The Icarus effect

TEN years ago, the inaugural publication of the Tall Buildings Survey at the 'London's Growing Up!' exhibition staged by New London Architecture, EC2, predicted the imminent arrival of 236 tower blocks (20 storeys or more). 

- Jack Watkins

That figure has mushroomed to more than 500. Architect Barbara Weiss, who launched the Skyline Campaign in 2014 to combat the capital's 'surge in poor-quality skyscrapers', accuses the construction industry's PR machine of 'milking the anniversary' and has restated her call for planners and politicians 'to come up with a sensitive city-wide skyline vision'.

She continues: 'What is disappointing is that none of these Tall Buildings aficionados is brave or honest enough to look up at this new London skyline. It's impossible to describe any of the chaotic clusters as an architectural improvement on what was there previously.'