Renzo Piano has two recent buildings to see in London: the Shard (not yet complete), and Central St Giles (with Fletcher Priest as executive architects). The latter building is an intriguing urban exercise sandwiched between what exists as Covent Garden and what is being realised just to the north-west, at Tottenham Court Road station, where CrossRail tunnelling has prompted major redevelopment. However, before you grasp these subtelies you will no doubt be coping with the rather wild colour scheme. This is part of a strategy to fragment the massive nature of the development into apparent smaller units of housing and multiple office buildings. The latter is actually one large, U-shaped plan, but it is hard to guess this from the outside. The housing is two blocks: one social and the other private (mostly sold off-plan to south-Asian investors). In other words, considering Central St Giles quickly comes down to contrasts: wild exterior colours and cool grey to theninner courtyard; social housing and private Asian investments; many office buildings that are actually one, etc.
The detailing is immaculate, although the ceramic cladding elements confusingly look like they might be timber or something similar (?). Also, the 'winter gardens' that help to fragment the overall mass are surprises that one doesn't expect from a developer but are, one suspects (no one will admit it) technically outdoor areas where the buildings users can smoke. The upper level terraces (what every office building has to have these days) are very pleasant and provide some fine views over London (mid-rise always seems to be better than high-rise views).
The ground floor level is very permeable and given over to a reception area and restaurants, etc. However, one suspects all this will not take-off until the adjacent CrossRail development is complete in a few years time and the older block to the north is demolished and replaced. Such issues hint at a complex of planning issues in the background: opposition from the local municpality who wanted a development half the size, development politics such as support given to a nearby creche, etc. But one comes back to that colour scheme. One has to admire the intention and the daring, but whether it works or not is a moot point.
