EVENT: Brutalism: The Savage and The Sublime (the barbican)

On the 6th November the barbican arts centre (the only appropriate setting for such an event) will be holding a panel discussion on Brutalism in its event Brutalism: The Savage and The Sublime. The discussion will be based on the recent film by Jonathan Meades Bunkers Brutalism And Bloodly mindedness in which he explored in his usual idiosyncratic manner the controversies of the brutalist style which fascinates him. 

The panel is made of Sir Simon Jenkins, chairmen of the National trust, journalist and author, as well as the architectural critic Douglas Murphy (see his articles), the architect Piers Gough and of course Jonathan Meades himself will be debating brutalism and 'the aesthetics and morality of concrete'.

This promises to be a very interesting discussion and not an event to miss! tickets will be sold out quickly so book now!

More information can be found on the barbican website here
Tickets are £10

Read More

EXHIBITION: Something Fierce University of Essex: Vision and Reality

Image of the Essex university Library

A new exhibition running from 7 October to 13 December 2014 at the Coldchester campus of Essex university will be celebrating 50 years of its bold and brutalist architecture. The new university designed by Kenneth Capon from its founding in 1964 to embrace the architectural style of the day and to encourage its scholars to emulate its boldness. 

"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." 
The exhibition promises scale models and original drawings as well as a look at the many brutalist buildings on campus. The exhibition will be housed in the Hexagon, an iconic building built at the birth of the University.

7 October to 13 December 2014 - Tuesdays to Saturdays, 11am to 5pm
(Welcome Week: Monday 29 September to Saturday 4 October 2014 - 11am to 5pm)

For further details and information on opening times please see their website 

Read More

EXHIBITION: The anatomy of a building: Denys Lasdun and the Royal College of Physicians

A unique exhibition opening on 8 September 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).

The anatomy of a building: Denys Lasdun and the Royal College of Physicians runs from 8 September 2014 to 13 February 2015, Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm.

Read More

'Balfron season' Bow arts Sept-Oct 2014

The iconic Balfron tower designed by the eminent brutalist architect and designer Erno Goldfinger will be hosting a series of events running until the 12th October whilst the building is prepared for restoration. Artists supported by Bow arts 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.  


ARCHITECTURAL WALKING TOURS 
A series of architectural walks will be hosted by London’s city-in-waiting during September. The first 'Penetrate the Impenetrable: A walk via the Balfron Tower through East' will run on Sunday 7th September from Stratford City to Canary Wharf and will be hosted by regeneration experts Ralph Ward and Michael Owens. A second walk will take place on Saturday 20th September (on open house weekend), this will take visitors from Lansbury Estate through Poplar, reviewing post-war architecture up to the present day. 

BALFRON TOWER ART 
On the weekends of 6-7th September and 20th-21st September the Bow Artists resident in Balfron tower will be hosting an Open Studio in which they will be exhibiting a range of specially created shows. 

On the 13th September in Flat 131 a one-day Adult drawing Workshop (limited places available) in which participants will hope to be inspired by the brutalist building’s characteristics and surroundings. 
Many more events can be found on their website. 

OPEN HOUSE WEEKEND
On Open house weekend (20th-21st September) there will be full access and guided tours of Balfron tower 

For all enquirers and information visit their website and follow them @BalfronSeason
for other events follow me @BritBrutalism

Read More

London Open House weekend (20-21 September 2014)

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.  

* 8 Stoneleigh terrace (Camden) Sunday 10am-1pm 2pm-5pm tours on the hour
Designed by architect Peter Tabori who worked in the progressive Camden architects department in the 1970's, 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.

* Alexander Road (Camden) Saturday 10am-5pm regular tours (first come first served). 
One of the iconic brutalist estates of the capital built by Neave Brown from the late 1960's onwards. This open house event promises entry into a flat described as 'originally designed'. 

* Balfron tower (Tower hamlets) Saturday 1pm-5pm tours every 30 minutes 
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. See more in my post. 
- see Balfron season for more events and information 

Barbican centre (City) Saturday tours on the hour 12-3pm PRE BOOK ESSENTIAL 
(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).

* Dunboyne Road Estate (a.k.a Fleet road estate) (Camden) meet Sunday 2pm 
PRE BOOK ESSENTIAL - Guided tour will be by the original architect Neave Brown (!!) and contemporary architect Takeshi Hayatsu. This tour also promises a look at a well kept original flat in the estate.  

* Royal college of Physicians (Camden) Sunday 10am-5pm (last entry 3.30) 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.  

* - not to be missed

More information on all the open buildings can be found on the London Open House website. 

Read More

New look and site work

Dear readers, 
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!
Hope you like the new and improved look!
Thanks for following~!

Read More

The Brunswick centre

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 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).

Leslie Martin's practice was commissioned to prepare designs for the site with most of the design attributed to Patrick hodgkinson who was then working in the practice. A relatively unknown architect who design few buildings outside Oxford and Cambridge and none of the size and scale of the Brunswick centre. 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.  

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 'Renoir' currently undergoing refurbishment until Dec 2014 see below) specialising in foreign films.



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, 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. 

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. 


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. 

The eight pairs of ventilation towers are the main point of attention of the building 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 Alexander road estate for Camden) giving it the distinctive futuristic appearance  (or the 1960's idea of what futuristic would look like) which is also entirely practical by allowing the maximum amount of sunlight to reach each flat and allowing the central shopping precinct to be open and light. 

The Brunswick centre looking North with St Pancras station (from the Guardian article)

Read More