The architect Erno Goldfinger is indelibly associated with the Trellick Tower, the once-derided concrete edifice on London’s western fringes that bucked anti-Brutalist sentiment to become one of the capital’s most desirable designer pied-a-terres.
About ten miles due east sits the Trellick’s still lesser-known sibling, the Balfron Tower. Completed in 1967, it predates Trellick by five years and was something of a testbed for the architect’s quest to perfect the interaction between apartments, services, and surroundings. After completion, the Goldfingers took their own apartment in the Balfron, number 130, and ran champagne-fuelled consultancies with the residents to hone the way the flats were laid out; ideas that were taken forward with the Trellick.
The Balfron still stands as bold and robust as it did the day it opened. Living spaces are generous by today’s paltry standards, and every apartment is dual aspect, with views west over the City and east towards Essex. Of course, the Balfron also hasn’t been without its problems. Goldfinger embedded services deep within the core, making upgrading problematic, destructive and expensive. Fancy ideas like tennis courts and integral sandpits were never properly used and there were the usual problems with lifts, lights and insulation.
Ultimately, while the Trellick benefited hugely from the uplift of its west London location, turning it into a desirable (and expensive) place to live, the Balfron lost out in the location stakes. Looming large over the approach road to the Blackwall Tunnel, close to East India Dock Road, it lords over a long-overlooked stretch of London that can practically touch the silvery towers of Canary Wharf; although didn’t have the chance to benefit from similar investment up till now.
Change is afoot. Poplar HARCA, a local housing association, has a major refurbishment underway. Carradale House, the low rise Goldfinger block alongside the Balfron, has already been given a substantial overhaul, and the next step is to tackle the tower.
In this interim state, the Balfron Tower finds itself the central hub of new British Council-led mini festival - itself part of the wider London Festival of Architecture programme. New Perspectives: A Celebration at Balfron on 21 June is described as a ’vertical carnival’, with a collection of in-tower installations by interior design students from the RCA, weaving narratives and performances around the building.
As well as playing host to the RCA, the tower will contain an exhibition related to the British Council’s International Architecture Showcase, an ongoing programme that looks at how émigrés and outsiders have shaped the city. Pairing international architects with London firms, a set of ten teams are working on a new idea for the tower itself and its surroundings. Elsewhere, there are walking tours, artist talks, film screenings and a rooftop panel event, offering up London as a backdrop to a discussion on the émigré architecture in London over the decades. Seize a rare chance to take a skyline tour of London from a new perspective.
In the interim, the Balfron Tower finds itself the central hub of new British Council-led vertical festival: New Perspectives: A Celebration at Balfron on 21 June
Completed in 1967, the Balfron predates the architect's more famous tower - the Trellick - in West London, by five years, and was something of testbed for the architect's quest to perfect the interaction between apartments, services, and surroundings
A tower containing the vertical circulation is linked to the main body of the building, where the apartments are connected by bridges
Vertical slits in the lift and staircase volume bring soft light into the circulation areas
After completion, the architect himself took residence in one of the flats
Corridors leading to the apartments wrap each side of the building
The apartments are generous in size and each have outside balcony space
Impressive London views to the East and West of the city are the Balfron's strongest selling point
ADDRESS
Balfron Tower,
St Leonards Road,
London E14 0QT
-
The Yale Center for British Art, Louis Kahn’s final project, glows anew after a two-year closureAfter years of restoration, a modernist jewel and a treasure trove of British artwork can be seen in a whole new light
-
How Le Corbusier defined modernismLe Corbusier was not only one of 20th-century architecture's leading figures but also a defining father of modernism, as well as a polarising figure; here, we explore the life and work of an architect who was influential far beyond his field and time
-
For a taste of Greece, head to this playful new restaurant in London’s ChelseaPachamama Group’s latest venture, Bottarga, dishes up taverna flavours in an edgy bistro-style setting
-
Are Derwent London's new lounges the future of workspace?Property developer Derwent London’s new lounges – created for tenants of its offices – work harder to promote community and connection for their users
-
Showing off its gargoyles and curves, The Gradel Quadrangles opens in OxfordThe Gradel Quadrangles, designed by David Kohn Architects, brings a touch of playfulness to Oxford through a modern interpretation of historical architecture
-
A Norfolk bungalow has been transformed through a deft sculptural remodellingNorth Sea East Wood is the radical overhaul of a Norfolk bungalow, designed to open up the property to sea and garden views
-
A new concrete extension opens up this Stoke Newington house to its gardenArchitects Bindloss Dawes' concrete extension has brought a considered material palette to this elegant Victorian family house
-
A former garage is transformed into a compact but multifunctional spaceA multifunctional, compact house by Francesco Pierazzi is created through a unique spatial arrangement in the heart of the Surrey countryside
-
A 1960s North London townhouse deftly makes the transition to the 21st CenturyThanks to a sensitive redesign by Studio Hagen Hall, this midcentury gem in Hampstead is now a sustainable powerhouse.
-
Manchester United and Foster + Partners to build a new stadium: ‘Arguably the largest public space in the world’The football club will spend £2 billion on the ambitious project, which co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has described as the ‘world's greatest football stadium’
-
An architect’s own home offers a refined and leafy retreat from its East London surroundingsStudioshaw has completed a courtyard house in amongst a cluster of traditional terraced houses, harnessing the sun and plenty of greenery to bolster privacy and warmth
