Reimagining Urban Life: New Brutalism in Post-War London
A look at the history of New Brutalism, an architectural style which emerged in Britain in the 1950s, could provide valuable lessons for contemporary urban planners as we navigate a housing crisis.
Source: Wikimedia Commons (The Barbican Centre)
The end of the Second World War in September 1945 provided the opportunity for a new beginning in Britain. With the election of Clement Attlee’s Labour government arrived an era of social justice, starting with the creation of the welfare state and the NHS. Like most of Europe, the country had been decimated – but London had been hit particularly badly. Over 70,000 buildings had been completely destroyed by bombing, with a further 1.7 million badly damaged. In short, the city was in need of rebuilding and, combined with sharp population growth after the war, by 1950 Britain urgently needed to provide housing. Amidst this zeitgeist of societal optimism and opportunity, successive governments sought urban solutions that would be of high-quality and adequate for the needs of their residents.
In interwar Europe, architects had begun to experiment with increasingly abstract solutions to urban expansion. Among them were the Bauhaus School in Weimar Germany, Le Corbusier in France, and Moisei Ginzburg in the USSR. In interwar Britain, such ideas had failed to take hold; people continued to reside primarily in Victorian-era terraced housing. But as the nation rebuilt after the war, architects increasingly looked back to their European counterparts for inspiration. Alison and Peter Smithson’s now infamous Hunstanton School, built in 1954, set a precedent for what was dubbed “New Brutalism.” Characterised by minimalism, open spaces and natural light, this style appealed to the British government because it was stylish and could be achieved with relatively cheap materials. Accordingly, from the 1960s, New Brutalism would prove to define the urban landscape of post-war Britain, with some of the finest examples built in London.
Source: Wikimedia Commons (Neave Brown's Alexandra Road Estate)
In 1968, the London Borough of Camden commissioned architect Neave Brown to design the Alexandra Road Estate near St John’s Wood. Having studied at the Architectural Association in the 1950s, Brown was heavily influenced by the New Brutalist movement. The back of the estate can be seen from the West Coast Main Line to Euston: from this angle it is a sheer wall of concrete, completely unapologetic in its brutality. But the objective beauty of Brown’s work, like much work in this style, lies in the interior. Alexandra Road consists of two rows of sloped concrete blocks facing each other, each lined with balconies covered in greenery. Separated by a pedestrianised tiled walkway, the estate paradoxically balances privacy with openness to foster a sense of community among the harsh surfaces. As is common in New Brutalism, the apartments themselves utilise open-plan design, sliding doors and an abundance of natural light to open up the spaces. This project, and Brown’s work generally, captured the essence of housing solutions in the 60s: that social housing could – and should – be stylish, modern and user-friendly.
Source: Wikimedia Commons (Ernő Goldfinger's Trellick Tower)
Brown remains a celebrated figure for his New Brutalist work, but others have proved more polarising. Ernő Goldfinger, a Hungarian-born architect who moved to Britain in the 1930s, is one such figure. Among his most staunch critics was Ian Fleming, the creator of James Bond, who despised his work to such an extent that he rather amusingly named the villain Goldfinger after him. Nevertheless, the Hungarian was an integral part of Britain’s post-war housing revolution. The tower block was a well-established concept by the 1960s, but as many were marred by crime and poor maintenance, Goldfinger sought to rejuvenate the concept. In 1967 he commissioned the Balfron Tower in Poplar, followed by its more famous counterpart in Kensal Town, the Trellick Tower, in 1972. Both are categorised by their dual-tower design: one tower holds utilities such as laundry, rubbish collection and elevator shafts, while the other contains the housing units. The towers are linked by a series of sky-bridges. Goldfinger believed that by separating the noisy, disruptive aspects of tower block living from the dwellings, he could make living in them more appealing. Despite his vision, by the 1970s tower blocks had become unfashionable, and his Trellick Tower too had become particularly infamous for crime. But in contemporary London, his towers are considered to be among the finest examples of New Brutalism in the world, and both are Grade II listed.
The Barbican Estate is arguably the most famous example of New Brutalism in London. Architectural firm Chamberlin, Powell and Bon was commissioned to build the estate in 1965 following the success of their neighbouring Golden Lane Estate. Unlike many architecturally comparable buildings of the era, it was marketed towards the middle and upper classes, and as such tried to address the social problems that made estates unattractive elsewhere. Loosely inspired by a castle that once occupied the site, the Barbican shields itself with featureless high walls and deters anti-social behaviour by having no obvious entrance. Within its boundaries, the estate houses an intricate collection of water features, gardens and pedways to create an oasis within the city. The architects also consciously integrated cultural facilities into the project, most notably the Barbican Centre for performing arts. Though the Barbican marked a departure from the socialist roots of New Brutalism, it perhaps represents the pinnacle of innovation in housing development at the time.
The New Brutalism movement divided opinion at its peak and continues to do so. But does it have any additional relevance today beyond controversy? Much like Britain faced a housing shortage after the war, Britons again face a housing crisis in the modern era. Government attempts to alleviate these problems by adding to an already endless network of architecturally ambiguous suburbs are failing. But, much like architects in post-war Britain looked back to the modernist movements of interwar Europe for inspiration, modern-day urban planners could seek lessons from New Brutalism. Indeed, architects in post-war Britain were driven by a desire to revolutionise urban life and, most importantly, make it accessible to all. Their projects – while not always successful – were radical and innovative. As we navigate our own housing crisis, it would certainly be valuable to remind ourselves of these principles.