tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-80792559007301747952024-02-19T07:30:56.127+00:00British Brutalism A blog exploring concrete 1960's and 1970's architecture, architects and ideasNostalgiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17705091393717562154noreply@blogger.comBlogger39125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8079255900730174795.post-5645592251433357022015-09-08T13:26:00.003+01:002015-09-08T13:38:16.731+01:00National Trust: Brutal Utopias <span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The National Trust, an institution dedicated to the provision of tearooms, gift shops and the conservation of crumbling country houses has begun to recognise the importance of the preservation and promotion of modern architecture. For ten days starting on the 25th September 2015 the National Trust in partnership with others will be hosting a series of unique one off events, tours and talks in celebration of brutalism. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 20.4px;">The tours include, the Brutalist elements of the Southbank complex (Queen Elizabeth Hall, Purcell Room and Hayward Gallery) which will be soon closed for refurbishment works, tours of the recently restored Park Hill flats in Sheffield and Denis Lasdens work at the University of East Anglia, Norwich. There will also be the opportunity to rid a </span></span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20.4px;">Routemaster bus in a series of expert-led bus tours of London’s other iconic Brutalist sites. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 20.4px;">Anyone wanting to take advantage of this opportunity should book straight away as the limited tickets are selling quickly! I was unable to secure tickets for the </span></span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20.4px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="line-height: 20.4px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="line-height: 20.4px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="line-height: 20.4px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><b>Brutalism: Brutal or Beautiful? </b>talk (<i>'</i></span></span></span></span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20.4px;"><i>a discussion of Brutalism’s legacy at the Southbank Centre'</i>) </span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20.4px;">which looked very interesting.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20.4px;"><b><u><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Tours </span></u></b></span><br />
<strong style="background-color: white; line-height: 20.4px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Southbank Centre – Queen Elizabeth Hall, Purcell Room and Hayward Gallery</span></strong><br />
<strong style="background-color: white; line-height: 20.4px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><strong style="line-height: 20.4px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Park Hill, Sheffield</span></strong></strong><br />
<strong style="background-color: white; line-height: 20.4px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><strong style="line-height: 20.4px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><strong style="line-height: 20.4px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">University of East Anglia (UEA), Norwich</span></strong></strong></strong><br />
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<strong style="background-color: white; line-height: 20.4px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><strong style="line-height: 20.4px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><strong style="line-height: 20.4px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><u><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Other Events:</span></u></strong></strong></strong><br />
<strong style="background-color: white; line-height: 20.4px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><strong style="line-height: 20.4px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><strong style="line-height: 20.4px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><strong style="line-height: 20.4px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Brutalism: Brutal or Beautiful? Sold Out :(</span></strong></strong></strong></strong><br />
<strong style="background-color: white; line-height: 20.4px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><strong style="line-height: 20.4px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><strong style="line-height: 20.4px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><strong style="line-height: 20.4px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><strong style="line-height: 20.4px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Routemaster bus tours</span></strong></strong></strong></strong></strong><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">(National Trust website) <a href="http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/article-1355911171331/" target="_blank"><span style="color: black;">More informatio</span>n</a> </span><br />
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Nostalgiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17705091393717562154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8079255900730174795.post-83221555001684036622015-09-08T13:08:00.001+01:002015-09-08T13:37:57.927+01:00Heritage Weekend (19th-20th Sept)<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Here are some of the Brutalist Highlights for next weekends (19-20th September 2015) Open house London/heritage open days. This is a work in progress, if you have spotted any good brutalism open please get in touch! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><u>London - Camden</u></span></h3>
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<u><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">- 8 Stoneleigh Terrace</span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;"> </span></u><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">(Highgate New Town, Stage 1)</span></h1>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Details: OPEN- <a href="http://events.londonopenhouse.org/venues?accessTimeIds=0" style="color: #9cb017; line-height: 17.4px; text-decoration: none;" title="Sunday">Sunday</a><span style="line-height: 17.4px;"> 10am-to-5pm (includes h</span><span style="line-height: 17.4px;">ourly tours on a first come basis. Last tour 4pm. closed 1pm-2pm). Promises a tour of a flat and of the estate. <a href="http://events.londonopenhouse.org/building/5023" target="_blank">More information</a></span></span></h1>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #434343;"><u>- Alexandra Road Estate</u></span></span></h1>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #434343;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Details: OPEN- </span></span><a href="http://events.londonopenhouse.org/venues?accessTimeIds=6" style="color: #9cb017; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17.4px; text-decoration: none;" title="Saturday">Saturday </a><span style="color: #434343; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17.4px;">| 10am-to-5pm (</span><span style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 17.4px;"><span style="color: #434343;">Last entry 4.30pm) with regular tours.</span></span></span></h1>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 17.4px;"><span style="color: red;">NOTE: This was in high demand last year, very long queues, I tried (and failed) to get in! Plan this one well! <a href="http://events.londonopenhouse.org/building/16594" target="_blank">More information</a></span></span></span></h1>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #434343; line-height: 1;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b><u>- Alexandra Road Park</u></b> (Alexander Road Estate)</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Details: <a href="http://events.londonopenhouse.org/venues?accessTimeIds=6" style="background-color: white; color: #9cb017; line-height: 17.4px; outline: 0px; text-decoration: none;" title="Saturday">Saturday </a><span style="background-color: white; color: #434343; line-height: 17.4px;">| 10am-to-5pm </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #434343; line-height: 17.4px;">Hourly tours</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #434343; line-height: 17.4px;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #434343; line-height: 17.4px;"><a href="http://events.londonopenhouse.org/building/20316" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">More information</span></a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><u>- Royal College of Physicians</u></span></h1>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Details: <a href="http://events.londonopenhouse.org/venues?accessTimeIds=0" style="background-color: white; color: #9cb017; line-height: 17.4px; outline: 0px; text-decoration: none;" title="Sunday">Sunday </a><span style="background-color: white; color: #434343; line-height: 17.4px;">| 11am-to-4pm (</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #434343; line-height: 17.4px;">Regular architectural and garden tours bookable on the day. Lecture titled 'The Architecture of Sir Denys Lasdun' will start at 2.15pm and will be given by Dr Barnabas Calder.) </span></span><br />
<a href="http://events.londonopenhouse.org/building/916" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">More information</span></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><u>- Swiss Cottage Library</u></span></h1>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Details: <a href="http://events.londonopenhouse.org/venues?accessTimeIds=6" style="color: #9cb017; line-height: 17.4px; text-decoration: none;" title="Saturday">Saturday </a><span style="background-color: white; color: #434343; line-height: 17.4px;">| 10am-to-5pm</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #434343; line-height: 17.4px;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #434343; line-height: 17.4px;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><a href="http://events.londonopenhouse.org/venues?accessTimeIds=0" style="color: #9cb017; text-decoration: none;" title="Sunday">Sunday </a>| 11am-to-4pm </span></span><br />
<a href="http://events.londonopenhouse.org/building/15170" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">More information</span></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><u>For more information, visit the open day websites:</u></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.heritageopendays.org.uk/" target="_blank">Heritage Open days - England</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.openhouselondon.org.uk/" target="_blank">Open House - London</a></span>Nostalgiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17705091393717562154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8079255900730174795.post-66564341101816447342015-06-19T13:53:00.001+01:002015-06-19T13:58:12.203+01:00Robinhood gardens campaign updates - 1<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Richard Rogers was featured on the today programme (BBC Radio 4) this morning</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">highlights - <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p02v2rd9" target="_blank">Here</a> (or </span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b05y16mn#auto" target="_blank">listen to it HERE from the Programme (from <b style="color: red;">02.21.40</b>)</a>)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b><u>Also:</u> </b></span><u style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; text-align: center;">A short video on Robinhood gardens</u></div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/LqerCukyUuA/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/LqerCukyUuA?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCF34SlMVifVEHwXQVd8sP3Q" target="_blank">sounddelivery</a> via <i>YouTube</i></span></div>
Nostalgiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17705091393717562154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8079255900730174795.post-82296769054801274352015-06-18T18:22:00.003+01:002015-06-18T18:22:55.444+01:00#SAVErobinhoodgardens<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: no-repeat; background-size: initial; color: black; letter-spacing: 0.389999985694885px; line-height: 19.5px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Write today to Tracy Crouch MP and the </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #0b0c0c; line-height: 30px;">Department </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #0b0c0c; line-height: 30px;">for Culture </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #0b0c0c; line-height: 30px;">Media & Sport, the minster and department whose hands the future of Robinhood Gardens are in!</span></span><br />
<span style="background: no-repeat rgb(255, 255, 255); color: black; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.389999985694885px; line-height: 19.5px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><u><br /></u></span>
<span style="background: no-repeat rgb(255, 255, 255); color: black; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.389999985694885px; line-height: 19.5px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><u>Contact Details </u></span><br />
<span style="background: no-repeat rgb(255, 255, 255); color: black; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.389999985694885px; line-height: 19.5px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;"><b>Tracy Crouch MP, minster with responsibility - </b></span><br />
<span style="background: no-repeat rgb(255, 255, 255); color: black; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.389999985694885px; line-height: 19.5px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;"><span style="line-height: 24px;">(EMAIL) </span><a class="mailto" href="mailto:tracey.crouch.mp@parliament.uk" style="background: no-repeat rgb(255, 255, 255); letter-spacing: 0.389999985694885px; line-height: 19.5px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">tracey.crouch.mp@parliament.uk</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b><span style="background-color: white; color: #0b0c0c; line-height: 30px;">Department </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #0b0c0c; line-height: 30px;">for Culture </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #0b0c0c; line-height: 30px;">Media & Sport</span></b></span><br />
<span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.298039); background-color: white; border: none; color: black; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; word-break: break-word;">(EMAIL) <a class="email" href="mailto:enquiries@culture.gov.uk" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.298039); background-color: white; border: none; line-height: 24px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; word-break: break-word;">enquiries@culture.gov.uk</a></span><br />
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<span class="street-address" style="background-color: white; border: none; display: block; line-height: 24px; margin: 0px 0px -25px; padding: 0px 15px 0px 0px;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">(ADDRESS)- Department for Culture, Media & Sport<br />100 Parliament Street<br />London</span></span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br style="background-color: white; line-height: 24px;" /></span><span class="postal-code" style="background-color: white; border: none; display: block; line-height: 24px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 15px 0px 0px;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">SW1A 2BQ</span></span><span class="postal-code" style="background-color: white; border: none; display: block; line-height: 24px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 15px 0px 0px;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span class="postal-code" style="background-color: white; border: none; display: block; line-height: 24px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 15px 0px 0px;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span class="postal-code" style="background-color: white; border: none; display: block; line-height: 24px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 15px 0px 0px;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=SAVErobinhoodgardens&src=typd" target="_blank"><b>#SAVErobinhoodgarden</b>s</a> is trending</span></span>Nostalgiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17705091393717562154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8079255900730174795.post-92058854999726575192015-06-18T10:24:00.000+01:002015-06-18T18:15:43.754+01:00LETTER - THREE DAYS TO SAVE ROBIN HOOD GARDENS<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><span style="color: red;"><b><u>THREE DAYS TO SAVE ROBIN HOOD GARDENS</u></b></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>Sent out yesterday 17 June : A letter from Simon Smithson and Richard Rogers asking you to help save Robin Hood Gardens:</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>"</b></span><span style="font-size: 14px;">I am writing to ask you to support listing Robin Hood Gardens as a building of special architectural interest, in order to protect one of Britain’s most important post-war housing projects, designed by Alison and Peter Smithson, from demolition.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Previous efforts in 2009 to have the building listed failed, but the case has now been re-opened and we understand that the new Minister for Sport, Tourism and Heritage will be reviewing the arguments at the end of this week. The buildings, which offer generously-sized flats that could be refurbished, are of outstanding architectural quality and significant historic interest, and public appreciation and understanding of the value of modernist architecture has grown over the past five years, making the case for listing stronger than ever.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The UK's 20th Century Society has submitted a paper setting out why they believe Robin Hood Gardens should be listed (i.e. added it to the statutory list of buildings of special architectural and historical interest). Two further assessments are set out below:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">“Alison and Peter Smithson were the inventors of the New Brutalism in the 1950s and as such they were the ‘bellwethers of the young' as Reyner Banham called them. In many ways [Robin Hood Gardens] epitomizes the Smithsons’ ideas of housing and city building. Two sculptural slabs of affordable housing create the calm and stress free place amidst the ongoing modernization of the London cityscape. The façades of precast concrete elements act as screens that negotiate between the private sphere of the individual flats and the collective space of the inner garden and beyond. The rhythmic composition of vertical fins and horizontal ’streets-in-the-air' articulates the Smithsons’ unique proposition of an architectural language that combines social values with modern technology and material expression. Despite the current state of neglect and abuse Robin Hood Gardens comprises a rare, majestic gesture, both radical and generous in its aspiration for an architecture of human association. As such it still sets an example for architects around the world.”<br />Dr Dirk van den Heuvel, Delft University, Holland.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">“The Smithsons were clearly great architects: the Economist Building, completed in 1964 and Grade I-listed in 1988, is without a doubt the best modern building in the historic centre of London. Robin Hood Gardens, which pioneered ‘streets in the air’ to preserve the public life of the East End terraces that it replaced, was the next large-scale job that the Smithsons embarked upon. It was architecturally and intellectually innovative. In my opinion, it is the most important social housing development from the post-war era in Britain.”<br />Lord Richard Rogers</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Last time listing was considered the views of the architectural community were ignored but we believe there is now a real chance of saving the building for posterity but only if the Minister hears, first hand, the views of the profession on the architectural merits of these exceptional buildings.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Can we ask you to support the efforts of the 20th Century Society by writing right now to the Minster to support listing and saying why you believe Robin Hood Gardens should be saved?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Click here to open an e-mail to the relevant Minister at the Department for Culture Media and Sport, Tracey Crouch MP:<br />Minister-sportsandtourism@culture.gov.uk.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Also, can we ask you to forward this e-mail to anyone else you know who might be willing to help save these important buildings?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Yours faithfully,</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">Richard Rogers and Simon Smithson</span><span style="font-size: large;"><b>"</b></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b><a href="http://britishbrutalistarchitecture.blogspot.co.uk/2014/06/robin-hood-gardens.html" target="_blank">my post on Robinhood gardens </a></b></span><br />
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Nostalgiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17705091393717562154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8079255900730174795.post-25869379600656782352015-06-17T12:54:00.000+01:002015-06-17T12:57:15.979+01:00Trip to RIBA <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirZttFjMgayJPOB9_j1PkaeYNi_iH5RhncUGJ1wry_UQCCyds6iyGkPLoLqYDxk4wdfoMg53sPaZ9QFshr8CfCTKOjlb_D0g4suPDNr77Lk2keRTYMltHbxtokOeEP_2n8ZEOMqse_904/s1600/20150611_143923.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="120" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirZttFjMgayJPOB9_j1PkaeYNi_iH5RhncUGJ1wry_UQCCyds6iyGkPLoLqYDxk4wdfoMg53sPaZ9QFshr8CfCTKOjlb_D0g4suPDNr77Lk2keRTYMltHbxtokOeEP_2n8ZEOMqse_904/s200/20150611_143923.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXlgtqS4snh5IRlNVq4pB2Qjs6CFBdXIhQNeOn-LMcGHYxUa2Fs6FARjz82UUHx6bGPvgYXuYdf4B8ePbaAe6TDd1qeflz0OkX8KNEWs006ql7TpkT1oBOn0otgDlWPThYrdYTjGac0B8/s1600/20150611_143854.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="120" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXlgtqS4snh5IRlNVq4pB2Qjs6CFBdXIhQNeOn-LMcGHYxUa2Fs6FARjz82UUHx6bGPvgYXuYdf4B8ePbaAe6TDd1qeflz0OkX8KNEWs006ql7TpkT1oBOn0otgDlWPThYrdYTjGac0B8/s200/20150611_143854.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">A couple of days ago I visited the RIBA for the exhibition -widely advertised- on <a href="http://www.architecture.com/Explore/ExhibitionsandEvents/BrutalistPlayground/BrutalistPlayground.aspx" target="_blank">'brutalist playgrounds'</a>. The exhibition recreates three significant post-war concrete playgrounds built to provide space for adventure and play for children living in the new council estates. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The exhibition which is a collaboration between the artist Simon Terrill and the architecture collective 'Assemble' recreates the concrete structures in compressed foam allowing visitors to safely interact with the exhibition - provided they take off their shoes!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd_VmiUEP3sjkkZxO83NUsTmado5M0xDBpvkwnhbogfSxk_x533ODvLXBvMKjCRC7CmtA9VtIGxahyphenhyphen9OXEKoedxu3uQacCwBDCP_M2SSy65g325XyMI06wIVeWm5tn09qH8B149kHN44I/s1600/20150611_143917.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd_VmiUEP3sjkkZxO83NUsTmado5M0xDBpvkwnhbogfSxk_x533ODvLXBvMKjCRC7CmtA9VtIGxahyphenhyphen9OXEKoedxu3uQacCwBDCP_M2SSy65g325XyMI06wIVeWm5tn09qH8B149kHN44I/s320/20150611_143917.jpg" width="192" /></a><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Although the exhibition does not give much information on the playgrounds there is an excellent booklet provided for the exhibition featuring a interview with the creators and some background information on the project. The exhibition also features a slideshow of images featuring the structures in their original context which of course is lost in the recreation of these structures in a gallery. </span></div>
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<b style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Images</b><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> above, </span><i style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><u>top</u></i><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> Brunel estate, Paddington </span><i style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><u>middle</u></i><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> Churchill gardens Pimlico </span><i style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><u>bottom</u></i><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> Brownfield estate (Balfron tower) </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><a href="http://i.guim.co.uk/static/w-700/h--/q-95/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2015/6/9/1433847686444/d1db1749-46f6-418c-8cc1-fd7424d5d601-1020x680.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://i.guim.co.uk/static/w-700/h--/q-95/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2015/6/9/1433847686444/d1db1749-46f6-418c-8cc1-fd7424d5d601-1020x680.jpeg" height="131" width="200" /></a>Of the three brutal playgrounds recreated at the RIBA exhibition only this one at the base of balfron tower by Goldfinger survives - however it no longer provides for its original purpose as the metal on the slide has been lost, a <i>brutal</i> playground in another sense of that word! Today it is left as a strange curiosity, in fact I couldn't work out what it was when I visited the brownfield estate. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">image <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/architecture-design-blog/2015/jun/09/brutalist-playgrounds-concrete-foam-riba-assemble" target="_blank">- Guardian</a></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">After the exhibition I took the opportunity as I always do to wander around the RIBA building which retains many interesting original features, - although not brutalist - it is a building I love and is a very suitable home for the institution.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKgsc2mHjS65mxNbIhFngYM97uQkXygO36jOw8uuV1TP8d7lfNKLghoMEqZkVi607esadyScyR4xkSUsH0-FxuzeEdVLlcRPyH0NgBRdQs212jV5EH8tYunqtqx0sBKLGKJw8X_O_OxaA/s1600/Image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKgsc2mHjS65mxNbIhFngYM97uQkXygO36jOw8uuV1TP8d7lfNKLghoMEqZkVi607esadyScyR4xkSUsH0-FxuzeEdVLlcRPyH0NgBRdQs212jV5EH8tYunqtqx0sBKLGKJw8X_O_OxaA/s320/Image.jpg" width="228" /></a><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The bookshop is also one of the best for architecture and design - which should be expected! -. At the shop I picked up on the brutalist themed stand by the entrance the book (<i>left</i>) on the rise and demise of the Tricorn centre in Portsmouth, one of the early causalities of the race to destroy our brutalist heritage. I will be posting a full review of the book when I have finished, from my initial browse it is clearly an extensive account of the buildings history including the unsuccessful campaign to save it from Portsmouth council. The campaign itself is something anyone interested in preserving brutalism should study, so we can learn how to be successful in the future, as we were in saving Preston Bus station recently,one of the first real triumphs in saving a condemned brutalist building.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Also from the shop I bought two of the 'brutal London' models which I had previously been reluctant to pay the £6 postage! (from the company based in Poland =</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">website= </span><a href="http://www.zupagrafika.com/zupamarket_en.html" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;" target="_blank">here</a><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">) getting them for the bargain price of </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">4.99 (each)! I bought the Trellick tower and Robinhood gardens estate models as these were the most interesting models (and indeed buildings!)</span></div>
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Nostalgiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17705091393717562154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8079255900730174795.post-86845328318491114182015-06-05T10:32:00.002+01:002015-06-05T10:32:34.151+01:00Facebook group for brutalism<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Interesting new group for British examples of Brutalism on Facebook </span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">(Link </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/1439187586382540/" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;" target="_blank">here</a><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">)</span>Nostalgiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17705091393717562154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8079255900730174795.post-30471118952252549992015-06-03T21:01:00.000+01:002015-06-05T09:48:24.262+01:00EVENT: Freedom of the City: Discovering Southbank Skate Spot<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">An event at the Royal festival hall by the London society,<b> 'Freedom of the City: Discovering Southbank Skate Spot' </b>which charts the successful campaign against the proposed 'Festival wing' development (which would have seen the under-croft, long cherished by skateboarders and graffiti artists transformed into commercial retail units) by the </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Long Live South Bank campaign. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The event will take place on Monday <b>8th June</b>, it will involve a walk-talk with questions welcome to stimulate debate </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Long Live South Bank also have a new book out (as well as other merchandise to help their cause -- </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">link </span><a href="http://www.llsb.com/shop/" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;" target="_blank">HERE</a><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">) featuring some</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> brilliant pictures of the Brutalist South Bank centre. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>- Find out more about the 'Long Live South Bank' Campaign <a href="http://www.llsb.com/" target="_blank">HERE</a> </i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>- Find out more about the London society <a href="http://www.londonsociety.org.uk/events/" target="_blank">HERE</a></i></span><br />
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<b style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="color: red;">UPDATE - VERY LIMITED NUMBER OF TICKETS LEFT -</span></b><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> </span><a href="https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/london-society-freedom-of-the-city-discovering-southbank-skate-spot-tickets-17143392348" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;" target="_blank">TICKET LINK</a><br />
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<br />Nostalgiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17705091393717562154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8079255900730174795.post-72624834409728372082015-06-01T10:14:00.003+01:002015-06-03T19:42:16.648+01:00EVENTS/EXHIBITIONS: London Festival of Architecture<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>This years London festival of architecture which will run through-out June brings with it a series of interesting events for any architecture fan. Below I have listed the events which may be of interest to fans of Brutalist architecture. Unfortunately the rather inadequate booklet does not give a description of the events so I am going by the names! If you have any other suggestions let me know. </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>EXHIBITIONS:</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>'The Brutalist Playground' </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>where: </i>RIBA </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>when:</i> 10 June -16 August (10am-5pm) </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>'<a href="http://britishbrutalistarchitecture.blogspot.co.uk/2015/05/exhibition-barbican-exhibition-building.html" target="_blank">The Barbican Exhibition: Building a Landmark (already featured)</a>'</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>when:</i> 25 May - 29 November (in Barbican opening times)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>where:</i> Barbican foyer at the Barbican centre</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">TOUR:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>'TACK-ON-TOURS: The Ugliest Buildings in London'</b> </span><br />
<i style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">where:</i><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> Hoax Theatre</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>when:</i> 6,7,13,14,20,21,27,28 June 11am and 3pm each day </span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">- also inevitably featuring many brutalist buildings!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">DEBATE:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>'Rise and Fall of the Council Estate'</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>where: </i>RIBA</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>when: </i>23 June (7-8.40pm) </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">- Possibly of interest, it will give a wider context to the rise of fall of the brutalist style in Council estates. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">> For more information visit the London Festival of Architecture website <a href="http://www.londonfestivalofarchitecture.org/" target="_blank">here</a></span>Nostalgiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17705091393717562154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8079255900730174795.post-75736246946368320032015-05-30T13:34:00.000+01:002015-06-02T13:34:54.781+01:00Camden Town Hall Annex<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7t5Tv24ssKHxrUpF5bUdL45zoyt1aQhQjzD9mvVV6eI4kZDnd8QmFsBrO1Zl0EbE8ebdpDmrr_kMi5wW8wulNNRGaDVOE3fiE14PC_uJOyNVDDmetwSi1NkcUxXq4KLbecxhyOF_NzTY/s1600/Yorshire-Rye+137.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7t5Tv24ssKHxrUpF5bUdL45zoyt1aQhQjzD9mvVV6eI4kZDnd8QmFsBrO1Zl0EbE8ebdpDmrr_kMi5wW8wulNNRGaDVOE3fiE14PC_uJOyNVDDmetwSi1NkcUxXq4KLbecxhyOF_NzTY/s1600/Yorshire-Rye+137.JPG" width="240" /></a><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The former Camden Town Hall Annex opposite St Pancras and Kings Cross stations on the Euston road looked was thought to have been lost after Camden council moved out of their old premises and put the site up for sale. It was anticipated that the buyers would apply for demolition given the sites prominence and potential, with the enviable</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">'eyesore'</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> arguments used as justification. However perhaps surprisingly the scheme put forward for the building has chosen to keep the building, however with one large addition. A rooftop</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> extension (t</span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">he plans can be viewed <a href="http://kingscrossenvironment.com/2015/02/08/camden-town-hall-extension-massive-increase-in-roofline-with-daft-hat-extension/" target="_blank">HERE</a> along with a good analysis and critique of the scheme!). Although it is interesting that they have chosen to retain the building (possibly solely on cost) the rooftop extension is not a welcome addition, far too big for the building which already dominants the area around it and would not respect the buildings original form.</span></div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">What do you think? Is the rooftop welcome given that it will entail the future of the building (albeit with a large modern extension tacked on the top)? Is the building worth preserving at all?</span></div>
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<span id="goog_1021828508"></span><span id="goog_1021828509"></span><br />Nostalgiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17705091393717562154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8079255900730174795.post-38540573330051965932015-05-30T12:35:00.000+01:002015-05-30T12:20:59.928+01:00ARTICLE - Time Out: Balfron Tower<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Balfron tower which has been previously <a href="http://britishbrutalistarchitecture.blogspot.co.uk/2014/06/erno-goldfinger-in-east-end.html" target="_blank">featured</a> on this blog was built in 1963 by the pre-eminent brutalist architect Erno Goldfinger and was the first in a series of similar social housing schemes, the most noble other example of course being the later Trellick tower in Kensington. </span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The article in the weekly free London listings magazine <a href="http://www.timeout.com/london" target="_blank"><i>Timeout</i></a> focuses on the impending gentrification of Balfron tower with its conversion from its built purpose of social housing provision to private ownership. Balfron has lagged behind Trellick tower in this regard which was transformed in the 1990's from a 'no go area' to highly desirable real estate. Undoubtedly its transformation under </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">'right to buy' (effectively privatisation) </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">was important in saving the tower as a feature of the west London</span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> skyline (and becoming listed by English Heritage) and facilitating the investment which the building had lacked for so many years under council ownership. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">This process of gentrification which will now be repeated at Balfron (which is already listed) comes two decades after Trellick, primarily due to its less attractive and peripheral location, a stones throw from the roaring Blackwell tunnel approach. However it is comforting to see that the 'Popular HARCA' housing association regards Balfron tower as viable in private ownership, suggesting that there is a ready market and appreciation for such brutalist icons (perhaps forcing a rethink at <a href="http://britishbrutalistarchitecture.blogspot.co.uk/2014/06/robin-hood-gardens.html" target="_blank">Robin hood gardens</a>?). However what is concerning is the transformation of these icons has led to a corruption of their original idealism and a blurring of the context in which they were built. Trellick and Balfron towers along with many other brutalist housing schemes were built to house London's poorest with the use of high quality materials and design based on the egalitarian principle that everyone deserved a decent home and standard of living. The process of gentrification can often be brutal for tenants who are effectively thrown out of their homes as there are no plans for any provision of affordable housing in the new scheme, unlike the Trellick scheme in the 1990's despite the housing crisis being much more intense today. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The consequences of the gentrification of Balfron tower are mixed and can be contested. On the one hand privatisation will allow the capital invested which the tower has been so deprived and is likely to make the building financially viable which will ensure its survival and future. Yet on the other hand the idealism in which it was built has clearly been lost, the egalitarian and the progressive environment determinism (in which it was believed good design would improve the lives of the poor) which are so often central to the narrative of brutalist buildings is in danger of being forgotten and brutalism as a style to be perceived as elitist with only the privileged who can afford a newly refurbished apartment in Balfron tower appreciating its merits - which is far from its original progressive aims. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Read the online addition </span><a href="http://www.timeout.com/london/things-to-do/the-changing-fortunes-of-balfron-tower" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;" target="_blank">HERE</a>Nostalgiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17705091393717562154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8079255900730174795.post-44071425273803326222015-05-30T12:34:00.003+01:002015-05-30T12:34:43.225+01:00EXHIBITION: 'The Barbican Exhibition: building a landmark'<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The latest in a series of exhibitions about the building of the Barbican has opened in the Barbican arts centre featured a series of fascinating (and many unseen before) pictures during construction which spanned several decades and the overcame many technical challenges (such as the burial of the underground lines underneath the arts centre as well as the creation of acceptable sound acoustics in the confined space of the new underground theatre).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>Directions:</i> the exhibition is set in the corner by the stairwell and entrance from the Highwalk on the ground floor (If entering the complex via the main lakeside entrance it is on the right-hand side near the cafe). </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>More information on directions and the exhibition <a href="http://www.barbican.org.uk/artgallery/event-detail.asp?ID=17877" target="_blank">HERE</a></i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">A unrelated series of photographs which compliment the exhibiton can be seen <a href="http://www.dezeen.com/2014/09/13/brutalist-buildings-barbican-estate-chamberlin-powell-bon/" target="_blank">HERE</a></span>Nostalgiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17705091393717562154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8079255900730174795.post-45068637364415656202015-05-27T12:20:00.000+01:002015-06-02T13:17:44.179+01:00ARTICLE: Barbican estate value soars <div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">This recent offering from <a href="http://thespaces.com/" target="_blank">thespaces</a> website charts the rise and rise of house prices in the iconic brutalist barbican - <span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><a href="http://thespaces.com/2015/05/19/brutalist-beauty-the-barbican-estates-value-soars/" style="letter-spacing: 0.02em; line-height: 46px;" target="_blank">'Brutalist beauty: the Barbican Estate’s value soars'</a><span style="letter-spacing: 0.02em; line-height: 46px;">, in the last year alone it has risen by 10-15%! As the article charts there is a ready market for these flats with their very central location but mostly </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.319999992847443px; line-height: 46px;">amongst</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.02em; line-height: 46px;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.319999992847443px; line-height: 46px;">British buyers, with there being a lack of foreign interest. One result of this has been the retention of original features and lack of radical alternation (which in the long run may also add to their price)</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.319999992847443px; line-height: 46px;">However, the Barbican was built for and has always catered for more exclusive residents unlike other brutalist schemes such as <a href="http://www.timeout.com/london/things-to-do/the-changing-fortunes-of-balfron-tower" target="_blank">Balfron Tower</a> which should be more of a concern. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">- Also see their six music videos <a href="http://thespaces.com/2015/05/19/brutalism-6-music-videos-that-celebrate-the-concrete-age/" target="_blank">featuring brutalist architecture</a></span><br />
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<br />Nostalgiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17705091393717562154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8079255900730174795.post-25809436356962631162015-05-02T12:18:00.000+01:002015-06-02T12:18:39.935+01:00FILM: a short film on Milford Towers<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7b70hxg1Vq_w2SoE2z1oiYwwG_3iQid8IYSIZjW1sHYLTkvGUXcclGwXYZa1DpqCIKiFS3Cd8h1T5DApA4r073R5iKQDcByPurOrCBtJqA5NN7JaiP_jokAtfuNEkPsnfTQDqiFlmo3c/s1600/P1050608.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7b70hxg1Vq_w2SoE2z1oiYwwG_3iQid8IYSIZjW1sHYLTkvGUXcclGwXYZa1DpqCIKiFS3Cd8h1T5DApA4r073R5iKQDcByPurOrCBtJqA5NN7JaiP_jokAtfuNEkPsnfTQDqiFlmo3c/s200/P1050608.JPG" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">WATCH: A short film on the Brutalist South London Milford towers in Catford by <a href="https://southlondoninterest.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">southlondoninterest</a> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Also catch their <a href="https://southlondoninterest.wordpress.com/2015/02/13/56/" target="_blank">Blog Post</a> on Milford Towers which I was asked to contribute to</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Nostalgiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17705091393717562154noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8079255900730174795.post-41934220152917326272015-01-30T19:26:00.000+00:002015-01-30T19:33:35.088+00:00Birmingham city council - Postcard protest <span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Send a Postcard (or a letter or email </span><a href="mailto:contact@birmingham.gov.uk" style="background-color: white; color: #026acb; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14.2560005187988px; line-height: 21.3840007781982px; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">contact@birmingham.gov.uk</a><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">) to Birmingham</span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> city council regarding their scandalous decision to demolish Birmingham's central library (design by John Madin)! Or to English heritage for allowing them to do it and not listing the building!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">A local organisation Blue Phoenix has produced a series of postcards of the library (shown below) which you can buy at a very reasonable price <a href="http://www.thebluephoenix.co.uk/apps/webstore/" target="_blank">HERE</a> in order to support the <a href="https://www.change.org/p/birmingham-city-council-find-alternative-uses-for-birmingham-central-library-preserve-our-history" target="_blank">campaign</a></span><br />
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<u><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Contact details:</span></u><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 21.3840007781982px;">Birmingham City Council</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 21.3840007781982px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 21.3840007781982px;">Feedback</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 21.3840007781982px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 21.3840007781982px;">Freepost*</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 21.3840007781982px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 21.3840007781982px;">Birmingham</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 21.3840007781982px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 21.3840007781982px;">B1 1BR</span></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">* - it won't cost you anything! so why not?</span><br />
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<br />Nostalgiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17705091393717562154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8079255900730174795.post-89570469525693592022015-01-29T18:47:00.000+00:002015-01-30T19:08:19.123+00:002015 and Birmingham's central library<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="line-height: 21.3840007781982px;">2015 will mark a sad year for all those who campaign to make sure the best examples of brutalist architecture are preserved for future generations and not carelessly lost. Despite an increasing awareness of the architectural importance of these buildings it appears that planners, councils and most importantly those who we entrust to guard our heritage have not learn from the mistakes of the past and will continue in the name of modernity and progress to eradicate the best work of previous generations. I am of course talking specifically about the decision not to preserve Birmingham's iconic central library designed by John Madin which is </span></span></span><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="line-height: 21.3840007781982px;">imminently facing demolition. And yet there has been some genuine success over the last few years with the notable example of Preston bus station which was ear marked for demolition but saved thanks to the tireless efforts of a dedicated local campaign leading to national interventions (and listed status). </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 21.3840007781982px;">Perhaps Birmingham's central library is an equivalent Euston arch or coal exchange (Victorian buildings demolished in the 1960's) by which I mean a necessary loss in our own time in order to </span><span style="line-height: 21.3840007781982px;">galvanise campaigners, the general public and government action as these loses did in the 1960's (led by the Victorian society). After these losses many people woke up to reality which was a concerted effort to destroy the Victorian past in which as a consequence public taste and perceptions did change to embrace the conservation of Victorian buildings. Whether this is an accurate comparison only time will tell! </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.2560005187988px; line-height: 21.3840007781982px;"><br /></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Goodbye central library! <a href="http://www.birminghampost.co.uk/news/regional-affairs/gallery-goodbye-birmingham-central-library-8382388" style="background-color: white; font-size: 14.2560005187988px; line-height: 21.3840007781982px;" target="_blank">Pictures of Birmingham central library</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 14.2560005187988px; line-height: 21.3840007781982px;"> in the </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 14.2560005187988px; line-height: 21.3840007781982px;">Birmingham post</i></span><br />
<br />Nostalgiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17705091393717562154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8079255900730174795.post-59715786032796088192014-09-15T22:45:00.002+01:002015-06-01T09:46:00.505+01:00EVENT: Brutalism: The Savage and The Sublime (the barbican)<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">On the </span><b style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">6th November </b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">the barbican arts centre (the only appropriate setting for such an event) will be holding a panel discussion on </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Brutalism in its event </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>Brutalism: The Savage and The Sublime. </b>The discussion will be b</span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">ased on the recent film by Jonathan Meades </span><a href="http://britishbrutalistarchitecture.blogspot.co.uk/2014/02/bunkers-brutalism-and-bloodymindedness.html" target="_blank"><i style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Bunkers Brutalism And Bloodly </i><i style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">mindedness</i></a><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><a href="http://britishbrutalistarchitecture.blogspot.co.uk/2014/02/bunkers-brutalism-and-bloodymindedness.html" target="_blank"> </a>in which he explored in his usual idiosyncratic manner the controversies of the brutalist style which fascinates him. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The panel is made of<b> Sir Simon Jenkins</b>, chairmen of the National trust, journalist and author, as well as the architectural critic <b>Douglas Murphy</b></span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> (<a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/mar/08/spirit-southbank-centre-lost-redesign" target="_blank">see his articles</a>), the architect <b>Piers Gough</b> and of course </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>Jonathan Meades </b>himself</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> will be debating brutalism and 'the aesthetics and morality of concrete'.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">This promises to be a very interesting discussion and not an event to miss! tickets will be sold out quickly so book now!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">More information can be found on the barbican website <a href="http://www.barbican.org.uk/artgallery/event-detail.asp?ID=16978" target="_blank">here</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>Tickets are £10</i></span><br />
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<br />Nostalgiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17705091393717562154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8079255900730174795.post-72145089684029996142014-09-10T10:33:00.001+01:002015-06-01T09:45:36.984+01:00EXHIBITION: Something Fierce University of Essex: Vision and Reality<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvBa2lVn4FqegPmZIIr8cjHb9hnWtRkZVfo4RJZhnTTP4LTvWv98gUFeMBpiWNTH-uzYSeL5tarfo2BCepfGkEjjkgEzH0Pq8jtgFKY-RoWRQyiKX5pjW3jcw5VKLUBVjW9Tr-2h96_2w/s1600/Essex-Library-DSCF318_624.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvBa2lVn4FqegPmZIIr8cjHb9hnWtRkZVfo4RJZhnTTP4LTvWv98gUFeMBpiWNTH-uzYSeL5tarfo2BCepfGkEjjkgEzH0Pq8jtgFKY-RoWRQyiKX5pjW3jcw5VKLUBVjW9Tr-2h96_2w/s1600/Essex-Library-DSCF318_624.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.bdonline.co.uk/essex-university-staff-campaign-to-save-sixties-library/5038152.article" target="_blank">Image</a> of the Essex university Library</span></td></tr>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; line-height: 1.8;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: normal;">A new exhibition running from <b>7 October to 13 December 2014</b></span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: normal;"> at the </span></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; line-height: 1.8;">Coldchester campus of </span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; line-height: 28.7999992370605px;">Essex</span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; line-height: 1.8;"> university will be </span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; line-height: 28.7999992370605px;">celebrating 50 years of its bold and brutalist architecture. The new university d</span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; line-height: 28.7999992370605px;">esigned by </span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 23.3280010223389px;">Kenneth Capon from its founding in </span></span></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; line-height: 28.7999992370605px;">1964 </span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 23.3280010223389px;">to embrace the architectural style of the day and to encourage its scholars to emulate its boldness. </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; line-height: 28.7999992370605px;">"</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; line-height: 23.3280010223389px;">The exhibition details how our architecture has influenced the people who have lived and worked in the University. In particular it tells the story of how since the 1960's Essex has become home to the tenacious and the bold, home to those that don’t just talk about a better world, but work together to create one - and why challenging convention is in our DNA.</span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; line-height: 28.7999992370605px;">" </span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; line-height: 1.8;">The exhibition promises scale models and </span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; line-height: 28.7999992370605px;">original</span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; line-height: 1.8;"> drawings as well as a look at the many brutalist buildings on campus. T</span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; line-height: 28.7999992370605px;">he exhibition will be housed in the Hexagon, an iconic building built at the birth of the University.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444;"><b>7 October to 13 December 2014 </b>- <b>Tuesdays to Saturdays</b>, <b>11am to 5pm</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #444444;"><u>(Welcome Week</u></span><span style="color: #444444;"><u>:</u> Monday 29 September to Saturday 4 October 2014 - 11am to 5pm)</span></span><br />
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For further details and information on opening times please see their <a href="http://www.essex.ac.uk/fifty/exhibition/" target="_blank">website </a></span>Nostalgiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17705091393717562154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8079255900730174795.post-61370592077093922822014-09-08T11:19:00.000+01:002015-06-01T09:46:45.033+01:00 EXHIBITION: The anatomy of a building: Denys Lasdun and the Royal College of Physicians<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">A unique exhibition opening on <b>8 September</b> marks the centenary of the birth of one of Britain’s greatest architects, Sir Denys Lasdun, in the iconic setting of his masterpiece, the Royal College of Physicians (RCP).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i><b>The anatomy of a building: Denys Lasdun and the Royal College of Physicians</b></i> runs from 8 September 2014 to 13 February 2015, Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm.</span>Nostalgiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17705091393717562154noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8079255900730174795.post-52970642403919107072014-08-27T13:29:00.001+01:002014-08-27T13:32:02.362+01:00'Balfron season' Bow arts Sept-Oct 2014 <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglvfwQ3539jVNjEcEsex62Cte-jqfSWQ-InphdiZcpy6UQOBdylR2L3gUR6UViM6NQjuy1xz5Cu2JkymlJJlwYUEOJNqVHnatpd_LsVMuvp3vJPF60-9jcofF-ol7R-0n0PCCRnR9Oie8/s1600/East+London+070.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglvfwQ3539jVNjEcEsex62Cte-jqfSWQ-InphdiZcpy6UQOBdylR2L3gUR6UViM6NQjuy1xz5Cu2JkymlJJlwYUEOJNqVHnatpd_LsVMuvp3vJPF60-9jcofF-ol7R-0n0PCCRnR9Oie8/s1600/East+London+070.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The iconic Balfron tower </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">designed by the eminent brutalist architect and designer Erno Goldfinger will be hosting a series of events running until </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">the</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">12th October whilst the building is prepared for </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">restoration. A</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">rtists supported by <a href="http://www.bowarts.org/" target="_blank">Bow arts</a> will for a short period base themselves in the tower opening it up to the public in a season of exciting events in which the architecture and the social life of the area will be be explored in a series of guided walks, artistic installations and workshops. </span><br />
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<b><u><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">ARCHITECTURAL WALKING TOURS </span></u></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">A series of architectural walks will be hosted by </span><i style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">London’s city-in-waiting</i><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> during September. </span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The first '</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Penetrate the Impenetrable: A walk via the Balfron Tower through East' </span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">will run on <b>Sunday 7th </b></span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>September</b> </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">from Stratford City to Canary Wharf and will be </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">hosted by regeneration experts Ralph Ward and Michael </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Owens. </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">A second walk will take place on <b>Saturday 20th September (on open house weekend)</b>, this will take visitors from Lansbury Estate </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">through Poplar, reviewing post-war architecture up to the present day. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b><u>BALFRON TOWER ART</u></b> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">On the weekends of<b> 6-7th September</b> and <b>20th-21st September</b> the Bow Artists resident </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">in Balfron tower will be hosting an <b>Open Studio</b> in which they will be<b> </b>exhibiting a range of specially created shows</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">On the </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>13th September</b> in Flat 131 a one-day Adult drawing </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Workshop (limited places available) in which participants will hope to be inspired </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">by the brutalist building’s characteristics and surroundings. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Many more events can be found on their <a href="http://balfronseason.com/2014/programme/" target="_blank">website</a>. </span><br />
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<b style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><u><a href="http://britishbrutalistarchitecture.blogspot.co.uk/2014/08/open-house-weekend-20-21-september-2014.html" target="_blank">OPEN HOUSE WEEKEND</a></u></b><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.933334350585938px;">On Open house weekend (20th-21st September)</span></span></b><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; line-height: 18.933334350585938px;"> there will be full access and guided tours of Balfron tower </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="line-height: 18.459999084472656px;">For all enquirers and information visit their </span><a href="http://balfronseason.com/2014/programme/" target="_blank">website</a><span style="line-height: 18.459999084472656px;"> and follow them </span></span></span><a class="ProfileHeaderCard-screennameLink u-linkComplex js-nav" href="https://twitter.com/BalfronSeason" style="background: rgb(245, 248, 250); font-family: 'Gotham Narrow SSm', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 14px; text-decoration: none !important;"><span style="font-family: Gotham Narrow SSm, sans-serif;"><span style="background: rgb(245, 248, 250); font-size: 14px; line-height: 14px;">@</span></span><span class="u-linkComplex-target" style="background: rgb(245, 248, 250); font-family: 'Gotham Narrow SSm', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 14px; text-decoration: none !important;">BalfronSeason</span></a></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">for other events follow me </span><a class="ProfileHeaderCard-screennameLink u-linkComplex js-nav" href="https://twitter.com/BritBrutalism" style="background: rgb(245, 248, 250); font-family: 'Gotham Narrow SSm', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 14px; text-decoration: none !important;">@<span class="u-linkComplex-target">BritBrutalism</span></a></span>Nostalgiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17705091393717562154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8079255900730174795.post-13351920530801614302014-08-26T02:00:00.000+01:002014-08-27T13:46:10.775+01:00London Open House weekend (20-21 September 2014)<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">For one weekend every year many of London's most famous and iconic buildings normally closed to the general public are opened, this year is no exception with the Open house weekend taking place on the weekend of 20th-21st September. I have selected below the most interesting brutalist buildings and related events. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>* 8 Stoneleigh terrace </b>(<i>Camden</i>) <u>Sunday 10am-1pm 2pm-5pm</u> </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">tours on the hour</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Designed by architect Peter Tabori who worked in the progressive Camden architects department in </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">the 1970's</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">, it shows the influence of other architects in the department (such as Neave Brown) and Denys Lasdun under who he worked for a time with the use of high density low rise social housing.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>* Alexander Road</b> (<i>Camden</i>) <u>Saturday 10am-5pm</u> regular tours (first come first served). </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">One of the iconic brutalist estates of the capital built by Neave Brown from the late 1960's onwards. This open house event promises </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">entry into a flat described as 'originally</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> designed'. </span><br />
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<b style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">* Balfron tower </b><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">(</span><i style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Tower hamlets</i><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">) <u>Saturday 1pm-5pm</u> tours every 30 minutes </span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Designed By Erno Goldfinger in the mid 1960's as social housing for London County Council. This open house event also promises access to one of the flats. </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">See more in my <a href="http://britishbrutalistarchitecture.blogspot.co.uk/2014/06/erno-goldfinger-in-east-end.html" target="_blank">post</a>. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">- see <a href="http://britishbrutalistarchitecture.blogspot.co.uk/2014/08/balfron-season-bow-arts-sept-oct-2014.html" target="_blank">Balfron season</a> for more events and information </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>Barbican centre</b> (<i>City</i>) <u>Saturday tours on the hour 12-3pm</u> </span><u style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>PRE BOOK ESSENTIAL</b></u><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">(meeting at advance box office). A tour of the highwalks and the ideas behind the Chamberlain Powell & Bonn brutalist masterpiece. (could be an interesting tour but it doesn't look like there is anywhere included which you can't normally access included in the tour).</span><br />
<b style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></b><b style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">* Dunboyne Road Estate (a.k.a Fleet road estate)</b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> (<i>Camden</i>) </span><u style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">meet Sunday 2pm </u><br />
<u style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>PRE BOOK ESSENTIAL</b></u><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> - </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Guided tour will be by the original</span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> architect Neave Brown (!!) and contemporary architect Takeshi Hayatsu. This tour also promises a look at a well kept original flat in the estate. </span><br />
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<b style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">* Royal college of Physicians (</b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>Camden</i></span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>) </b><u>Sunday 10am-5pm (last entry 3.30)</u> tours included as well as a lecture on Denys Lasden at 2.15pm. Designed by Denys Lasden overlooking regents park, one of the most significant brutalist buildings in London and a rare opportunity to see the interior. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">* - not to be missed</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">More information on all the open buildings can be found on the London Open House <a href="http://www.londonopenhouse.org/index.html" target="_blank">website</a>. </span>Nostalgiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17705091393717562154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8079255900730174795.post-86270304973834125962014-08-10T11:23:00.000+01:002014-08-10T19:36:58.340+01:00New look and site work<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Dear readers, </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The site is currently being upgraded which may take sometime meaning many of the links may not work as intended please bare with me! It should take only a few days more. I will also be working more seriously on other content expanding the project to a website rather than just a blog!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Hope you like the new and improved look!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Thanks for following~!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>Nostalgiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17705091393717562154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8079255900730174795.post-40993814295650675192014-07-08T23:19:00.001+01:002014-07-08T23:35:33.347+01:00The Brunswick centre <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis-u39aBy_YUh7R5-1P4ujjvIaVcRZJhbKazEerU9slvPhn9RDzRUVlMmHKvwlXDIv2apHFXyW0q10jwHvDMoIhPOwOVM1Avi4uI8qVybcnJlxmmKtsoJLz7BcjGwyV-bflNsk1uzurgA/s1600/SouthBank+and+Hackney!%23+012.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis-u39aBy_YUh7R5-1P4ujjvIaVcRZJhbKazEerU9slvPhn9RDzRUVlMmHKvwlXDIv2apHFXyW0q10jwHvDMoIhPOwOVM1Avi4uI8qVybcnJlxmmKtsoJLz7BcjGwyV-bflNsk1uzurgA/s1600/SouthBank+and+Hackney!%23+012.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The Brunswick centre was built in the late 1960's as a mixed development with an open shopping precinct complete with cinema and residential accommodation above. Located in the heart of Georgian Bloomsbury replacing rows of </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Georgian houses which still surround the site the building (in true brutalist tradition) makes very little attempt to integrate itself with its historic surroundings and as a result is inevitably controversial (in true brutalist tradition).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Leslie Martin's practice was commissioned to prepare designs for the site with most of the design attributed to </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Patrick hodgkinson</span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> who was then working in the practice. A relatively unknown architect who design few buildings </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">outside Oxford and <a href="http://nostalgiasarchitecture.blogspot.co.uk/2014/05/harvey-court-cambridge.html" target="_blank">Cambridge</a> and none of the size and scale of </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">the Brunswick</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> centre. </span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The scheme was the brainchild of a private property developer looking to make a quick profit with the original intention of constructing a series of high density high-rise blocks for private residential accommodation. However the then restrictions on height of buildings in London by the LCC (London County Council) led to a radical rethink in the design. The building as built still allows for high density whilst falling within the then rigid height restrictions being built as two long high dense blocks with the space between used for shops and commercial activities. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">However, even before competition the scheme quickly fell into trouble as it failed to find enough private tenants to make the scheme viable, the result of which was to lease the accommodation to Camden council for social housing, the process inevitably led to cut backs in the quality of the finish (the building was intended to be painted which was only achieved after the most recent restoration in the early 2000's). After completion the scheme was widely regarded as a failure with many of the shops unoccupied and retailers staying away. Although despite its failure in this regard it has since the time of opening in 1972 retained an independent (less so after a recent take over) cinema (the '<a href="http://www.curzoncinemas.com/cinemas/renoir/" target="_blank">Renoir</a>' currently undergoing refurbishment until Dec 2014 <i>see below</i>) specialising in foreign films.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiY7rBVWHKR1BbP8bQp0UqKtxlIetcN6iPZNyHYTwvenpAqTUzyvLDe_q038KY-s4d0Qyivlv2I6wn39aaedcJuPi48ti2KjAxMLmTR1PoNpamyQip9mOqBD2QguwORPHyBNgffeHJS7g/s1600/SouthBank+and+Hackney!%23+014.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiY7rBVWHKR1BbP8bQp0UqKtxlIetcN6iPZNyHYTwvenpAqTUzyvLDe_q038KY-s4d0Qyivlv2I6wn39aaedcJuPi48ti2KjAxMLmTR1PoNpamyQip9mOqBD2QguwORPHyBNgffeHJS7g/s1600/SouthBank+and+Hackney!%23+014.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The sense of failure associated with the project and the general distaste and disillusion in which the monumental scheme was viewed made it look like demolition was only a matter of time. However,</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> the building became one of the first brutalist modern buildings to be listed in 2000 by English Heritage and has since been restored and modernized along the lines of the original intentions of the scheme (such as a lick of paint) which were finally being realized. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The most important change has been with the shopping precinct which has undergone a significant rejuvenation with the introduction of many high-street chains (including a Waitrose supermarket) which has established the areas identity as a retail destination and has more successfully integrated the building with the surrounding Georgian streets. The social mix of the residents has also changed (although not as much as in some areas) with an increasing number of professional types in privately owned flats, although like many areas of London it has (at the current time of writing) a healthy mix of residents which gives the city much of its character. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaJdQ9ve2cYlO2XoMJz7V5-bZw1ZbETtReQMNavLo7UbQNJcZpOt8OiXoLVUS629AdFXOhSzNo0fvIrK7_mlR2UTnI0ANzXJAeMcXyZpMrR_9O-jcPhj_afTFgOIdHREaljlp5v10hg9g/s1600/SouthBank+and+Hackney!%23+013.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaJdQ9ve2cYlO2XoMJz7V5-bZw1ZbETtReQMNavLo7UbQNJcZpOt8OiXoLVUS629AdFXOhSzNo0fvIrK7_mlR2UTnI0ANzXJAeMcXyZpMrR_9O-jcPhj_afTFgOIdHREaljlp5v10hg9g/s1600/SouthBank+and+Hackney!%23+013.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The design of the building is radically different to that of its first design in which brick would have been used instead of the current monolithic use of concrete (this was primarily down to cost, a concession made in the acknowledgement that concrete would be painted - which it was not until recently) which would have given the building a quite different appearance. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The eight pairs of ventilation towers are the main point of attention of the building </span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">which captures the eye, they are clearly in the brutalist tradition of utilitarianism in which the most striking feature is also entirely practical (practical use of ventilating the building as well as a striking architectural feature of the building. The estate also has a stepped design (also seen in the <a href="http://britishbrutalistarchitecture.blogspot.co.uk/2013/12/alexander-road-estate.html" target="_blank">Alexander road estate</a> for Camden) giving it the distinctive futuristic appearance (or the 1960's idea of what futuristic would look like)</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">which is also</span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> entirely practical by allowing the maximum amount of sunlight to reach each flat and allowing the central shopping precinct to be open and light. </span><br />
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<img alt="Brunswick Centre" src="http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Arts/Arts_/Pictures/2006/10/23/EdHill372.jpg" height="329" width="640" /><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The Brunswick centre looking North with St Pancras station (from the <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2006/oct/23/architecture.communities" target="_blank">Guardian article</a>)</span>Nostalgiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17705091393717562154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8079255900730174795.post-12975884232992006402014-06-25T21:31:00.001+01:002014-08-10T11:57:55.798+01:00Erno Goldfinger in the east-end <span style="background-color: white; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">This post examines the residential blocks of the eminent architect Erno Goldfinger in the east-end of London. From the 1960's Goldfinger designed a series of buildings for social housing in the east end which included Balfron tower which was similar to his work Trellick tower in the west end, Glenkerry house and <span style="line-height: 22.399999618530273px;">Carradale house. </span><span style="line-height: 22.399999618530273px;">His distinctive architectural style, embracing the utilitarian principles of brutalism (too excessively for many) and his work in pioneering high density high rise in the post-war rebuilding of London gives</span><span style="line-height: 22.399999618530273px;"> Goldfinger a prominent role in the development of a modern form of living and the development of the brutalist architectural style. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 22.399999618530273px;"><b>Visiting advice:</b> </span><span style="line-height: 22.399999618530273px;">His works in the east-end are all </span><span style="line-height: 22.399999618530273px;">in very close proximity to each</span><span style="line-height: 22.399999618530273px;"> </span><span style="line-height: 22.399999618530273px;">other and can be visited at the same time. </span><span style="line-height: 22.399999618530273px;">If you are interested in a visit my suggested route is to getting off at </span><a href="http://www.tfl.gov.uk/dlr/stop/940GZZDLBLA/blackwall-dlr-station?lineId=dlr" style="line-height: 22.399999618530273px;" target="_blank">Blackwell</a><span style="line-height: 22.399999618530273px;"> (the DLR station) and attempt to walk via Robinhood gardens - another iconic but less appreciated icon (shortly to be demolished!), then follow the A12 north until you find the clearly visible blocks - it is not difficult to miss them! Also - best to go in warmer weather!</span></i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; line-height: 22.399999618530273px;"><u>Balfron Tower</u></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 22.399999618530273px;">Balfron Tower, the tallest and most distinguishable of the group bares a striking similarity to trellick tower in the west end, these blocks were built </span></span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; line-height: 22.399999618530273px;">in the late 1960's </span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 22.399999618530273px;">just prior to the completion of Trellick tower </span></span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 22.399999618530273px;"> The most iconic feature of this building and of Goldfinger's social housing are the detached </span></span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 22.399999618530273px;">Lift towers which are given a grandeur and monumentality. The design is both functional and aesthetic, functional in the sense that having a detached lift (and services) tower isolates the noisy parts of the building such as the lift, rubbish shoots, the boiler room and (in the past at least) washing facilities away from the main living accommodation. The maisonette structure in which access to the flats is on every third floor is also function in that it both reduces the cost in construction of the lift (often the practical</span></span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; line-height: 22.399999618530273px;"> reason for maisonette structures in post-war rebuilding - primarily pragmatism rather than aesthetic</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 22.399999618530273px;"> or ideological) and reduces the number of lift stops, saving time. Despite the purely practical nature of the design it never-the-less creates the iconic feature of the block, a clear illustration of the </span></span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; line-height: 22.399999618530273px;">ideological utilitarianism</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; line-height: 22.399999618530273px;"> of the brutalist style. </span></span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 22.399999618530273px;">The tower will shortly undergo a restoration and modernization before </span><span style="line-height: 22.399999618530273px;">the flats are 'privatized' and sold off. The nature of this process is inevitably controversial with the <a href="http://novaramedia.com/2013/08/social-cleansing-in-tower-hamlets-interview-with-balfron-tower-evictee/" target="_blank">accusations of social cleansing</a> - often justified. It will be interesting to see whether these flats formerly used for social housing will attract the middle class professionals which Trellick tower certainly has </span><span style="line-height: 22.399999618530273px;">in the last twenty years after the same treatment. Brutalist architecture certainly is becoming more desirable however the extent to which these flats do become 'gentrified' will only become apparent in a few years time. </span><span style="line-height: 22.399999618530273px;"> </span></span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 22.399999618530273px;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><u style="background-color: white;">Glenkerry House</u></span></span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiefyT9zw4nZxpv4ucLzql11u98XwsW9FzyR2-OHbC-CBgrbZ42o_9SnBNBCAzU8phMz16Jt_Ofn6Sr1bs4u8Df26ey9bR6Ae9qqsm4JYeU87M99BG-dXth1XT8Vy89wcC2Nkx5exz0PJo/s1600/East+London+078.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiefyT9zw4nZxpv4ucLzql11u98XwsW9FzyR2-OHbC-CBgrbZ42o_9SnBNBCAzU8phMz16Jt_Ofn6Sr1bs4u8Df26ey9bR6Ae9qqsm4JYeU87M99BG-dXth1XT8Vy89wcC2Nkx5exz0PJo/s1600/East+London+078.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></span></a><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 22.399999618530273px;">Glenkerry house is the shorter neighbour of Balfron tower although its structure and plan is much the same as the latter, the flats are designed as maisonettes although with a 'semi'-detached lift tower, physically joined to the building on all floors </span></span><span style="line-height: 22.399999618530273px;">(unlike Balfron and trellick towers) although set at a right-angle to the main walkways. </span></span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; line-height: 22.399999618530273px;">Glenkerry house </span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 22.399999618530273px;">lacks the height which creates interest (although I acknowledge its proximity to Balfron tower may have restricted its height) and when viewed from green it overlooks it is in my opinion somewhat underwhelming. </span></span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 22.399999618530273px;"> Unlike Trellick and Balfron the lift tower although still a key feature of the building is less successful as in the former with there detached towers with walkways int he sky creates the </span></span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; line-height: 22.399999618530273px;">monumental and iconic image of the building and is the main distinguishing feature.</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; line-height: 22.399999618530273px;"> </span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 22.399999618530273px;">The iconic detached lift tower which creates the landmark status of the fore-mentioned towers. In my opinion it lacks conviction and is a watered down version of Balfron tower and in such proximity it is inevitably overshadowed by that building - both literally and metaphorically, Glenkerry </span></span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">cannot (in my mind) decide its form, high rise or low rise it (opting for somewhere in the middle) which does not express the confidence and conviction which makes brutalism so stimulating and controversial. Despite this, that is not to say the building is without merit and if viewed without a inevitable comparison with its neighbour it does still assert its own distinctive character. </span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="text-align: center;"><span style="line-height: 22.399999618530273px;">After passing from control of Tower Hamlets council (which is a relief considering their record for the care of brutalist architecture - see <a href="http://britishbrutalistarchitecture.blogspot.co.uk/2014/06/robin-hood-gardens.html" target="_blank">Robin Hood gardens</a>!</span><span style="line-height: 22.399999618530273px;">) the building is n</span>ow run by an </span><a href="http://www.glenkerry.org.uk/" style="text-align: center;" target="_blank">independent housing cooperative</a>. </span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 22.399999618530273px;"><u>Carradale House </u></span></span><br />
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</span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhh-J8oN84nwwht5sYoRPUtt2F69mGZ3CstUz8yFY6dBruxh3cYOxki7WzqTSOJ-grfrORz3qV3pjeTfWM2YH8MpSoARKQD4NOEP42yR_MhFezJAVsn8ojUqrWTIjwF30fuhQVTeSbz2k/s1600/East+London+080.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhh-J8oN84nwwht5sYoRPUtt2F69mGZ3CstUz8yFY6dBruxh3cYOxki7WzqTSOJ-grfrORz3qV3pjeTfWM2YH8MpSoARKQD4NOEP42yR_MhFezJAVsn8ojUqrWTIjwF30fuhQVTeSbz2k/s1600/East+London+080.JPG" height="150" width="200" /></span></a><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Built in the same style as his other works although a horizontal rather than vertical display of his approach to social housing. Although evidently less impressive than Balfron tower unlike the Glenkerry house it has I think more conviction in its form (a long and low block). It has a good relationship with its neighbour Balfron tower (see left) and creates some clear continuity. It also displays the instantly recognizable detached lift tower with the small vertical arrowslit windows and again takes a prominent place asserting again the utilitarian character and nature of the building.</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">On the <b><a href="http://design.britishcouncil.org/blog/2014/jun/06/new-perspectives-celebration-balfron/" target="_blank">21st June 2014</a></b> for one day only Balfron tower in the east end of London, (the sister of Trellick tower in the west end, both designed by eminent brutalist architect <i>Erno Goldfinger</i>) will be open to the public. A series of exciting events (some which need to be booked - <i>see below</i>) will be taking place inside the building all day exploring the architecture of the tower and the surrounding area. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Built in the mid 1960's the building is due for a series of refurbishments and alterations in preparation for private sell off of the flats (going the same way as trellick tower - more <a href="http://novaramedia.com/2013/08/social-cleansing-in-tower-hamlets-interview-with-balfron-tower-evictee/" target="_blank">HERE</a> on the 'social cleansing'). This may be the last opportunity to see the interior in its original condition. Not an event to miss if you are interested in Brutalist architecture!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Find out more detail <a href="http://design.britishcouncil.org/blog/2014/jun/06/new-perspectives-celebration-balfron/" target="_blank"><u>HERE</u></a> (including booking details)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Guardian article on the festival </span><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/architecture-design-blog/2014/jun/16/international-architecture-showcase-1951-festival-of-britain-east-london" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;" target="_blank">HERE</a>Nostalgiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17705091393717562154noreply@blogger.com0