Jump to content

The Shard


Recommended Posts

I think we can all agree that the name "The Shard" is hard to swallow : )

My best girl friend... a literary genius & world traveller who speaks multiple languages including Italian...

agrees that shard = broken. I asked her to suggest a new name:

From Kelly R. Potts:

Aspira

Spira

Conica

Vitra

Stiria (the Latin for Icicle) same connotation as shard --- but without the negative connotations... (i thought of an icicle off of a glacier when I first saw the building)

-------------------------------------

Spira ends with an open aspirant vowel --- sound which goes up... with links to inspiration, breath, spiral, spire...

+ the architect was Italian for Christ's sake ----- the name was staring him in the face!! Perhaps not exotic enough so his firm had to reach into English...

Did nobody at those discussions try the phrase, "Hey, do you you want to meet me for a drink at The Shard?"

HORRIBLE!

Link to comment

whats wrong with shard, im guessing it is supposed to be like a shard of glass, which i think it looks like, i like it and i think it suits the design.

spira, conica and vitra sound like comic book characters/ kids tv characters

london has one of my favourite buildings, the gherkin, it doesnt matter what it is called, it looks amazing, and a bit like a gherkin.

if this looks like a shard of glass why not call it that

Link to comment

A lukewarm response all round then.

Well, I like it a lot - I see elements that remind me of the Tjibaou Cultural Centre in New Caledonia that he did some years ago, that spiky, tepee look at the top. The idea of having retail on the ground with offices above, then a hotel above that, finished off with apartments, makes the taper eminently logical. And the shadow is minimised, and falls on the river anyway.

The presentation is amazing - they've inserted the model into a video, and even the trains, vehicles and people are moving, that's pretty cool. Any ideas on how it was done and with which program(s)?

Link to comment

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...