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The Barbican

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Re: The Barbican

#131

Post by freyfogle »

petercooper wrote: post #4

It's one of my favorite places to spend time when in London. It's comfortable, clean, quiet, aesthetically striking, easy to loaf around at, and there's high brow art in numerous forms to enjoy – it's kinda like BBC Radio 3 if it were a neighborhood. It's also five minutes from the Elizabeth Line and the parking is good which is unusual for the City. It's strikingly non-commercial - there are no chains or even conven…

I lived there for three years, rented a flat. Living in the Barbican was fantastic, livign in my flat was not fantastic. I used to joke it was a time machine to 1965. There was not only no dishwasher, there was literally no space for a dishwasher. Day one that seems funny, a few days later less so. I was spending a fortune in rent to spend 30 minutes every day handwashing my dishes. I did know people who had bought and renovated, they had amazing places. Oddly on my hall of 10 there were 10 flats of which 4 were empty. I don't mean someone just came occasionally I mean 100% empty with no furniture, with rich people just using it as an investment. Overall though was a greart experience, it's a fantasic place.

Re: The Barbican

#132

Post by freyfogle »

justincormack wrote: post #126
DrakeDeaton wrote: post #70

Part of the thinking behind the Barbican's somewhat hidden entrances to the estate and tts maze-like layout was that they would reduce foot traffic, and it totally worked. Not many people use the public estate high-walks as a shortcut to get across the City. This has a wonderful effect wherein you're surrounded by the hustle and bustle of the City, while being just a touch insulated from it. I lived there for the bet…

The whole city was supposed to be covered by high walks, but few are left and the plan didnt work.

If you know where to look there are still a few old wall maps left in the Barbican that show the old high walks

Re: The Barbican

#134

Post by tweetle_beetle »

rriley wrote: post #127

The Barbican is such a striking example of an architectural utopia, built not just as housing, but as a statement about how people could live, work, and engage with culture in one integrated space. Few others worth exploring... Walden 7 (Spain): A labyrinthine, colorful complex by Ricardo Bofill with inner courtyards and skybridges, aiming for a more social urban life based on B.F. Skinner's Walden Two philosophy. Ar…

I'm not sure how to feel about most of those these days. They are iconic and I'm glad that experimental ideas actually made it to completion, but ultimately they have failed at reimagining life for ordinary people.

In the cases of the buildings, over time their value has increased faster than an average dwelling in the vicinity, making them more exclusive and restricting access to those higher and higher up the socio-economic ladder - effectively turning them into gated community without the residents needing to feel the guilt of living behind physical gates.

The buildings are still there, and they have inhabitants, but the investment potential has long outlived any philosophy. I guess you could argue there are some secondary effects from their influence, but I wonder how the architects would feel today.

See also Park Hill https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Park_Hill%2C_Sheffield

Re: The Barbican

#135

Post by munificent »

enneff wrote: post #115
munificent wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Good camera + good lens + good photographer + good processing. Photography is a deeper, more subtle art than a lot of people realize. Two people can take a picture in the exact same location and time and get wildly different results.

It’s hard to explain just how nice Leica lenses can be in the right hands. There is a reason they have a cult like following.

Oh, yeah, but oof the price.

Re: The Barbican

#136

Post by dabreegster »

wgrover wrote: post #28

Here's a cross-section through the theatre portion of the Barbican showing the complexity of the engineering: https://www.reddit.com/r/architecture/comments/5w9ep7/cross_...

This is incredible. I remember failing to hunt some down earlier, but does anyone know of really detailed plans or 3D models?

Re: The Barbican

#137

Post by smusamashah »

yardie wrote: post #61

"There’s an underground parking garage for the residents, but half of it is empty and filled with 20-30-year-old cars whose owners are no longer known." Years ago I bought a flat and it came with an underground parking garage. Once we were settled in I break the garage lock and inside was an old Peugot, cans of old motor oil, and all sorts of junk shoved in between the garage door cracks. It was hell to get rid of th…

As a total noob about the cars or buying flats or the location you are from, my first though was that why didn't you get it fixed and drive it away. But you won't have the papers then. Do the scrap yards not accept it for the same reason?

Re: The Barbican

#138

Post by fch42 »

farslan wrote: post #27
oniony wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah, was not a criticism, merely a "and you think that's all weird, there's also this" kinda statement.

All good, thanks for mentioning it. I really want to visit it. The tour guide said it's open on certain days/hours.

You can booked timed tickets at https://www.barbican.org.uk/whats-on/2025/event/visit-the-co... but when it's open on weekends, one can also often just walk in. It's a great place to visit. Entrance is free.

As far as I'm aware, the Barbican Conservatory (Greenhouse) will close for refurbishment at a point next year though. When you go currently, they'll have details of the plans for public consultation. So see it while you can (or then again in 2030 or so).

Re: The Barbican

#139

Post by ssalazar »

libraryofbabel wrote: post #74
rjmunro wrote: post #17

I'm surprised the article doesn't mention the concert hall. It's one of London's most famous, with almost 2000 seats, and it's the London Symphony Orchestra's main home. Until last lear, The Lead Developer conference ( https://leaddev.com/ ) was held there, but it's moved to a larger venue for this year (I don't think the size of the main hall was the problem, it was the areas for break out etc.) They had a great tal…

The concert hall and theater is indeed the main reason most people who aren’t residents end up in the Barbican. When I lived in London it was almost a classical music rite of passage to get completely lost on the wrong concrete overhead walkway while rushing to get to an LSO concert there. Unrelated, but recently the complex has been appearing in the general consciousness again as the excellent Apple TV series/spy no…

The Agency on Showtime also prominently features the Barbican as the protagonist's residence with a number of great exterior shots.

Re: The Barbican

#140

Post by dgroshev »

Two less mentioned sides of the Barbican that I love:

- how much design work was put into it. So many of it, from little bits and bobs (an awning, an electric socket, a doorframe), to the overall layout are unique to the area they are in and aren't copy-pasted elsewhere! It creates a coherent, but varying ensamble that is vibrant and alive, and is not just a grid of repeated elements.

- relatedly, how deeply organic the maze of the Barbican is. Contrast the raw concrete of the Barbican with the flowing lines of the Walkie-Talkie: one has an organic and smooth shape, but is really a 3D grid of repeated blocks; the other is made entirely of exposed raw concrete, but you never know what you will see around a corner. In this sense, the Barbican is more organic than most modern architecture. It's a place of wonder and surprise.

I love the Barbican.

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