Demolition by tennyson / wood
A long campaign for the iconic Brutalist estate Robin Hood Gardens to be listed as a Historic England heritage site came to a shuddering halt after ultimately being refused as it was not considered the best standard for its type of Smithson's buildings. Therefore, demolition to the eastern block has been underway for the last couple of months. In light of this, the Victoria and Albert Museum recently announced that it has preserved a fragment of the building to be exhibited at the Venice Biennale. We were able to visit the site to document the progress of the preservation by the V&A as well as the demolition.
Further Demolition by tennyson / wood
The museum has acquired a sizeable portion of the western block to add to their collection. A three-storey section was removed before demolition, preserving the precast concrete exterior facade, a maisonette interior, part of the stairwell as well as an example of its famous elevated walkway.
Robin Hood Gardens West by tennyson / wood
The development was designed by Alison and Peter Smithson, after receiving the commission in 1966 from the Greater London Council. The husband and wife partnership were tasked with constructing a post-war modernist housing estate, using their already internationally celebrated New Brutalism ideologues. The couple set out to create a new way of living, their focus not purely architectural, but to break antisocial attitudes common in city dwellers by devising components that encourage relationships between residents and design safe spaces for neighbouring children to play together. Their work was void of the typical tower blocks, promising to create 'a more enjoyable way of living' in a good quality and affordable industrial construct.
Robin Hood Gardens East by tennyson / wood
The estate comprised of two low-rise blocks housing a combination of flats and maisonettes, which were originally intended to persuade social diversity among the residents. Their stacked elevated walkways, known as “streets in the sky" aimed to recreate the feeling of a traditional community felt among terraced houses' residents in the East End.
Eastern Façade by tennyson / wood
The exterior walls were lined with innovative noise-reducing exterior concrete fins to dull the noise generated by the two busy roads that run either side. Bedrooms and kitchens overlooked a small access deck and communal garden beneath with a large mound at its centre so the greenery could be enjoyed even at the highest level, among the mass of grey. Cars were restricted to sunken moat garages on the outer sides of the buildings to safe-guard their stress-free central zone. The public garden, wide walkways and play-pits were elements employed by the Smithsons to encourage social interaction between neighbours.
Garden View East by tennyson / wood
The couple's Utopian hopes were dashed soon after completion by frequent acts of vandalism and a rise in crime including violence and drug-dealing, a far cry from the social community they had envisioned. The building was the Smithson’s first and only attempt at social housing. A later revision of the estate closed off the play-pits and foyers to heighten the security.
Street in the Sky by tennyson / wood
As we walked along one of the intact western block walkways, we only encountered a few solitary residents, scuttling in and out their homes, treating their neighbours with no more than a sideways glance. The 'streets in the sky' now overlook Poplar's busy redevelopments, its reflection darkening the crystal clean mirrored building next door. Outside, two siblings trailed up and down the central garden mound, at a loss with what to do, given that the mound was originally placed to deter ball games and reduce potential noise. Sadly, it was clear to see the Smithsons' social ambitions for the project failed. Their design was flawed by a lack of defensible space, and residents did not feel that it was their responsibility to look after the many communal features that led to vandalism and fell into a state of disrepair.
Western Façade by tennyson / wood
The section salvaged by the V&A will be part of a project, Robin Hood Gardens: A Ruin in Reverse, to be exhibited at this year's Venice Architecture Biennale. By removing a piece of the building, free from its environment and social failures, the V&A will give the design a chance to be universally appreciated and redeem some of the criticism it has faced since its completion.
Check out our drawings from our visit to Robin Hood Gardens below:
Demolition by wood
Homes Exposed by tennyson
Façade Exposed by wood
Street in the Sky by wood
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