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Rowan Moore on the year that was in architecture

2021-12-30T13:00:00-05:00

What can be said of a world where one billionaire wants to build a giant tulip-shaped tower of little practical use and another wants to house thousands of students in windowless rooms in a block with all the charm of an Amazon distribution centre?

The Observer critic further continued his contrasting of Foster + Partner’s failed Tulip Tower with the Munger Hall development in California, claiming that each was the vanity project of a wayward billionaire.

“Both projects seem driven by ego, but in the wide space between the brutal functionalism of the latter and the redundant gesturing of the former, you might hope to find places where beauty is put in the service of the usual and unusual needs of human life.”

Moore also commended the push for more adaptive reuse projects in cities while recognizing the rise of mass timber as a step in the right direction. He didn’t share the same opinion, however, about biophilic design enhancements, which are increasingly perfunctory marketing gimmicks.

“The idea was to say something or other about the importance of having nature in cities, but any suspicion that these projects were, like the Tulip, a teeny bit gestural was resoundingly confirmed by the contrast between the lush landscape t...

End of the line for Foster’s Tulip after UK government rejects project due to climate concerns

2021-11-11T09:57:00-05:00

The UK government has rejected the Foster + Partners-designed Tulip Tower, bringing an end to years of uncertainty over the project’s future. The scheme’s rejection by Housing Secretary Michael Gove and housing minister Christopher Pincher comes only one month after speculation within the British press that Gove was expected to approve the scheme.

The £500 million ($691 million) project was unveiled by Foster + Partners in 2018, rising 305 meter to become the tallest building in London’s financial district. The 12-story viewing pod at the building’s summit was described as a “classroom in the sky” which could accommodate 20,000 schoolchildren every year as well as bars and restaurants.

Image: DBOX for Foster + Partners

Today's rejection of the scheme by the UK government follows the advice of planning inspector David Nicholson who, as the UK’s Architect’s Journal reports, advised the scheme be rejected following a multi-week public inquiry held in November 2020.

Nicholson’s rep...

UK housing secretary Michael Gove rumored to be mulling approval of Foster + Partners' Tulip Tower

2021-10-20T13:36:00-04:00

Foster + Partners’ hotly-contested Tulip Tower proposal in London may now spring to life once more as several UK outlets are reporting the £500 million ($691 million) scheme is set to be granted approval by housing secretary Michael Gove.

Planned for the site opposite The Gherkin, the 300-meter-high tower is meant as a tourist attraction, featuring a 12-story viewing ‘pod’ that will serve a variety of functions, most notably as a “classroom in the sky” for the 20,000 schoolchildren expected to visit the tower annually.

The tower would become London's second tallest building once completed. Credit: DBOX for Foster + Partners.

The plan bounced back in the summer of 2019 after London’s mayor Sadiq Khan rescinded municipal approval for the tower on the grounds that it was "of insufficient quality for such a prominent location" and "would result in harm to London’s skyline and impact views of the nearby Tower of London World Heritage Site."

London's mayor had previously rejected municipa...

London rejects Foster+Partners' Tulip Tower

2019-07-15T14:03:00-04:00

In a defeat for Foster + Partners, London mayor Sadiq Khan has rescinded municipal approval for the 997-foot Tulip tower the architects had proposed for the city's Square Mile high-rise district.

Architect's Journal reports that a spokesperson for the mayor's office said that the tower's design was "of insufficient quality for such a prominent location," and that if built, the bulbous monolith "would result in harm to London’s skyline and impact views of the nearby Tower of London World Heritage Site."

The tower would have joined London's eclectic and growing skyline. Image courtesy of Foster + Partners.

The spokesperson added that the proposal, as currently articulated, would create "an unwelcoming, poorly-designed public space at street level.

The proposal includes using bulbous gondolas to reach the uppermost levels of the tower. Image courtesy of Foster + Partners.

The tower, which is being developed by J Safra Group, received preliminary approval from the City of London's plann...

Foster's Tulip Tower receives approval from London officials

2019-04-02T14:45:00-04:00

The controversial Tulip skyscraper in the City was granted planning approval today despite huge concerns about its impact on historic views of London. The decision by the City of London Corporation’s planning committee paves the way for the 305.3-metre high structure on Bury Street, which will be western Europe’s second tallest building after the Shard.

Despite all controversy surrounding the 1,000-foot-tall Tulip Tower, the Foster + Partners-designed project appears to have breezed through the approval process since it was first unveiled last November.

Credit: DBOX for Foster + Partners

"This building—a lift shaft with a bulge on top—would damage the very thing its developers claim they will deliver—tourism and views of London’s extraordinary heritage," said Duncan Wilson, chief executive of Historic England, in his opposing opinion.

"The setting of the Tower of London, a symbol of the city not just to millions of Londoners but to the whole world and one of our most visited places, will be harmed. It has already been damaged by the Walkie Talkie and it would be a great shame if that mistake was repeated."

London Mayor Sadiq Khan still has to sign off the approval.

Fosters' Tulip-shaped tourist attraction gets recommendation for approval

2019-03-26T13:40:00-04:00

Foster + Partners' design for a Tulip-shaped tourist attraction is being recommended for approval by City of London officials, reports Building Design.

Sited next door to Norman Foster's Gherkin, the proposed viewing platform has received considerable pushback. Examples include opposition from local residents, concerns about its impact on air traffic control systems, worries it would detract from the Tower of London, and considerable objection from the city's mayor Sadiq Khan.

Despite a host of criticisms, the City's planning commission is looking to wave through the designs, arguing that the project would cause "less than substantial harm."

In the commission's 152-page report, officers concluded that "taking all material matters into consideration...the public benefits of the proposal nevertheless outweigh the priority given to the development plan and other material considerations against the proposals."

The 305-meter tower, which will hold educational facilities, viewing galler...

Foster + Partners-designed Tulip tower may impact London's air traffic control systems

2018-12-03T13:44:00-05:00

Gondalas designed to move up and down the top of the Tulip tower are at risk of confusing air traffic control systems, according to technical experts at London City airport. Construction on the 305-metre (1,000ft) tower must not go ahead until an assessment has been carried out into its potential impact on radar systems at the airport six miles to the east, officials told the authority considering whether to grant planning permission.

After its big reveal in November, planning for the 1,000-foot-tall The Tulip observation tower by Foster + Partners has been halted by officials to study the impact the attraction's moving glass spheres high up in the sky will have on radar systems at the nearby London City airport, pointing out that "the gondalas will be moving and therefore may have a slightly different effect than a static element of the building."

Credit: DBOX for Foster + Partners

Next to the Gherkin, a Tulip-shaped tower designed by Foster + Partners could soon rise

2018-11-19T14:10:00-05:00

British firm Foster + Partners have proposed plans for a Tulip-shaped tower that would rise beside their London landmark, the Gherkin. The new skyscraper, which at 305-meters high would become the city's second-tallest building, is conceived as a state-of-the-art cultural and educational resource by the architects.

Credit: DBOX for Foster + Partners

Also described as 'a classroom in the sky,' the future landmark will include an educational facility for local schoolchildren, with 20,000 free visits offered per year. In addition, the Tulip will have viewing galleries as well as bars and restaurants offering panoramic views of the city.

Visitors will have a variety of noteworthy ways to move about the 12-story observation tower, choosing between sky bridges, internal glass slides and/or a gondola pod ride.

Credit: DBOX for Foster + Partners

Announcing the plans, Norman Foster described the project as "in the spirit of London as a progressive, forward-t...