The City of London’s recent development has meant that there are now many sky high glass buildings with little regard for how the sun will fall over those working in the one of the worlds oldest financial centres. This came to a head when a luxury sports card had it’s wing mirrors melted by 20 Fenchurch Street, aka the walkie talkie.
My recent project has been to capture the sun as it bounces between the buildings often casting an abstract image of the glass towers on the neighbouring areas. The new Bloomberg building on Cannon Street reflects onto Queen Victoria Street. Claiming to be an environmental marvel, designed to minimise energy use and be a friend of the earth. The building blinds passers by with streaks of sunlight cast over the entire width of the road.
Plantation place’s footpath to save people from the traffic of Fenchurch street and Eastcheap. The footpath is divided down the middle where the sun is able to get around the Walkie Talkie.
The Leadenhall building shining down onto the Bank of England. Meters away is the soon to be complete Undershaft in which one can see the reflection of tower 42 on old broadstreet.
At Saint Paul’s Cathedral the reflections from One New Change has meant that there are two suns in the sky.
I understand that planning for the sun in England would be optimistic but the clear lack of planning has resulted in blinding lights throughout the capital’s financial sector. I will continues to explore this for as long as we have sun and I’m in the city.
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