London’s appetite for high-rise buildings with funny nicknames seems insatiable. Following The Shard, The Scalpel, The Gherkin, The Walkie Talkie, and The Cheese Grater, there might be one more striking addition to London’s ever-changing skyline.
Next door to 30 St. Mary Axe, where Norman Foster’s famous Gherkin is located, the architecture firm seeks to build The Tulip, a 1,000-foot glass tower – which would make it the tallest building in the City of London. It takes its name from a “nature-inspired” closed blossom shape, according to Foster.
An artist’s mock-up of the proposed skyscraper. Pic: Foster + Partners
In contrast to many other London skyscrapers, the Tulip will not provide office space but is instead intended to be a public hub and tourist attraction. Recently released designs reveal Foster’s plans to provide a public space for cultural, educational and technology events, as well as galleries, restaurants, bars and a public rooftop garden with panoramic views.
Visitors would also be able to ride in glass “gondola pods”, which move from level to level through glass slides.
“Continuing the pioneering design of 30 St Mary Axe, the Tulip is in the spirit of London as a progressive, forward-thinking city,” said Foster in a statement. “It offers significant benefits to Londoners and visitors as a cultural and social landmark with unmatched educational resources for future generations”.
However, the public’s reactions to Foster’s Tulip have been less than enthusiastic. Twitter has seized upon the tower’s phallic shape, coming up with a range of alternative, humorous nicknames.
The #tulip skyscraper coming to London looks like a huge sperm…a vaginal ultrasound device…a vibrator…basically anything phallic.
— Amy Rebollar (@amyrebollar) November 26, 2018
Is tulip quite the right name for it? Certainly erect and bulbous. The citizens of London might think of another name for it? https://t.co/soIPJCa5ih
— Mark Hoare (@MW_RH) November 24, 2018
I cannot wait to see the new London Dildo building……..I mean the tulip
— LuvDup (@LuvDup_) November 19, 2018
Other people were outraged about the proposed tower in more conventional ways.
London: we’d really like some affordable housing, clean air, pedestrianised zones and community spaces.
City planners: How about another glass monstrosity which looks like something out of a sci-fi movie for teenagers?https://t.co/no9TTkVvJX
— wessie du toit (@wessiedutoit) November 20, 2018
Foster + Partners has submitted a planning application to the City of London Corporation. If approved, construction will begin in 2020, with the Tulip opening its doors to the public in 2025.