Elizabeth House – Leicester
Construction: 1976-1979
Architect: John Middleton
After leaving Leicester railway station you are immediately greeted by the sight of this handsome tower. The understated raw grey of Elizabeth House stands in sharp contrast to the gaudy blue of nearby St Georges Tower, which was quite a looker before it was clad.
Bewick Court – Newcastle
Construction: 1970
Architect: Taylor Woodrow Construction
With its original concrete skin covered in plastic cladding, I’m not sure that the look of this building appeals to anyone. It is notable, however, for its position astride John Dobson Street. The tower, along with a small piazza, sit atop a concrete platform spanning the four lane road. A network of raised walkways connect the platform with several neighbouring buildings and the square behind Pearl Assurance House. This is a small part of the now faded dream of a pedestrianised city, raised on concrete above the noisy and polluted road network.
Centre City Tower – Birmingham
Construction: 1972-1975
Architects: Richard Seifert & Parntners
Arts Tower – Sheffield
Construction: 1961-1966
Architects: Gollins, Melvin, Ward & Partners
While the raw concrete aesthetic of brutalism was the accepted style for British public sector building in the 60s and 70s, the steel and glass style inspired by the work of German architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe was popular in the private sector. Somewhat unusually for an educational building of the time, Sheffield Arts Tower clearly displays a Miesean influence, bearing more than a passing resemblance to van der Rohe’s 1958 Seagram Building in New York. The brutalist influence is there however, as the grey blue steel and glass structure sits atop 16 raw concrete piers and a raised concrete walkway links the mezzanine level to the Western Bank library next door.
The building also contains one of the last remaining paternoster lifts in the UK, which is great fun.
Brutalist Constructions 