London’s Growing… Up!

And while the city’s population grows, the ground it stands on doesn’t. The solution? The only way, it seems, is up.

A new exhibition, London’s Growing… Up! , will explore how London is expanding vertically, which will cause dramatic changes to the capital’s skyline over the next few decades.

More than 200 towers are currently planned, each more than 20 storeys high – and the show looks to explore the impact these will have on the city.

Using images, models and construction videos, visitors will be shown how the skyline has dramatically changed since the advent of skyscrapers in the 1960s.

As well as gaining insights into iconic London buildings such as the Barbican, Canary Wharf, The Gherkin and The Shard and Centrepoint, we’ll also get a look at some breathtaking panoramic London views.

Particular focus will be given to areas attracting high-rise developments more than others, such as Nine Elms, Waterloo and White City.

As London’s population gets bigger and bigger and new development for London takes place within the constraints of the Green Belt, we have to increase the density of the city’, says Peter Murray, curator of London’s Growing… Up!

‘This results in our buildings getting taller. The huge number of towers in the pipeline will have a significant impact on the look of London.’

As well as perusing the images and models, visitors will also be able to have their say on how they think London’s skyline should progress, using touch screens which can show how London would have looked in the past without certain structures, and how it could look in future.

London’s Growing… Up! is on show at NLA’s galleries at The Building Centre, 26 Store Street, London WC1E 7BT from 3 April – 12 June.