p2h5

I don't object to the 60s replacement much at all. I like the brutalist architecture, the arrogance and boldness of the scheme and oppressive concrete ceiling - not to mention the wacky - but perilious and impractical -ramp down to some of the platforms! We do actually function fine without another historic rail station.

I am totally happy where I am - Europe (London, UK). I can get to Paris whenever I like, as it's 2.5 hours away by train. There are more than 20 countries all within a less-than-3 hour flight. I'd hate to be stuck in a continent like N America or Oceania where there only are a few other countries within a short flight/journey - no weekends to European countries, which are close but all very different - when everything other than Canada is a 7+ hour flight away. I love the way the French always go on about how much faster the Eurostar can go in France. We have truly $%&^! railways, OK, but I say it's just typical French snide-ness towards us Brits (not that we're exactly foreign to a little the other way round!) to compensate for other things que La France lacks these days!

I doubt Ireland will have the economy to support "major skyscraper cities" in 50 years, unless something very dramatic happens. As the past has shown - and as I suspect this thread shows - it is nearly impossible to accurately predict the future (remember, according to 50 years ago's plans, by 2000 we'd all be living in 1 mile high skyscrapers, with nuclear powered lifts!), but that's just the nature of life. Obviously major urban sprawl will occur in some places (the newly developing now), like Delhi, Dubai, Shanghai (mainly around India, China, and the Middle East), but remember at the moment more people leave London each year than come (I think) - although more and more people are commuting, and the same applies to quite a lot of already well developed cities, so I think that urban shrinkage is more likely to occur. In Japan, I expect they'll reclaim more sea as their other ideas like underground living or super tall skyscraper cities are not particularly feasible.

Great stuff on the Exchange, as always! I don't know if people with BAT skills actually bother to look here any more, but anyway, I think that some more of the New York buildings would be fantastic; I propose: (I have only included pictures of the more 'unusual/confusable ones,' to save space and not bung-up this thread - images of the others can be easily be founnd on the net Trump Tower Trump World Tower The Trump Building: The Sony (AT&T Building) The Lipstick Building The Conde Nast Building: American International Building/70 Pine Street: The Hearst Tower: (by Foster, actually finished now) Thanks!

The London skyline is pretty under-rated really; anyway, here some of it is:

I don't know what countries you people live in, but in the EU powerful lasers are certainly ILLEGAL, unless you have a licence and good reason to need and use one (popping ballons and harming nature do not count!). I forget what the max it is legal to buy 'over the counter' and import (ie. for pointers etc.) is, because if they fall into the wrong (or even right) hands they can cause serious eye damage.

You don't want the Olympics, it's a complete disaster that they're coming to London, as there is no way a European country (or the US) can budget them, it's only super-booming countries with big spending 'dodgy' governments, like China and Dubai, who can afford to spend billions and billions constructing megastructures (like the new Beijing Airport) There is no way London can afford it, and what use are some swimming pools and sports halls going to be to me, in the East End?? Too many cities have seen their great olympic parks fall into disused decay, or into seedy vandalised sports centres. Once the Olympic bandwagon has passed we will be left to sweep up. What use will a multibillion pound rail link with trains every 2 minutes from Heathrow to the East End be when the Olympics are gone? Then they have the audacity to suggest that roads should have 50% of them taken away to make fast-moving VIP lanes for atheletes and the press to speed about town. What effin' use is a magnificant 5* Olympic village, costing millions and millions of taxpayers' money to build, going to be when the Olypics are gone? It takes more to renovate and area in the longrun than slamming in some multimillion pound stadiums. That's my 2 cents worth...

You missed Marylebone and Moorgate! Stratford is a terminus too, and Clapham Junction is important... good stuff otherwise. Marylebone: Stratford: Moorgate: (Underground mainline terminus and tube station) Clapham Junction The Busiest Station in the World: OK, it looks crap but it has more trains passing through per hour than any other station, and it has 25+ platforms.

Come on people, no offence, but this is sad; this forum is great, but I've never known a forum where people so gladly and happily engage in massive angry moaning sessions over things like signatures and the odd breaking of a rule. If they are causing problems, then I'm sure the moderators are dealing with or will deal with it. Have Fun! you don't need to worry so much!

Date: 1/4/2006 3:52:32 PM Author: Bee21 p2h5: I remember walking through that station in London. It was so big, yet so empty, as it was the middle of the day! It is very quiet during the day, when the office workers are at work. Every inch of space is needed between 8:00am and 9:30am and 4:30pm and 6:30pm! It has def. been built to handle a much bigger capacity than is actually used at present; one of the two domed entrances was only opened last year, although the station was operating for a few years before that. I love Grand Central (post refurb and clean up), of course, but it doesn't really feel like a station. I like Waterloo International (London) too (particularly the way it curves around), although the style is a bit dated now it was very futuristic at the time: York station (UK) is rather a stunning example of Victorian architecture: Maximum image size is 800 x 600 - MM Finally, I think Milan Central Station deserves a mention:

I love big, brash, concretey, ugly Brutalism.