Leicester Square

[BenL]

In regard to jazzing up the lighting for places like Picadilly Square, I was in Berlin during the Festival of Lights and buildings like this were pretty impressive:




The lights would move about the buildings spelling out things like "Berlin 2005".

[maggie]

Leicester square plans submitted


Jestico + Whiles submit plans for a new building on London’s famous Leicester sq.
The building will include a 4 star hotel, high quality footprint retail, a restaurant, 10 penthouse apartments, and three below ground levels accommodating a casino and restaurants. It will occupy the prominent corner of Leicester Square, one of the most important and busiest squares in London, hosting 50 global film premieres each year. The façade is a frosted, translucent veil. By day, the veil is calm and restrained, however, as dusk falls; a light stains the etched veil. The intensity and colour of the light can be tuned according to the time of night, the season or the special occasion. The bedrooms in the hotel will have tall windows to admit natural daylight and Rooms along the southern elevation enjoy uninterrupted vistas across Leicester Square, and some have views to Piccadilly Circus .

[DarJoLe]

Oh I quite like that. Building of light, as it were.

[maggie]

i think it has a sort of jellyfish like appearence

[Mr Bricks]

That building looks really nice, the cladding is awesome and the light thingy is cool. Shame there are no billboards attached to it.

[Mr Bricks]

Hopefully it will start construction soon.

[potto]

yeah the current situation with the crumbling swiss building inhabited by parasitic tat shops and the most pointless cinema in the UK is cringe worthy

[JDRS]

Quite a nice building. This is the bit I particularly like:

Originally Posted by maggie

however, as dusk falls; a light stains the etched veil. The intensity and colour of the light can be tuned according to the time of night, the season or the special occasion

[Zenith]

very very impressed indeed. A very welcome building.

[wjfox]

Very nice proposal. This is exactly what's needed and would suit Leicester Square perfectly.

[NothingBetterToDo]

yeah, looks good, i'm looking foreward to seeing how the lighting effect will look.

[Manuel]

Very nice ! the lighting effect looks promising!

[Mr Bricks]

Originally Posted by maggie

Leicester square plans submitted


Jestico + Whiles submit plans for a new building on London’s famous Leicester sq.
The building will include a 4 star hotel, high quality footprint retail, a restaurant, 10 penthouse apartments, and three below ground levels accommodating a casino and restaurants. It will occupy the prominent corner of Leicester Square, one of the most important and busiest squares in London, hosting 50 global film premieres each year. The façade is a frosted, translucent veil. By day, the veil is calm and restrained, however, as dusk falls; a light stains the etched veil. The intensity and colour of the light can be tuned according to the time of night, the season or the special occasion. The bedrooms in the hotel will have tall windows to admit natural daylight and Rooms along the southern elevation enjoy uninterrupted vistas across Leicester Square, and some have views to Piccadilly Circus .

Any news on this? When will the construction actually start?

[JDRS]

The lease on the current building expires in 2008. I thought it was meant to start construction this year?

[DarJoLe]

It's so hideously imposing at street level it makes me want to weep.

[NothingBetterToDo]

To be fair, it echos the current, old buildings in that area. In the render that JDRS posted, it looks smaller than the neighbouring building, and it takes up an equal ammount of space at street level.

[Monkey]

I think the new building is perfect - very classy and cool.

Other good new things in the West End are the proliferation of video screens in the windows of dozens of Soho's restaurants, the swanky new Stringfellows on Soho's Wardour Street (in addition to the orginal one in Covent Garden), the expansion and repaving of Chinatown (including Europe's largest Chinese imperial gate to be constructed over the entrance to Wardour Street - and the three older gates to be restored with new lighting), the restoration and improvement of Regent's Street by the Crown Estate, and the proposal to revamp the eastern half of Oxford Street by changing planning zoning to allow for larger shops to open there.

New York and Paris can't hold a candle to London's West End. It's by far the biggest, busiest, and best shopping/nightlife/entertainment district in the western world - and in Asia only Tokyo can match it.

[Munch]

But why is it when i am in london i cant see a film in london's film landmark, leicester square, after 11pm?? As much as london is great... there is so much that can be done to liven things up in the west end... someone name some decent non-rip-off bars in the west end. I am just curious, i dont have a list in my head and i would like one ...

The lighting will decide this building... it looks high quality, will be great, but is it world class architecture? Lights can do a lot though... the red light on London Bridge is one of the best bridge spruce up jobs i have ever seen... does wonders for that very diverse pool of london area... one of my favourite areas for it's eye candy and it's about to get better (tate extension, the city cluster, and LBT).

[Monkey]

Originally Posted by Munch

But why is it when i am in london i cant see a film in london's film landmark, leicester square, after 11pm??

You can. Vue, Empire, and Odean all have showings starting around midnight. You roll out of the cinema at ~2:30am. I have done so many times....

Originally Posted by Munch

As much as london is great... there is so much that can be done to liven things up in the west end.

The West End could be even better but in my opinion it's every other city in the western world needs to do more to "liven things up" and catch up with London's West End. The West End is far and away the largest and liveliest nightlife and entertainment district in the western world.

Originally Posted by Munch

someone name some decent non-rip-off bars in the west end. I am just curious, i dont have a list in my head and i would like one .

In Soho try Circus on Upper James Street, Bar Red on Kingly Court, or Revolution on St Anne's Court. They're not amazing but you did ask for reasonable prices so....

[Dreamer]

Nice building, but why is it they dont introduce more lights, signs and screens to Leicester Square and Piccadilly Circus. These could be on roof lines, between windows etc. Or have signs in other areas on not so nice buildings.