Tag Archives: Building

Thamesmead no more.

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/nov/30/cockney-riviera-botched-regeneration-brutalist-utopia-thamesmead

Brutalist and utopia are never two words to be used in the same sentence without negative connotations, but it’s a recurring theme with these building projects. We did, however, experience the “aesthetically pleasing” luxuries of A Clockwork Orange (1971) because of these architectural faux pas. 

Once again: “As we walked along the flatblock marina, I was calm on the outside but thinking all the time. So now it was to be Georgie the General, saying what we should do, and what not to do, and Dim as his mindless, grinning bulldog. But, suddenly, I viddied that thinking was for the gloopy ones, and that the oomny ones used like inspiration and what Bog sends. For now it was lovely music that came to my aid. There was a window open, with a stereo on, and I viddied right at once what to do.”

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Edinburgh rubble.

The new St. James Centre still under construction. I refuse to go in. The former crime against architecture defined eyesore but was imbued with wee personal memories. 

The Virgin Megastore, for example. I stole a manky copy of Sliver (1993) from a car boot sale once and ‘returned’ it to the shop. Got £18 in vouchers and bought The Phantom Menace (1999) and Das Boot (1984) on DVD. 

It might be possible today. Experiment incoming.

And what happened to Sgt. Barnes?

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Robin Hood Gardens gave me nightmares and I’ve only ever seen the photos.

Source: https://iconichouses.org/icons-at-risk/robin-hood-gardens

This has to be one of the ugliest and most depressing constructs I’ve ever seen. It defines ‘eyesore’. Some cursory research and I find it beguiling that this was once trumpeted as social housing magic, the architects banging on about it as a solution to societal ills. Architectural determinism is real, and this … thing completely disregards the ‘Eyes on the Street’ element to design as illuminated in Jane Jacobs’ masterful The Death and Life of Great American Cities.

It’s tragic how buildings like this happened.

This bloke, he nails it:

Further reading:

https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2010/dec/05/robin-hood-gardens-east-london

https://www.archdaily.com/tag/robin-hood-gardens

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This street is special.

For many reasons, but I’ll just stick to a brief summary. The Edinburgh Napier University student halls, three strip clubs, and the local job centre are lined up next to each other. The castle towers above, watching over the flock. It’s like a life lesson, evolution and all that.

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The St. James Centre was an architectural crime.

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One of the very few cases (I wasn’t alive during the bombing of Dresden circa 1945) of rubble being more aesthetically pleasing than the shopping centre that was previously stood there … gawking at folk. It was Medusa in building form.

A horrible thing.

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Chesser House, Edinburgh.

2007

This Orwellian building on Gorgie Road was an eyesore by day. Home to Edinburgh Council ministries, it was a depressing affair trudging past here every morning, the gruesome monument ruining my Fleetwood Mac U.S. Route 66 fantasies.

At night, though, it was gleaming, almost cosy and welcoming. Weird.

And it’s now being converted to yet more apartments. As is the rest of Edinburgh in its present ‘gentrification’ frenzy. Nostalgia will no doubt kick in one day and I’ll start to mourn the metamorphosis of Chesser House.

At this moment in time, though, I’m not bothered. I’ll give it a decade.

Further reading:

https://regencyresidential.co.uk/news/penthouse-plans-for-superflats-in-edinburgh/

https://www.urbanrealm.com/news/7345/Edinburgh_office_to_residential_push_gathers_pace_with_Chesser_House_conversion.html

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Leith Walk trompe-l’œil.

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The highlight of Leith Walk. This reminds me of the (probably apocryphal) pretend convenience stores North Korea parades for tourists. Except this cultural gem has actual real-life Buckfast, and reasonably priced, too.

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Persevere Court, Leith.

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I was pointlessly waddling around Leith and Newhaven again this afternoon in search of existential equilibrium. Sadly, I did not find such a level of spiritual enlightenment. I did, however, locate another treat that adorns the view from Ocean Terminal. They tell me the bad boys go by the name of ‘Persevere Court’. The first thing that popped into my head was: are sprinkler systems installed? The second: the colour scheme must have been designed by someone who has frequented far too many Ryanair flights.

Outrageous scenes.

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Brande skyscraper.

Brande in Denmark has a meagre population of 7,000 and there is very little to distinguish it … until now.

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The Danish clothing company Bestseller, its headquarters in the town, aims to put Brande ‘on the map’ with its construction of a 320-metre skyscraper, newspapers mockingly referring to it as the Tower of Sauron, this an all-seeing ‘evil thing’ in the Lord of the Rings works that didn’t quite make sense. And that wasn’t the end of the nonsensical with those movies – one could have summoned an eagle and had the fucker drop the ring in that volcano.

Anyway, back to Denmark. The skyscraper will house offices, a hotel, and some shops. More shite, just what an unspoiled landscape needs ….

Further reading:

https://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=2020721

https://www.washingtonpost.com/gdpr-consent/?destination=%2fworld%2f2019%2f04%2f01%2fdenmark-will-be-building-europes-tallest-skyscraper-town-could-this-be-new-trend%2f%3f&utm_term=.b83449138357

https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2019/apr/01/like-the-eye-of-sauron-western-europes-tallest-building-planned-for-tiny-danish-town-brande-bestseller

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/tiny-danish-town-plans-build-western-europes-tallest-skyscraper-180971874/

 

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