London’s Contemporary Architecture: Key Building in the British Capital

If you are interested in history and architecture, London is the right place for you. The capital of the United Kingdom is known to have existed for centuries. And this explains the great variety of architectural styles, perfectly combined to form the grandness of this ancient city. Constructions such as the Buckingham Palace, the Tower of London, the Houses of Parliament Building, or all the buildings on Regent Street, annually attract millions of tourists and evoke the fascination even of the locals, who are supposed to be accustomed to their splendidness. But apart from those historic landmarks, London also sports fascinating contemporary architecture. And the purpose of the following article is to introduce you to some of the most impressive sights, comprising the capital’s skyline.

The Millennium Dome BuildingMillennium_Dome_(zakgollop)_version

We cannot speak of contemporary architecture in London, without paying special attention to the so-called Millennium Dome, simply referred to as the Dome. As its name suggests, it is a large dome-like construction. From the outside it generally resembles a huge white marquee with 12 yellow support towers, each of them standing for every single hour of the clock or for the months of the year. It was built in 2000 to celebrate the the dawning of the third millennium. According to Home Mates Services London, it hosts the famous O2 Arena.

Its main architect was Richard Rogers and Buro Happold engineered the structure. The canopy that functions as a roof was made of special Polytetrafluoroethylene-coated glass-fibre cloth. The twelve yellow masts support the whole construction.

 The Gherkin

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30 St Mary Axe or otherwise known as the Gherkin is another impressive contemporary building in London. It is situated in the City and is primarily used by the Swiss Re insurance company. It is a 180-metre high, 41-storey sky-scraper, finished in 2003 and opened in 2004. What is most interesting about the Gherkin is that it uses various energy-efficient methods to reduce the power that a regular building of this size would consume. For example, six shafts in each floor create a natural ventilation system. Thus, warm air is pulled out of the tower during the summer and cold air is pulled out of it during the winter.

The City Hall

City_Hall,_London_-_geograph.org.uk_-_569516

The building of the City Hall is another notable contemporary representative of the London skyline. It sports an extremely attractive and quite extravagant design. Its shape can be best described as a bulb and is often referred to as the Onion. The building accommodates the Greater London Authority. It was designed  by Norman Foster and was opened in 2002. Its unusual shape as well as the huge glazed surface seriously contribute to its efficiency.

The City of London Information Centre

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The new building of The City of London Information Centre is one more bizarre yet appealing construction that people can see in the capital of the United Kingdom. It was opened in 2007 and since then it has been using state-of-the-art devices to provide both residents and guest with comprehensive information.

What an architecture connoisseur needs to know about the building is that its exterior is shaped by means of 220 preliminary shaped stainless steel panels. The walls inside are fitted with 174 yellow Trespa panels. Trespa is a recycled timber product, excellent for building purposes. The City of London Information Centre is designed in such manner so as to meet certain environmental standards and it emits an extremely low quantity of CO2.

These are some of the most key modern buildings that one could find in London. Apart from being extremely appealing, they are all comprised of materials that aim at making them more efficient and less environmentally hostile. After all, keeping the planet clean and safe, should be of an utmost importance to us.

 

Tags: Key Building in the British Capital, London's Contemporary Architecture, The City Hall, The City of London Information Centre, The Gherkin, The Millennium Dome Building

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