Massive Revamp for the Elephant...

Update from BBC online news:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/3504715.stm

Ahem - we had the stories and pictures here on this site before the BBC, thanks very much! :-)

The pictures were embargoed until midnight this morning, and they were on this site before 1am!

http://www.london-se1.co.uk/news/view/843

James

Thanks for burning the midnight oil to bring us such a professionally presented story.

To all defenders of developers - show me an example of a skyscraper with hanging gardens that actually looks green from the outside as in these drawings. [I understand that Liebeskind's plans for such a scheme have been dropped from the plans for the New York WTC site.]

I am deeply disappointed by the final appearance of the cladding on Foster's Swiss Re building (the erotic gherkin) despite its sky-gardens atria. On this track record, I suspect the Elephant towers will just look like the anonymous glass blocks anywhere else.



Post edited (20 Feb 04 13:57)

Rabbie,

I did see an architecture programme on the new(ish) city hall in (I think it was) Fukoaka that was exactly like a hanging garden.

That said, the programme showed it in a fairly new state and it immediately raised the question in my mind: who's going to look after it and make sure it always looks so lush.

I wonder if the really brave thing to do is just to rename the E&C (I favour keeping the animal connection, so maybe Zebra Junction or The Giraffe Gyratory might work), get rid of all the negative connotations and start again. As long as we stay away from obvious blatant lies like "Metro Central".

I notice the drawing lacked the inevitable 'tagging'

Bearing in mind the pictures show a vision of a fantasy E&C, maybe we should give it a fantasy name...Heffalump & Woozle anyone?

a fantasy land where the sky is always blue, the people joining in 'performances and major celebrations', there's no litter or graffiti in the 'character areas' and certainly no dead plants. I long to see the back of the current pink elephant - may the shemes dreams all come true.....

maybe the rumours about architects and weed are true?

it would have to be pretty strong to conjure up those images of the E&C we all know and er 'love'

what budget do they have - how much of it will be mismanaged or squandered?

Still, something has to be tried so well done for that.

When the IRA decomissions arms, I'm led to believe they just pour concrete on them to render them unusable. Why not just douse E&C in concrete, then chip away want you don't want in a sculpture type fashion...art meets purpose - that's what we like...

Dear James,

So sorry to have overlooked your well written and well illustrated article! Keep bringing us the good news

Thanks

Em