20 Fenchurch Street, Modern skyscraper in City of London, England.
Description
20 Fenchurch Street is a modern skyscraper in the City of London, England, rising 160 meters (525 feet) across 36 floors. The glass facade curves outward from a narrow base and forms a wide, angled roof at the summit.
History
Construction began in 2009 on the site of an older office building from 1968 and finished in April 2014. During the building phase, the curved glass exterior focused sunlight and required subsequent adjustments to the design.
Culture
Londoners nicknamed the tower 'Walkie-Talkie' after its shape, narrow at the base and bulging at the top like a handheld radio. This silhouette stands out among the traditional financial skyscrapers in the City and draws both criticism and camera lenses.
Practical
The top three floors host a public sky garden with views over the city, requiring advance online registration to visit. On clear days the view stretches for miles, while fog or rain can cloud the windows.
Did you know?
The curved glass exterior created a focal point during construction that melted plastic parts on parked cars in the neighborhood and even scorched carpets in a nearby shop. Architects had to retrofit horizontal fins to reduce the concentrated light effect.
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Some buildings have caused waves of criticism when they were built. Their unusual shape, large size, or high cost led to strong reactions. The Louvre pyramid in Paris, with its glass structure in the middle of a classical palace, surprised Parisians in the 1980s. The Guggenheim Museum in New York,...
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