Architecture of the Shard Skyscraper - Coursework Example

?A Critical Article on Architecture By Presented to June 3, A Critical Article on Architecture Introduction For a long time, St Pauls Cathedral has been known to be the tallest building in the United Kingdom with unique architectural features. Recently, this fact has been overtaken by events. Currently, The Shard has overtaken St Pauls Cathedral to be the newest and the tallest building in United Kingdom as well as the whole of Europe. The building and construction of The Shard are believed to have been inspired by the London’s Church Spires and the sails of former ships that moored on the Thames River. The tower has a height of three hundred and ten meters above the ground. The building is equipped with forty four lifts to facilitate upward and downward movement of people. Also known as the Shard of Glass, The Shard skyscraper is located near the London bridge station which is located in the suburbs of the Southwark town. Specifically, the Shard is located to the south of London Bridge that is used to cross River Thames from London City. It has eighty seven floors, and it is three hundred and ten meters high above the ground. The building was designed to host several recreational facilities as well as office spaces. Floors four to twenty eight were designed to house offices, floors sixty eight to seventy two were designed for public viewing galleries, floors fifty three to sixty five for apartments, and others to hosts hotels and other recreational facilities. This article is aimed at critiquing the general architecture of the Shard. The building will be analysed in order to find out if it has achieved the intended functionality. Its effect on the general public, the environment as well as flora and fauna will be closely studied. Description of the building According to Kant (2007, p. 1) in his book critique of judgement architecture is defined as “the art of exhibiting concepts of things that are possible only through art, things whose form does not have nature as its determining basis but instead has a chosen purpose, and of doing so in order to carry out that aim and yet also with aesthetic purposiveness. In architecture, the main concern is what use is to be made of the artistic object, and this use is a condition to which the aesthetic ideas are confined” (Harries, 2008). The definition of Kant has manifested in the design of The Shard. The design of the building was based on producing the tallest building in London that that positively contributes to the aesthetics value of London. London views from the summit of The Shard are astonishing. As one views the landscape of London from the Shard, it is spread out like vast moving tapestry. The views of Olympic Park, Wembley Stadium, and the winding views of Thames River are vividly visible (TripAdvisor, 2013). Like other tall buildings, the Shard had to work both from street level and at a distance. To provide a street frontage, the American Inter – War approach and cornice level was utilized (TripAdvisor, 2013). This made the Shard unnoticeable from the street. The redesigned concourse of London Bridge Station gives the Shard a ready - made podium. This was made possible by the heights at which the railway lines are set. This concourse forms the base onto which The Shard with its fritted - glass canopies rises. The above connoted unique architectural techniques illustrate analytic aesthetics which has been ignored by many architects in their work. Functiolism plays a vital role here in the transformation of the initial “simple” building into an architectural work that serves its intended purposes. The specific Design of the Shard has made it an iconic Landmark in London. The building comprises of eleven thousand glass panels which are equivalent to fifty six thousand meters squares of glass. To facilitate movement, the building has three hundred and six flights of stairs and 44 lifts most of which comprises double decker. The building’s floor was designed to cover 31.4 acres. The floors have been grouped into seventy two floors which can be occupied. The Design and the Construction of the Shard was developed in such a way that environmental conservation was put on a fore front. The building designers extensively emphasized on energy saving techniques and materials which ensured that the building uses thirty percent of energy less than other such buildings (Sellar Property Group, 2013). Almost all the material (95 % of the material) used in the construction of the building were recycled from the demolitions. The steel used in the steel works was also recycled from waste sources (Sellar Property Group, 2013). Furthermore, during the construction process, most of the personnel working at the site were local inhabitants, thus this reduced unemployment. To minimise the effects of solar gain while at the same time to allow maximum natural light usage, the facade was designed in such a way that it possessed a triple skin intelligent effect (Sellar Property Group, 2013). To provide naturally ventilated workspaces, the building was constructed with winter’s gardens which ensures free air circulation and finally, to ensure efficient land usage, a plot ratio of 32.1 % was used. Also, to reduce the amount of carbon IV Oxide released into the environment, power and heat have been combined in such a way that there is creation of efficiencies across the entire site. As described by architect William Mathews, The Shard appears to be two towers that have been stacked one over the other. The lower level floors which houses offices, public spaces and restaurant floors are made of steel framed frame construction. From this floors upwards up to level sixty nine, there is a post tensioned concrete frame floors. This design was essential so as to reduce the building weight as its height increases. Finally, the top most part consist of pre-fabricated steel. To stiffen the building, the concrete core was used to act as the vertical cantilever up to level 72. This is also reflected in the column spacing which vary in relation to the different uses it was designed. From this design, the building’s users have to take two lifts to get to the higher reaches. Despite these, there are instances where it is exceptional such as when going to the viewing gallery. Renzo Piano, who was the project architect of The Shard, describes the building as exclusive and world Class (Piano, 2013). The working offices comprises of inspirational workspace which gives its users exceptional working environment that facilitates efficiency at work. The hotels comprises of up to 200 luxurious rooms that offers its visitors five – star services. The residences have exclusive collection of apartments which offers unrestricted views over the capital city of United Kingdom, London. According to Renzo Piano, the design of The Shard was inspired by London Spires though this is on the contrary. On the contrary, the shard is a secular structure which has missing reality, curves of the first design and further boat imagery. Generally, the design of the Shard was successful. This is attributed to the efforts utilized in save the environment and the anaesthetic the City of London. Works Cited Harries, K., 2008. Aesthetics and Architecture // Reviews // Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews // University of Notre Dame. [Online] Available at: http://ndpr.nd.edu/news/23356-aesthetics-and-architecture/ [Accessed 16 August 2013]. Kant, I., 2007. Critique of Judgment. New York: Cosimo, Inc. Piano, R., 2013. Renzo Piano Talks Architecture and Discusses ‘The Shard’ with BBC News [Interview] (2 May 2013). Sellar Property Group, 2013. The shard - shard - Sellar - sustainability. [Online] Available at: http://the-shard.com/shard/sellar/sustainability [Accessed 16th August 2013]. TripAdvisor, 2013. The View from The Shard: Traveler Reviews. [Online] Available at: http://www.theviewfromtheshard.com/ [Accessed 6 August 2013]. Appendices The Shard Section The shard View Apartment floor Plan Exterior of the Shard Appendix 3 Interior of the Shard Read More