More bad news for big architecture, this time from London, where Raphael Viñoly’s redevelopment plans for the Battersea Power Station were shut down by mayor Boris “the bulldog” Johnson. His beef: a 250m-high tower—oxymoronically called the “eco-chimney”—that sullied his view of Westminster Abbey.

The Bulldog made Viñoly scrap the tower. “But Boo-ooris!” whined the Uruguayan, “don’t you know the eco-chimney helps eco-ventilate the eco-dome? It’s crucial to the eco-project’s ecologicalness.” Nothing doing—back to the eco-drawing board, amigo.

If there’s one thing British politicians hate more than having to wear those itchy wigs, it’s modern architecture. Remember carbuncle-gate back in ‘84? If it has glass in it and is more than 2 stories tall (sorry, storeys) Prince Charles has a witty metaphor for it. The National Theatre? More like a nuclear power station! A redevelopment plan near the Mansion House? A 1930s wireless! The British Library reading room? A secret police academy! Ouch! Still, we must say, while our government seems to think architectural beauty is a security hazard (exhibit A: the Baghdad Embassy), it’s refreshing to see politicians engaged with how their cities look. Even if they’re raving historicists.

Vinoly’s Battersea Eco-Tower Scrapped [BD Online]