Balfron Tower is a 26-storey residential building located in the borough of Poplar, within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. The skyscraper was built between 1965 and 1967 as one element of the Brownfield Estate and was designed by Ernő Goldfinger. The form of the Balfron Tower’s architecture draws on the brutalism of the 1960s and foreshadows the solutions Goldfinger later developed in the Trellick Tower, which we wrote about HERE. Since 1996, the building has been on the Register of Historic Buildings, now having the highest Grade II protection. However, this has not protected it from the adverse changes that have taken place in the appearance of the skyscraper following the recent refurbishment.
Architecture of the Balfron Tower
The building is 84 metres high and houses 146 units, including 136 standard flats and 10 two-storey maisonettes. The riser communication has been designed to serve every third floor, meaning that the lift stops at one floor for three levels of flats. The lift shaft was placed in a separate technical tower, connected to the residential area by eight footbridges. Laundry facilities and waste chutes are located in the same tower. The two-storey flats are located on the first and second floors and on levels 15 and 16, which breaks up the rhythm of the façade on the west side. A boiler room was designed at the top of the technical tower, and in the mid-1980s the original concrete flue pipes were replaced with metal ones due to severe material degradation.
Carradale House as an addition to the site
Directly adjacent to the Balfron Tower is Carradale House, a 1970 modernist building also designed by Goldfinger. Its low, elongated massing creates a clear counterpoint to the 84-metre-high tower, and the common architectural language ensures that the two buildings are perceived as a coherent premise. After the project was completed, Goldfinger analysed the solutions used and made adjustments first to Carradale House and then to Trellick Tower. The durability of the detailing has contributed to the good technical condition of the building over the years.
Origins of the name
At the time of development, the two buildings operated under the names Rowlett Street Phases I and II. They were later given names taken from the Scottish towns of Balfron and Carradale, following the naming convention also used on the neighbouring Aberfeldy and Teviot estates. The Brownfield Estate as a whole was designed with great attention to detail and the quality of materials used, which set it apart from many 1960s housing complexes.
History of Balfron Tower
Balfron Tower is closely associated with the person of Ernő Goldfinger. The architect took up residence for two months in an apartment on the 25th floor to find out the residents’ opinions on the building’s operation. Meetings held in his flat made it possible to collect comments that were later reflected in subsequent developments. In 1996, the skyscraper was placed on the Register of Historic Buildings, and a few years later Carradale House was also protected. Both buildings were included in the Balfron Tower Conservation Area. The decisions provoked widespread debate, especially in the context of the lack of analogous protection for another Brutalist housing complex, Robin Hood Gardens.
Brownfield Estate redevelopment
In 2007, following a referendum among tenants, the Tower Hamlets authorities handed over Balfron Tower, Carradale House and the entire Brownfield Estate to the Poplar HARCA housing association. Four years later, an extensive modernisation programme was launched. Led by PRP Architects, the project involved restoring the buildings to their original appearance and bringing them up to current occupancy standards. The work was technically complex, as new installations had to be placed without interfering with the protected façade. Improving the thermal insulation by using insulation on the inside also proved to be a significant challenge. Tenants were offered the opportunity to move to newly built low-rise buildings in the area, and abandoned flats were put up for sale to finance the investment. In the end, it was decided to completely empty the building for safety reasons.
Controversy over the renovation
The refurbishment of Balfron Tower took place several years ago and was carried out in cooperation with a private developer. In the interim, some of the flats were made available to artists, and unit number 123 was used as a so-called heritage flat. In 2014, the former Goldfinger flat was also recreated in 1960s style for an exhibition on Brutalism. The process of selling all the flats sparked protests from residents and community groups, who demanded that part of the stock be retained as council housing. However, the final decision envisaged the full commercialisation of the building, with the exception of a few units preserved in their historic form.
The progressive renovation work was met with criticism from organisations concerned with the preservation of 20th century architecture. Mainly, unfavourable changes to the window frames were pointed out, which were said to weaken the architectural expression of the building. There is no denying the difference, and the skyscraper has lost much of its former spirit.
Source: studioegretwest.com, archdaily.com
Also read: Architecture | UK | London | Brutalism | Skyscraper
