Fire, Water, Modernism is an immersive journey through the majestic post-war architecture of the City of London. We’ll discover the ancient origins of the City, and understand the ways the Square Mile’s historic boundaries, heritage and customs might have informed its modern planning. We will hear about the power and ceremony of London’s Medieval Guilds,… Read More
London, UK Berthold Lubetkin with Ove Arup (1934) Berthold Lubetkin’s seminal Penguin Pool at the London Zoo was an early demonstration of Modernism as a new direction for architecture, and a triumphal showcase of the creative and expressive possibilities of concrete. The pool was built in 1934 by Lubetkin and his firm Tecton, in collaboration… Read More
You’re a ghost on the highway And I’ll love you forever Ghost Highway by Mazzy Star The derelict station at the corner of Melton St. and Drummond St. is partially hidden behind construction fencing. The craftmanship on display is worth a closer look : purple red sang-de-boeuf terracotta tiles cover the boarded up ticket hall.… Read More
Finsbury, London, UK Berthold Lubetkin (1938) In the 1930s the Borough of Finsbury commissioned Berthold Lubetkin’s firm Tecton to deliver a health centre of radical design. The H-shaped building resembled no other hospital that had ever been built before, and encapsulated the technical and aesthetic elements of Modernism. It was a luminous, progressive building, designed… Read More
Watford, UK Erno Goldfinger (1961) Hungarian-born Erno Goldfinger first deployed his tell-tale coloured glass slits at Watford’s Hille House, an office and factory he built between 1959-61. It wasn’t a chance collaboration : the Hille furniture company has an illustrious history in modernist furniture design – including the signature Polyside and Hille chairs, and not… Read More
London, UK E.G. Chandler for the City of London (1973) Colechurch House is a Brutalist office block standing between the Mordor-esque Shard and river Thames, close to London Bridge. In addition to office space, it features shops, a car park, and accommodation in several levels, connected by an elevated walkway and a flight of stairs.… Read More
