Alex Simpson is a lecturer in criminology at the University of Brighton.
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A new skyscraper is set to join the City of London’s world-famous collection of oddly designed buildings with novelty names. With 73 stories, the Trellis will rival the Shard in height, and overshadow its next-door neighbors, the Gherkin, the Walkie-Talkie and the Cheesegrater. If all goes to plan, the tower will rise from the rubble of the existing Aviva building at 1 Undershaft, sometime in the 2020s.
An artist’s rendering of 1 Undershaft — the tallest building — surrounded by other London skyscrapers. Credit: DBox for Eric Parry Architects
Yet skyscrapers are not just slick, glassy lures for business and wealth; they tell us something about the character of London itself. St Paul’s Cathedral used to be the dominant landmark of the city, impressing locals and visitors alike with its scale and architectural finesse. Now, skyscrapers are the dominant structures, giving the finance sector an imposing physical presence.
Power building
Just as cathedrals were historically built to represent the power and presence of the church in everyday life, the Trellis is the latest tall building to speak for the dominance of the global financial market as a driving force in Western society. The scale and the grandeur of these distinctive constructions is a tribute to those who deliver the City’s wealth and success — and a symbol of the power they hold.
Oddly shaped buildings in the City, like 20 Fenchurch Street — also known as the Walkie Talkie — have become figures of fun and play. Credit: John Keeble/Getty Images Europe/Getty Images
It is also a critical site for job creation, with nearly 150,000 people employed by the financial sector and a further 140,000 in legal and accounting professions. In fact, countless jobs throughout the UK depend on the prosperity of its financial sector.
Human error
22 Bishopsgate tower, previous known as the Pinnacle and now marketed as Twentytwo, is currently under construction in London. Credit: NurPhoto/NurPhoto/NurPhoto via Getty Images
The Pinnacle was designed to be 62 stories tall — but it never rose beyond seven. After the global financial crisis hit in 2008, funding dried up, construction was halted, and the Pinnacle became known as the Stump. Only this year have developers been given permission to proceed with a new high-rise design, which will grow alongside the Trellis, to be completed in 2019.
Failed funding structures and overconfident developers are as much a part of the modern financial sector as wealth and job creation. But while old foundations can be used for new buildings, the massive impacts of financial sector failures are more difficult to mend.
Source : Nbcnewyork