High and blighty?
By Jonathan Duffy
BBC News Online
Wednesday, 4 September, 2002, 14:51 GMT 15:51 UK
After the tower blocks of the 1960s and 70s, tall buildings are on the rise again. But British cities should try to preserve their low-rise heritage rather than imitate Manhattan, according to a new report.
It's almost a year since last year's terror attacks on the US felled the monumental Twin Towers of New York, killing thousands.
In the immediate aftermath, many predicted the age of the skyscraper was over. Tall buildings were too much of a liability, they said. Office staff would refuse to work in them, no-one would want to live in them, and besides, the cost of building and maintaining skyscrapers could no longer be justified in these more cautious times.
Twelve months on, and the planning books of some of the UK's biggest cities tell a different story.
In London, the authorities have been inundated with plans for new tall buildings. Britain's tallest building, the 237m Canada Tower at Canary Wharf in Docklands, is now framed by two other skyscrapers.
Two more of similar height are planned for the area. In the historic City of London, work is underway on the 180m Swiss Reinsurance tower (nicknamed the "erotic gherkin").
Of a similar height is the Heron Tower, which has been approved and work will start next year.
High-rise London
Mayor Ken Livingstone is an outspoken fan of skyscrapers in the capital
He predicts up to 20 new 'tall buildings' - over 40 storeys - over next 15 years
The London Bridge tower - at 310m, the daddy of them all - is currently the subject of a planning inquiry, while a handful of others have achieved initial consent.
But it's not just the capital where developers have got the "build tall bug". In Birmingham, there are plans for the Holloway Circus Tower (192m) and the Arena Central Tower (232m).
Manchester is also seeing a spurt of new tall buildings, such as One Deansgate. At 62m it doesn't match London's high rises, but buildings are considered tall in the context of the surrounding skyline.
After the much decried concrete tower blocks of the post-war period, it seems the UK is again learning to love sky-high buildings.
However, that notion is rejected in a new parliamentary report by the Urban Affairs Sub-Committee.
The report, compiled by 11 MPs, concludes that all too often high-rise buildings are more about the ego of architects and multi-national companies than enhancing the environment.
"Tall buildings are more often about power, prestige, status and aesthetics than efficient developments," it rather scathingly concludes.
'Eyesore'
The authors draw a distinction between the likes of Manhattan and British cities. While recognising that high-rise developments can enhance an area if they are well designed, "few skyscrapers in England do," it says.
"Many older tall buildings are an eyesore; they are insensitive to their location... It is vital that our historic cities are not forced to undergo another wave of high-rise buildings."
The argument that tall buildings are more eco-friendly - it's claimed they can be heated more efficiently than low-rise structures - is largely dismissed.
The greater safety regulations post-11 September, with the need for more stairwells and fire compartments, negate this. It is also more difficult to convert them to another use - and they cost more to demolish.
Good design
So is the desire to build up, rather than out, driven by a cabal of modernists and gung-ho capitalists with no interest in what public really want?
James Newman is disheartened by the report. He believes there is room for many more towers and skyscrapers in the UK's cities. It's all about context and good design, he says.
"A good building is a building that contributes to its surroundings. A bad building is one that doesn't," says Mr Newman, editor of the website Skyscraper News.
The selling point of skyscrapers is that by putting office space in the air, they free up space on the ground for public areas.
Sick buildings
"Unfortunately, developers don't always see it that way and so I can understand a little bit why this report is being critical."
But it's not just the people outside who can benefit from high-rise offices, says Mr Newman. They can also make for a better work environment.
"The problem with groundscrapers - huge, low-rise buildings - is that most workers can't even see a window. They get no natural light and this is a major cause of 'sick building syndrome'.
"Skyscrapers are tall and thin, and so they can be flooded with natural sunlight."
And as for the tall buildings just being a manifestation of over-inflated architects and business chiefs - it's always been the way.
"Ever since the beginning of time people have been building tall for their egos. That's why we have those beautiful cathedrals and Big Ben, which is the tallest clock tower in the world.
"We cannot stand in the way of progress. Instead we have to embrace it and turn it to our advantage."