The following article is by Simon Henley of Henley Halebrown Rorrison (HHbR). His column London Calling will look at London's every-day reality, its architectural culture, and its role as a global architectural hub.
As a city, London is more than ever an architectural capital for propagating and consuming design culture. It has the highest concentration of architectural practices of any city in the world. Publications, exhibitions, events and a variety of pop-ups, pavilions and charrettes (not to mention the ever more popular pecha-kuchas) also attest to the fact. Schools like the Architectural Association (AA) in London’s Bedford Square have formed the minds of a number of world stage “star” architects.
Then there’s the skyline itself - stuffed with transplanted talent. Renzo Piano's Shard, the city’s new spire that stands high above the rest. Uruguayan Rafael Viñoly's controversial Walkie-Talkie, which swells by the day. Herzog & de Meuron's current work at The Tate Modern. John Nouvel’s shopping mall at St Paul’s, and the many 1980s American corporate buildings for commercial giants in The City of London by SOM, KPF and HOK.
