London To Get Cathedral Sized Crystal Ball?

M@
By M@ Last edited 74 months ago
London To Get Cathedral Sized Crystal Ball?

London may soon get a gigantic crystal ball. We never saw that one coming.

According to the Guardian, a 'giant glass sphere taller than St Paul’s Cathedral' is on the cards for a space near the Olympic Park.

The spherical landmark would include a 20,000-seater concert venue. It would stand up to 130 metres tall — similar to the Wembley Arch and loftier than the nearby Orbit tower.

The plans — yet to be submitted for scrutiny, and sneakily obtained by the Guardian without a quoted source — were reportedly commissioned by the Madison Square Garden Company, using Populous architects. The rumoured development would be sited just east of Westfield.

As the Guardian highlights, the building is likely to meet local opposition. It is earmarked for land that could otherwise support 1,400 new homes. Further, Madison Square Garden Co's exec chairman has links to both Donald Trump and Harvey Weinstein.

9 Random thoughts...

  • Is it glass? Can curved, triangular panes of that size really be feasible?
  • Could London support another new concert venue? And on top of plans for a new classical music space?
  • What would its inevitable nickname be? The giant glass testicle has already been taken by City Hall. The Guardian goes for 'the Golf Ball'. We're suggesting 'the Vitreous Vesicle', but only because we have a couple of science degrees and want to show off.
  • "That's no moon!"
  • How long until a Hollywood movie blows up the supports, sending the ball rolling through the Olympic Park with James Bond/Indiana Jones/Captain America clinging on?
  • Anyone else remember this (hopefully not prescient) headline?
  • Could this be a future rival to the London Eye as a centrepiece for New Year's fireworks? You could put on quite a display with rockets firing out from the frame while further pyrotechnics take place within the upper dome. But only if the surrounding land remains undeveloped, allowing the crowds to flow in.
  • Balls Brothers should win the catering contract on name alone.
  • If this gets built, we'd petition the Olympic Park to instigate a to-scale model of the solar system, with the crystal ball representing the Sun. Pluto would be out somewhere like the Shetland Islands. Come on, we can beat Sweden at their own game.

Last Updated 26 January 2018