Both were designed in a similar sculptural style by modernist architect Erno Goldfinger, yet Balfron Tower has always lived, metaphorically speaking, in the shadow of its younger and taller sibling. There’s been an attempt to restore some of Goldfinger’s original design intentions, including the reintroduction of communal spaces. Images of the first two refurbed apartments inside London’s iconic Balfron Tower have emerged, and they show a contemporary take on 1960s living. It is 84 metres (276 ft) high and contains 146 homes (136 flats and 10 maisonettes). For many, the Balfron Tower is a brutalist masterpiece, symbolic of an era when social housing was a vehicle for bold, visionary experiments in architecture and design. The separation of the service tower, which houses the lift, from the living accommodation gives the building a distinctive profile, and its finely textured concrete finish and subtle attention to detail resulted in its Grade II listing in 1996. LF: I think of Goldfinger and Balfron as interesting London characters and I love how the building has been used in the past.Balfron has been the backdrop to quite a few films and books and I had read J.G. Padded velvet headboards and geometric wallpaper bring in the spirit of the 60s, contrasted with some more contemporary pieces. Without these technologies, things like personalised recommendations, your account preferences, or localisation may not work correctly. Balfron Tower show apartment interior by 2LG Studio. "Balfron Tower is a very sophisticated building designed by Goldfinger at the mature height of his powers," said James Dunnett, a former apprentice of the … I had the good fortune (thank-you MidCentury Magazine) of attending the National Trust Pop-up event launch party, where I had a chance to meet Mike Goldfinger, the son of Erno Goldfinger, who remembered bringing his children along to visit their grandparents in the tower. Balfron Tower is a 27 storey tower block in Poplar, a district of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets in the East End of London. Photography: Jake Curtis. - secure account login All rights reserved. Balfron Tower show apartment interior by 2LG Studio The show apartments are both accessed from floor 24, and one apartment features an entrance that opens up to a staircase down to the apartment – an original arrangement designed by Ernö Goldfinger. He moved to the United Kingdom in the 1930s, and became a key member of the Modernist architectural movement. It forms part of the Brownfield and Rowlett Estate. W*: What do you find so intriguing about the architecture and story of Balfron Tower? It was about bringing Balfron Tower up-to-date and we talked a lot about creating the ‘ghost of Goldfinger’. ‘Retro-futurist’ interiors bring brutalist Balfron Tower up to date Helen Crane Since it opened in 1967, the 26-storey Balfron Tower in Poplar has gone full-circle. Apartments are for sale now, with prices starting at £365,000 for a one-bedroom flat. - remembering privacy and security settings As the culmination of ‘Balfron Season’, a festival of activity arranged by Bow Arts, the National Trust opened a flat to the public in a fortnight-long Pop-up event. The covers have started to come off at east London’s Balfron Tower and the Twentieth Century Society doesn’t like what it sees. These are just two of the 146 homes that will be on offer once the apartment block is complete. - to understand how you got to our web properties Residents will have access to a table tennis room and library, as well as a gym and private cinema. WHEN Ernő Goldfinger built Balfron Tower in east London in 1967, he encapsulated the post-war theme of creating residential ‘streets in the sky’. Balfron Tower is a collection of 146, one, two, three and four bedroom apartments in one of London's most iconic brutalist buildings, located within the heart of Poplar and its regeneration area. If you fancy living in your own mid century home, fantasy or reality, check out Jeremy Tracey’s website  thehouseoftomorrow.co.uk for some serious inspiration. MidCentury Magazine. - ensuring secure, safe transactions As part of the stock transfer Offer from Tower Hamlets Council, Poplar HARCA promised to renovate the building internally and externally. We do this with social media, marketing, and analytics partners (who may have their own information they’ve collected). Flat 130 in the Balfron Tower – in pictures 0 For two weeks the National Trust is opening flat 130 in the Balfron Tower, Poplar, to the public. Images of the first two refurbed apartments inside London’s iconic Balfron Tower have emerged, and they show a contemporary take on 1960s living. I wonder if one of my grandchildren will attend a National Trust sponsored Pop-up event in 46 years time in one of the flats that are to be built on the site? Distinctive for its separate service tower, it was Grade II-listed in 1996, upgraded to Grade II* in October 2015, and has long been one of the GLC’s most celebrated blocks of social housing. Ab: “Well we developed the brief with the client, which is something we like to do as a studio. The Balfron Tower by architect Erno Goldfinger is an iconic Brutalist residential high rise located in … Goldfinger’s vision for a better way of living and included communal facilities in the lift tower, such as a “jazz/pop” room for music. It was approved in 1965 and completed in 1971, containing 146 flats. It is ironic that Brutalism embodies an ideology that advocates for using the bare minimum, whilst the luxury estate developer Londonnewcastle is one of the main players in this gentrification scheme. 3 where the evidence for these claims lies. Balfron Tower show apartment interior by 2LG Studio The show apartments are both accessed from floor 24, and one apartment features an entrance that opens up to a staircase down to the apartment – an original arrangement designed by Ernö Goldfinger. The timing of my visit was rather apropos as I was in the midst of reading John Grindrod’s Concretopia, an excellent book about post-war British architecture. Balfron was built between 1965 and 67 for the Greater London Council (GLC), overlooking the A12’s heavily-used northern approach to the Blackwall Tunnel. Ab Rogers show apartment. Tower Hamlets council’s approval for the scheme came months after then-heritge minister Tracey Crouch approved the upgrading of Balfron Tower to grade II*. Bodleian Libraries Chair is Isokon Plus’s most recent collaboration with designers Edward Barber and Jay Osgerby. Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE - personalised ads One possible explanation is simply the style it has come to symbolise – its categorisation as a ‘leading example of so-called Brutalist architecture’.14 In 2000, Simon Jenkins in the Times wrote: the 24-storey Balfron Tower by … The Brutalist-style building was a striking addition to the neighborhood and London skyline from the very beginning—and one of Europe’s tallest structures at the time. - showing relevant, targeted ads on and off our web properties Two bedroom apartments from £475,000 Balfron Tower is a collection of 146, one, two, three and four bedroom apartments in one of London's most iconic brutalist buildings, located within the heart of Poplar and its regeneration area. 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