{"id":28915,"date":"2021-01-19T16:07:46","date_gmt":"2021-01-19T16:07:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsblogsnew.ihbc.org.uk\/?p=28915"},"modified":"2023-11-14T17:42:58","modified_gmt":"2023-11-14T17:42:58","slug":"ihbc-features-heritage-from-the-international-doorstep-destruction-of-brutalist-architecture-in-north-of-england-prompts-outcry","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk\/?p=28915","title":{"rendered":"IHBC features \u2018Heritage from the (international) doorstep\u2019: Destruction of brutalist architecture in north of England prompts outcry"},"content":{"rendered":"

Some of the finest examples of brutalist architecture in the north of England are at risk of being torn down according to a photographer who believes a crucial part of the country\u2019s architectural history could be lost in the process, writes MSN News.<\/em><\/h3>\n

<\/p>\n

\u2026 changing tastes, shrinking council budgets and a derogatory view of concrete\u2026<\/span><\/em><\/h2>\n

\u2026 some of the original design elements and aesthetic were still in evidence\u2026<\/span><\/em><\/h2>\n

MSN News<\/em>, from The<\/em> Guardian<\/em>, writes:<\/p>\n

Simon Phipps, the photographer behind the book\u00a0Brutal North<\/a>, a survey of brutalist architecture in the north of England, said that a mix of mismanagement and a general undervaluing of brutalism was leading to unnecessary demolition.<\/p>\n

Phipps said changing tastes, shrinking council budgets and a\u00a0derogatory view of concrete construction<\/a>\u00a0had left many buildings without the support needed to secure the necessary repairs.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat maligned view has been exacerbated by the lack of maintenance that many of these buildings have received,\u201d he said. \u201cPark Hill [in Sheffield] was allowed to run into a terrible state before it was then decided that it had to be sold to developers \u2026 that\u2019s what happens with a lot of these buildings.\u201d<\/p>\n

Some of the buildings Phipps surveyed in his book have been earmarked for redevelopment, such as the\u00a0High Point Building in Bradford<\/a>, which was once the headquarters of the Yorkshire Building Society.<\/p>\n

However, several others, including a cluster on the former UMIST campus at the University of Manchester, Carlisle Civic Centre, and both the Dorman Long tower and Steel House on Teeside, are at risk….<\/p>\n

Campaigns including the #SOSBrutalism movement, which started in the mid-2010s, and the style\u2019s popularity on Instagram \u2013 where there have been more than half a million\u00a0#brutalism<\/a>\u00a0posts \u2013 are helping to change its image as a cold, depressing aesthetic favoured by authoritarian regimes in the postwar period.<\/p>\n

Phipps said the argument for demolishing and rebuilding did not have environmental credibility because of the huge amount of carbon that went into constructing them, calling the environmental impact of demolition \u201cincredibly damaging and wasteful\u201d.<\/p>\n

He said: \u201cI think that\u2019s a forceful argument for repurposing, refurbishing and developing new uses for these buildings.\u201d<\/p>\n

Phipps favours repurposing that does not hide brutalist elements. \u201cFrom my point of view, it\u2019s obviously much better if it\u2019s repurposed in a sympathetic way,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m not saying everything has to be retained about them but it would be good if some of the original design elements and aesthetic were still in evidence.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brutalist buildings at risk<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Sunderland Civic Centre<\/strong><\/p>\n

Designed by the Ludwig Mies van der Rohe-influenced\u00a0John Bonnington<\/a>\u00a0in the 1970s, the council HQ is in need of an estimated\u00a0\u00a35m of repairs and renovations<\/a>. The local council has opted to move to a new \u00a342m base instead, with the Bonnington building potentially being redeveloped as housing.<\/p>\n

Dorman Long\u00a0<\/strong>tower and Steel House, Teeside<\/strong><\/p>\n

This concrete duo are remnants of the area\u2019s industrial past and have been earmarked for destruction as part of a \u00a3150m demolition project. Historians and MPs have added their voices to\u00a0a campaign<\/a>\u00a0to save the\u00a0buildings<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Barnes Wallis Building and Renold Building, Manchester<\/strong><\/p>\n

The future of these two buildings, which were designed by the Mancunian firm Cruickshank and Seward in the 1960s and sit on the former UMIST site, depends on a yet-to-be-finalised\u00a0\u00a31.5bn redevelopment plan<\/a>. The University of Manchester has not guaranteed they will be retained, despite support from figures such as the musician\u00a0Johnny Marr<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Carlisle Civic Centre<\/strong><\/p>\n

A \u00a33.6m redevelopment plan was given the go-aheadthis year after the headquarters for the city council were\u00a0severely damaged by flooding in 2015<\/a>. Plans include the demolition of the two-storey Octagon annex, which housed the council chambers and was first opened in 1964.<\/p>\n

Read more….<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Some of the finest examples of brutalist architecture in the north of England are at risk of being torn down according to a photographer who believes a crucial part of the country\u2019s architectural history could be lost in the process, … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-28915","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-ihbc-newsblog"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28915","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=28915"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28915\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":38237,"href":"https:\/\/newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28915\/revisions\/38237"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=28915"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=28915"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=28915"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}