Join other London ii members for a short insider’s tour of the Barbican Estate followed by drinks and discussion on large-scale residential estate architecture and Brutalism. Interintellect member and Estate Resident Hamish Robertson will be joined by Lukas Rosenstock from Germany to co-host this relaxed evening in Central London.

The Barbican Estate is one of the UK’s most iconic post-war buildings and is regarded as one of the foremost examples of the Brutalist styles. With an unusual mix of cultural, educational and residential uses, coupled with dramatic landscaping features, this short tour will show the estate from the inside and stimulate debate over how successful this style of architecture can be for those using it.

If you’re an ii member and have always wanted to learn a little bit more about the Barbican estate, then this will be a fun introduction. Taking you to places the official tour can’t (including inside one of the flats), you’ll get to see it from a new angle and hear what it’s like to live there. Together we can explore what we think of the architectural style of the estate and whether it achieved what the architects intended.

To keep things simple, please bring any drinks and snacks you would like to consume on the evening as we will not be going to a bar. Remember to bring a glass and corkscrew! The meeting point will be sent out ahead of the event, and Spaces will be limited.

Recommended Readings:

• The Beautiful Brutal Barbican: https://heritagecalling.com/2022/02/28/brutal-and-beautiful-the-story-of-londons-barbican/
• The Barbican over the Years (Video):
  • https://heritagecalling.com/2022/02/28/brutal-and-beautiful-the-story-of-londons-barbican/
  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JXZtpRKjVSo
• The History of High-Rise Housing in London: https://www.academyofurbanism.org.uk/from-concrete-to-glass-the-post-war-trajectory-of-londons-high-rise-housing/
• The Dream and Decline of Modernist Social Housing in South London: https://medium.com/@alex.whitwell/the-dream-and-decline-of-post-war-modernist-social-housing-in-south-london-ee525f353ef6
• British Houses of the Future: https://www.scienceandmediamuseum.org.uk/objects-and-stories/british-post-war-architecture-modernism-futurism