60's and 70's architecture getting demolished

Do you think the demolishment of 60's and 70's buildings is good, or bad

  • Good - out with the old ugly architecture, in with the new

    Votes: 4 19.0%

  • Bad - they reflect the period in history which they were built and will be lost for good

    Votes: 2 9.5%

  • Keep some, lose others

    Votes: 15 71.4%
  • Total voters
    21
It's not unlike how art-deco style buildings from the 20s/30s were cleared away without a thought, but the style is now generally well thought of.

Some of the high street 'modern' stuff seems awfully self-conscious, and relies too much on fake attempts to copy detailing from other periods.
It's as if architecture has lost its way - does not apply to landmark building such as Gherkin or Shard.
 
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Its a great shame a lot of the Arc Deco stuff is gone. Luckily I am near a Charles Rennie Mackintosh house which is at the forefront of this era, and there are a few nice buildings in Glasgow from this era. I'm sad there isn't more.
 
i agree it is a shame,

the elephant and castle london there is a block of flats, that fell into disrepair, because the council couldnt be arsed, and has now been sold on to a developer, this is a shame, because if you look at the original plans and original photo's if it was just tarted up, it would still look amazing
 
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Personally I think most of the concrete buildings are awful and lack any merit other than to either house someone or something. The sooner these soulless eyesores are removed the better imho.
 
The same thing is about to happen here at Folkestone Harbour as the Pilot watch tower, built in the 60's, is about to be razed to the ground. For the most part, it is a bit of an eyesore as I can see it from my front garden, but I will miss it once it's gone where the southern horizon is going to look quite bare without it. It's a bit like an ornament you never really cared for but you kept in in the room anyway because it has been part of the furniture for so long.

I took this a couple of years ago . . .

WatchtowerHDR.jpg
 
daugirdas said:
I want to shoot every single demolition of these :p Gritty urban and concrete are my pet hates when it comes to architecture.
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You just wanna move 'em on for Stock.

I'm in a mixed view, a lot of 60-70's archityecture is undeniably ugly, but its part of our heritigage, and some are quite quircky/interesting. A lot of Art Deco stuff is gone, and thats a shame.
 
I live in a house that was built in 1968 and it's fairly unassuming, light and spacious. I voted for keeping some but if I think about it I don't think there are too many buildings from the era that are worth preserving.

In my local town Of Cheltenham I can think of two 1960's commercial blocks that are lined up for demolition and nearby Gloucester suffered terribly post war as lots of the old architecture was replaced with acres of concrete, horizontally and vertically - they're trying to get rid of it as quickly as they can.

We perhaps shouldn't be too hasty as there are some notable buildings - tower blocks have become desirable in some areas and there was a case fairly recently where a 'brutalist' style of bus station was saved from demolition, I forget where offhand but it would have been derided ten years ago.
 
it's not just about the outside of these buldings but the insides are often not suitable
 
Is demolishment the same as knocking stuff down? ;)
 
ST4 said:
I'm in a mixed view, a lot of 60-70's archityecture is undeniably ugly, but its part of our heritigage, and some are quite quircky/interesting. A lot of Art Deco stuff is gone, and thats a shame
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The Tricorn building in Portsmouth would have been in this category. It was truly horrible, but now it's gone, I sometimes think they should have kept it - if only as an example of how not to design buildings.


Steve.
 
Steve Smith said:
The Tricorn building in Portsmouth would have been in this category. It was truly horrible, but now it's gone, I sometimes think they should have kept it - if only as an example of how not to design buildings.


Steve.
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Just now it's seen as truly horrible bit future generations may never get the chance to make that judgement.

The 50s to 70s mark the time where true modernisation came in our buildings and cultures. Seems a shame to demolish all of it
 
The Tower at the Elephant & Castle was ugly in 1979 when I first saw it, and I doubt anything would make it look better, apart from a few sticks of dynamite!
Irrespective of that, I think many of the concrete monstrosities are coming down due to 'concrete cancer' rather than an attempts to make the skylines look nicer.
 
Steve Smith said:
It's was considered ugly as soon as it was built!

tricorn-6.jpg


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tricorn_Centre

And you appear to have invented a new word with demolishment!



Steve.
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They could massively improve it by installing aluminium shell, coloured panels and some art. The shape isn't terrible, it just needs better colour, texture and something on top. (As it is it looks more than terrible though).

P.S. 90% of Coventry centre needs flattening down again :p
 
ST4 said:
Its a great shame a lot of the Arc Deco stuff is gone. Luckily I am near a Charles Rennie Mackintosh house which is at the forefront of this era, and there are a few nice buildings in Glasgow from this era. I'm sad there isn't more.
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Charing Cross in Glasgow is a disaster zone as far as architectural destruction goes. Dundee is also a disgrace when it came to clearing old historical buildings for brutal modernist architecture.

I do like all forms of architecture, it's just not that great when it's all mashed together as remnants of one council decision after another.
 
ST4 said:
Nope, explosions are used to bring tall tower blocks down not a wrecking ball
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My mistake. I thought that was demolition :-)
 
I visit a lot of building sites in London where a Tower block has been knocked down because people hated living in it....


and they're replacing them with a new blocks that are "more environmently friendly"....but with less room !
 
I quite like concrete buildings like the tricorn - they are quite basic but I really like the minimalist utilitarian look to it - I'd prefer more buildings to be like this but people seem to like "pretty" buildings these days. The barbican centre also has a really nice design to it - I like the concept of all vehicles running underneath in tunnels and a separate "podium" level for pedestrians and concrete walkways connecting all the buildings.
 
mrgubby said:
I visit a lot of building sites in London where a Tower block has been knocked down because people hated living in it....


and they're replacing them with a new blocks that are "more environmently friendly"....but with less room !
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As long as it has quadruple price tag attached to the walls Londoners will have it :( I've seen one of those new flats myself (outside of London). I would hazard a guess prisons have larger solitary confinement cells!
 
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