Miscellaneous Concrete – Leeds
Construction: Various
Architect: Various
Worsley Medical and Dental Building – Leeds
Construction: 1975
Architect: Building Design Partnership
A very heavy and solid looking building, with vertical concrete strips interspersed with glazed sections.
Subject of a very odd episode of building sites with the artist Damien Hirst
Merrion Centre – Leeds
Construction: 1964
Architect: Gillinson, Barnett & Partners
First opened in 1964, the Merrion Centre recently celebrated its 50th birthday. The photos are of the large office block that rises above the complex. Not a huge amount has changed since the opening, but one of the most obvious things is the shocking plastic cladding which can be seen intruding in the bottom right of the first photo. I just don’t know what people are trying to achieve with plastic cladding of this kind. It ruins the original vision of the building, but surely it isn’t fooling anyone into thinking that this isn’t a huge brutalist beast. While vast concrete blocks aren’t to everyone’s taste, vast concrete blocks with plastic panels stuck to them aren’t to anyone’s taste. Anyway, here’s a charming story about the opening of the centre from the Yorkshire Post:
E C Stoner Building – Leeds
Construction: 1962
Architect: Chamberlin, Powell & Bon
Bank House – Leeds
Construction: 1969-1971
Architect: Building Design Partnership
This building was formerly the regional headquarters of the Bank of England. The design is striking, with each floor cantilevering over the one below forming an inverted ziggurat. Additional texture is added to the surface by the projecting window modules. The whole thing is clad in a smooth grey marble, while I would have preferred an honest smooth concrete finish, I guess that the regional headquarters of the bank of England demands a certain luxurious feel. The building was recently grade II listed.
Brutalist Constructions 