3 case studies – a discussion on sustainable environment.

The article is a discussion on the possible links between the architecture implant features in notable sites and the characteristics of the public space, location, urban environment, urban body design and volumetric design, between the dimension and community perception on the new altimetry and city representation.

If London City Hall is, by definition, a model for Thames pedestrian esplanade and becomes a new landmark of the development milestone of 2000, it is also a building that targets the plus energy efficiency, getting to produce a surplus in some seasons. As design, it is the contemporary landmark that diversifies the specific presence of the London Bridge.

Swiss Re is itself a technological invention in every significance urban layer: it is a iconic landmark for the London downtown high developed area, on the opposite side of the Thames Riverview and in the neighborhood of Building 42 and Lloyd’s Building. As a landmark, it physically replaces another building with a tragic end. Swiss Re Building design is, in fact, a license of the architect – Sir Norman Foster – and of the structural engineers from ARUP – as in the first example.

The Shard is the newest icon of London signed by architect Renzo Piano (building inaugurated in 2012), situated on the opposite from Swiss Re building over the Thames and closed to London City Hall. Actually, the building is a macrostructure and it doubles the existent landmarks height, having the characteristics of a vertical city.