2012.com/press/media-releases/2012/04/millions-of-people-around-the-uk-get-ready-to-welcome-the-world-to-london-in.php

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8011/7103605729_ff018a7c4f_b.jpg
Source London 2012: http://www.london2012.com/press/media-releases/2012/04/millions-of-people-around-the-uk-get-ready-to-welcome-the-world-to-london-in.php

Training Grounds
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7053/7103581341_4ddcb0199d_b.jpg
Source London 2012: http://www.london2012.com/press/media-releases/2012/04/millions-of-people-around-the-uk-get-ready-to-welcome-the-world-to-london-in.php

Velodrome
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7094/7103614929_8b87a53d73_b.jpg
Source London 2012: http://www.london2012.com/press/media-releases/2012/04/millions-of-people-around-the-uk-get-ready-to-welcome-the-world-to-london-in.php

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7230/6957548928_53102c58cc_b.jpg
Source London 2012: http://www.london2012.com/press/media-releases/2012/04/millions-of-people-around-the-uk-get-ready-to-welcome-the-world-to-london-in.php

Water Polo Arena
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7256/6957563602_a65962d0fa_b.jpg
Source London 2012: http://www.london2012.com/press/media-releases/2012/04/london-2012-water-polo-arena-construction-complete.php

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7261/6957559202_1a054482f1_b.jpg
Source London 2012: http://www.london2012.com/press/media-releases/2012/04/london-2012-water-polo-arena-construction-complete.php

Olympic Park Panorama's
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7047/6957542746_d4bf3f4414_b.jpg
Source London 2012: http://www.london2012.com/press/media-releases/2012/04/millions-of-people-around-the-uk-get-ready-to-welcome-the-world-to-london-in.php

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8007/6957546118_99cf5662c6_b.jpg
Source London 2012: http://www.london2012.com/press/media-releases/2012/04/millions-of-people-around-the-uk-get-ready-to-welcome-the-world-to-london-in.php

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7064/6957554570_0bc3e71515_b.jpg
Source London 2012: http://www.london2012.com/press/media-releases/2012/04/millions-of-people-around-the-uk-get-ready-to-welcome-the-world-to-london-in.php

lofter1

April 23rd, 2012, 11:14 PM

Well done. And I hear they're only $15 Billion in debt for the big effort.

Now ... try to imagine what NYC would look like right now if we had won the '12 games ...

nick-taylor

April 24th, 2012, 06:15 AM

Well done. And I hear they're only $15 Billion in debt for the big effort.

Now ... try to imagine what NYC would look like right now if we had won the '12 games ...The Olympics certainly aren't a cheap event to host, and had London replicated the wasteful short-term template established by Athens and Beijing; we would be in serious trouble.

Fortunately unlike the Beijing Olympics which were an ego-trip to reinforce the emergence of China as a world power, the London Games are a catalyst to reclaim an asbestos ridden industrial wasteland and create a new focal point for East London. Hosting the likes of Usain Bolt is merely a cherry on top of the cake.

£9.3bn ($15.0bn) was set aside for the games which includes everything from construction of the arenas, accommodation & other facilities, regeneration of the land, security, transport improvements, as well as a contingency fund. As of March of this year, £0.5bn ($0.8bn) had not been spent, so that games will come in under budget.

That naturally also neglects direct revenue inputs such as merchandising, ticket sales and advertising. For instance merchandising alone is expected to generate £1.0bn ($1.6bn). You also have countless other indirect Olympic-focused revenue generation sources such as increased consumer spending in the wider economy, wider use of the transport network, higher bookings at restaurants, fully occupied hotels, etc... Construction work has also supported a variety of businesses and people in London and across the UK during the downturn.

I take the view that the 'profit' will come from the long-term construction in and around the area, future investment, as well as expanded employment opportunities that have and will be generated from the creation of another critical London hub. Stratford City also reconnects the various isolated periphery neighbourhoods, while transport upgrades were either brought forward or expanded upon.

If New York can produce an Olympic plan that has a focus on regeneration and long-term improvements for housing and transportation, then it ought to get behind a bid; the short, mid & long-term benefits are simply too good to miss out on.

lofter1

April 24th, 2012, 11:17 PM

But given the economic + political freeze over the past few years in the USA a 2012 games in NYC would have been a debacle.

More power to London & hope it all works out. Things look great (and will look even better once the trees grow a bit).

nick-taylor

May 2nd, 2012, 07:05 AM

Crossrail

Royal Oak Tunnel Approach (Great Western Main Line and Hammersmith & City Line in foreground)
http://cdn.londonreconnections.com/assets/westbournepark.jpg
Source: London Reconnections http://www.londonreconnections.com/2012/crossrail-from-the-air/

http://cdn.londonreconnections.com/assets/royaloak.jpg
Source: London Reconnections http://www.londonreconnections.com/2012/crossrail-from-the-air/

Paddington Station
http://cdn.londonreconnections.com/assets/paddington_1.jpg
Source: London Reconnections http://www.londonreconnections.com/2012/crossrail-from-the-air/

http://cdn.londonreconnections.com/assets/paddington_2.jpg
Source: London Reconnections http://www.londonreconnections.com/2012/crossrail-from-the-air/

http://cdn.londonreconnections.com/assets/paddington_3.jpg
Source: London Reconnections http://www.londonreconnections.com/2012/crossrail-from-the-air/

Bond Street Station
http://cdn.londonreconnections.com/assets/bondstreeteastern.jpg
Source: London Reconnections http://www.londonreconnections.com/2012/crossrail-from-the-air/

http://cdn.londonreconnections.com/assets/bondstreetwestern.jpg
Source: London Reconnections http://www.londonreconnections.com/2012/crossrail-from-the-air/

Tottenham Court Road - East
http://img715.imageshack.us/img715/4133/tcr6.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7273/7095994767_5af609c559_b.jpg
Source: IanVisits http://www.flickr.com/photos/ianvisits/7095994767/sizes/l/in/photostream/

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5457/7095995357_e1f8e00bd4_b.jpg
Source: IanVisits http://www.flickr.com/photos/ianvisits/7095995357/sizes/l/in/photostream/

http://cdn.londonreconnections.com/assets/tcr_east.jpg
Source: London Reconnections http://www.londonreconnections.com/2012/crossrail-from-the-air/

Tottenham Court Road - West
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7276/6949923170_0c326dfcb5_b.jpg
Source: IanVisits http://www.flickr.com/photos/ianvisits/6949923170/sizes/l/in/photostream/

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7049/6949922322_e1d439e485_b.jpg
Source: IanVisits http://www.flickr.com/photos/ianvisits/6949922322/sizes/l/in/photostream/

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7119/7095992897_3b1d7c3120_b.jpg
Source: IanVisits http://www.flickr.com/photos/ianvisits/7095992897/sizes/l/in/photostream/

http://cdn.londonreconnections.com/assets/tcr_west.jpg
Source: London Reconnections http://www.londonreconnections.com/2012/crossrail-from-the-air/

Farringdon Station
http://cdn.londonreconnections.com/assets/farringdon1.jpg
Source: London Reconnections http://www.londonreconnections.com/2012/crossrail-from-the-air/

Liverpool Street-Moorgate Station
http://cdn.londonreconnections.com/assets/liverpoolstreet_finsbury.jpg
Source: London Reconnections http://www.londonreconnections.com/2012/crossrail-from-the-air/

http://cdn.londonreconnections.com/assets/liverpoolstreet_western.jpg
Source: London Reconnections http://www.londonreconnections.com/2012/crossrail-from-the-air/

Whitechapel Station
http://cdn.londonreconnections.com/assets/whitechapel.jpg
Source: London Reconnections http://www.londonreconnections.com/2012/crossrail-from-the-air/

Canary Wharf Station
http://cdn.londonreconnections.com/assets/canarywharf.jpg
Source: London Reconnections http://www.londonreconnections.com/2012/crossrail-from-the-air/

Pudding Mill Tunnel Approach
http://cdn.londonreconnections.com/assets/puddingmill.jpg
Source: London Reconnections http://www.londonreconnections.com/2012/crossrail-from-the-air/

Connaught Tunnel (built in 1878, previously part of the North London Line, but will be utilised as part of the Crossrail Abbey Abbey Wood branch)
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7049/7067373085_ba75ebcbcb_b.jpg
Source: IanVisits http://www.flickr.com/photos/ianvisits/7067373085/sizes/l/in/photostream/

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5115/6921299500_d35f056a67_b.jpg
Source: IanVisits http://www.flickr.com/photos/ianvisits/6921299500/sizes/l/in/photostream/

http://cdn.londonreconnections.com/assets/connaught.jpg
Source: London Reconnections http://www.londonreconnections.com/2012/crossrail-from-the-air/

North Woolwich Shaft
http://cdn.londonreconnections.com/assets/northwoolwich.jpg
Source: London Reconnections http://www.londonreconnections.com/2012/crossrail-from-the-air/

Plumstead Tunnel Approach
http://cdn.londonreconnections.com/assets/plumstead.jpg
Source: London Reconnections http://www.londonreconnections.com/2012/crossrail-from-the-air/

Pudding Mill Lane Station

Originally opened in 1996 on the Stratford branch of the DLR, the station is currently located in the path of the eastern tunnel portal for the Crossrail route out to Shenfield. As such, the present station will be demolished and repositioned slightly to the south.

http://i.imgur.com/39dQ5.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7125/7101351551_c2c3d5d9b6_b.jpg
Source: tompagenet http://www.flickr.com/photos/tompagenet/7101351551/sizes/l/in/photostream/

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8008/7101344071_175f0ed8d7_b.jpg
Source: tompagenet http://www.flickr.com/photos/tompagenet/7101344071/sizes/l/in/photostream/

Cable Car

Work continues to progress on the new cable car linking ExCeL (an exhibition centre) and the 02 Arena.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8153/7104040539_3ae9bb7014_b.jpg
Source: tompagenet http://www.flickr.com/photos/tompagenet/7104040539/sizes/l/in/photostream/

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8014/6955270666_13d0d0b6c9_b.jpg
Source: tompagenet http://www.flickr.com/photos/tompagenet/6955270666/sizes/l/in/photostream/

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8164/6957914850_ab4ba6a537_b.jpg
Source: tompagenet http://www.flickr.com/photos/tompagenet/6957914850/sizes/l/in/photostream/

London Heavy Rail Usage Up

According to latest figures published by the Office for Rail Regulation (ORR) (Source: http://www.rail-reg.gov.uk/server/show/ConWebDoc.10902) for the 2010-11 period, the number of non-London Underground heavy rail journeys focused on London, increased by 73.9mn (11.7%) to 706.3mn.
- Annual growth equivalent to an additional 205,000 passenger journeys each day, raising the average number of journeys (including weekends) each day to 2mn.
- The number of people utilising Network Rail lines solely in London (excluding London Underground) stood at 371.7mn, an increase of 54.8mn (17.3%).
- The number of people commuting into London from the surrounding urban/metro area and further afield stood at 334.5mn, an increase of 19.2mn (6.1%).

All the train operating companies which are focused on London experienced growth in passenger journeys, with London Overground seeing the largest percentage increase of 55.2% (19.0mn) to 53.6mn passenger journeys. South West Trains which is the UK's largest train operator based out of London Waterloo saw an increase of 6.7% (12.7mn) to 202.6mn passengers per annum.

The ORR has also published statistics for station usage across the UK (Source: http://www.rail-reg.gov.uk/server/show/ConWebDoc.10890), which detailed that the eight busiest (not factoring in London Underground) stations in the UK were located in Central London.

All of the major London stations experienced growth, with London Waterloo remaining the busiest; used by 91.75mn passengers each year. London Victoria was the second busiest at 73.57mn, with London Liverpool Street third at 55.76mn.

London Bridge, London Charing Cross, London Euston, London Paddington, London King's Cross, London St Pancras, London Cannon Street and East Croydon all handled in excess of 20mn per annum. In addition, there are now 178 (excluding London Underground) stations within London that are utilised by greater than 1mn passengers per annum.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7227/6989002918_4e16c50fc8_b.jpg
Source: National Rail http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/passenger_services/maps/London_Rail_Tube_map.pdf

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8010/6989002926_e4384cde48_b.jpg
Source: National Rail http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/passenger_services/maps/London_South_East.pdf