bold, brash and confrontational
BRUTALIST: LONDONS CONCRETE JUNGLES
a look into the controversial architectual style inhabiting London
the defining British architecture of the 1960s’
trellick tower ashington house ainsworth estate barbican centre
Consider Brutalism as architecture in the raw, with an emphasis on materials, textures and construction, producing highly expressive forms. Seen in the work of Le Corbusier from the late 1940s with the Unite d’Habitation in Marseilles, the term Brutalism was first used in England by the architectural historian Reyner Banham in 1954.It referred to the work of Alison and Peter Smithson’s school at Hunstanton in Norfolk because of its uncompromising approach to the display of structure and services, albeit in a steel building rather than reinforced concrete. Scale was important and the style is characterised by massive concrete shapes colliding abruptly, while service ducts and ventilation towers are overtly displayed.
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Bold, brash and confrontational, there can hardly be a more controversial – or misunderstood – architectural movement than Brutalism. As the austerity of the 1950s gave way to the energy and renewed national self-confidence of the 1960s, Brutalism took centre stage, defining British architecture of that decade…Robin Hood Gardens in many ways constituted the ultimate realisation of the progressive social ideals that informed much of Brutalist thinking, but by the time it was completed in 1972, the Brutalist moment had passed and it was an almost immediate failure. The rough idealism of the 1950s no longer reflected the consumerist realities of the 1970s. Brutalist buildings always seem to attract particularly harsh criticism. The architecture which so epitomised the golden era of the 1960s became widely reviled and frequent victim to the wrecking ball. For those on the left of the political spectrum, the destruction of Britain’s Brutalist legacy is nothing more than an attempt to erase that brief moment of socialist housing policy from collective memory. But this largely belies the fact many that many housing estates erected in utopian fervour failed on their own terms, revealing the inherent shortcomings of intertwining architecture and social policy – and, often, of the buildings themselves.
Nevertheless, in recent years Brutalism has undergone something of a rehabilitation, becoming fashionable in certain architectural circles. You can’t see your reflection in a brutalist building, because its design was not about the individual, it was about the multitude. Brutalist buildings are increasingly seen seething on screen. That brooding library in Birmingham (which celebrated its 40th birthday two days ago) doubles for MI5 HQ in The Game, a 1970s spy drama on BBC1 this spring. Luther was filmed at Robin Hood Gardens. Another recent Cold War spy drama, Legacy, was shot at Keybridge House in Vauxhall. 2
Trellick Tower, Kensington
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Designed by Erno Goldinger, Trellick Tower, in particular, has become one of London’s most recognisable architectural landmarks. Commissioned by the Greater London Council in 1966, it was completed in 1972
Goldfinger’s design referenced the earlier Balfron Tower, with a separate service tower linked to the main building by a walkway at every third storey. The two buildings (Trellick and Balfron) appear almost identical except for small details. Four storeys taller, the Trellick Tower features a more elegant and lighter service tower containing stairways, elevators and a boiler room that links the main structure to a lower perpendicular slab.
Both buildings feature dramatic, bridge-like walkways every third floor to connect an apartment tower with a service structure. There is no doubt that the void resulting from the separation between the two elements will stand as Golfinger’s real masterwork, and it is a powerful architectural legacy.
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The tower was met with negative opinion. was During this time the British public were turned against high-rise apartments, and media criticism rapidly ensued.
“I built skyscrapers for people to live in there and now they messed them up. Disgusting.”
The vandalization of the building preceded its opening. After somebody opened a fire hydrant on Christmas Day, flooding the lifts with water, blowing fuses and cutting electricity, heat and water, things started to go downhill. Stories spread about rapes in the elevators, assaults on children, drug smuggling, racial tension and a complete lack of control over the main entrance, giving the tower a very poor reputation: Goldfinger’s work was destined to epitomize the fear associated with the highrise apartment buildings. Unyielding as ever, however, the architect blamed the inhabitants, mismanagement, poor construction and inadequate maintenance for his tower’s misfortunes. One famous quote summarizes his attitude:
During the 1980s things started to change, and the tower’s living situation significantly improved. Security systems were incorporated, a concierge was put in place to prevent non-residents from entering and closed-circuit TV cameras were installed, providing round-theclock monitoring. Then in 1986 a radical policy was introduced: the building’s flats were to be sold only to those wanting to live in them. The resulting demand was astonishingly high, and as soon as some flats went up for sale, there was a long list of those willing to buy.
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Ashington House, Bethnal Green
Located in Bethnal Green, Ashington House stands as a forgotten piece of Brutalist architecture in London; desgined by Noel Moffett. Completed in 1971, Ashington House was concieved as a means of satisfying the requirement for much needed high-density housing in Bethnal Green.
The asymmetrical composition combines flying buttresses of exposed aggregate concrete, staggered covered stairs, stacked hexagonal units and more, all in brooding dark brown brick and exposed concrete. The effect is individualistic, sculptural and even gothic.
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Alexandra & Ainsworth Estate, Camden Town
Completed in 1978, is the Alexandra and Ainsworth Estate. The Camden based estate was designed by Neave Brown, and became the first post-war council housing estate to be listed.
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The key elements of the estate are two parallel pedestrian streets separated by a park, one a kilometre long, formed by two rows of terraces against the railway, and the other by a further row of terraces forming a street with the existing Ainsworth Estate. The two streets, Rowley and Ainsworth Way, provide 520 homes for over 1600 people (and over 700 units when including the Ainsworth Estate). In the 1980s, with the arrival of Thatcher and rate capping, the appearance of Alexandra Road, conceived as a building that would require regular maintenance, deteriorated rapidly. With repairs and maintenance funded by revenue, and revenue reduced by rate capping, the public areas, concrete and other elements became dirty and unkempt. In 1990, Martin Pawley wrote in the Guardian that ‘Alexandra Road is like an epic silent film. It suffers from having been released into a different world to that which it was conceived… set on the very cusp of the change from socialism to the me-generation.’
In 1965, the London Borough of Camden was gaining a reputation as one of the most progressive boroughs in the country and had appointed Sydney Cook as Borough Architect and Director of Housing. Cook was constantly challenging the government’s push for high-rise buildings and he started by appointing the architect Neave Brown who set about delivering a series of low rise, high density schemes, which would include one of Europe’s great social housing projects: Alexandra Road, officially known as the Alexandra and Ainsworth Estate. Neave Brown’s design was largely finalised in 1968 but the completion of the project was delayed by difficult site conditions and the inevitable problems when using specialised construction on such a large scale. In the end, the project ended up costing £20.9 million and was completed in 1978; it arguably remains the most expensive social housing ever constructed in this country.
‘Alexandra Road is like an epic silent film. It suffers from having been released into a different world to that which it was conceived…set on the very cusp of the change from socialism to the me-generation.’
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Barbican Estate, Central London
A Grade II listed building, the Barbican is Europe’s largest multi-arts and conference venue and one of London’s best examples of Brutalist architecture. It was developed from designs by architects Chamberlin, Powell and Bon as part of a utopian vision to transform an area of London left devastated by bombing during the Second World War. The Centre took over a decade to build and was opened by The Queen in 1982, who declared it ‘one of the modern wonders of the world’ with the building seen as a landmark in terms of its scale, cohesion and ambition.
‘one of the modern wonders of the world’
Its stunning spaces and unique location at the heart of the Barbican Estate have made it an internationally recognised venue, set within an urban landscape acknowledged as one of the most significant architectural achievements of the 20th century. With its coarse concrete surfaces, elevated gardens and trio of high-rise towers, the Barbican Estate offered a new vision for how high-density residential neighbourhoods could be integrated with schools, shops and restaurants, as well world-class cultural destinations. The basis for the design came from a vision for a podium, a car-free realm raised up over the city’s busy streets to allow visitors and residents to explore the site on foot. Brick pathways indicate different routes, while landscaped gardens and lakes offer a pleasant outlook for residents.
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Flats were distributed between three 43-storey towers – known as Shakespeare, Cromwell and Lauderdale – and a series of 13 seven-storey blocks. Aimed at young professionals, the residences feature simple layouts with compact kitchens and bathrooms. Fenella Beevor moved to the Barbican in 1974 with her late husband. Forty years later, she says it’s gradually developed into a settled and welcoming community. “I’ve seen all sorts of people come and go, but I love my flat and I wouldn’t dream of moving,” she told Dezeen.
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