Agree about the Shard. Have to agree to disagree about Petronas though, I love those buildings. After the Bank of China Tower in Hong Kong it's probably my favourite.

The London Eye. I kind of agree with you about it being an eyesore, but I would say it's a "positive" eyesore because it does give fantastic views. It also brings attention to Old County Hall, which is a building I like but is practically ignored because of the building diagonal to it.

St Thomas's Hospital is an eyesore and needs to be moved. The Shell Centre is an even bigger eyesore and needs replacing.

Yeah, but that's just you northern monkeys.

If he can afford it then let him do it. Whether it looks rubbish or not make sure it is 100% funded by him or his company/people and all we can do as a nation is charge him massive rent

I actually think it detracts from the County Hall and, with the stuff now in County Hall and all the busking noise etc, has reduced that part of the South Bank to a mini theme park reeking of fries.
I am hypocritical though because I accepted a freebie ride on the Eye ...I agree about the view but don't think it's worth the visual impact on the South Bank. In my pod, most people were taking photos of themselves with the Palace of Westminster as a backdrop rather than looking at the more distant view and my guess was that very few could identify what was out there.
For me, the best views in London are from Hungerford Bridge looking North East along the river and from Parliament Hill or Primrose Hill.

St Thomas' doesn't look good, I agree, not sure how it could be relocated though.
Disagree about the Shell Centre but the area could do with a tidy-up.

He can't.

"I am now inviting the major cities of the world like Shanghai, Moscow, New York, London and regional cities in the Middle East to come and give their offers,"

[iPrince Alwaleed said countries interested in hosting the world's tallest tower would have to offer attractive financing terms, tax breaks and other government support. [/i

The Shard is dire – primarily because it is so big, and stands so much on its own, that it detracts from anything else.

I do not dislike modern architecture per se – I don't dislike tall buildings per se – but in London at present we're just seeing a situation of, frankly, ing contests.

Couldn't we just build a replica of the Chrysler building? Bloody love that.

I've not seen it "in the flesh", as it were but, from the photos I've seen, I have to say I admire it.

I have seen it "in the flesh" and it is fantastic. Was for brief time the tallest building in the world until they finished the much less interesting Empire State Building soon after.

As to more super-tall buildings in London I don't think the cityscape would benefit much from these at all. It's not New York or Hong Kong but has plenty of interesting buildings that are much more low-rise and for me this seems more in keeping.

The Shard was quite disappointing when I say it. It's right next to where I used to work and it seems an odd place to have it. Turn right out of the old office and you get the shard and turn left and you soon hit Borough Market. Good pub there by the way. Market Porter. Brews it's own ale and was where I proposed to my wife!

As to the Shard again - window cleaning.

Here is the original photo:

[url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/79586797@N00/9204626786/[/url

And here is a crop showing the window cleaners at work.

[url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/79586797@N00/9204571084/[/url

That should make it a shoo in to get Boris's support

It a US plot to make London the prime target for terrorist attacks on the West, rather than NYC.

Shovels in the ground before December!

I guess more and higher buildings in the way of the Heathrow flightpath would give greater justification for the idea of Boris Island airport in the Thames estuary.

That was my initial thought too, a 5300 foot building under the flightpath just a handful of miles distance, aircraft have to be around that height over central london surely - maybe they will start featuring the city approach to Heathrow as a sort of roller coaster ride descending from 10,000 feet straight onto the runway in one swoop ?

Quote ="JerryChicken"That was my initial thought too, a 5300 foot building under the flightpath just a handful of miles distance, aircraft have to be around that height over central london surely - maybe they will start featuring the city approach to Heathrow as a sort of roller coaster ride descending from 10,000 feet straight onto the runway in one swoop ?'" The flight paths are well away from where this tower would ever be likely to be built. www.heathrowairport.com/noise/no ... cking-maps

Quote ="JerryChicken"That was my initial thought too, a 5300 foot building under the flightpath just a handful of miles distance, aircraft have to be around that height over central london surely - maybe they will start featuring the city approach to Heathrow as a sort of roller coaster ride descending from 10,000 feet straight onto the runway in one swoop ?'" The flight paths are well away from where this tower would ever be likely to be built. www.heathrowairport.com/noise/no ... cking-maps

Quote ="Lord God Jose Mourinho"The flight paths are well away from where this tower would ever be likely to be built. www.heathrowairport.com/noise/no ... cking-maps'" Thats what they said about that helicopter

Quote ="Lord God Jose Mourinho"The flight paths are well away from where this tower would ever be likely to be built. www.heathrowairport.com/noise/no ... cking-maps'" Thats what they said about that helicopter

I would say that the HSBC building in Hong Kong is a much better, more imaginative design than the Bank of China tower.

Bigger isn't always better.

Quote ="JerryChicken"Thats what they said about that helicopter '" That building is another crappy building. Just reading the comments section in the Daily Wail about that crash. www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... aring.html Where TF do they get these people?

Quote ="JerryChicken"Thats what they said about that helicopter '" That building is another crappy building. Just reading the comments section in the Daily Wail about that crash. www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... aring.html Where TF do they get these people?

My profile pic is of Victoria Justice. On IMDB someone listed her in a "list of actresses who are said to be beautiful but aren't". My only response to that is an utter bewilderment to what in hell they're looking at.

That's the same response when I look at pics of the HSBC and BoC towers.

I don't like most of I M Pei's buildings. The Louvre pyramid excepted, most of his other buildings I don't really like. But the Bank of China Tower I just love.

Speaking of iconic buildings ... www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-23175255

Speaking of iconic buildings ... www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-23175255

Quote ="El Barbudo"Speaking of iconic buildings ... www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-23175255'" That was one of the last remaining sites for Chelsea to get to build a new stadium. I don't think Earls Court is an iconic building. It is an iconic place because of the events that have taken place there, but the buildings themselves are nothing special at all.

Quote ="El Barbudo"Speaking of iconic buildings ... www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-23175255'" That was one of the last remaining sites for Chelsea to get to build a new stadium. I don't think Earls Court is an iconic building. It is an iconic place because of the events that have taken place there, but the buildings themselves are nothing special at all.

I'm more concerned about the pompous oaf approving the demolition of the estates, in favour of toffs' housing

completely agree with that, it's exactly what i think.

Yup, me too.
The buildings in HK mentioned in earlier posts don't do it for me either, they lack style and imagination.

If I may put aside the politics of buildings and their purpose, I'd like to mention the Gherkin, which to me is a superbly elegant blend of engineering and aesthetics ... like a huge Faberge egg from a distance when it glitters in the daylight and, as you approach, it seems to get smaller and the shape is such that, when you arrive next to it and look up, its height tapers out of sight so you don't see all of it and it doesn't dominate from street level.
The best modern building in The City, in my opinion.

One of the most shouty-but-boring examples has to be No.1. Poultry which is basically a meretricious layer cake of dressed stone wrapped around the same old, same old, style of ferro-concrete skeleton.
When you demolish listed Victorian buildings (as was done in this case), it should only be justified if what you put there next is better ... and it simply isn't.
The harsh brutal nature of the Barbican (even though I hate the whole idea of brutalism and still believe it was a misconception) and the South Bank centre, did at least have [uan idea[/u behind them which is exactly what No 1 Poultry lacks, it is like a little girl wearing all her mother's make-up.