What went wrong with the Walkie talkie building?
Disclaimer: This Post and all related posts may contain affiliate links including Amazon LLC. This means that I earn a commission, from qualifying purchases at no cost to you, if you click on a link and make a purchase. Access full disclaimer here or get in touch with me via Contact form if you have any questions about any of the companies. You could also take a look at our Trusted Partners
Walkie talkie building also known as Sky Garden opened in 2015 and it is a great place to visit at any time of the year. It is suitable for solo travellers, couples or for families. You can read more on this iconic building and how to visit for FREE.
What went wrong with the walkie talkie building aka Sky Garden?
The Sky Garden which stands at 20 Fenchurch Street is a uniquely designed building in the heart of London’s financial district. It is also known as the Walkie-talkie building because of its distinctive curvy shape which has a heavier top to maximise floor space towards the top of the building. It is an open and vibrant place of leisure offering visitors a different kind of experience of London.
The Design of the walkie talkie
This distinctive building, designed by Uruguayan architect, Rafael Vinoly, was not always a popular building. It was once described as “inelegant, bloated, thuggish” and in 2015, it won the Carbuncle Cup, for being the worst building in London. The heavy top sticks out like a sore thumb and does not fit into the rest of the buildings in London’s skyline.
Moreover, the sun reflecting off the glass façade was said to have blistered paintwork on cars and shop fronts. The temperature was said to be so high that it could fry an egg on the pavement.
In addition, the shape of the building was said to create a wind tunnel at the base so strong that it started to blow-off food trolleys and people!
The “death ray” situation was fixed by attaching sunshades to the glass panels to prevent the sun reflecting off it and wind-turbines to help reduce the wind issues associated with the downdraught.
However, to a great extent, it is still true, I think, that it does stick out and does not fit into the rest of London’s skyline and the surrounding area that has low-rise buildings.
What do you think? Do let me know in comments below or via Contact Form, would love to hear from you.
Look forward to connecting & happy discovering London
Georgina
Like this post? Pin it on Pinterest!
Follow Me
Be sure to join our tribe of adventurers and sign-up FREE via email to get fresh news on travel and traveller wellbeing right to your inbox. I hope my adventures will encourage you to travel and perhaps by sharing we can support each other
Subscribe! Never miss a Post!
I share regular highlights of my adventures with my travel community on Instagram, FacebookFacebook, Twitter and Pinterest where I would love for you to join me.
6.6K Followers
Do let me know of your thoughts on this post. Always welcome opinions and suggestions and/or a simple “like”. I appreciate it.
One comment