Kings Reach Redevelopment Toned Down

The riot of strong blue and bright white that was to replace the existing Kings Reach Tower in a 34 floor redevelopment for the Southbank in London has been toned down by Make Architects. Originally planning what was possibly the bluest skyscraper ever, there have been a number of design revisions that have taken some of the shock value out of the plans whilst still managing to retain the blue, albeit at the expense of the white. One of the most noticeable changes is the roofline, previously this had followed the walls of the tower simply terminating where it meets the sky. The area around the top of the development now has a clear crown, the glass curtain walling is inset, it has a clear overhanging roof, perhaps to improve solar shading, whilst some of the vertical striping that defines the lower levels of the cladding is missing. The whole top now appears much lighter and less leaden than before.The current Kings Reach Tower is defined by the cladding that runs vertically up it, a characteristic shared by Tower 42. Previously Make had planned to have a chequer-work of white and blue on these lines but this has now been toned down to show off different shades of blue making the design rather less garish than some had previously found it.The massing remains as before with the same medium rise extension branching out from the main tower but the design refinements show that Make have taken onboard criticisms of their work that might look great on paper but in reality would be rather jarring. They have become famous for their often avante-garde paper approach to architecture with some outrageous designs, as seen in the likes of the Vortex and Kite Towers, but the application of these in the real world show that they can successfully adapt their colourful philosophy in a more commercial manner as well as explore the more outrageous realms of design.With these, the new developer Simon Halabi who bought it from Capital and Counties, who plans to rebuild the 111 metre tall Kings Reach Tower, originally designed by Richard Siefert, should have a much less contentious building on his hands and one that can have an easier journey through the development process without giving anyone who looks at it a headache.