High Rise London

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Are High Rise Buildings Ruining London?

 

Close your eyes and picture the London skyline in your mind for a few minutes. What can you see? Perhaps you can picture The London Eye, Big Ben or maybe even The Gherkin. No doubt there is some fabulous architecture in and around London, however many would not describe a 300 metre high structure that blocks out all sunlight as fabulous, and in fact think that London is being ruined by the increasing amount of high rise buildings springing up each year.

The BT Tower, one of the first London high rises, was built in 1965 and stands at 177 metres tall. Since then, taller buildings of around 250 – 300 metres have been in high demand and these are the ones that are causing controversy. Countless London locals feel that newer builds such as The Shard, designed by Renzo Piano, have been built without taking into account their opinions. A few years ago new builds would have been debated and any concerns taken into consideration but now, increasingly, builds are given the go ahead quickly and without debate.

Big buildings can be beautiful and the architecture admired but the concern is that if more high rise buildings are approved then less care may be taken over the quality and boring rectangular blocks of concrete will be erected all over this historic city. Employing a talented architect costs thousands and as the demand for homes and businesses in the capital grows it is somewhat inevitable that conventional high rises take over.

London Mayor Boris Johnson is very much in favour of high rise buildings so if you want London to keep these new builds to a minimum then you may end up disappointed. It is predicted that London will continue to grow and high rises may even be built on the outskirts of the city.

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