Lexicon Tower by Skidmore Owings & Merrill / May 30, 2016 by Alex Upton

Development: Lexicon 261 City Road
Architects: Skidmore Owings & Merrill (SOM)
Location: City Road, Islington, London
Height: 115m (36fl)

Lexicon Tower - Photography: Copyright © Alex Upton

The Lexicon is a residential development by Mount Anvil which stands adjacent to Canaletto Tower on the waterfront, just beside City Road. It is one of a number of new high-rise buildings to spring up on this stretch of road, alongside Make architects Atlas Building, Foster and Partners 250 City Road and the recently completed The Eagle and Montcalm Signature Tower developments by Terry Farrell & Partners and Squire & Partners collaboration with 5plus architects respectively.

This sleek tower was designed by Skidmore Owings & Merrill (SOM) architects - the team behind the world’s current tallest building Dubai’s Burj Khalifa - and features both a high-rise and low-rise element. The Lexicon's minimal aesthetic is accented by its use of high quality materials, the façade being covered with a beautiful clear class which curves at the corner sections. There are 146, one, two and three bedroom luxury apartments within spread across the buildings 36 floors.

The stone clad detailing around the base of the tower becomes sharp and angular, cutting into he surrounding space projecting an interesting play between light and shadow. This lower portion of the building complements the more restrained and curvaceous upper portion by contrasting both form and materials, and in doing so breaks up the monotony of what could have been a singular design feature.

I am looking forward to returning to this area over the coming years and photographing the new developments, most of which are still at the ground works stage. Once Lexicon and Canaletto are joined by Norman Foster's 250 City Road this small area will be home to some truly iconic architecture by three leading architectural practices.

Canaletto by UNStudio / May 27, 2016 by Alex Upton

Development: Canaletto 259 City Road
Architects: UNStudio
Location: City Road, Islington, London
Height: 90m (31fl)

Canaletto 259 City Road - Photography: Copyright © Alex Upton

Canaletto is a residential tower designed by Dutch architect Ben van Berkel of UNStudio. The building is located at 259 City Road which borders on Islington, The City, Shoreditch and Clerkenwell. Construction is still on going with most of the work now taking place at the base of the tower where the concierge area is being fitted out, these architectural photographs capture Canaletto's current progress.

Returning from a trip to the recently opened Yayoi Kusama exhibition at the Victoria Miro Gallery - which for prospective residents is conveniently located a minuets walk from the Canaletto building along with a McDonald's Drive Thru, a real melting pot of high and low brow culture - i happened to chance upon these beautiful cloud formations passing over the tower. These photographs of Canaletto are the result of me trying to recalibrate my senses after being dazzled by Kusama's infinity mirror installations, which by the way are well worth a visit.

The lucky residents of this tower will have access to a wide range of facilities including what will be a stylish restaurant, private screening room, swimming pool and gymnasium and a 24th floor private club and sky terrace. The innovative design by UNStudio incorporates balconies into the linear and somewhat bulbous chrome clad panels that wrap around the buildings façade, which according to the architects create 'sustainability benefits achieved through surface modelling, with opportunities for shading, balancing good internal daylight and views with reduced heat gains'. Along with their sustainable credentials these panels produce some beautiful forms which for and architectural photographer offer endless opportunities for new and exciting compositions.

Canaletto is located in an area which is currently seeing a lot of developments start to rise, with Foster and Partners 250 City Road residential apartments just beginning to break ground over the road and the adjacent Lexicon building also nearing completion - for which a photograph update will follow shortly.

Tate Modern Switch House by Herzog & de Meuron / May 25, 2016 by Alex Upton

Development: Tate Modern Switch House - Gallery Extension
Architects: Herzog and de Meuron
Location: Southbank, London
Height: 72m

Tate Modern Switch House - Photography: Copyright © Alex Upton

Architects Herzog & de Meuron's extension to the Tate Modern gallery is now nearing completion and is due to open to the public on 17th June 2016. Named the Switch House, since it is situated of the site of the former electrical substation, the new building will house galleries across 10 floors expanding the Tate Modern's exhibition space to accommodate their ever increasing collection of international art acquisitions.

Having followed the buildings construction progress over the past several years I have long been anticipating the day when the brick-clad structure would finally be revealed, for it has lain hidden beneath the incredibly complex and somewhat beautiful lattice of scaffolding for a considerable amount of time. With that now removed and the crane no longer on site I optimistically ventured down to South Bank on a somewhat cloudy and rainy day, just as I arrived the heavens parted and I was fortunate enough to get some photographs of the external structure in its afternoon glory.

The building is clad in 336,000 perforated lattice bricks which are not only beautiful to admire for the complexity of their combined structure, but also because they allow light and shadows to permeate through the buildings external skin, this is especially noticeable once the internal lights are switched on in the evening.

Its almost hard to know when to stop photographing this building for it formal and surface qualities offer endless opportunities for different compositions, with each revealing something new about the structure. Hopefully next time I return to the site I will take a zoom lens to focus in on the architectural details and brick work. I also look forward to experiencing the artworks on display inside, but i fear they will be dominated by the beauty of their container.

Currently there is still landscaping ongoing at the base of the building which will no doubt open up the area adjacent to Richard Roger's NEO Bankside apartments. I will update more images once the building finally reveals itself later next month. You can find more of my Tate Modern Switch House Photographs under the projects section of my portfolio.

Construction Update: Riverwalk / May 20, 2016 by Alex Upton

Development: Riverwalk Residencies
Architect: Stanton Williams
Location: Pimlico, Westminster, London
Height: (17fl)

These architectural photographs show the current progress at the Riverwalk development situated on the Thames River Bank near Vauxhall Bridge. The exterior is almost complete with the stone cladding looking to be of a very high quality. There is still ongoing landscaping at the base of the tower with the extension of the river walk way being continued up to the bridge. A sculpture - obligatory to all new luxury developments - by Peter Randall-Page is still concealed in protective wrapping somewhere near the base of the building which will join Henry Moore's sculpture 'Locking Piece' later this year. Here is a description of the artwork curtsy of the developers website.

'Peter Randall-Page’s ‘Shapes in the Clouds’ will be installed in the landscaped area around Riverwalk and explores how the sensual and organic can emerge from the formal and geometric. In this version of a dodecahedron carved out of Rosso Luana marble, in which the heavy figuring is reminiscent of solidifying cloud, the Dartmoor-based artist has combined geometric order with geological chaos to produce something both visceral and sensual. Peter often describes it as breathing life into dumb matter.'

Project Update: Durham Factory Visit / May 16, 2016 by Alex Upton

Durham Factory - Photography: Copyright © Alex Upton

I was recently invited by Taylor Maxwell to photograph and document the various stages and processes employed in manufacturing large sections of pre-cast brick cladding. The visit to the factory in Durham was an enlightening one, having always been fascinated with manufacturing getting to see this often under-exposed part of the construction process revealed in me a new appreciation for all the hard work that goes into creating something that is often experience by an architectural photographer as the finished building. A number of photos from the visit have been added to my portfolio where you can see just a small selection of the stages involved.

Construction Update: Baltimore Tower / May 10, 2016 by Alex Upton

Development: Baltimore Wharf Tower
Architect: Skidmore Owings & Merrill (SOM)
Location: Isle of Dogs, Canary Wharf
Height: 150m (44fl)

This set of architectural photographs document the construction progress at Baltimore Tower in Canary Wharf. With just a few more floors of glazing to go the building is nearing external completion. The curvature of the elliptical façade makes for some really nice formal compositions especially on a sunny day. Designed by SOM architects this residential complex is just one of many new skyscrapers to join the growing Canary Wharf skyline.

Baltimore Tower - London - Photography: Copyright © Alex Upton — Baltimore Tower - London - Photography: Copyright © Alex Upton

CONSTRUCTION UPDATE: Novotel Canary Wharf / May 8, 2016 by Alex Upton

Development: Novotel Canary Wharf
Architect: Leach Rhodes Walker Architects
Location: Marsh Wall, Canary Wharf
Height: 124m (39fl)

Photographs from the 4th May documenting the construction of the UK's tallest hotel situated in Canary Wharf. The Novotel building designed by Leach Rhodes Walker Architects is nearing external completion with just the internal fit out left to complete, the opening date is set for Autumn 2016.

This building is just one of many new towers to rise in the Canary Wharf area over the next couple of years, with many others just starting to break ground. With so much activity its becoming hard to keep track of all the developments, but with all this activity it it makes for some great photographic opportunities, the land reclamation taking place around Wood Wharf is particularly interesting to observe if you have chance to make it down there.

Project Update: Seven Kings Primary School / May 7, 2016 by Alex Upton

Seven Kings Primary School - Photography: Copyright © Alex Upton

Architectural photographs I took detailing the external cladding installation above the entrance to Seven Kings Primary School in east London have been recently added to my portfolio. The project commissioned by Taylor Maxwell was to detail the metal cladding strips that run vertically down the buildings facade. Although only covering a small area of the building they make for some really interesting compositions.