London Skyline - Photo courtesy of Miller Hare

The building boom that New York and London are undergoing these days is not only due to the economical growth on both sides of the Atlantic, but has a deeper meaning.

Since 9/11 these two cities have confronted the rest of the world, opening their minds to new concepts and increasingly competing with megalopolis like Tokyo and Shanghai for the title of “centre of the world”.

This situation has led the two cities to call out for archistars from all over the world, and the deep crater left by the Twin Towers is for New York the greatest opportunity to demonstrate its central rôle in architecture by choosing architects from Israel (Michael Arad), Spain (Santiago Calatrava), Japan (Fumihiko Maki), Germany (Daniel Libeskind), the UK (Norman Foster and Richard Rogers) and the USA (Skidmore, Owings & Merrill).

In the meantime on the European side of the Atlantic there is a completely different approach towards the rise of new skyscrapers. The urban refurbishment, which began in Canary Wharf, is now spreading throughout the Bank area, once an industrial setting, and its highlight is the Swiss Re HQ (better know as “the Gherkin”) by Foster, which immediately became a symbol of the city for its distinctive silhouette in the skyline, like the Eiffel Tower is for Paris. New buildings are on the increase, and even if Libeskind’s adventurous Spiral extension of the Victoria and Albert Museum is likely never to be built, other projects are going to change London’s image in the next few years, such as Rafael Viñoly’s 20 Fenchurch St and Skidmore, Owings and Merrill’s Broadgate Tower.

The difference between New York and London can be seen in their approach on how to cultivate young architects: while New York attracts already world-famous firms, London gives the chance to talented British architects to climb the ladder to stardom, by trying to keep foreign architects at bay for as long as possible – even if now things are changing. This situation promotes the creation of a distinctive British style, that may differ from firm to firm, but is unique and in the long run can contribute to the architectural fortune of a city, like Barcelona taught us.

That is why we can see famous British architects working in New York more than American architects working in London, exporting their designs and creating a link between the two cities. From the stylistic point of view the two cities are sometimes closer than imagined: isn’t the Hearst HQ a rectangular Gherkin?

New York WTC Skyline - Photo Courtesy of Studio Daniel Libeskind / Team MaCarie

Filed under: Architecture