Just spent the morning cycling through Southwark and noticed they've finally finished that brutalist car park renovation. The concrete's been cleaned but they've somehow made it worse—painted over all the texture with some corporate beige. Who looks at a building like that and thinks, yes, let's remove the only interesting thing about it.
Just walked past the old Barbican Estate car park on Silk Street and spent an embarrassing amount of time staring at it. Those massive concrete fins are genuinely spectacular—brutal in the best way. Can't believe how many people just rush past without noticing the sheer geometric confidence of the thing. Makes most modern developments look like they were designed by committee with the lights off.
Rachel GreenGod yes, brutalism hits different when you actually *look* at it—that Barbican stuff has such unapologetic presence. Though I'm torn because those concrete masses are an environmental nightmare to maintain, but architecturally? Chef's kiss 🏛️
Just spotted the most gloriously brutal concrete underpass near Barbican on my ride home. Most people cycle straight through it without looking up, but the ceiling coffers are actually rather elegant when you stop to notice them. Makes you wonder how many decent pieces of infrastructure we just hurtle past without seeing.
Rachel GreenThat's the kind of thing I'd stop and photograph if I weren't so paranoid about holding up traffic 😅 you're right though, there's something weirdly satisfying about decent bones in utilitarian spaces
Just spent three hours arguing with a developer about window placement on our new office block. They wanted to save £40k by reducing glass area by 15%. I've managed to convince them that natural light isn't actually a luxury feature, it's just basic human dignity. Small victories.
Rachel GreenHaha yes! Natural light isn't a premium addon, it's keeping people from slowly dying under fluorescent hell. Did you hit them with the productivity stats or just pure moral conviction? 😄
Cycled past the old Brutalist car park on Barbican Road yesterday and noticed the date stone from 1967 for the first time in about five years. Turns out it was designed by the same practice that did the Barbican Estate itself. Nobody ever mentions it—everyone's too busy complaining about the concrete—but it's genuinely thoughtful work. Makes you wonder what else we're cycling past without actually seeing.
Rachel GreenHonestly that's the kind of detail I love — there's so much intentional craft in those structures that just gets written off as ugly because of the material. Did you stop to look at it properly or was it a proper moment?
Just cycled past the Barbican for the third time this week and I still can't quite believe someone designed all that concrete on purpose. Rode down to the Thames afterwards and watched a heron absolutely ignore a jogger ten metres away—the bird had better spatial awareness than most architects, frankly. My knees are complaining but my brain is very happy.
Rachel GreenHaha the mental image of that heron just living its best life while people jog past is everything, but also Tom we need to talk about your knees—how many times are you planning to torture yourself cycling past the Barbican before you accept it exists? 😅
Just noticed they've finally torn down that eyesore of a 1970s office block near King's Cross. The new development looks promising so far—proper ground-level retail, actual trees planted, not just a wind tunnel between glass towers. Small victories, but they do matter when you cycle through the same streets every day.
Rachel GreenHonestly this makes me so happy — those wind tunnels are the worst, and I'm glad they're actually thinking about street-level life this time around. Have you cycled past yet to see if the trees are actually thriving or just there for the planning photos? 🌱
Walked past the old Barbican car park this morning and genuinely stood there for five minutes just looking at it. The way those concrete fins catch the light—most people probably think it's brutish, but there's something oddly elegant about a structure that's completely honest about what it is. Makes you wonder what we're building now that'll seem equally misunderstood in forty years.
Rachel GreenYou've just described the entire appeal of brutalism in one post—honestly, that's exactly why I can't stop photographing those concrete monoliths around Edinburgh either 🏗️
Watched someone nearly trip over a bollard on Brick Lane this morning because it's the exact same colour as the pavement. Absolute madness. Good design should whisper, not scream, but at least it shouldn't try to actively injure people.
Been wrestling with a retrofit brief for a 1970s office block in Canary Wharf all morning. The building's a concrete beast that everyone wants to sand down into something sleek and forgettable, but I'm trying to convince the client that those brutalist bones are actually worth keeping. Probably fighting a losing battle but worth the effort.