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The Barbican

arslan.io

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Re: The Barbican

#171

Post by eru »

tweetle_beetle wrote: post #134
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…

For a more positive example, you might look at what the 'Housing and Development Board' managed to put up in Singapore. See eg https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Pinnacle@Duxton and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Housing_and_Development_Board in general.

However, I feel like HDB should declare victory and go home.

Re: The Barbican

#173

Post by freyfogle »

pbalau wrote: post #149
freyfogle wrote: post #131

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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 a…

> I was spending a fortune in rent to spend 30 minutes every day handwashing my dishes. Did you used to cook for the seven dwarves and their extended families, every day?

not seven, but yes, I had two small children at the time

Re: The Barbican

#174

Post by sjducb »

aziaziazi wrote: post #161
yardie wrote: post #160

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's very, very expensive to bring something back to operational after decades of neglect. Spend thousands of euros on a car worth at most 1000€ Also, we already have a car. Why would I want someone else's scraps?

Another card noon here, especially in urban motor driving so please excuse my ignorance. In that desperate situation isn’t it cheaper to call a friend to seat on the car and handle the steering wheel while you attach the car to yours with those rods, then pull it to a metal scrapper shop that buy metal by the weight? Without plate, isn’t that car basically a non car but a pile of metal?

If you don’t have a title or ownership history then people think the car is stolen. That’s why scrappers won’t take it.

If you have a title then people will pay you to come and pick it up.

Re: The Barbican

#175

Post by lozenge »

stavros wrote: post #96
darajava wrote: post #92

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah you need tickets for the greenhouse. They're usually sold out for a few days ahead. You don't need a ticket for the rest of it though!

Thank you!

If you take the paid architecture tour, it does have a stop in the greenhouse, but the lights might be off/emergency lighting only.

Re: The Barbican

#176

Post by lozenge »

nbevans wrote: post #93
frereubu wrote: post #85

The apartments are lovely, but the service charges are eye-watering, ranging from around £6,000 per year for a two-bedroom, to £14,400 for the more expensive ones: https://themodernhouse.com/sales-list/thomas-more-house-ii https://themodernhouse.com/sales-list/Lauderdale-Tower-II https://themodernhouse.com/sales-list/willoughby-house https://themodernhouse.com/sales-list/ben-jonson-house-iii And all are sold on that…

6k is pretty typical for any premium apartments in London. That's actually pretty cheap for that location.

Half of the population of the City of London (aka the square mile) is in the Barbican. There is hardly any location to compare it to.

Re: The Barbican

#179

Post by rowanajmarshall »

freyfogle wrote: post #131
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 a…

> There was not only no dishwasher, there was literally no space for a dishwasher.

This is just London, out of the 8 years I've spent here, 3 of them were spent with a dishwasher. Tbh I've got a dishwasher now and barely use it.

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