Elizabeth House Redevelopment | Waterloo | 123m/53m | 29/10 fl | Approved

[RugBurn]

They look like century city in LA after a quake. The proportions are all wrong....the left tower is way too tall- it overwhelms what could be a great entrance to waterloo. the middle tower could be much taller and the right tower seems like an after thought. The towers seem exactly like what they have right now.it would be a mistake to put these buildings up. I think a low rise soultion in line with waterloo with one beautiful very tall tower OR some way out organic shape designed by a really good Firm. wink

[Zenith]

Originally Posted by Manuel

@darjole
2 of the 3 buildings are twisting slightly on themselves.
the cladding, very repetitive and graphic may complement the simple window pattern of the shell centre.

I would hate something organic for this site. The wall effect is working well with Shell and the round London eye that soars above them all.

It is not often I swear on these forums ( I dont think) but are you fucking crazy? Oh and collosal mass of the shell centre, since when was it a collosal mass? Guess what I don't like the heavily comprimised shell centre at all, and I would like to see it replaced, but it certainly isn't the worst building in London, and it is staying for the forseeable future.

This scheme is one of the most poorly integrated, ill thought out piles of mundanity I have yet seen proposed. We have an opportunity to produce buildings that shout to the world, look at what we can achieve ! This does not mean they have to be 'wacky' or simply 'organic', although there is nothing wrong with taking an organic route. We all know what can be achieved, and I will not lend my support for a development that celebrates mediocrity in design.

[potto]

Originally Posted by gothicform

this is the sad thing about this scheme. the original elizabeth house scheme was much superior to this, but one of the reasons it was dumped was that the planning authorities felt it tried to do too much at the base. by too much i mean move a road, create a new public space, sort out the poor pedestrian circulation and access in the area.

Yes the removal of that road was an inspired piece of urban planning, the current scheme pales in comparison

[JGG]

Just looking at these pictures posted, it looks like the ultimate carbuncle. And indeed I also believe that will sail through planning and CABE reviews, proving once again planning does not work in London. It is a prominent site where British architects could show off their best talents, and instead we'll get something that is worse than what is there today. In addition this area needs to get some masterplanning - right now whether a pedestrian or a car driver the whole local road system is a joke. I also don't understand why some towers slightly higher than the shell centre would affect the setting of the Houses of Parliament, provided they are of sufficient architectural quality (something like three "The Leaf" buildings of varying heights). A wall is much worse. In comparison, Plantation Place just appears top notch architecture.

[delores]

When this scheme was chosen over the other more interesting schemes I considered it a rather strange move as the renders were appauling and basically a crude massing study, it gave virtually no information on how they would look in reality. Now what we are left with is a bunch of overblown buildings completly over scaled and clumsy. Like others I agree and have pointed out in the past that the massing is all wrong. The reason why the shell centre works so well is because of its stark monumentality. The lower buildings try to relate to the more low rise scale of the surrounding area. This mess of a scheme is just too large and tall for the area and I hope they call it in or have a complete rethink.

[gothicform]

londonlad, their piece of shit map isnt working. whats the planning application number~?

[london lad]

Originally Posted by gothicform

londonlad, their piece of shit map isnt working. whats the planning application number~?

07/026028/FUL

[gothicform]

perfect thats all the info you ever need to post so we can find the plans

[Luke]

Waterloo framework unveiled
11:21 | 26.10.07

Mayor of London Ken Livingstone has today unveiled a masterplan for Waterloo.

By Laura Chesters

The Waterloo Opportunity Area Planning Framework plans to transform the area and structure subsequent development.

Plans include:

-Reworking the IMAX roundabout and creating a city square for local people and visitors

-A plan to encourage development of world-class buildings around and above the station

-Improving the layout of Waterloo as a major transport interchange and working with Network Rail to improve the accessibility and capacity of the station

Livingstone said: ‘Waterloo is the gateway to the South Bank, one of the world’s leading cultural centres. It is vital that we improve the attractiveness of the station and its surroundings, making the most of the whole neighbourhood and stitching all of its individual parts together.’

‘We can only achieve this through careful planning over the next generation. If we can do this, the prize will be thousands of new homes and jobs for Waterloo and great improvements to its layout and public space, making it more attractive, vibrant and easier to get around.’

The area covered by the framework includes Waterloo station and the South Bank from St Thomas's Hospital to Gabriel's Wharf. This is identified as an ‘opportunity area’ in the Mayor’s London Plan.

http://www.propertyweek.com/story.as...de=3098544&c=1

[RugBurn]

the livingston annoucement means that they will propbaly approve the Elizabeth house project just to get things going in the waterloo district. Does anyone have any more details on The Shell center expansion and renovation? isnt shell planning to rebuild around their tower? that might shut out this developments visibity on the skyline

[The Sage]

FANTASTIC.

But please, please can we have a redesign here? No-one could claim in their wildest dreams that these are world-class designs.

[gothicform]

well that fucking planning application number doesnt work either. grrrrrrrrrrrrr. i got their map working in internet explorer and it only returns results on double glazing and so on! thats because the real planning application number is 07/02628/FUL!

[london lad]

http://www.cabe.org.uk/default.aspx?...5%26sl%3d3.2.3

Conclusion

In overall terms, we are unconvinced by the overall massing arrangement of this scheme, although the residential tower is broadly successful. We are inclined to conclude that any potential resolution of this will involve – as part of comprehensive thought about the massing strategy – a re-examination of the proportions of the office buildings. We hope that this can be addressed and a convincing scheme in the round can be achieved.

[LiamF1]

I'd like a total rethink done on this whole scheme. This site is crying out for something imaginative.

[potto]

yes it deserves to be slated. Hopefully a different architectual practise will be chosen

[wjfox]

Originally Posted by LiamF1

I'd like a total rethink done on this whole scheme. This site is crying out for something imaginative.

I completely agree. What's being proposed here simply isn't good enough for such a high-profile site. Sadly I suspect it will gain planning permission anyway. It's a 100m midrise that ticks all the right boxes for the council, isn't particularly offensive and will bring further investment and tenants to the area, just like More London and Bankside123 have done. Whether it's exciting or progressive architecture doesn't seem to matter much.

How can these architects produce such bland rubbish, and be allowed to get away with it? Here we are in the 21st century, with such awesome technology and resources at our disposal, advanced computer software, teams of highly skilled personnel, decades of experience in urban development. Look at what was proposed in San Francisco recently to see the level of quality we should be aiming for -

[DarJoLe]

Allies & Morrison aren't very good architects when it comes to skyscrapers.

[wjfox]

I'm told Lambeth Council will make a decision on 16th January.

[scraper]

I hope they reject this scheme, it fails to to even come close to the standard they should expect for such a prominent site.

[wjfox]

Other than myself, how many people here actually complained to the council about this proposal?