I suspect there were two failings - economic and intellectual. The first is quite simply the problem of paying for maintenance when maintenance also includes the park and garden infrastructure. The Barbican has the funds and so is close to pristine. Working class estates died with austerity. One of the best places for immersing yourself in Brutalism in London (or just to get a good photo), Camden’s Alexandra Road Estate was built in 1978 by Neave Brown as an ambitious, idealistic social housing project at a time when council housing was often at the centre of experimental, avant-garde architecture. Listed as Grade II* in 1994, it’s a uniquely atmospheric place to visit today, with two public walkways adorned in greenery and a central park. Despite softening attitudes to the post-war architectural style, the sight of London’s brutalist buildings elicits ecstatic raptures from some, but a near visceral hatred from others. By doing away with, to some extent, the Brutalist’s straight edges and hard lines, One Kemble Street makes itself into a fine example of the brash, brutalist architecture of the 60s – one that shows little care for the buildings around it but stakes a big claim to its landscape.

Brutal Kits - by Zupagrafika Brutal Kits - by Zupagrafika

In general (with a few exceptions) this was public sector architecture, fruitfully competing with the equally important Scandinavian 'social democrat' model. It died with the death of corporatist Britain, the rise of private sector Britain and the sell-off of social housing under Thatcherism. In fact, the avant-garde structure of the building was also meant to reflect the programme of events happening inside – creating a synergy between form and function that is reflected elsewhere in the building. For example, in the interior’s “classless-designed” bars and restaurants and the open foyer policy that allowed public access during opening hours. National Theatre Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.The nearest stations are Barbican London Underground station (easy to remember!) and Liverpool Street national rail station. Opening with an informative history of the origins and philosophy of Brutalism, the book features 9 buildings to assemble: Alexandra Road Estate, Alton Estate, Aylesbury Estate, Ledbury Estate, National Theatre, Robin Hood Gardens, Barbican Estate, Balfron Tower and Space House. Tom Spooner on Brutalism & Music– An exploration of the relationship between brutalist architecture and music.

of the Best Brutalist Architecture in London A Walking Tour of the Best Brutalist Architecture in London

It was developed from designs by Chamberlin, Powell and Bon. Intended to help boost the number of people able to actually live within the City of London and regenerate Cripplegate – an area devastated in World War II, it opened to significant acclaim in 1982. Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special. So many times was Brixton Recreation Centre nearly a failed project, it’s sort of a miracle that the building even exists today. One has to be pessimistic at so many levels. The reliance is likely to remain on a market that cannot deliver the subsidised mass solutions to the misery of homelessness and of young people not being able to start families (alongside yet more migrants making the problems worse). The Standard had been searching for the right building in London for many years and suddenly the stars aligned; the brutalist façade of the Camden Town Hall Annexe already looked like a Standard and was perfectly located at the center of the compass as far as London is concerned”, says Bruce Robertson, Managing Director of The Standard, London, which took over the building.A (probably inflationary) surge of building will need socially concerned architects who we hope will have the common sense to investigate what went wrong with the estates of the 1960s and 1970s and build with a mind to sustainability and durability (rather than to meet eco-fashion). Rowley Way is clearly a success story, that is not the case for all B rutalist estates. Some have ‘ succeeded ’ and others have not, a factor is their design. At one level Brutalist buildings look really cool and monumental, with well thought out infrastructure, such as distance to local schools and amenities. However, i t’s hard to describe them visually as friendly, I’d leave that description to Finnish and Swedish contemporary housing , there’s a lot to be learnt from their designers and how their social housing estates are managed . One obvious exception is the Barbican Estate, its layout is very impressive. Russian Social Housing With your fascination for architecture and the built environment, which architect particularly inspires you and speaks to what you would wish to achieve one day ?