黑洞社区

One of the co-founders of Herzog & de Meuron has said he has 鈥渘o problem鈥� with criticism of the firm鈥檚 plans for a tall building over Liverpool Street station 鈥� provided it doesn鈥檛 overstep the mark.

The Swiss practice is behind highly contested 拢1.5bn proposals to transform Liverpool Street station which include a 15-storey tower above the grade II-listed Andaz hotel. Plans for the scheme were sent in for planning this spring.

Former RIBA presidents, celebrities and a host of heritage groups have all urged communities secretary Michael Gove to call in the scheme 鈥� which has yet to be validated by City of London planners.

Critics have said the plans would set a 鈥渢errible precedent鈥� for the treatment of listed buildings in conservation areas and for views of St Paul鈥檚 Cathedral.

In an said: 鈥淚f people have issues of height, or mass, then they can point to Liverpool Steet as an example that can be criticised. I have no problem with that at all.鈥�

The practice is also at the centre of a row in Paris which recently voted to ban tall buildings for a second time following a backlash against its controversial 48-storey Le Triangle tower.

In the interview, de Meuron added: 鈥淗ow do we deal with such criticism? We cannot escape it, believe me, and we try to speak openly about it. If the debate is on a good level and it鈥檚 not just bashing us then I don鈥檛 have a problem with that.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 think this building harms the homogeneity or the beauty of Paris. In Liverpool [Street] station, yes, we have to think about heritage, we have to think about daylight in the concourse and we have to think about massing.鈥�

A decision on the Liverpool Street, scheme, which is being developed by Sellar, is due next year.

Additional reporting Michael Hodges