This week, the BBC will broadcast the first in a three part documentary series called ‘Megacities’; presented by its former political editor Andrew Marr. Readers of the Pilkington blog will be interested to hear that these programmes will focus on a number of the cities and glass buildings that we have profiled over the past twelve months.
The first episode will focus on London, Tokyo and Shanghai - three of the world’s most densely populated cities that are home to many tall
glass buildings.
Structures bound to appear in the series, if only for the fact that they dominate their respective skylines, include, the SWFC in Shanghai, the Sky Tower in Tokyo – which is currently under construction – and
The Shard in
London, another building that is still being built. These buildings provide great insight into the ideas behind modern architecture and highlight that glass plays a pivotal role in the architecture, design and construction of giant
glass towers.
The Shard in particular, is a
glass building that is close to our hearts.. This striking new addition to the London skyline, and soon to be tallest commercial structure in Western Europe, features Pilkington
Optiwhite™ low-iron glass. Which was specified for
The Shard as it will help architect Renzo Piano’s achieve his ambition for it to appear as a crystal tower.
Plus, the panels of
Pilkington Optiwhite™ low-iron glass being used on
The Shard have been combined with a solar control coating, making the facade highly
energy efficient - a feature which helps to reduce the overall running costs of buildings.
It will be interesting to see Marr’s take on buildings like
The Shard and get his insight on what impact they will have on societies of the future. The show is sure to provide compelling viewing and will hopefully illustrate the important role played by glass in the modern construction process, so make sure you tune in!
