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- Title
1980s London: A Laboratory for Contemporary High-Rise Architecture. The Case of the Richard Rogers Partnership.
- Authors
LENNE, LOÏSE
- Abstract
In the 1980s, high-rise construction in Western Europe seems to have paused. In London, though, the pause was relative: Tower 42 teas completed in 1980 and became the highest building in the city (183 m) until it was outranked in 1991 by One Canada Square, in Canary Wharf (236 m). However, only one relatively tall building (95 m) was begun and completed during the decade, one that is significant in the history of architecture: the Lloyd's Building, by Richard Rogers and Partners, built in 1986. The debates about its construction raised questions that still hold today. In that regard, the Lloyd's Building bore signs of what London's skyline would become, notably under the influence of Richard Rogers who designed a great number of buildings in central London and has also been involved in advising in the area of urban planning. It was the first building where architectural quality was used in such a clear way as a means to justify its construction and convince every group involved in the decision process. Moreover, its main architectural features can also be analysed as answers to the capitalist market: in doing so, I will try to show which architectural qualities are relevant for the market, and how such a selection affects the contemporary high-rise architecture in London. In this article, 1 will thus develop the idea that clues to London's recent evolution can be found in contemporary architectural theory and history.
- Subjects
LONDON (England); ENGLAND; SKYSCRAPER design &; construction; ARCHITECTURE; RICHARD Rogers Partnership Ltd.
- Publication
Built Environment, 2017, Vol 43, Issue 4, p481
- ISSN
0263-7960
- Publication type
Article