Farringdon St & Smithfield developments

[fitz44]

It's this one huvet - One Farringdon Road.

[Smoggie_Si]

Originally Posted by huvet

fitz 44 you are correct that the rebuilding of the fourth villa associated with Bath House will complete the restitution of the 4 original villas associated with Holborn Viaduct and is a planning condition. Strange that Peter Rees and the CoL planners are so precious about these but have no qualms about destroying the Western Market.

Indeed, it is extraordinary that they are more concerned about recreating a pastiche of a demolished building that retaining what is actually there.

It's ironic that they are not proposing demolition of the 60's block of Smithfields market, that truly is a horror.

@ Fitz, the photo that you annotated in post #70 was showing the Toilet block I believe, I presume that the listed ice store that you mention is the building just to the west of it? In which case it's a stunner, the bogs are of no architectural merit whatsoever as far as I can see.

Originally Posted by huvet

fitz44, what is planned for that site opposite the market buildings?

That's the Hamiltons site. There are some renders on page 2 of this thread and you commented on them Huvet.

[huvet]

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[capslock]

Originally Posted by fitz44

Just one more! In addition these two neighbouring buildings are due for demolition soon. I'll stop now huvet - promise.

Well no one's really going to miss the 60s market building in the middle, or the bland crud in the top left and bottom left, but to flatten the west buildings is criminal and to replace it with the crap that they are is unforgivable.

To be fought! For once, come on English Heritage!!

[Smoggie_Si]

Originally Posted by capslock

Well no one's really going to miss the 60s market building in the middle

Sadly that's staying! Extraordinary isn't it!

Originally Posted by huvet

Apologies, misread the photo, red line blindness.
I still like that scheme.

I agree, I'm a fan of the Hamiltons proposal too.

[huvet]

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[aclifford]

The general market building would make a stunning indoor market.



It's far superioir to Spitalfields architecturally and would easily become a must visit destination for the populous and tourists. Whoever is responsible for this lost opportunity is either insane or corupt. I'm so angry

[Zenith]

If they demolish that old market building I will go (sorry for the prophanity...I am) I will go FUCKING CRAZY...this will show that EH are absolute FUCKING IDIOTS and we do not give a shit for our heritage...that nothing has been learnt from the past.

This cannot happen. Somebody tell me i'm being an idiot and I have got all the facts wrong. I want you to.

[Bob]

I don't think this should be demolished. I think another go should be made at building above a market to pay for the renovation below. This was a fairly well supported proposal by Alsop for the newer half of Spitalfields, which as we know ended up being demolished.



Okay, that may be too controversial and probably that in the end did not help the proposal, but the logic is sound IMO.

[fitz44]

LOL! Boy am I sorry I started with the red pen!

Smoggie you are correct the Cold Store is the building you indicated. The reference to it being triangular threw me until I rechecked the Terry Farrell report which shows the listed part. I have indicated it here in green. That means all the parts indicated in red are not listed and presumably up for demolition.
Interestingly the post-war market building is highlighted as listed in the Farrell report but it doesn’t say what grade. (Anyway we all know that having listed status does not protect buildings from demolition).



The Cold Store facade.


Huvet, I haven’t seen this image of the KPF scheme before – interesting. It's certainly a good building but the market is just too important a part of London's history to let go. London Lad posted some excellent images of the scemes for the area at the start of the post which are well worth revisiting.



Was it also mentioned somewhere that the intention was now to retain some of the lower parts and build new elements on top? Does anyone know anything more about this? This could be an exciting solution, especially when you look at what Nouvel and Herzog and De Mueron have done with that approach in other countries.

Nouvel;



Herzog and De Mueron;

[El_Greco]

Originally Posted by fitz44

Love it!

[Zenith]

Originally Posted by fitz44

LOL! Boy am I sorry I started with the red pen!

Smoggie you are correct the Cold Store is the building you indicated. The reference to it being triangular threw me until I rechecked the Terry Farrell report which shows the listed part. I have indicated it here in green. That means all the parts indicated in red are not listed and presumably up for demolition.
Interestingly the post-war market building is highlighted as listed in the Farrell report but it doesn’t say what grade. (Anyway we all know that having listed status does not protect buildings from demolition).



The Cold Store facade.


Huvet, I haven’t seen this image of the KPF scheme before – interesting. It's certainly a good building but the market is just too important a part of London's history to let go. London Lad posted some excellent images of the scemes for the area at the start of the post which are well worth revisiting.



Was it also mentioned somewhere that the intention was now to retain some of the lower parts and build new elements on top? Does anyone know anything more about this? This could be an exciting solution, especially when you look at what Nouvel and Herzog and De Mueron have done with that approach in other countries.

Nouvel;



Herzog and De Mueron;

They do not have the vision to do anything like this with Smithfield, and I want the buildings left alone.

[randolph]

Here's waht I would do - knock down the central, 1950s, market altogether and creat a new city square between the two older markets, both renovated to provide covered markets, shops, cafes, a hotel and small offices and studios for small, creative, craft, arts and media business's. The square would be pretty big and provide a new focal point for that part of the city.

[Zenith]

Exactly what I was thinking, but they do not give a fig for the urban realm, and it's impact on the people.

[JGG]

Originally Posted by randolph

Here's waht I would do - knock down the central, 1950s, market altogether and creat a new city square between the two older markets, both renovated to provide covered markets, shops, cafes, a hotel and small offices and studios for small, creative, craft, arts and media business's. The square would be pretty big and provide a new focal point for that part of the city.

That would indeed be the most sensible thing to do, some type of Covent Garden but then without the tourists and instead mainly for the City population. However, as the City of London wants most of us to move out to CW and the West End, and believes that an attractive urban strategy should just provide us with enough sandwich and coffee shops where be can go and buy our food, interspaced with the odd mobile phone store to create some sense of excitement, it is as unlikely to happen as it was in East Berlin under communist planning rule.

[Snowy]

Originally Posted by randolph

Here's waht I would do - knock down the central, 1950s, market altogether and creat a new city square between the two older markets, both renovated to provide covered markets, shops, cafes, a hotel and small offices and studios for small, creative, craft, arts and media business's. The square would be pretty big and provide a new focal point for that part of the city.

Amen. I actually can't believe that we're actually discussing the partial demolition of Smithfields Market, a London landmark!

I know that the Corporation of London's ulterior motive is to squeeze every last penny of profit that it possibly can, from within the cramped boundaries of the square mile and that the large amount of land taken up by Smithfields could be put to better use from a purely financial point of view, but surely the Corp. should be equally concerned about making the City an attractive place to work. Does it not realise that it's the old buildings, churches and markets that distinguish the City from Canary Wharf and it's this "character" that attracts many of the big companies to the Square Mile?

This new city square would be welcomed with open arms by the workers in this part of town, thereby making the area more attractive to their employers, as well as new, prospective tenants, who will want to be based in an attractive, buzzing area, to keep their employees happy and motivated and to impress their clients. If the Corporation of London continues to replace it's attractive public spaces and old buildings with bulky groundscrapers, then what we're going to be left with is a less attractive, cramped version of Canary Wharf, without the great public spaces and many of the City's tenants will start voting with their feet and relocate east..........and surely, as powerful as the Corporation of London is, Ken Livingstone and the British Government simply shouldn't allow the Corp. to demolish a large chunk of what is essentially a minor London landmark. As much as I hate to see the City's Victorian and early 20th Century buildings biting the dust to make way for new, shiny, glass boxes, I can accept it to a certain extent. What I cannot accept, however, is the demolition of part of the City's soul.

[Hoogbouwman]

Well I am pleasantly surprised then that they don't just tear the whole thing down without batting an eye so at least the remainder can be recovered once everyone has come to reason again.

[huvet]

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[london lad]

Yes thats right its a cunning ploy by Mr Plollisano Mr Rees & to take over the city & get some poor mug of a developer to commission KPF to design a building for them which they will then spend millions on just to keep them happy. After all the Pinnacle & Heron are terrible designs- god knows how they got through the planning process.

Say what you like about this scheme (& I would rather it not built) but the rest of your comments are bollocks.

[El_Greco]

Fish Market :