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Post by Deleted on Mar 20, 2019 17:20:35 GMT
That's a good point, but rather ignores the elephant in the room that Luton, like a lot of towns in the south and the midlands ( the north was a bit less affected, probably because the developers were putting all their money in the south) underwent massive post-war redevelopment and it was not well done at all. The result was ugly and drab - we are not talking innovative modernist architecture here. Much of it was done on the cheap without suitable long term thinking, yes, that's partly the point I was getting at as well (in the main because of the massive post war demand which needed to be met immediately). But there can still be a few gems in such towns which deserve praise and conservation and not just blanket condemnation. Here's some examples from near me that I love. Pasmore's Apollo Pavilion in the new Durham town of Peterlee. This was once controversial and the local council initially refused to give it listed status before listening to local groups who had been trying to protect it. Basil Spence's Civic Centre in Sunderland. This is still controversial -- mostly because of the legacy of post war urban strategies and the short lived Tory council in the 50s demolishing the original town hall -- but I've never understood the dislike. It's a museum of stairs and hexagons. It should remembered that this wasn't just about the need to rebuild Britain and meet greater social demands after the war, although that was an important part of it. There was also a lot of developers, in connivance with local councils, using a spurious credo of modernism, knocking down whole centres unnecessarily in order to make money. The notorious developer John Poulson (who wasn't even a qualified architect) being the best known, but certainly not the only, example of this. I quite like your examples above ( although I don't know what the second one would look like from the ground), but I can see why some of this stuff should be preserved. I think part of the problem is that concrete really doesn't suit the low light, grey sky conditions of the UK. You feel some of these buildings would look better in the South of France!
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Post by Reactionary Rage on Mar 21, 2019 8:10:12 GMT
I think you're right about the weather thing. Plus concrete ages and it starts to look a bit crappy and weather beaten here.
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Post by dipstick on Mar 21, 2019 14:55:52 GMT
My university had several architectural phases of construction during the 20th century.
The first phase (1909-1930s) was a Spanish style utilizing terracotta roofing. The style was already popular in the town, with many houses also featuring open breezeways and pueblo walls.
The second phase (1940s-1950s) saw a utilitarian design focused on lowering building costs while maximizing space. Red brick rectangular design with concrete doorways and window frames was the norm. They still allowed plenty of natural light by using large windows.
In the 1960s and 1970s buildings became brutalist featuring brownish gray brick with large concrete forms and bizarre insides. These were also quite dark inside, as windows shrunk in size or were limited to some rooms. Cinderblock was king.
I'll post some pics in a minute
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Post by Mr. FOLLARD on Nov 1, 2019 12:51:09 GMT
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Post by hippopotamus on Nov 1, 2019 13:06:07 GMT
Do you LIKE the look of that?
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Post by DarknessFish on Nov 1, 2019 13:48:55 GMT
Reminds me of Stockport Precinct, but with a fountain.
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Post by Mr. FOLLARD on Nov 1, 2019 13:49:05 GMT
ano!
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Post by Mr. FOLLARD on Dec 14, 2019 10:28:58 GMT
Trellick Tower and the Barbican Centre, London folks?
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Post by Mr. FOLLARD on Dec 14, 2019 10:30:01 GMT
'oooh I wouldn't like to live there! I'd like to live where FLOWERS and TREES!'
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Post by Deleted on Dec 14, 2019 10:55:34 GMT
This is one of my favourite British buildings, The De La Warr Pavillion in Bexhill on Sea. One of the few examples of really good Modernist architecture in Britain.
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Post by tory on Dec 15, 2019 7:59:27 GMT
'oooh I wouldn't like to live there! I'd like to live where FLOWERS and TREES!' Why wouldn't you? I mean, who really wants to live amongst concrete and flyovers? Why do people gravitate to older places like Bath for example? Because there'a a harmony there that doesn't exist with modern cities. The main reason - the car.
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Post by Mr. FOLLARD on Dec 15, 2019 9:05:21 GMT
I wouldn't want to live in Lowry's Salford either but that doesn't stop me admiring the art.
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Post by tory on Dec 15, 2019 9:24:35 GMT
THAT's the issue.
You can voyeuristically enjoy it and you and others doing it by pontificating about it on magazines, coffee table books and academia in a way justifies it. Posting up pictures in facebook groups ironically enjoying some futurist nightmare as a subset of architectural amusement etc. But some poor cunt HAS to live there.
Can I suggest the Wrath of Gnon for another view on modernism
@wrathofgnon
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Post by Mr. FOLLARD on Dec 15, 2019 9:44:27 GMT
THAT's the issue. You can voyeuristically enjoy it and you and others doing it by pontificating about it on magazines, coffee table books and academia in a way justifies it. Posting up pictures in facebook groups ironically enjoying some futurist nightmare as a subset of architectural amusement etc. But some poor cunt HAS to live there. Not necessarily. And the fact that you see admiration as 'pontification' and any appreciation as 'ironic' says more about you than it does the architecture itself.
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Post by tory on Dec 15, 2019 9:55:37 GMT
Architecture is the most important of all arts because it deals with the very essence of living.
Reducing it to a luxury enjoyed from a distance without appreciating the very substance of what it means to live in such a place is, frankly, an abomination. You can "enjoy" the architecture without having to suffer, on a daily basis, the consequences.
As I said earlier, I grew up in Croydon.
The place is a windswept hellhole in places. I have a friend who "enjoys" Brutalist architecture and regularly blithers on about Czech housing projects. He admires the recently demolished St Georges Walk had marked it as "a to go place" and was sad when it was announced it had to go. I endured St Georges Walk as a graffiti ridden wind tunnel that had declined dreadfully in the last 2 decades. It had its moments, but simply wasn't built properly for its task.
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