V-TOUR | “Concrete monster” or “architectural gem”? A tour of the Barbican

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Discover the architecture of the Barbican and the philosophy of its architects in this virtual tour of the City of London’s largest post-war development - one that continues to divide opinion today.

Built on an area devastated by the Blitz of WW2, the Barbican Estate was the work of architects Chamberlin, Powell and Bon. Join us as we explore the Barbican and the neighbouring Golden Lane Estate - CPB's first work. We will also look at what was on the site before the war and some of the other proposals for rebuilding that were made.

And we’ll examine whether the pragmatic and urbane Chamberlin, Powell and Bon produced work with a coherent philosophy. Is such a philosophy helpful or is it better to react to the needs and confines of the site?

This ‘online tour’ of one of London’s best-known, but least understood, complex of buildings is by Katherine Davey, who did the well-received virtual tour of the Inns of Court for the Society in the spring.

Photo © Time Out

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