Cladding was looking very blue in the sun today. Gorgeous though.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/28418222@N02/archives/date-taken/2009/08/28/

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3427/3866048734_c085a24a66_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/28418222@N02/3866048734/in/datetaken/)

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2434/3866047690_5729235ecb_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/28418222@N02/3866047690/in/datetaken/)

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2628/3866049202_0c385bb304_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/28418222@N02/3866049202/in/datetaken/)

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2672/3865262537_df34124b8a_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/28418222@N02/3865262537/in/datetaken/)

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2574/3866050314_491f8bb4f2_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/28418222@N02/3866050314/in/datetaken/)

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2557/3866046386_cf0b461f0d_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/28418222@N02/3866046386/in/datetaken/)

^^ Great updates, cladding looks brilliant in the sun, but I'm still a bit worried that it may appear too grey against the traditional London slate sky, but I will reserve judgement. Looks as though they are almost reaching the incline point.

The progress that has been made in a year is quite staggering. This time last year we still had a hole in the ground and were watching the 3rd crane being installed:

August 27th 2008:
http://web2k.co.uk/?im=1219844227

I don't think it will appear that grey, the cladding is more reflective than that and it will more likely appear a silvery shiny colour. :)

i agree.

also i reckon cladding can be as dull as it wants to be, what matters with subtle cladding is to then have the building look sleek and clean, like trump world tower, new york.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/25/Trumpworldtower_23may2005.jpg/100px-Trumpworldtower_23may2005.jpg

and heron :banana:

They look as high standing directly underneath as they do on the skyline,IMO.
Anything over about 150 metres looks high from street,IMO.
The spinnaker is as awesome as viewed from Portsmouth trainstation as it is out on the solent ferry,for example.

can we expect T/O by end of this year?

Almost definitely, yes. Unless something goes horribly wrong, Britain should have a new tallest building by the time 2010 rolls around. :)

They look as high standing directly underneath as they do on the skyline,IMO.
Anything over about 150 metres looks high from street,IMO.

Agreed, it looks very tall and impressive up close. I think the issue is that some of the photos have other buildings in the foreground, so you only see the top part of Heron without the context of the many lower floors hidden from view.

^^

That's probably it. It may be the angle of the shot, or the buildings in the way, but to me it definitely seems taller on the skyline than from the street. Then again, I've not actually been right up to any of London's skyscrapers, so maybe it's just the photos that make me feel that way. ;)

^^

That's probably it. It may be the angle of the shot, or the buildings in the way, but to me it definitely seems taller on the skyline than from the street. Then again, I've not actually been right up to any of London's skyscrapers, so maybe it's just the photos that make me feel that way. ;)

it's straightforward - as already pointed out - its the relation of a building to its surroundings that makes it look tall - or not :)

Great pics everyone. Is it just me or have they started on the next two floors when they haven't finished the previous two? Why would they do that?

Great pics everyone. Is it just me or have they started on the next two floors when they haven't finished the previous two? Why would they do that?

Yeah, I was wondering about that too.
It wouldn't be the beginning of the next 'section'/'step' (if you get me) already would it? I wouldn't have thought they would have built it that way - I was expecting something a lot more clearly divided from the main 'section' of the building. Then again admittedly I do have next-to-no knowledge of how buildings are constructed.

Its the lobby + 10 sets of 3 floors before the step back starts.

Currently from the bishopsgate facing face, we can see lobby + 28 floors. So yes, the step back is starting, since we can see from more distant shots that they have started work on the 29th and 30th floors (ignoring lobby).

http://dl.getdropbox.com/u/20407/3866049202_0c385bb304_b.jpg http://dl.getdropbox.com/u/20407/DSC05153.jpg

Total floor count (unless I've miscounted) is currently at 32 floors.

edit:

Correction: there are actually 11 sets of 3 floors. And so we are still one block away from the setback.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2574/3866050314_491f8bb4f2_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/28418222@N02/3866050314/in/datetaken/)

Looks like there's quite a few different types of cladding being used on Heron. Judging from this picture the glass on the back looks superior to the rest of the cladding so far, but we will have to wait and see how it turns out.

I would say another 2-3 more floors before the step in. looking at the completed render and the highest point of the steel frame?

Anybody else have any thoughts, it would be good if it would continue to climb!!

http://i25.tinypic.com/mt79lc.jpg is this where the tower is at the moment or is it taller or shorter?

It's in there somewhere.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3442/3867365243_79489b687d_b.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3009/3867413991_876b12e7fe_b.jpg

yay, they saved the beautiful view by building two glass boxes rather than anything tall. yay! :hahano:

good lord those things are revolting. nevertheless, merci for the update, darj. heron will at least add something positive to that view.

Plantation Place is such an abomination on the view in that last picture. The cladding just looks so damn cheap and it cuts off a decent view from the river with its bulking mass.

The cladding just looks so damn cheap and it cuts off a decent view from the river with its bulking mass.

It's bizarre because up close it is the best glass clad building in the City bar Broadgate

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1408/674232532_94f7270990.jpg?v=0

^^^ true

Up close or from a distance the cladding is gorgeous, but what a fatty. I suppose the city needs some big trading floors though. The city exists to make money and hopefully look good at the same time; not the other way round.

I just wish the city would see the benefit from actually making the riverside more beautiful and coherant. At the moment it has some of the worst collection of riverside buildings I can think of and for such an important part of London it's really quiet a disgrace and doesn't do anything for London or the city's image.

I just wish the city would see the benefit from actually making the riverside more beautiful and coherant. At the moment it has some of the worst collection of riverside buildings I can think of and for such an important part of London it's really quiet a disgrace and doesn't do anything for London or the city's image.


You must be kidding, right? Have you visited the Tower of London -I would guess one of the country's biggest tourist revenue generators, Tower Bridge etc.. I did the tour a couple of weeks ago, it's brilliant.

I think she was referring to the mass of mediocre office buildings along the river rather than the ToL.

I just wish the city would see the benefit from actually making the riverside more beautiful and coherant. At the moment it has some of the worst collection of riverside buildings I can think of and for such an important part of London it's really quiet a disgrace and doesn't do anything for London or the city's image.

I agree. The Southbank has some good lowrise office towers, but on the Northbank, they're very banal and disappointing.

I was not referring to the older buildings but the new office buildings. Most of them are shockers.

http://homepage.mac.com/benveasey/.Pictures/P1010985.JPG

http://homepage.mac.com/benveasey/.Public/P1010979.JPG

Yesterday, 4Seasons CW.

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a82/supertek/P1000592.jpg
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a82/supertek/P1000588.jpg
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a82/supertek/P1000590.jpg
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a82/supertek/P1000609.jpg
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a82/supertek/P1000589.jpg

I can't even begin to comprehend the impact of Bishopgate on that 2nd image by Chest.. What a view already.

I can't even begin to comprehend the impact of Bishopgate on that 2nd image by Chest.. What a view already.

Agreed, it'll reach the top of the photo! Alot of hype is made about the Shard, and rightly so, but I really think Bish is the one that's going to have the biggest impact on London, and obviously the City. It's a massive building, T42 with 99 Bish on top for goodness sake! Plus from street level I think it will actually seem taller than the Shard due to the fact that it's sides do not taper. I really cannot wait til it starts rising, for me it's number 1 by a long way :banana:

Heron's looking great btw, really need to go and have a close up look myself, haven't been for months now. Loving the PV cladding, but I'm hoping all the various cladding types start to gel better with each other, at the moment I think there's a bit too much going on. However, it's one of those things you need to see in person I guess.

Some great photos too, particularly Chest's, great stuff.

... all i think about is you :happy:

http://i28.tinypic.com/24evwr9.jpg

^^^^ Your morning glory eh? ;)

The extra floors mean Heron is now visible from the top floor of Palestra in Southwark.

Whats the other u/c building to the far right of this pic? Heron really looking tall now from this angle.

^^100 Middlesex Street

http://www.willfox.com/images/skyscrapers/heron/construction/1.jpg

Today -

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/El_Greco/CityWalk6.jpg

^^

Wow, talk about reflective cladding! That looks amazing!

^Agreed, and so much colour in that pic.

If it had been completed already, 20FC would look quite good in Will's pic

^Agreed, and so much colour in that pic.

Is it too colourful?Serious question.

Is it too colourful?Serious question.

In my opinion, no, not at all!

I'm a big fan of your highly-saturated photos, I think they give the pictures a bit more life.

Keep 'em coming!!!

To me they dont look highly-saturated at all but if they are just say so.Im not a fan of too colourful photos.

To me they dont look highly-saturated at all but if they are just say so.Im not a fan of too colourful photos.

I didn't mean that in a bad way!
I'm no expert in photography terminology I was just trying to sound smart!
But I guess in Layman's terms I just wanted to say that the added colour gives the photos a boost and I think it would be a real shame to see them go.

I didn't mean that in a bad way!


Yes I know sorry if I sounded rude or angry.

they are not too colourful

Don't worry you didn't! I just wanted to make sure you knew that I wouldn't change the colour in your photos at all, for aforementioned reasons!

riding down Bishopsgate
http://homepage.mac.com/benveasey/.Public/P1020011.JPG
http://homepage.mac.com/benveasey/.Public/P1020019.JPG
http://homepage.mac.com/benveasey/.Public/P1020021.JPG
http://homepage.mac.com/benveasey/.Public/P1020024.JPG
http://homepage.mac.com/benveasey/.Public/P1020025.JPG
http://homepage.mac.com/benveasey/.Public/P1020030.JPG

Such a great approach, Bishopsgate is a great street, noticed they'd started the cladding on the north side when I went past yesterday, nice stainless steel cladding for the cross bracing. Perfect!

Bishopsgate is a great street!

No its not - battered railings shabby pavements coloured asphalt filth clutter etc.

Bishopsgate is not that cluttered and the street stuff is of a high quality. It's a FANTASTIC street with a great variety of architecture and some great bars.

I disagree its one of the main roads in and out of London and has great potential (I love the views of The Gherkin from there) but at the mo it looks disgusting - you have battered railings, shabby chewing gum covered pavements, coloured asphalt with bits crumbled of, many different types of lamposts (many of them not working),traffic islands and general clutter overload. But who cares about any of that as long as you can have a pint or two in Dirty Dicks right?

You guys need to start being a bit more critical of your cities because 'well its not so bad', 'could be worse' just wont do.

Couple more shots of the clutter free, picturesque and villagesque Bishopsgate -

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/El_Greco/CityWalk4.jpg

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/El_Greco/CityWalk5.jpg

No its not - battered railings shabby pavements coloured asphalt filth clutter etc.

Those things are what make it great, a nice busy street in the heart of the financial district, buses, people, taxis, noise, clutter, inconsistency. It's good to know you're in a busy thriving city every now and again, walking through Broadgate takes you away from that simple pleasure.

Sure thing.....:|

However I think most people will say that makes it look poor and ugly by Continental European standards.

Two slightly different views from Primrose Hill

http://i527.photobucket.com/albums/cc360/londonfire/Picture14740017.jpg

http://i527.photobucket.com/albums/cc360/londonfire/Picture14740019.jpg

I think the blue-red contrast is just phenomenal! Great for London!

I disagree its one of the main roads in and out of London and has great potential (I love the views of The Gherkin from there) but at the mo it looks disgusting - you have battered railings, shabby chewing gum covered pavements, coloured asphalt with bits crumbled of, many different types of lamposts (many of them not working),traffic islands and general clutter overload. But who cares about any of that as long as you can have a pint or two in Dirty Dicks right?

You guys need to start being a bit more critical of your cities because 'well its not so bad', 'could be worse' just wont do.



I agree that our city would benefit from a greater degree of care and maintenance but to be honest, when i was working in Canary Wharf where the planters are pretty and kebab-box-free, the pavements were smart and clean of any chewing gum and the public places were uncluttered, the whole place felt almost sterile and lacking in a sense of energy or reality. It was like the whole area was teflon coated to human presence which made it quite machine-like and impersonal. CW is indeed very smart and attarctive but feels very lacking in character and like an old piece of leather with its imperfections and stains, the City has a lot more charm and interest. Now I live in Chicago which has beautiful flower arrangements, super wide pavements and immaculately clean public spaces and I long to see some chewing gum on the ground..

^ In both CW and Chicago the predominant architectural style is modern. Modern creates great individual buildings, but poor and cold streets, so no surprise that both CW and Chicago feel sterile and characterless.

However, I disagree that clutter and filth add character or charm. What a ridiculous thing to say infact. Do you live in a flat/house resembling a barn and stinking of piss and all kinds of other things? I doubt it.

All the things I mentioned are ugly and add nothing positive to a city whatsoever and should be ruthlessly eradicated, NIMBY whinges about corporatisations ignored. Good public realm improves the quality of life, make people proud of their city and attract business. Most European cities realised this years ago and as a result look million times better than British ones.Time to catch up or do you prefer to live in filth? It wouldnt cost The Earth to remove the clutter and all the other nastiness. All you need is will. And Im pretty sure youd save money too - the less clutter there is, the less money and time you need to spend maintaining it.

^ In both CW and Chicago the predominant architectural style is modern. Modern creates great individual buildings, but poor and cold streets, so no surprise that both CW and Chicago feel sterile and characterless.

However, I disagree that clutter and filth add character or charm. What a ridiculous thing to say infact. Do you live in a flat/house resembling a barn and stinking of piss and all kinds of other things? I doubt it.

All the things I mentioned are ugly and add nothing positive to a city whatsoever and should be ruthlessly eradicated, NIMBY whinges about corporatisations ignored. Good public realm improves the quality of life, make people proud of their city and attract business. Most European cities realised this years ago and as a result look million times better than British ones.Time to catch up or do you prefer to live in filth? It wouldnt cost The Earth to remove the clutter and all the other nastiness. All you need is will. And Im pretty sure youd save money too - the less clutter there is, the less money and time you need to spend maintaining it.

Having a young daughter (4) heightened my awareness of how filthy London can be. Made me much more critical. But London has always been a city of filth I fear.

Having a young daughter (4) heightened my awareness of how filthy London can be. Made me much more critical. But London has always been a city of filth I fear.

Its cleaner than most, in fact the only city that is more cleaner is Dubia, but Dubia is so sterile and lifeless. London has so much character and vibriancy. Anyhow, its people that make it dirty and its only people that can change it. Its not London that has the problem its the people that use it.

Its cleaner than most, in fact the only city that is more cleaner is Dubia, but Dubia is so sterile and lifeless. London has so much character and vibriancy. Anyhow, its people that make it dirty and its only people that can change it. Its not London that has the problem its the people that use it.

I hate to go too off-topic, but I can tell you from many years spent visiting and living there that not all of Dubai is clean. Try going to Satwa, for example, when you are next there- the rats are huge, the bins overflow, the drains stink and the houses are in a terrible state. London might just seem generally more shabby when compared to somewhere like Dubai because it hasn't been mostly built in the last 15-20 years.

Heron's looking great, btw!

Getting back to the topic... 3 from yesterday

http://img2.imageshack.us/img2/651/londonsept09014d.jpg

http://img2.imageshack.us/img2/9257/londonsept09012.jpg

http://img2.imageshack.us/img2/7022/londonsept09009.jpg

Sure thing.....:|

However I think most people will say that makes it look poor and ugly by Continental European standards.

Continental European standards, who gives a f**k. London is dirty, congested and over crowded. Its always been that way and thats what makes it what it is. London does't need a disneyfication makeover.. :ohno:

Continental European standards, who gives a f**k. London is dirty, congested and over crowded. Its always been that way and thats what makes it what it is. London does't need a disneyfication makeover.. :ohno:

here here... and london is over crowded because every bugg*er appears wants to be here

Is it too colourful?Serious question.

Yes it is.

You've heavily oversaturated it in photo shop, probably by a factor of at least 50. Why? The only reason I can see is that it was taken on a dull day and you've tried to compensate for that by upping the saturation levels.

^ Thanks for that.On my monitor my pics dont seem to be oversaturated thats why I need to know what other people think.Ill go easy with the saturation from now on.

London does't need a disneyfication makeover.. :ohno:

But its not just London that is cluttered and filthy is it?

I find it strange that people dont take pride in their cities and that they see filth and clutter as something positive.
Take Bath - it has great buildings, but the public realm is very very poor which just makes it look like a right dump. Compare it with Bruges thats been investing in the public realm for the last 40 years. It looks magical - no battered railings, shabby pavements, clutter, parked cars, ugly plastic-neon shopfronts or satellite dishes. And yet Bruges has more life than Bath.

Clutter adds nothing positive whatsoever. Its a waste of money that prevents people from appreciating architecture. Same with the obsession with the car. Most of Europe is making street after street either pedestrian or shared surface, but you wont see this here.

Which one do you prefer?

http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w202/speedytouch/London20Cheapside.jpg

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/El_Greco/Cheapside.jpg

Does the old one look Disneyesque? No it doesnt.

You could pedestrianise and clear Cheapside from clutter entirely and it still wouldn´t look like it did. The architecture is gone.

Anyway, I´f my memory serves me right I think that there are plans to redevelop the whole street, and make it more attractive. They´ve already began doing this in the junction outside one new change haven´t they?

I agree with El Greco. I think people are missing the point of what unified holistic design can bring to an area. What we have along Bishopsgate is quite a poor public realm in what is one of the richest areas of land in the world; lets put things into perspective. The paving is of poor quality and changes too frequently where different developments have obviously offered to contribute their gold coated peanuts. Either end of Bishopsgate is quite cold and unfriendly, the typical speculative office street scene but the southern end has enough interesting set pieces to save it from becoming anywhere. The street becomes interesting around liverpool street, in quite a small section there is more variety in the uses of buildings and more variety in the scale, creating some nice depth to juxtapositions and bustle around the station. Sadly this is where the street design is lacking and needs much more work to really unlock the potential (there is no point being happy with the status quo when somewhere has obvious potential!). There are ridiculous obstacles like raised flower beds and redundant phone boxes, ugly tarmac covered side streets, far too many street signs and poorly located public toilets which squeeze the pavement. A mish mash of developments set for a confusing street, the cluttered croassing, the road bulging in and out, the clash of paving outside liverpool street station with the broadgate development next door with its OTT raised promenade that no one uses.
It just needs someone to create some clarity with design and positioning of facilities and co-ordinated high quality paving, then this can be the perfect canvas for the colourful street life.

The heron plaza will of course be another isolated set piece but at least it migh bring more attention to the duller end.

^ Thanks for that.On my monitor my pics dont seem to be oversaturated thats why I need to know what other people think.Ill go easy with the saturation from now on.

I was gonna say I love the special effect! Looks great!

i agree. the colour contrast looks good on my screen, but then maybe my screen is defective like el greco's.

a pedestrianised bishopsgate would be great. the city has developed a lot more restaurants, shops and cafes (not just lunchtime places) in the last 10 years and actually has something of a nightlife now. giving parts of it over entirely to pedestrians would be a logical next step.

you would think it was inevitable with the competition with docklands. I heard something about a major transport rejig in the city to give way to more pleasing spaces but I guess is was shelved or didnt have the political will. Something is going to give though, there is just no way the City will get away with doing nothing about a dramatic improvement in the public realm for workers; there is only one way for that and that is less traffic and more sharing of street space.

i agree. the colour contrast looks good on my screen, but then maybe my screen is defective like el greco's.

a pedestrianised bishopsgate would be great. the city has developed a lot more restaurants, shops and cafes (not just lunchtime places) in the last 10 years and actually has something of a nightlife now. giving parts of it over entirely to pedestrians would be a logical next step.

I am a fan too of giving over roads to pedestrians but there can be unforeseen consequences. I remember about 5 years back when Mayor Ken and Westminster council agreed to pedestrianise Old Compton St in Soho and the issue was that in the quieter periods there was a massive increase in muggings and attacks. One of the reasons for this was believed to be the lack of passing traffic which puts off the attackers. Hence it was changed back to a through road and attacks went down.

I am not saying that this is a reason for not doing it just that it is another issue that would need to be thought through. Shame that we have to consider these negative aspects.

err?! Thats not the story Ive heard. Where is the evidence? The idea that places like Soho and Bishopsgate have 'dead' times is ludicrous. This isnt Weymouth high street! What about the idea that a more pleasant pedestrian environment will actually bring more people in? There are already 24 hours facilities in both the areas. I would imagine you have fallen for political spin rather than the archillies heel.

In any event, if crime increased then the response should be to tackle the crime (through better lighting, or CCTV, or police presence), not to bring back road traffic.

can anyone give an update on how close we are to the step-back?

exactly. It is depressing when people use the niche negative side of human behaviour to thwart things that bring so many benefits to so many more. Like the terror of increased cars trying to park in side streets when a new development appears or streets used as rat runs when Tram schemes are proposed or beggars and prostitutes turning Knightsbridge into a dangerous slum when you have an outdoor cafe (:lol:). You just deal with these side shows like we have always done! To take your eye off the bigger picture because of, it is a ridiculous attritude and will get us no where and particular when the bigger picture is often the way forward for long term benefit.

The area around Heron Tower is pretty souless particularly toward Aldgate so hopefully the plaza and people coming to the bar and restaurant will really extend the lively side of Bishopsgate further. Then we will have the Pinnacle with its bar and hopefully the City will improve the square around there.

Of course one of the main reasons Bishopsgate is such a hive of activity is because it's a bus interchange, if you pedestrianise it and lose the north-south bus links it a) creates increased traffic on other roads where traffic has to be re-routed; and b) removes one of the main reasons for the street being so busy in the first place. And of course most of the buses coming from the north are from Hackney and Bethnal green, areas with people least likely to be aware of a scheme to re-route buses and with the least power to do anything about it.

Pedestrianisation works in a lot of cases, but there is no denying that it can create dis-orienting soulless spaces in the same way unpedestrianised streets can, it is often more fundamental problems with demographics and land use that creates problems with streets rather than road traffic or street furniture. The Northern part of Bishopsgate is unattractive because the buildings are dilapidated and it's right next to a railway line, pedestrianisation won't change that, high quality redevelopment will.

A shared space scheme might work, or at the very least widening the pavements. But wholesale pedestrianisation would simply turn Bishopsgate into an annex of Broadgate, which in my opinion is by far the more soulless area.

Of course one of the main reasons Bishopsgate is such a hive of activity is because it's a bus interchange, if you pedestrianise it and lose the north-south bus links it a) creates increased traffic on other roads where traffic has to be re-routed; and b) removes one of the main reasons for the street being so busy in the first place. And of course most of the buses coming from the north are from Hackney and Bethnal green, areas with people least likely to be aware of a scheme to re-route buses and with the least power to do anything about it.

Pedestrianisation works in a lot of cases, but there is no denying that it can create dis-orienting soulless spaces in the same way unpedestrianised streets can, it is often more fundamental problems with demographics and land use that creates problems with streets rather than road traffic or street furniture. The Northern part of Bishopsgate is unattractive because the buildings are dilapidated and it's right next to a railway line, pedestrianisation won't change that, high quality redevelopment will.

A shared space scheme might work, or at the very least widening the pavements. But wholesale pedestrianisation would simply turn Bishopsgate into an annex of Broadgate, which in my opinion is by far the more soulless area.

I agree. Bishopsgate doesn't need pedestrianising, the bustle is part of its city feel, but removing the senseless clutter that's there and putting down decent surfaces is not the same as pedestrianising, and so many of our London Streets are in dire need of that treatment.

Also, I should point out that the northern end of Bishopsgate is dilapidated because of developers speculatively buying the plots, forcing the tenants out with eviction or rent rises and then turning round and saying "this area need redevelopment - look how dilapidtaed it is". The buildings themselves have nothing wrong with them that a bit of maintenance couldn't put right! I notice that there's a new scheme out by Fosters that retains the Light Bar for example. Turns out is was possible to keep it after all! Well bugger me - what a surprise. :ohno:

NEW HEIGHT UPDATE: I would say three floors before the step in!!

Heron Current height,

http://i133.photobucket.com/albums/q75/tristanphoto_bucket/HeronRender-1.jpg

Floor height indicator,

This height is taken from the end of the lower lift shaft so if somebody
can count the rest we will have the floor No!
http://i133.photobucket.com/albums/q75/tristanphoto_bucket/londonsept09014d1.jpg

But its not just London that is cluttered and filthy is it?

I find it strange that people dont take pride in their cities and that they see filth and clutter as something positive.
Take Bath - it has great buildings, but the public realm is very very poor which just makes it look like a right dump. Compare it with Bruges thats been investing in the public realm for the last 40 years. It looks magical - no battered railings, shabby pavements, clutter, parked cars, ugly plastic-neon shopfronts or satellite dishes. And yet Bruges has more life than Bath.

Clutter adds nothing positive whatsoever. Its a waste of money that prevents people from appreciating architecture. Same with the obsession with the car. Most of Europe is making street after street either pedestrian or shared surface, but you wont see this here.

Which one do you prefer?

http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w202/speedytouch/London20Cheapside.jpg

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/El_Greco/Cheapside.jpg

Does the old one look Disneyesque? No it doesnt.


In the old view as with all old views like this there was a common language in the architecture. The buildings worked together in a harmony that came from similar plot ratio, frontage width, architectural style, colour and materials. There are lots of 'dischordant notes' in the recent pic, and a conflict of priorities. In the old pic, spires and public buildings were worthy of height, and today anything can be tall for any reason... I guess the language is just evolving.

On reflection (sorry), begining to impress:

http://personal.rhul.ac.uk/uhaa/037/img_1641.jpg

http://personal.rhul.ac.uk/uhaa/037/img_1645.jpg

http://personal.rhul.ac.uk/uhaa/037/img_1646.jpg

http://personal.rhul.ac.uk/uhaa/037/img_1655.jpg

In the old view as with all old views like this there was a common language in the architecture. The buildings worked together in a harmony that came from similar plot ratio, frontage width, architectural style, colour and materials. There are lots of 'dischordant notes' in the recent pic, and a conflict of priorities. In the old pic, spires and public buildings were worthy of height, and today anything can be tall for any reason... I guess the language is just evolving.

Ignore the architecture for the moment and note the lack of clutter, and how everyone (horses and pedestrians) shared the same space, while todays streets are reserved solely for the car. That isnt good, because with the car comes the clutter which makes our cities look like dumps, as well as accidents, and generaly its not nice to be treated like a second class citizen in your own city. Streets are for everyone.
If you made streets shared surface you could remove the clutter and repave them in something better looking than ugly asphalt, Im pretty sure that accidents would fall too, since the motorist would have to consider other users ie - the pedestrian.

^^^ I hate cars. I refuse to buy into their necessity....and thats with a 19 month old son!

i counted 30 floors including the one just being started.

Impressive indeed but are they keeping the foot bridge and the ugly white office block?

Thanks for all the recent pics and the height update, Ive realy enjoyed and still am enjoying watching this go up. Do we know what height it is now? Im guessing very roughly just over 140m?

heron is on the front page of reuters-

http://static.reuters.com/resources/assets/?d=20090903&t=2&i=london&w=490&q=

story is about the economy though, not heron. :)

This is shaping up nicely. I am looking forward to inspecting progress after I get back from my 2 1/2 week trip to California.

nice shot - why are they always so worried about skyscrapers "infringing" on st pauls? - they pull it up and give it contrast. i've rarely seen it looking better!

Quite right Noostairz, I took this from the 8th floor of Kings College London on Tuesday

http://i527.photobucket.com/albums/cc360/londonfire/Picture14750004.jpg

My first time in the Idea's Store, great place for a coffee

http://i527.photobucket.com/albums/cc360/londonfire/Picture14750013-3.jpg

http://i527.photobucket.com/albums/cc360/londonfire/Picture14750010-2.jpg

http://i527.photobucket.com/albums/cc360/londonfire/Picture14750012.jpg

http://i527.photobucket.com/albums/cc360/londonfire/Picture14750018.jpg

http://i527.photobucket.com/albums/cc360/londonfire/Picture14750030.jpg

http://i527.photobucket.com/albums/cc360/londonfire/Picture14750031.jpg

http://i527.photobucket.com/albums/cc360/londonfire/Picture14750032.jpg

http://i527.photobucket.com/albums/cc360/londonfire/Picture14750033.jpg

That north western corner (the last photo) is fantastic, I'm loving the stainless steel cladding going up on the exposed diagonal beams. Certainly my favourite view of the building so far... brilliant shots as usual Gazkinz.

I like the sight of two 'rapers in the morning ;)

Great photos from the east of Heron and Middlesex Street - good to see 2 tall buildings in central London rising! :)

I can't see your photos GazKinz...? :(

I can't see your photos GazKinz...? :(

Delete some older photos to free up space.

..

thanks for the effort Mrking but that link doesnt work. Going by my history I'm not the person to help (if you dont know how to upload, of course), so contact a 'big name' member such as Comdot or Ibiza

thanks for the effort Mrking but that link doesnt work. Going by my history I'm not the person to help (if you dont know how to upload, of course), so contact a 'big name' member such as Comdot or Ibiza

Sorry about that. Im kind of new :ohno:

i hope these are visable

http://file051a.bebo.com/13/original/2009/09/04/19/4876707877a11544807074o.jpg

http://file050a.bebo.com/5/large/2009/09/04/19/4876707877a11544769435l.jpg

http://file049a.bebo.com/18/large/2009/09/04/19/4876707877a11544769563l.jpg

^^
Nice pictures and yes I can see them. :cheers:

cant see gazkinz pics either, says bandwidth exceeded whatever that means? Good view from there mr king, she's certainly growing fast!

cant see gazkinz pics either, says bandwidth exceeded whatever that means? Good view from there mr king, she's certainly growing fast!

It means too many people have viewed his photos and the free PhotoBucket account limits you to a certain amount of bandwidth, blocking all your photos for up to a month untill your bandwidth counter is reset.

Sorry about that. I'm kind of new :ohno:

I hope these are visible

They were visible in your original post, I saw them yesterday - I don't know why beleevme thought otherwise.

took these yesterday

http://i25.tinypic.com/n12bnr.jpg

http://i25.tinypic.com/sq2eq8.jpg

excellent photos both marcus and Mr king

So two more sets of diagonal beams to go on the right hand side of the above photo before the first set-back occurs.

took these yesterday

http://i25.tinypic.com/n12bnr.jpg



I like this view which contrasts old and new.

Bollocks I've deleted about 20% of the photos on my photobucket account, and the photos I've posted of Heron STILL aren't showing! Can anyone recommend another hosting site, and I'll upload them again. Thanks

Bollocks I've deleted about 20% of the photos on my photobucket account, and the photos I've posted of Heron STILL aren't showing! Can anyone recommend another hosting site, and I'll upload them again. Thanks

Just open a new account with Photobucket. That's what I did. You're allowed multiple accounts there.

Just open a new account with Photobucket. That's what I did. You're allowed multiple accounts there.

Tinypic's quite good too. not sure of the limits though.

I always use tinypic. Great updates guys!

Taken from Vertigo42 yesterday:

http://img522.imageshack.us/img522/792/heron1.jpg

http://img181.imageshack.us/img181/1328/heron2.jpg

:eek2:

Please tell me that isn't Drapers to the left?! What a blot!! It makes Plantation place looks graceful. Saying that, the first pic is increeeeeeeeeeeeeeedible!!! What a beaut it is..[Heron, that is]

Fabulous photos, thanks! :)

Bollocks I've deleted about 20% of the photos on my photobucket account, and the photos I've posted of Heron STILL aren't showing! Can anyone recommend another hosting site, and I'll upload them again. Thanks

imageshack.us

I just drooled :lol:

Please tell me that isn't Drapers to the left?! What a blot!! It makes Plantation place looks graceful. Saying that, the first pic is increeeeeeeeeeeeeeedible!!! What a beaut it is..[Heron, that is]

no - tis the Allen and Overy offices at Spitalfields. Not bad to be frank, though some may disagree.

awesome photos of Heron. the beasts continues to grow!

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3485/3891095694_a23416b6a5_b.jpg

nice one darj. was that taken in front of all bar one or further east? that's going to be a great view once they take the toilet paper off tower bridge. :tongue2:

the chop house + view = :)

Here goes again

http://i32.tinypic.com/ixe3qs.jpg

http://i31.tinypic.com/t6t1qe.jpg

http://i27.tinypic.com/2mplg89.jpg

http://i26.tinypic.com/208y59v.jpg

http://i29.tinypic.com/2s7gbvm.jpg

http://i30.tinypic.com/dpzpe9.jpg

http://i25.tinypic.com/2zplj46.jpg

http://i29.tinypic.com/23h63yo.jpg

So two more sets of diagonal beams to go on the right hand side of the above photo before the first set-back occurs.

Yep and if analysed the tower construction correctly it should rise another three that is >>3<< floors before the step back (this is taken from the highest complete floor)

Any bets?

Must be about 3 floors below the bottom of the Gherkin's bell end now. Could this be higher than CWT by the end of the year?

Outstanding shot (number 3 b&w) GazKinz! Is that Bethnal Green Station in the foreground.

Had a great flight over the city (circled the center!!!) and got these pics

http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s243/sandraanstiss/_MG_0824.jpg

http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s243/sandraanstiss/_MG_0823.jpg

http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s243/sandraanstiss/_MG_0822.jpg

What a series of updates! Thanks everyone. Those shots from Tower42 by LiamF1 are particularly amazing.

Awesome pics cardiff! It's looking huge now. Just a few more floors until it breaks the 150m barrier.

Great photos!

Just to echo the other guys, such great variety of awesome pictures in just a couple of days, thanks so much!

What's that massive Cruise liner doing in the Thames?

Taken on saturday from Tower Bridge. It's a shite picture but I thought I'd post it.

http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w222/stefan_long18/290.jpg

What's that massive Cruise liner doing in the Thames?

Comes past every couple of weeks. Usually at pretty weird times. Have seen it go past at 3am...

http://photos-g.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs191.snc1/6409_120598091102_734856102_2882758_8144302_n.jpg

http://photos-a.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs171.snc1/6409_120598101102_734856102_2882760_7144091_n.jpg

http://photos-e.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs191.snc1/6409_120598126102_734856102_2882764_301094_n.jpg

Comes past every couple of weeks.

Not always the same one, surely?

I live near the river in Rotherhithe and have seen (and particularly heard) a number of modest-sized cruise ships like this one come by - they tend to moor alongside HMS Belfast. Bigger ships don't come that far into London.

Not always the same one, surely?

I live near the river in Rotherhithe and have seen (and particularly heard) a number of modest-sized cruise ships like this one come by - they tend to moor alongside HMS Belfast. Bigger ships don't come that far into London.

Yeah, the same one. According to the Tower Bridge website (shows all lift times and the boats) it went out at 0230 on Sunday morning. I saw the 2 tugs go upstream but didn't see them come back.

http://www.towerbridge.org.uk/TBE/EN/BridgeLiftTimes/

Interesting. Wonder why it's going in and out.

But we should get back to Heron, which is going only up.

What's that massive Cruise liner doing in the Thames?

It's probabaly on a cruise, they have been known to do that occassionaly! :cheers:


Anyway, fantastic picture updates, It must be past the 150m mark now, and therefore officially a skyscraper

It's probabaly on a cruise, they have been known to do that occassionaly! :cheers:

i actually LOL'd in real life at that.. ahh.. :lol:

Comes past every couple of weeks. Usually at pretty weird times. Have seen it go past at 3am...

It's down to the tides; ships of this size have to come in on an incoming tide and leave on the ebb tide.

It's down to the tides; ships of this size have to come in on an incoming tide and leave on the ebb tide.

Thought that might've been the case. :)

Thanks for the photo updates folks. This one is flying up! Can't wait see it for real this time next year when i'm in London.

This afternoon, from Canary Wharf

http://img199.imageshack.us/img199/1586/ht20090908018.jpg

http://img524.imageshack.us/img524/3278/ht20090908019.jpg

Sure thing.....:|

However I think most people will say that makes it look poor and ugly by Continental European standards.^ In both CW and Chicago the predominant architectural style is modern. Modern creates great individual buildings, but poor and cold streets, so no surprise that both CW and Chicago feel sterile and characterless.

However, I disagree that clutter and filth add character or charm. What a ridiculous thing to say infact. Do you live in a flat/house resembling a barn and stinking of piss and all kinds of other things? I doubt it.

All the things I mentioned are ugly and add nothing positive to a city whatsoever and should be ruthlessly eradicated, NIMBY whinges about corporatisations ignored. Good public realm improves the quality of life, make people proud of their city and attract business. Most European cities realised this years ago and as a result look million times better than British ones. Time to catch up or do you prefer to live in filth? It wouldnt cost The Earth to remove the clutter and all the other nastiness. All you need is will. And Im pretty sure youd save money too - the less clutter there is, the less money and time you need to spend maintaining it.This is absolute crap and exposes your severe lack of travel experience in Continental Europe. Most European cities are actually more cluttered than Britain's. I already demolished your argument with this thread of Parisian street clutter:
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=41449576&postcount=601

....and the clutter in other countries is worse than that. Travel more. It will shut up your whinging.

Our street clutter is not bad in the slightest, send El Greco to suburban Tokyo. I went to the Edo-Tokyo Open Air Architecture Museum today which is sort of in the Arse End of Nowhere Suburbia land and the street clutter was atrocious. Seriously, the grass is not always greener on the other side.

This is absolute crap and exposes your severe lack of travel experience in Continental Europe. Most European cities are actually more cluttered than Britain's. I already demolished your argument with this thread of Parisian street clutter:
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=41449576&postcount=601

....and the clutter in other countries is worse than that. Travel more. It will shut up your whinging.

Sorry, those shots of Paris show streets with relatively few signs and civic bric-a-brac - and what there is looks well maintained. the railings are straight and painted (rather than the twisted unfinished grey metal you see in too much of London). Look how well the pavements are maintained.

Most of the "clutter" in those shots is actually shop front signage - which I don't think is London's problem. No one objects to lively commercial thoroughfares - it's the clutter on the pavements that's the big offender.

Besides, go to smaller towns in France, Germany and Spain and you will see that he's quite right - Europe has less clutter and does it better. I've just come back from the south of France and was very conscious of the difference.

http://i29.tinypic.com/23h63yo.jpg

i see the steel is getting clad now. :cheers:

This is absolute crap and exposes your severe lack of travel experience in Continental Europe. Most European cities are actually more cluttered than Britain's. I already demolished your argument with this thread of Parisian street clutter:
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=41449576&postcount=601

....and the clutter in other countries is worse than that. Travel more. It will shut up your whinging.

Not to be too off topic but people in this country are so ignorant and naive. I often hear people saying 'oh London is so dirty and filthy, I hate it. I prefer American or Asian cities.' etc. I then proceed to find out that they havent actualy been to any of these cities or have only passed through their airports or something stupid like that. To be specific to Paris I actualy didnt like it because I thought it was dirty. I've been to London 3 times now and I've always felt it was very clean and well kept. I also think a little clutter adds character and clutter certainly doesnt mean filth.

Sorry, those shots of Paris show streets with relatively few signs and civic bric-a-brac - and what there is looks well maintained. the railings are straight and painted (rather than the twisted unfinished grey metal you see in too much of London). Look how well the pavements are maintained.

Most of the "clutter" in those shots is actually shop front signage - which I don't think is London's problem. No one objects to lively commercial thoroughfares - it's the clutter on the pavements that's the big offender.Are we looking at the same pictures? There is tons of clutter on there! There are masses of road signs, and thoughtless inconsistency and bad urban design everywhere! That's because these more ordinary Parisian street scenes, away from the showpiece landmarks, are just as cluttered as ours. This is a city I used to live in so I'm well qualified to comment.Besides, go to smaller towns in France, Germany and Spain and you will see that he's quite right - Europe has less clutter and does it better. I've just come back from the south of France and was very conscious of the difference.You were on holiday right? So you chose the more attractive places.... but there's little clutter in small English towns too. England has countless attractive little towns with no litter, no crime, and generally minimal ugliness and problems. If all European tourists saw of England was, say, the Cotwolds, then they will likewise come away with a favourable but unrepresentative impression of our cleanliness, order, and attractiveness.

Not to be too off topic but people in this country are so ignorant and naive. I often hear people saying 'oh London is so dirty and filthy, I hate it. I prefer American or Asian cities.' etc. I then proceed to find out that they havent actualy been to any of these cities or have only passed through their airports or something stupid like that. To be specific to Paris I actualy didnt like it because I thought it was dirty. I've been to London 3 times now and I've always felt it was very clean and well kept. I also think a little clutter adds character and clutter certainly doesnt mean filth.Exactly....

Can we leave talk of street clutter for elsewhere please.

(Its a worthwhile topic & perhaps someone can start a thread in somewhere more appropriate in the Transport, Urban Planning and Infrastructure sub forum)

Presumably from the top of ITN on Gray's Inn Road
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a82/supertek/P1000633.jpg
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a82/supertek/P1000634.jpg

Are we looking at the same pictures? There is tons of clutter on there! There are masses of road signs, and thoughtless inconsistency and bad urban design everywhere! That's because these more ordinary Parisian street scenes, away from the showpiece landmarks, are just as cluttered as ours. This is a city I used to live in so I'm well qualified to comment.You were on holiday right? So you chose the more attractive places.... but there's little clutter in small English towns too. England has countless attractive little towns with no litter, no crime, and generally minimal ugliness and problems. If all European tourists saw of England was, say, the Cotwolds, then they will likewise come away with a favourable but unrepresentative impression of our cleanliness, order, and attractiveness.

I've spent a lot of time in France - not just the tourist areas - and I live in London. I prefer London to Paris and I agree that much of Paris is very shabby. But the UK's lack of attention to its streets is a problem and to deny that - and ignore the successful precendents in other places - is bizarre.

I'm not whingeing and I think London is slowly learning to respect its streets and public spaces.

Anyway, as others have said, this is a thread for Heron...

Never.


33m shorter in fact, roof height of Heron is 202m.

But, the full pinnacle height is still 246m. :D Still, it's great the City is finally getting a 200m+ tall skyscraper (& hopefully topping out in a few months?!) :banana:

a few more from today
http://homepage.mac.com/benveasey/.Public/heronvisible4.JPG
http://homepage.mac.com/benveasey/.Public/heronvisible2.JPG
http://homepage.mac.com/benveasey/.Public/heronvisible3.JPG

http://homepage.mac.com/benveasey/.Public/PanoramaTOWER.JPG

Great photos, Chest! Particularly the last one, which I saw being used @Wikipedia, which then lead me to this thread...looks real cool with a blanket of cloud above the skyline...London sure is gonna look great in a few years once a few more skyscrapers have been built and a real cluster starts happening. :cheers:

They are lovely,and even lovelier is to come!

XenonII, quoting a load of large images isn't ideal :)

I'm looking forward to the massive fish tank and the restaurant on the top..

I'm looking forward to the massive fish tank and the restaurant on the top..

Yes, the fish tank for me is the icing on the 246 metre tall cake :)

I flew into Heathrow yesterday evening and could see the Heron Tower - it looks pretty good from up there already and it's not even finished. I tried to take a couple of zoom shots but uploading the photos onto my computer today i found that i missed and caught the new tower in Elephant and castle instead :ohno:. I've got a long shot but it's difficult to make out much detail. Maybe next time.

Originally posted by cardiff:

http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s243/sandraanstiss/_MG_0824.jpg[/IMG]

From the top floor of The Shard!?

heh :) not even burj dubai is that tall

^ TUT TUT, it was a bad enough joke the first time round! ;)

http://img29.imageshack.us/img29/5700/ht89.jpg

eddy, I must have taken this around the same time as you :lol:

http://i29.tinypic.com/28wcb9u.jpg

Was up on my roof last night WITH my tripod...

http://img245.imageshack.us/img245/8479/sl273629.jpg

http://img15.imageshack.us/img15/3182/sl273638.jpg

http://img10.imageshack.us/img10/2082/sl273646.jpg

http://img10.imageshack.us/img10/2832/sl273654.jpg

http://img10.imageshack.us/img10/359/sl273656.jpg

http://img245.imageshack.us/img245/4254/sl273681.jpg

http://img126.imageshack.us/img126/4456/sl273694.jpg

Wow!!! How far are we from the first step? This baby looks awesome

Great shots it looks huge, is it 150m now ?

By essexdiver on flickr taken on 08/09/09:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2635/3900827845_4aa8ab11a2_o.jpg

http://homepage.mac.com/benveasey/.Public/oohh2.JPG
http://homepage.mac.com/benveasey/.Public/oohh.JPG
http://homepage.mac.com/benveasey/.Public/ohh3.JPG

:master:

Excellent photos chest, magnificent stuff.

Must be around the 150m mark now :)

Wonderful shots Chest, the first one is UPC material.

"^ TUT TUT, it was a bad enough joke the first time round!"

Yup! You totally busted me Madman! ;0)

P.s. JackF & Chest have gone - TOTAL PORNO!

heron today. I'll try and get down and take a proper one with some zoom action tomorrow.
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a82/supertek/DSC02355.jpg

From Cambridge Heath train station
http://i29.tinypic.com/fjdav6.jpg

Between Cambridge Health and Bethnal Green

http://i26.tinypic.com/2a612jc.jpg

http://i25.tinypic.com/k2js7k.jpg

http://i31.tinypic.com/2e65wxw.jpg

http://i30.tinypic.com/209kfao.jpg

http://i25.tinypic.com/18kunc.jpg

Love that last one Gaz, shame it's not somewhat larger though!

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a82/supertek/P1000643.jpg
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a82/supertek/P1000644.jpg
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a82/supertek/P1000645.jpg

P.s. JackF & Chest have gone - TOTAL PORNO!

not even porno... they've gone bareback double anal porno!!

utterly amazing shots

A few more from today;

http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa278/fit3xl/bbc/DSC05335.jpg

http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa278/fit3xl/bbc/DSC05370.jpg

http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa278/fit3xl/bbc/DSC05374.jpg

http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa278/fit3xl/bbc/DSC05375.jpg

http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa278/fit3xl/bbc/DSC05384.jpg

http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa278/fit3xl/bbc/DSC05392.jpg

http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa278/fit3xl/bbc/DSC05394.jpg

http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa278/fit3xl/bbc/DSC05409.jpg

"^ TUT TUT, it was a bad enough joke the first time round!"

Yup! You totally busted me Madman! ;0)

P.s. JackF & Chest have gone - TOTAL PORNO!

Add fitz to that list :)

Anyone know when real progress will be made on cladding for the northern face?

So thin and elegant! :cheers2:

Does anyone else think the cladding's slowly ruining this project? I'll miss that white steel frame in year's time.

Does anyone else think the cladding's slowly ruining this project? I'll miss that white steel frame in year's time.

I must admit I was hoping for some much lighter/whiter elements, we all know many renders are not exact but I'm sure some did hint at whitish horizontal beams every few floors...

I must admit I was hoping for some much lighter/whiter elements, we all know many renders are not exact but I'm sure some did hint at whitish horizontal beams every few floors...
Yeah, they're in the real thing - you can see them on the west face in this photo.

http://i30.tinypic.com/209kfao.jpg

30 St. Mary Axe reflected:

http://i27.tinypic.com/10ehbwo.jpg

http://i31.tinypic.com/ehfbdh.jpg

http://i27.tinypic.com/21nmxw9.jpg

http://i27.tinypic.com/n2bvo7.jpg

http://i26.tinypic.com/11tu8fd.jpg

http://i30.tinypic.com/14kayrn.jpg

http://i30.tinypic.com/t7ingl.jpg

http://i25.tinypic.com/14mgs4p.jpg

Does anyone else think the cladding's slowly ruining this project? I'll miss that white steel frame in year's time.

No. I don't.

http://www.willfox.com/images/skyscrapers/heron/construction/heronprogressseptember2009.jpg

^^ Every time I think you're surpluss to requirements on this forum, Will, you go and do something like that! :D :kiss:

Nice one Will :)

Wow, stunning photos Se9, ciudad, fitz and gaz and great photo-montage foxy, superb!
So its at about 10 diagonal cross bracing beams high at the mo, and from looking at the heron tower website 'views' the maximum roof height is at 15 of these cross-beams.
So my powers of deduction would say were about 2/3 of the total roof height now? Not forgetting the 40-odd metre spire to add to the roof afterwards of course....

holy b-jebus wjfox thats incredible!!
I cant stop looking at that haha, its only got a little bit more to go but yet so much, some people dont like spires, but I reckon this one set it off brilliantly.

Everyone on this forum always take great update :banana:

From Poplar;

http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa278/fit3xl/bbc/DSC05485.jpg

Nice photos guys, and Will, that photo's getting me more and more excited to see this baby T/O!!!

holy b-jebus wjfox thats incredible!!
I cant stop looking at that haha, its only got a little bit more to go but yet so much, some people dont like spires, but I reckon this one set it off brilliantly.

Everyone on this forum always take great update :banana:

its going to look amazing with bish in there :lock:

its going to look amazing with bish in there :lock:

No too sure what the dancing lock means but I 100% agree - and 122LH (still not giving up hope)!!!

Its appearing behind the tower now.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2492/3916176374_1f0e57979e_o.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2623/3915392279_7049eee267_o.jpg

It looks much bigger in real life than it looks in photos.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3518/3915392757_24bd2e99d0_o.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2535/3916177324_7c58ae2f9d_o.jpg

The Tower of London is ruined, RUINED I tellz ya! :gaah:

Ah well...its only purpose is for murdering people anway..........

The Tower of London is ruined, RUINED I tellz ya! :gaah:

Prince Charles...
... is that you?

No too sure what the dancing lock means but I 100% agree - and 122LH (still not giving up hope)!!!

122LH wont appear in that view
the dancing lock is the evil bro of the banana :banana::carrot:

The Tower of London is ruined, RUINED I tellz ya! :gaah:

Brilliant! Send that picture to Simon Jenkins.

Well once it's ruined, it's ruined, it cannot be ruined anymore! There is now no reason to accord the Tower of London any protection. There are so many tall buildings in the area, one more or less won't make a difference anymore.

Latest update from Skanska shows they have started on the cladding on the Houndsditch elevation.

http://i32.tinypic.com/sz8ry8.jpg

http://www.skanska.co.uk/upload/Projects/Heron%20Tower%20progress%20updates.pdf

The good folks at Heron International have some images on their website you might find of interest :)
(Not sure if that's the new Heron Plaza or but it looks taller than 100m so could be)

http://i29.tinypic.com/mb018i.jpg
http://i25.tinypic.com/1j2ooh.jpg
http://i32.tinypic.com/2ef44so.jpg
http://i28.tinypic.com/2vkgv0h.jpg
http://i30.tinypic.com/15d2djt.jpg
http://i27.tinypic.com/2z7rf9x.jpg

those photos are awesome i think my love for this building has just gone up ha ha
the second to last pic is brilliant....is that a public balcony or just for the people who work there?

Great new renders! :)

About as public as the top floor of the Gherkin.

is that a public balcony or just for the people who work there?

I imagine it's part of the restaurant/bar which has its public elevator and entrance on the Bishopsgate facade.

122LH wont appear in that view
the dancing lock is the evil bro of the banana :banana::carrot:

Yeah I was actually referring to SE9's last pic from the previous page - I hadn't noticed the newer photo at the time

lol thanks for the background info on the dancing lock - I'll be usre to look out for him!

About as public as the top floor of the Gherkin.

See DarJoLe's comment.

About as public as the top floor of the Gherkin.

More like T42, hopefully.

Edit: What DJ said :D

Matt Gayton (Flickr):

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2564/3915649091_3cef3fa30a_o.jpg

^^ :bow:

^^^^
Excellent, Not to take anything away from Heron but I can't help but think how bloody massive Bishopsgate Tower would look in that view! It would easily reach the top of that photo...

Hungerford Bridge

http://i31.tinypic.com/24zi2k5.jpg

Tate Modern

http://i26.tinypic.com/sc6x3d.jpg

The Globe Theater

http://i32.tinypic.com/2a3uro.jpg

(Not sure if that's the new Heron Plaza or but it looks taller than 100m so could be)
http://i29.tinypic.com/mb018i.jpg
]

I think that most certainly is the new Heron Plaza (if not the exact final design) ;)

Matt Gayton (Flickr):

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2564/3915649091_3cef3fa30a_o.jpg

Great shot! A question...why is the new East London line extension boxed in like that (top middle of shot)? Is it to allow buildings to go over it?

............. and where are all the plants that were supposed to soften the terraces of the Willis Building?

Preoccupations - Flickr

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2523/3907353563_768f3e66f5_o.jpg

Enjoy:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2464/3907351475_fc425c28d1_o.jpg

^ Absolutely stunning pics.

Do we know the current height?

^ Absolutely stunning pics.

Do we know the current height?

Looks about the height of Broadgate now, so i'd say 160 - 165 metres.

Fantastic shot GazKinz - four developments in one group: Walbrook, New Court (core), Heron and Middlesex Street!

Hungerford Bridge



http://i26.tinypic.com/sc6x3d.jpg

Great shot! A question...why is the new East London line extension boxed in like that (top middle of shot)? Is it to allow buildings to go over it?

Yup, that's exactly the reason. Shoreditch High Street station (the boxed one) is in the old Bishopgate Goods Yard, the rest of which is (theoretically, although currently looking rather on hold) a building site - SS thread here (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=430856).

^^^ Ah, nice one. Thanks for that

Looks about the height of Broadgate now, so i'd say 160 - 165 metres.

I dont think it's quite as tall as some people think it is, I'd say around 145 - 50 metres.

Hmmm funny.coming into the smoke from brighton on the train we can see the elephent tower, and t42 and gerk.the others just not visable at all.
cant wait till they are,and they will be.
cheers for great pics gents
d

I have to say that the grey cladding is looking a tad dated
Its not as blue as I hoped

Looks about the height of Broadgate now, so i'd say 160 - 165 metres.

Agree, as viewed from CW it is same height as Broadgate Tower, except the plant, I would therefore say 160m. Fantastic addition to the City.

I have to say that the grey cladding is looking a tad dated
Its not as blue as I hoped

So the grey cladding is not as blue as you hoped :lol::lol:

how long before it overtakes tower42

Couple of months? Will be a very important milestone in Skyscraper construction for the City of London.

Not until they put the spire up surely?

Not until they put the spire up surely?

Nah, the top of the roof just peaks over the top of T42.

http://ligress.files.wordpress.com/2009/02/20axc75.jpg

I have to say that the grey cladding is looking a tad dated
Its not as blue as I hoped

Thank god the shots show what a plaque blue green glass has effect on the city. I find the change a welcome one that I hope points towards a far less green glass future....well one would hope.:nuts:

Yep just pokes above T42 by 19 meters. T42 = 183m, Heron = 202m to roof, and I don't know why the cladding being grey makes it seem dated, it's highly reflective and will have a polished finish. If anything having the cladding with a bluish finish is a dated look.

Nah, the top of the roof just peaks over the top of T42.

http://ligress.files.wordpress.com/2009/02/20axc75.jpg

The current height must be around 145m then, judging from that diagram.

Or put another way - still 100m to go. :cool:

The current height must be around 145m then, judging from that diagram.

Or put another way - still 100m to go. :cool:

Ahh you've made me giggle like a schoolgirl! :)

Few from around Tower Bridge at sunset yesterday

http://i31.tinypic.com/10elmpy.jpg

http://i26.tinypic.com/2vs5erl.jpg

http://i29.tinypic.com/2jfafjr.jpg

So when this is finished this is gonna be the new tallest in the UK if 246m is the official height. This is a BIG thing and it surprises me that there isn't a honorary 'New UK Tallest' or something in the title. Even if it'll only be for a short time. It's means OCS's 18 year title is finally up.

'New UK Tallest to spire top?
Its roof height wont be tallest :P
but sure noone want to start all that

So when this is finished this is gonna be the new tallest in the UK if 246m is the official height.

Please do not start this up again. I quote Heron "At 202 metres in height, with a 40 metres mast, the 46 storey tower will be one of the tallest tower in the City of London".

One Canada Square will remain the tallest in London until it is overtaken in 2011 by the Shard London Bridge. Hopefully, the Shard will lock this discussion once and for all.

who cares which is tallest. The fact is we got ourselves another 'scraper to be proud of, and one built through a recession. good stuff.

Yes but a spire can be included in the official height which is exactly why Petronas Towers held the world's tallest record. So what can you do?

Yes but a spire can be included in the official height which is exactly why Petronas Towers held the world's tallest record. So what can you do?

If you want ... I will add a 300m mast to my 3-bedrooms house to make it the tallest skyscraper in Europe.

Yes but a spire can be included in the official height which is exactly why Petronas Towers held the world's tallest record. So what can you do?

For the love of God, drop the argument.
Please.
Read the last dozen pages or so to see what I mean.
Please.

A major part of this forum is for discourse and debate. Can we please try and allow that without resorting to unfriendly dissmisiveness?

A major part of this forum is for discourse and debate. Can we please try and allow that without resorting to unfriendly dissmisiveness?

I know, I know, I just dread a repeat of that endless loop form before.

thats just what happens. There are some things we just cant help debating
its quite funny how everyone is trying to prevent the debate despite continuing it

but we cant endlessely comment on the same photos from the same days, compliment the photographer and call it a day.

Are all the cranes going to the full height of the building, and if so will they need to be further tied to the building.?

If you want ... I will add a 300m mast to my 3-bedrooms house to make it the tallest skyscraper in Europe.

Good luck on getting planning permission.

Good luck on getting planning permission.

:ohno: I'm afraid your bid for Europes tallest with the addition of a 300m mast would be doomed to failure. Emley Moor tower is the uk's tallest freestanding structure and has been for nearly 40 years now. It even has a room at the top so I'm going to say it's a building. Sorry Shard you've just missed out on the title - maybe the addition of a 42m high mast on top will do the trick.

:ohno: I'm afraid your bid for Europes tallest with the addition of a 300m mast would be doomed to failure. Emley Moor tower is the uk's tallest freestanding structure and has been for nearly 40 years now. It even has a room at the top so I'm going to say it's a building. Sorry Shard you've just missed out on the title - maybe the addition of a 42m high mast on top will do the trick.

Emley Moor Mast is 330.4 meters tall so not even The Shard will challenge it for height in total. I guess it's more an occupied building than purely a structure (albeit with a room at the top), but nothing will top it. I guess a shame it's stuck out in the middle of a field but you can see it from absolutely everywhere around here once you get out in the hills, the thing's bloody massive.