Recent Listing Updates 24/09/13

Preston bus station has been given listed status at grade 2 by culture minister Ed Vaizey. This will make it much more difficult (although not impossible) for it to be demolished under the current plans by Preston city council. 

Another brutalist icon has also been listed at grade 2*, a electricity substation on Sheffield. Also being listed was a concrete cold war bunker at Gravesend. Another building of some interest (although not brutalist) is Sir Norman Fosters relatively new but iconic high-tech warehouse in Swindon. 

Read More

EXHIBITION: Brutalist architecture in London

Following the brilliant exhibition at the new Wellington arch exhibition space at Hyde Park corner which celebrated the story of preservation during the 20th century of 19th century architecture by the likes of John Betjeman (Pride and Prejudice [now finished]) there now follows another exhibition this time the fight for the preservation of the 20th century architecture. 'Brutal and beautiful' - saving the 20th century will tell the less widely known story of the continuing fight for brutalist architecture right up to the present day and the battle to protect and educate people about brutalist architecture as John Betjeman and his contemporaries did for 19th century buildings.

25th September- 24th November 2013 
For details: 
http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/daysout/events/brutal-and-beautiful-wa-25-sep/

Read More

Harvey court

Harvey court on the west side of the Cam is one of many new buildings for colleges of Cambridge university. It was built for Gonville and Caius college, one of the largest and wealthiest colleges to house 100 university students. Its site is away from the traditional medieval quadrangles of the city (sitting on the opposite side of the Cam) and is situated in the area developed by the university in the 1960's. Its neighbours include the monumental Cambridge university Library (built in the 1930's), the   iconic History Department and the new faculty of law building by Foster and Partners.  Harvey court was built in Sir Leslie Martin's office by Colin St John Wilson and Patrick Hodgkinson and completed in 1962. The court was named after a fellow of the college William Harvey who was a medical pioneer in the seventeenth century.

The main courtyard is actually above ground level on the first floor (hence the steps from the garden with the area beneath used for utilities, storage and common rooms). The design of the building is a modern reinterpretation of the medieval Cambridge quadrangles with the rooms looking out onto the courtyard as they do in traditional courts. It is less conventional in the fact that the courtyard is paved rather than grassed and that it is not enclosed with only three sides facing the courtyard. The fourth side is detached from the main block and faces into a large pleasant garden. The gaps between the two blocks which are not directly joined is taken by stairs which link the garden to the square and the path from the street to square, the main entrance is also located here wedged between the two blocks. 

Each individual room has an outside terrace (except the first floor which goes directly into the courtyard) which is gained from building recessing after each floor. It has three tiers of student accommodation plus the floor below for utilities. When compared to some university accommodation they are luxurious, although the very generous windows could look out to a more pleasing vista as the courtyard is uninteresting and bland in design. 

The inner and the outer exteriors (facing the courtyard and the outside) are a contrast, the former with generous windows whilst the latter has very few and is much more brutalist in its character than the inner courtyard. From the street the building certainly looks brutal and oppressive (the recognisable trade marks of a brutalist building) but from the other side it is much more elegant and pleasing for those who do not favour the style. The stepped terrace gives the courtyard considerable light and makes it feel spacious despite being a rather small site. On the exterior the columns which surround the building on three sides create an arcade, perhaps also taking their inspiration from the medieval cloister walks and quadrangles of Cambridge. The facade is broken. The gradual recess of the upper floors which allows for a terrace is shown on the exterior by the stepped formation of the facade which as it steps back in the courtyard facade it steps forward and is jettied on the exterior facade. The stairs outline on the facade facing the road breaks up the minimalist nature of the building

The building uses bricks extensively through out and heavy glazing in the courtyard. It has been recently restored and modernised with new windows facing the courtyard and the addition of solar panels to the roof. En-suite bathrooms have also been added to each room which makes gives it similar standards to other student accommodation. The project of restoration cost £7.5 million and was completed in 2011 by Levitt Bernstein architects. 

The building was listed as grade 2* by English heritage in 1993 meaning that is protected by law and the recent restoration has meant it is fit for purpose again which saves it from any possible demolition threats.

The facade facing the road showing the stairwell (top left)  

and the columns which create the covered walk

Steps from the garden up to the courtyard

(the architects) - http://www.levittbernstein.co.uk/00,property,804,215,00.htm

Read More

Elliot house

Norwich is one of Britain's most historic cities and much of its post-war architecture  has been relatively sympathetic to the character of the city. Elliot house on Ber street is one example of a relatively sympathetic building in a historic environment. It was built on the site of older medieval buildings (similar to those which survive) which survived the war but were subsequently demolished probably due to the increase in demand for office space in the city. Responsible for the design was the architect firm Edward skipper and associates, it was completed in 1975 as commercial premises. The building has four stories (including one cleverly hidden from the street in the roof) of which the recessed fourth story hides the buildings bulk and keeps the height of the street so it does not tower over existing buildings as many other brutalist buildings inevitably do. The building has large spacious windows overlooking the street and an internal courtyard which give the building plenty of natural light. Parking facilities are hidden in the basement with access via the sloping street on the side. 

The overhanging upper stories reflects its historic setting, imitating the sixteenth century house opposite. The subtly of the building is somewhat undermined by the over dominance of the lift shaft but it does have the effect of splitting up the building and making it look less overwhelming in the street. The lift shaft also creates a contrast with the rest of the building being of brick rather than concrete. It is this feature which is the most controversial aspect of the building, although part of the very nature of a brutalist buildings is that they are dominant and controversial. The building does keep the character of the area but also successfully creates a contrast between the old and new. The building is relatively sympathetic to the environment and much suitable than many other buildings may have been to the site.  

The building is unlisted, it is not of the highest architectural merit but it is its relationship with the rest of the street and its integration with the historic environment which makes it interesting and of merit. The building is currently vacant and is To Let for business premises, if not under immediate threat of demolition the prospect may very well arise to make the site more profitable if a tenant is not found. 

Read More

Birmingham Central Library

Birmingham central library is a classic brutalist building designed by John Madin and opened in 1974 to replace the old Victorian central library. Despite its importance it will shortly be demolished as Birmingham's new library is completed in 2013. 

Before it is demolished I hope to visit and take a good look round but in the mean time here are some great pictures from a photography blog. 

Read More

Liverpool Sugar Silo

When travelling along the dock road out of Liverpool there is a surprising structure of concrete which dominates the corner of Bankfield street and Derby road. It surely makes one of the must unusual and unique dock buildings in Liverpool, a city with a rich selection of dock buildings of all ages.  The building was built in 1955-57 by the Tate and Lyle's engineering department to store sugar as it came in to the port of Liverpool. The building is of a very simplistic design as was the fashion of the 1950's with a single chamber tunnel vault with entrance and windows at both ends. It has a very elegant form, although the corrugated iron addition to the top of the building detracts from this elegance. The building was listed at grade 2* in 1992 by English Heritage as good example of reinforced concrete parabolic tunnel vaulted storage unit.

The building no longer serves its original purpose of storing sugar as more modern form of storage have been adopted. For many years it was used as a lorry park for lorries in the docks. More recently the building stands redundant and at risk. It is a hard building to covert to a new purpose due to the expanse of space and the lack of windows, which are only on the two ends of the building. However I could imagine the building be put to a good and effective new use, a new concert venue or exhibition hall perhaps? 

The building could be considered a modern day equivalent to the Victorian Tobacco warehouse of Stanley dock (also on the dock road), due to its scale and purpose for one product storage. By comparison this building too is hard to find a new use due to its size and lack of light. Although there are no issues with 2 meter high floors in the Sugar silo, an issue long made the tobacco warehouse unsuitable for conversion. 

The building has appeared in many books and publications including 1001 buildings you must see before you die Mark Irving, which perhaps suggests it is appreciated by many people who believe like English Heritage it is an important building worthy of preservation.  

Read More

Kingsway tunnel ventilation shafts

 The Kingsway tunnel ventilation shafts are two identical structures on the opposite sides of the Mersey which provide ventilation for the Kingsway road tunnel. They were completed in 1971 when the Kingsway tunnel was completed between Liverpool and Wallasey. The two towers dominate the riverfront of north Liverpool and Wallasey sited on the dock road and on the Wallasey promenade respectively. The buildings have a simple composition with a central tower/chimney with two air intakes on each side. The buildings are very utilitarian, being  strictly functional with striped back decoration. The buildings are mostly concrete with exposed concrete on the tower (or chimney) and white coloured concreted for the two air intakers. The base is built with a dark brick. Although the buildings may look very simple they actually have subtle curves on the tower and air intakers which are much more pleasing than straight edges. 

The towers were built by the civil engineering firm who built the Kingsway tunnel directly below each structure, Edmund Nuttall Limited (now known as BAM Nuttall Limited). The fact that they were built by engineers rather than architects means that the buildings cannot be contributed to a single architect or even set of architects, just to a anonymous set of engineers therefore there is not a name associated with the buildings other than that of the engineers. The two towers are unlisted  but unlikely to be threatened with demolition as they still carry out there original purpose and replacing them would be very expensive. 


Also on the Mersey are a set of earlier ventilation shafts completed in 1934 for the Queensway tunnel, the original road tunnel across the Mersey. These are a stark contrast to the Brutalist towers of the 1970's, those on the Liverpool front are faced in stone whilst those on the Birkenhead front are faced in a dark brick. The fact that the two new towers are similar and not completely different like the previous towers of the 1930's  demonstrates to my mind a more egalitarian partnership between the two sides of the river as they are treated equally (instead of the expensive stone for prosperous Liverpool and cheap brick for the less affluent birkenhead side). 

Read More