Critical Article on a Recently Completed Building Coursework

Critical Article on a Recently Completed Building - Coursework Example 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 o ut 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 â€Å"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. A s 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 â€Å"simple† building into an architect ural 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