1 New Change | City of London | 40m | 8 fl

[wawd]

i'm hoping the effect will be even greater when not interrupted by gaps in the cladding

[jimbo]

gosh they've really been busy on the Milk Street / Bow Lane side.

[Manuel]

This latest set of pictures shows a fantastic cladding...I can't say I'm warming up because I don't really understand the design. A closer inspection is uber necessary.

[Luke]

Cladding is so awesome it makes your eyes bleed. In a good way.







It's also vast.

[delores]

Have to say it does look really crisp. I would love to see Nouvel do a public or museum like building in London.

[rickster2k]

As Darren mentioned it's a shame the panel's break up the effect but I suppose there is nothing you can do about that.

[dom]

Okay, this is on topic (just). Here are some photos of the 700ft Dentsu tower in Shiodome, Tokyo that I've been going on about that I took back in 2004/5 when I lived in Japan.

I was never worried about 1 New Change... because I'd seen, gone up and gawped at this tower many a time in Tokers; Dentsu is great and feel somewhat vindicated (but not suprised) that New Change has also turned out great. It was completed in 2002 and has 70 lifts... quite a few of them are glass so you can get wonderful views over the Ginza and the Imperial Palace

It is also by Nouvel and is shamefully little known outside of Japan! 1 New Change is a squished version of it.



Views from the top:

Of Tsukiji:



Towards Tokyo Bay:







From Tsukiji Fish market:





The sheer 700ft glass wall:



The 'greyer' shading curve at the top.... very slick... even on a grey day. This is from the top of the World Trade Centre (near the Toshiba building and the NEC Supertower).



And in the sun... from the side this tower really soars. I still attest that 700ft plus qualifies as a proper skyscraper... they only appear to soar at this height and above.

These 2 aren't mine but are from google/wikipedia. They are better than my photos!





And one last one... a slow exposures from out of the glass lifts... awesome!



Anyway, if you go to Tokyo, go to Shiodome... it really is one of the most modern urban districts in the world. The finish is superb and the towers are all a little.... different. It is also next to Tsukiji....... mmmm

[fitz44]

I had the good luck to chat to one of the project architects from Nouvel's firm today as I was taking these pics (I saw him taking pics and asked him what he thought of it - his response was a lot more authoritative than I was expecting lol!)

He said the firm were very pleased with the way the project was progressing, especially the glass etc. Although they were a little concerned with the interior fit-out which they wanted to have more influence over (it's been given to a different firm). Their main concerns, given the transparency of the building, was the colour of the ceilings and internal columns which they wanted to be an off-white/ gray colour rather than plain white - which Nouvel feels would be too harsh against the subtle tones of the glass.
He assured me that Nouvel was very forceful when it came to details like this and "usually got what he wanted".
Anyway I gushed a bit about the building and told him how good it was looking etc.

The real acid test was always going to be how it looked on a gray, miserable London day like today and it passes with flying colours. They've taken what could have been an insurmountable problem with the St Paul's sight-lines and made a really positive feature of it. This building looks like it's been sculpted from blocks of solid air. It's large but subtle and delicate at the same time, quite a poetic building in many respects. Hopefully it will change a lot of attitudes towards what can be done with glass facades;

[WillesdenGreen]

am i the only one with reservations about this? the cladding is top-notch, but it looks very imposing on an overcast day especially when combined with the blocky angular nature of the building itself.

[BorderBoy]

in the flesh or in photos imo this is a vulgar and unpleasant piece of commercial tat masquerading as Architecture. Better suited to Oxford Street. Next to St Paul's it just looks ridiculous.

[BorderBoy]

Originally Posted by dnobsemajdnob

Very beautiful.

Am I the only one that envisions a woman lying down and spreading her legs when I look at this?

I can recommend a good therapist ...

[capslock]

Originally Posted by WillesdenGreen

am i the only one with reservations about this? the cladding is top-notch, but it looks very imposing on an overcast day especially when combined with the blocky angular nature of the building itself.

You're not the only one. I completely agree. The cladding is really interesting and, as you say, top notch. As a whole though the building is pretty mediocre IMHO.

[fitz44]

In what possible way is this building "vulgar" or "tat"? Frankly that's poor judgement masquerading as commentary imo.

[WillesdenGreen]

Originally Posted by fitz44

In what possible way is this building "vulgar" or "tat"? Frankly that's poor judgement masquerading as commentary imo.

like all other arts, appeciation of architecture is subjective. i don't really think its fair to talk about 'poor judgement' in such a context.

[fitz44]

Of course it's fair when terms such as "tat" and "vulgar" are (mis) used. Ludicrous statements that go beyond ordinary criticism into the realms of wide-of-the-mark hyperbole show poor judgement - this is exactly the right context to challenge it.

[BorderBoy]

Originally Posted by fitz44

Of course it's fair when terms such as "tat" and "vulgar" are (mis) used. Ludicrous statements that go beyond ordinary criticism into the realms of wide-of-the-mark hyperbole show poor judgement - this is exactly the right context to challenge it.

I see no difference between my claim that it is vulgar tat and your claim that it isn't? You've done nothing to substantiate your claim and neither have I.

I'm a fan of classical modernist architecture and its derivatives. This building lacks proportion and form in any meaningful sense of the words. It's graceless and over fashion conscious - probably like most of the shops under its fancy roof. Actually, the roof garden/cafe (as I remember) may be its one redeeming feature. A good spot to enjoy the spectacle of the cathedral if nothing else.

[fitz44]

Originally Posted by BorderBoy

I see no difference between my claim that it is vulgar tat and your claim that it isn't? You've done nothing to substantiate your claim and neither have I.

I'm a fan of classical modernist architecture and its derivatives. This building lacks proportion and form in any meaningful sense of the words. It's graceless and over fashion conscious - probably like most of the shops under its fancy roof. Actually, the roof garden/cafe (as I remember) may be its one redeeming feature. A good spot to enjoy the spectacle of the cathedral if nothing else.

I think I've done plenty to sustantiate my claim that this is a good piece of architecture by posting numerous photos, drawings and images of the design, quality of the cladding etc (as well as relating a brief chat with the project architect) etc.

You have......?

Vulgar tat refers to crude, cheap quality goods - unless you can prove this building is cheap and crudely manufactured, your comment is factually incorrect, apart from being ridiculously overstated. This is not a cheap building.

So you don't like a modern, glass building because it's not classical? That's a bit like not liking St Pauls because it isn't Brutalist.

[WillesdenGreen]

it's possible for something to be vulgar tat and very expensive at the same time. if you don't believe me look at some of the luxury mansions in the arabian gulf or florida. but this is turning into more of a discussion about the definition of words than the architectural merit of 1 new change.

[fitz44]

If that's the case then it's a rip-off isn't it? Again an unsubstatiated claim.

Words matter- especially when applied to criticism. Otherwise the criticism is a pointless meaningless exercise isn't it?

I could go on about the irony of someone being "a fan" of a style of architecture rather than just architecture in general and then criticising overly "fashion conscious" retailers. Hmm.

But then it's just words - don't actually mean anything do they?

The discussion is completely and entirely relevant to One New Change as the quality of the cladding is paramount here.

[johnnypd]

nouvel rarely lets down with the quality of cladding. i'd say it's easily the strongest aspect of his work from agbar to the arab centre. the smoothness of the surface and sheen of the reflection seems to work best on the parts of this that are jagged and angular, hidden away down side streets. the homogenous surface onto cheapside looks a bit bland in comparison, which is a shame because most of everything else on that street is too. might look better when the corner element is finished, though.