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LONDON (AFP) - Britains Prince Charles on Thursday savaged plans to erect more odd-shaped towers in London, saying they would "vandalise" the skyline and trash the citys character.The heir to the throne, a fierce critic of post-World War II architecture, lambasted plans to site towers overshadowing historic places like the Tower of London and the City of Westminster.After the gherkin-like 30 St Mary Axe tower was completed in 2004, an array of weird-shaped steel and glass towers are now in the pipeline, with nicknames like "Shard of Glass", "Walkie Talkie", "Helter Skelter" and "Cheesegrater"."For some unaccountable reason we seem to be determined to vandalise these few remaining sites which retain the kind of human scale and timeless character that so attract people to them and which increase in value as time goes by," Charles told a building and planning conference at St Jamess Palace."Thus, in chasing the corporate tenant or the buy-to-let investor, we may not only be destroying our heritage, but killing the goose that lays the golden egg for we will destroy what makes our cities and towns so attractive to tourists in the process."The prince, 59, said the approach of Berlin, where restrictions are imposed on the height of new buildings, "can help to achieve a far more coherent sense of harmony and civic self-confidence than the alternative free-for-all that will leave London and our other cities with a pockmarked skyline".A rash of skyscrapers "will disfigure precious views and disinherit future generations of Londoners," he added.Due to post-war architectural carelessness, sink estates across Britain were "unloved and relentlessly, depressingly ugly," Charles added.As an alternative, residential buildings should consist of four- to five-storey terraces and six- to 10-storey mansion blocks.Buildings should be built to last 100 years rather than 20, and have flexible use. The proportions, layout, material and building practices used should fit the location.Charles has tried to put his own building ideas into practice at Poundbury in south-west England, built on land he owns and conceived by him as an inspiration to town planning and design.He concluded by telling delegates: "For the past 60 years or so we have been conducting an experiment in social and environmental engineering that has gone disastrously wrong."
No one looks at Dubais developments and says oooh those buildings are too new.
residential buildings should consist of four- to five-storey terraces
Quoteresidential buildings should consist of four- to five-storey terracesAffordable housing
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