Six Months in Copenhagen

At the tail end of my adventure abroad, I had the chance to visit London.  In just an afternoon, I hoped to meet my European colleagues and see the sights of London.

I arrived at London's Victoria station, in the historic West End (theater district). The hustle and bustle of the city's stations as portrayed in the movies is no exaggeration. Pausing momentarily for any reason is sure to illicit getting run over by the mob of programmed commuters. Having arrived by a conventional commuter train, I navigated through the crowds to the Underground (subway, a.k.a. the Tube). The trains were just large enough and fairly clean. I had to laugh at the friendly pre-recorded voice at every station that reminds you to "mind the gap" between the train and the platform.

The first stop on my itinerary was a quick visit to my firm's London office. It was established to broaden the international appeal of the company. Many international architects, including several overseeing the opulent developments in the Middle East, are based in London. Our small office echoes that connection with architecture. It's located in an old renovated industrial building. The staff has grown very quickly. In less than a year, they've almost outgrown the office; several employees are concerned about losing the office pool table.

My wife and I received a warm reception from our hosts, but we had a lot more on our itinerary. Returning back to the West End neighborhood, we started on a whirlwind tour of the city. From the station we walked north to Buckingham Palace. A crowd gathered at the gates as some dignitaries were leaving the palace. Some people whispered rumors that Prince Harry was in attendance. You really can't get very close to the palace because of security concerns.  And having been around Europe over the summer, the parading guards seemed ‘old hat.'

I was also a little disappointed with Big Ben. Like the Seattle Space Needle, the old architecture has been eclipsed by more modern construction. Big Ben is attached to the House of Parliament, and the complex as a whole is really interesting. The architecture is neo-gothic, so although the building was built in the 1830s it appears much older and statelier.

Nearby Westminster Abbey is a true gothic structure. Parts of the cathedral date back to the 13th century. English monarchs are traditionally coronated here.  Across town, the infamous Tower of London is even older. This ancient fortress was originally commissioned by William the Conqueror in the 11th century. It has most famously been used to hold prisoners of 'high status' including St Thomas Moore, Sir Walter Raleigh and the future Queen Elizabeth I.

The modern financial district stands behind the olde fortress, in stark contrast to the medieval edifice. Several modern buildings in this neighborhood stretch the limits of architecture.  My favorite building was aptly nicknamed 'the gherkin' - a type of pickle. The structure uses a complex exterior diagonal-grid shell for structural efficiency and a dramatic architectural effect. It is a perfect example of "Expressed Structure" - harmony between the structural system and architectural form. Just down the street, another modern edifice houses the Lloyd's of London Insurance giant. Their building looks like something out of a sci-fi movie. The building appears unfinished, with odd exterior staircases and exposed mechanical platforms - as if an oil rig was washed into downtown London.

The final stop on our whirlwind tour of London took us over the Tower Bridge. Often confused as London Bridge (which now actually resides in Arizona), the Tower Bridge is famous for the bascule towers that permit the raising of the bridge for ships to travel past. From the pedestrian walk on the bridge, we had a nice final view of London. The contrast between old and new architecture was especially apparent from that vantage. It provided a final reminder of the challenges faced by European cities to preserve their history while preparing for the future.