London"s Five Tallest Buildings
From Norman Foster's so-called 'Gherkin' building to the elegant if somewhat aloof Tower 42, London's five tallest buildings are a fascinating study in the contrasting drives of contemporary architectural style versus the reserved tastes of the city.
Surprisingly, London is not known internationally for its tall buildings, nor its startlingly original architecture.
Prince Charles famously railed against the construction of buildings which did not fit his particular idea of what made for good design, which excluded such world-renowned architects as Jean Nouvel.
As for notably tall buildings, it was not until after 1960 that the height restrictions preventing the construction of traditional 'skyscrapers' were lifted.
The peaks of London's skyline are therefore a mixture of tradition and barely repressed ebullience, with more traditional towers looking somewhat dubiously over the shoulder of playful multi-colored cylinders.
The tallest building in London is the Canary Wharf Tower, the flagship of a series of stately tall steel and glass towers with a pyramid-shaped peak and regularly punched windows.
At 235 meters in height, it looks out over a section of the Thames, including warehouses, discount hotels, and busy roads.
The BT tower, at 191 meters, is the second tallest free standing building in London.
A slender concrete cylinder glad in glass, the BT tower was originally designed primarily as a telecommunications tower.
A happy mix of purpose and design, the BT tower has three visual sections; several stories of offices, extending from the group up; a section of satellite dishes and other telecommunications equipment, capped off by several sections of multi-story rounded discs, like a series of hats piled on top of each other.
At 183 meters, Tower 42 is the third tallest building in London.
Its cantilevered flooring, while structurally radical at the time of its construction, decreases the amount of available office space.
Located in the city of London, Tower 42 looks out onto London's fourth-tallest building, affectionately known as the 'Gherkin.
' Designed by Norman Foster, the Gherkin is the most colorful and memorable building on the skyline, with a total height of 180 meters.
Easily glimpsed from numerous cheap hotels, the Gherkin's elegant curvature and multi-colored triangular glass windows make it look less like a building and more like a piece of candy.
The Broadgate Tower, at 164 meters, closes out the top five tallest buildings in London with an innovative glass wings on either side of a solid concrete core.
Surprisingly, London is not known internationally for its tall buildings, nor its startlingly original architecture.
Prince Charles famously railed against the construction of buildings which did not fit his particular idea of what made for good design, which excluded such world-renowned architects as Jean Nouvel.
As for notably tall buildings, it was not until after 1960 that the height restrictions preventing the construction of traditional 'skyscrapers' were lifted.
The peaks of London's skyline are therefore a mixture of tradition and barely repressed ebullience, with more traditional towers looking somewhat dubiously over the shoulder of playful multi-colored cylinders.
The tallest building in London is the Canary Wharf Tower, the flagship of a series of stately tall steel and glass towers with a pyramid-shaped peak and regularly punched windows.
At 235 meters in height, it looks out over a section of the Thames, including warehouses, discount hotels, and busy roads.
The BT tower, at 191 meters, is the second tallest free standing building in London.
A slender concrete cylinder glad in glass, the BT tower was originally designed primarily as a telecommunications tower.
A happy mix of purpose and design, the BT tower has three visual sections; several stories of offices, extending from the group up; a section of satellite dishes and other telecommunications equipment, capped off by several sections of multi-story rounded discs, like a series of hats piled on top of each other.
At 183 meters, Tower 42 is the third tallest building in London.
Its cantilevered flooring, while structurally radical at the time of its construction, decreases the amount of available office space.
Located in the city of London, Tower 42 looks out onto London's fourth-tallest building, affectionately known as the 'Gherkin.
' Designed by Norman Foster, the Gherkin is the most colorful and memorable building on the skyline, with a total height of 180 meters.
Easily glimpsed from numerous cheap hotels, the Gherkin's elegant curvature and multi-colored triangular glass windows make it look less like a building and more like a piece of candy.
The Broadgate Tower, at 164 meters, closes out the top five tallest buildings in London with an innovative glass wings on either side of a solid concrete core.
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